They are really going to bring the house down with much awaited changes for deep RPG mechanics fans for The Outer Worlds 2, and this could even be more nose-grightening. The developers also have massive overhauls done in the fields of Skills, Perks, Traits, and Flaws, which will bring a more dynamic and lively experience compared with the first game. And honestly? The time is just right for that.
Outer Worlds is great, but I’m telling you, it’s kind of safe on some of the RPG fronts. Skills and perks worked well, but they really didn’t make you think about your character or go try really crazy builds. That is going to change for the sequel, however, according to the new deep-dive interview with the devs.
Starting with the skills, overhauls are everywhere. Obsidian won’t let you stack all your points into one stat and call it good. Hybrid playstyles would be beneficial, because there will be no such thing as pure gunslinger or smooth-talker- you will actually need to mix things up.
Perks are also very much increasing their glow. Some will not only boost attributes; they will actually be designed to have much bigger impacts on the actual gameplay. Think less “+5% damage,” more “your bullets ricochet off walls causing mayhem.” You know that kind of thing.
But, of course, the biggest star in the show would be Flaws. In the first game, they were little optional debuffs that you could take to earn more Perk Points, but they never really felt weighty. Now, they’re apparently expanding their effect to really start influencing the playthrough in larger ways. Like, one such flaw makes your enemies target you more aggressively, but you receive one unique ability that plays into that risk-reward loop. Obsidian really wants these to feel like heavy choices, not just little nuisances.
Traits, on the other hand, are getting a little bit more personality. Deftly skilled, the devs said they would want to reflect your character’s evolution (or devolution) in a sensible way. So if you just can’t stop getting your butt kicked by robots, now your character might develop a phobia that changes how he or she interacts with tech- things like that.
Perhaps the best thing is that it won’t just be adding in random things- they are going to play test the heck out of it to make sure it feels good. Nobody wants something that sounds great in theory but is completely annoying in practice.
But what are we waiting for to see it in action? The action RPG improvements fans have been awaiting are now really indicated for secret ingredient cooking over at Obsidian with such announcement. The Outer Worlds 2 still doesn’t get any release date.
At this point, we can only speculate and replay this game, but for sure, not going to play it safe on mechanics. Now that’s something to be hyped up about.
