There are many reasons why Fallout fans should be excited for The Outer Worlds, but perhaps one of the biggest reasons is the character creator.
In The Outer Worlds, players will get to create a character and assign them unique stats, and the system as a whole is very reminiscent of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L system from Fallout. When players first begin their exploration of space next week, players will want to know how the character creator works, what the stats mean, and how the stats will affect gameplay.
In The Outer Worlds, there are three main categories that players will focus on: Body, Mind, and Personality. Each category has three attributes that players will get to spend points on when they create their character. Body contains the Strength and Dexterity attributes. Mind contains Intelligence and Perception. Personality features the Charm and Temperament attributes. When creating a character, players have a set number of points to spend, and decreasing a state below average will grant additional points to spend. Each of these attributes will affect a handful of skills that players will level up as they progress through the game.
Having extremely high or low attributes can open up new options in the world. For example, having low Intelligence will grant players the "dumb" dialogue options, leading to some funny situations that will blend perfectly into the satirical tone of The Outer Worlds. The attributes lend themselves to players who really want to take roleplaying in the game seriously. While min-maxers will surely find the best combination of stats for their character, players will find a ton of different combinations to choose from.
Each attribute will boost certain stats, and some stats are boosted by multiple attributes. Strength is perfect for players who want to lean into melee fighting, and features boosts to 1-Handed Melee, 2-Handed Melee, Heavy Weapons, Block, Inspiration, and Intimidate. Dexterity features boosts to 1-Handed Melee, Handguns, Dodge, Block, Sneak, and Lockpick - perfect for those who want to play a roguish player when exploring the Halcyon Colony. Intelligence is perfect for the science-minded individuals and features boosts to Long Guns, Persuade, Hack, Medical, Science, and Determination.
Perception is great for ranged fighters as it features boosts to Handguns, Long Guns, Heavy Weapons, Dodge, Lockpick, and Engineering. Charm is a must-have for those looking to live out their Han Solo fantasies as it boosts Persuade, Lie, Intimidate, Hack, Science, and Inspiration. Lastly, Temperament boosts 2-Handed Melee, Lie, Sneak, Medical, Engineering, and Determination. No doubt there will be must-haves for when tackling the hardest difficulties The Outer Worlds has to offer, but for the most part players should envision a character and allocate stats accordingly.
Much like the attributes, the skills are nestled into categories, and all skills in a category are increased when points are spent there. Each individual skill unlocks new effects in intervals of 20 skill points. Once a skill reaches rank 50, they will no longer gain points from the overall category and must be leveled individually. This in-depth leveling and customization system is one of the main reasons why The Outer Worlds was one of the best games of E3 2019.
The Outer Worlds has a rich character creator that is perfect for those players who want to really get into character and fill a role as they explore the Halcyon Colony. From charming heroes who are lacking in intelligence to the evil genius set on killing every character in the game, players are bound to find a role and play style when The Outer Worlds launches next week.
The Outer Worlds launches October 25 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Switch version also in development.