Basic Game Mechanics for The Outer Worlds are explained here for players that are new to the game, or those who simply don't have very much experience with FPS story shooters. On this page you will learn the basics: how to use Skills, what Perks are, how to determine where you need to go, etc.
The Outer Worlds Basic Game Mechanics
The Basics
- Basic Movement: Use the Left stick to move your character.
- Sprinting: Press the Left analog stick to start sprinting.
- Crouching: Press the Circle button on the PS4 or B button on the Xbox to go underneath obstacles and to sneak.
- Jumping: Press the X button on the PS4 or A button on the Xbox to jump over obstacles.
- Dodging: Press the X button on the PS4 or ? button on the Xbox twice to dodge left, right, or backward.
- Weapon Holstering: To put away your weapon hold down the Square button or X button on the Xbox.
- Weapon Switching: Press the Triangle button on the PS4 or Y button on the Xbox to rotate the weapons you have equipped.
- Falling Damage: Falling from high platforms causes damage to your character.
- Hunger: If you've chosen to play the game in Supernova difficulty, you must eat every few hours to prevent starvation. Without eating, your hunger will get worse over time in 4 stages: reducing your Strength, Charm, and Perception at each stage before eventually... death.
- Leap Dodge: Once you've unlocked Leap. Double-tap jump when you are moving straight to leap forward, this is a great tactic to close the distance on an enemy.
- Resting: In Supernova difficulty, you can only rest in your bed on your ship. Resting relieves exhaustion and moves time forward.
- Sleep Deprivation: In Supernova difficulty, you must rest to avoid exhaustion. Without sleep, your exhaustion will get worse over time in 4 stages: reducing your Temperament, Intelligence, and Strength at each stage before eventually... death.
- Thirst: In Supernova difficulty, you must drink to avoid dehydration. Without drinking, your dehydration will get worse over time in 4 stages: reducing your Dexterity, Perception, and Intelligence at each stage before eventually... death.
Combat
- Combat Dialog Abilities: Once you unlock a dialog combat skill, attacking the correct type of target will automatically debilitate the enemy.
- Critical Hits: All weapons have a random chance to cause a critical hit with each successful attack. Critical hits cause extra damage and can ignore the tartet's armor with a high weapon skill.
- Damage Types: There are 5 damage types - physical, plasma, corrosion, shock, and n-ray. Some enemies will be vulnerable or resistant to it.
- Physical - Weak against armor
- Plasma - Good against flesh, weak against Mantisaurs
- Corrosion - Good against Armor, including Automechanicals, Mantisaurs, and Heavy Armor.
- Shock - Good against Automechanicals.
- N-Ray - Bypasses Armor, weak against non-organic enemies.
- N-Ray Damage: Once you've taken too much N-Ray damage, the damage bypasses your armor, does damage-over-time to you and your companions who are standing close to you, the damage further increases if you continue to take N-Ray damage.
- Emergency Medical Inhaler: Pressing the L1 button on the PS4 or ? button on the Xbox will prompt your character to use the inhaler to heal. Each activation consumes 1 Aderno.
- Grazes: Low damage weapons are ineffective against heavy armor. Switch weapons if you see your damage numbers float downwards.
- Melee Attacks and Blocking: All melee weapons can block and most melee weapons can perform a 3-swing combo.
- Melee Power Attacks: By holding down the attack button, you can charge up an overhead Power Attack that inflicts significant extra damage. Dong this charge up during a standard attack will prepare a strong Sweep Attack that can hit multiple enemies in front of you.
- Quick Melee: Press R3 on the PS4 or right analog stick on the Xbox button to knock back enemies with your ranged weapon.
- Perfect Blocks: If you time your blocks just as an enemy melee attack arrives, you can cause stagger on the enemy, allowing you to follow up with a ferocious counter-attack!
- Weakspots and Headshots: All enemies have weakspots that inflict extra damage when hit. On humans, shots to the head are extra harmful, but Weakspots can be in different places on the exotic animals and automechanicals of the Halcyon Colony.
Companions
- The Companion Ledger: The Companion Ledger shows you everything you need to know about your companions. You can see their skills, stats, status effects, perks, and gear. In conjunction with gear, you can select and swap the compatible weapon and armor for your companion. On top of that, players can also change the companion's behavior in combat such as their distance, preferred weapon, and aggressiveness.
- Companion Movement Commands: Press the down button on the controller's D-pad once to send them to a location or hold to call them back.
- Focus Fire: Press the up button on the controller's D-pad once to order your companions to ATTACK.
- Companion Abilities: You can command your companions to use their Special Abilities on the enemy you are targetting by pressing the left or right arrow of the controller's D-pad.
- Companion Down: Some things you can do to make your companions tougher: give them better gear, increase your Determination skill, give them Companion Perks that improve health or toughness.
- Companion Perks: Your companion has leveled up and can be granted a new Perk. Companion Perks grant passive buffs to the specified companion, the player's character, or the party.
- Companion Skills: Companions' skills add to your skill checks. Increasing your Leadership skills increase the bonuses they give.
- Companion Wants to Talk: Occasionally, companions may have something on their mind. When you see a thought bubble above their head, try talking to them. They may have something important to say or give to you.
Skills & Reputation
- Character Respecification: Choosing to "Respec" refunds all your spent skill and perks points which allows you to spend them in a different way. At first, the price of to respec is 500 bits and further increases each time you use the machine.
- Criminal Activites: Trespassing, lockpicking, hacking, and murder are all considered illegal activities and are frowned upon by society. Avoid being seen if you want to engage in those activities without consequences.
- Dialog Skill Checks: Some dialog choices require skills of a certain level, which are shown in brackets before the response. Examples include Lie 1 or Intimidate 20. Meet or exceed the required skill to use the dialog choice.
- Flaws: Flaws are permanent negative effects that are obtained from the player's actions in exploration and combat. If a flaw is triggered, you will have the option to accept or reject it, accepting it rewards the player with a perk point.
- Leveling Up: Leveling increases the health points, gives points to upgrade skills and perks. Keep leveling and you'll be upper management material in no time!
- Perks: Perks are benefits that both players and companions can acquire to further increase a Skill or to gain various buffs You get a Perk Point for every 2 levels.
- Skills: Skills are used by the player to determine the outcome of combat or certain events within the game. Every time you level up, you earn skill points to spend on improving your skills. At first, spending a skill point on a Core Skill (e.g. Melee) improves all of the Specialized skills in that group up to Rank 50. Once you've reached Rank 50, players will have the freedom to directly add the skill points to the Specialized Skill (e.g. 1-Handed Melee) up to Rank 100. Each specialized skill has a bonus that can be acquired for every 20 points.
- Reputation Change: Your reputation with a faction can change depending on your actions. If enemies are hostile but your reputation ins't "Kill on Sight", leaving for a few days will calm things down.
- Reputation & Factions: Attacking members of a larger Faction will hurt your Reputation. Choose your enemies wisely.
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''Supernova difficulty automatically adds the flaw'' That is not true I playing currently in that difficult and I can reject flaws i dont like..
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