8 Things to Do First in Outer Worlds

Customize Your Character

One of the very first things you’ll have to do in The Outer Worlds is create your character. In fact, it’s the first thing you actually need to do in the game after a brief cutscene.

Spend as long or as short as you like in customizing your character in The Outer Worlds. Because the game is entirely in first-person, you’ll rarely see your character’s face and appearance that much anyway, especially when you’ve got a giant helmet over their head half the time.

Still, if you’re a fan of really perfecting your characters look, there’s a lot of fun to be had in the game’s character creator.

Decide Your Play Style

Once you’re happy with the look of your protagonist in The Outer Worlds, it’s time to start investing in various Skills. These will ultimately determine what abilities your character excels in, and those which they’re not so great at.

For example, the Dialog skill increases your Persuade, Lie, and Intimidate stats, which will grant you alternative dialog options in conversation once you’ve leveled them up enough. Meanwhile, the ‘Defense’ skill determines how effective your Dodge and Block abilities are.

There are a ton of different Skills and Perks (but more on those later) that you can invest in in Outer Worlds, and the best way to separate the best from the worst is to first determine how you want to play The Outer Worlds.

If you want to be a smooth-talking, sneaky character who hacks and lockpicks there way to all the wealth they can muster in the game, the ‘Dialog’ and ‘Stealth’ skills are going to be where you want to invest.

Whereas if you want your fists to do the talking, the ‘Melee,’ and ‘Defense’ skills are going to be where you’ll want to focus instead.

Get Acquainted with Outer Worlds’ Perks

Just when you thought your character build was done, you’ve then got Perks. Perks essentially further boost your abilities and generally make things that little bit better for you.

For example, the Pack Mule perk increases carry capacity, while Deadly Demonstrator grants you an additional 50% XP every time your companion gets a kill.

Others increase your base health and can improve the effectiveness of Tactical Time Dilation.

There’s a bunch worth checking out, and they’re broken down into Tiers which unlock as you invest a set amount of Perk Points in the one before it.

As such, spending the time to plan out which perks you want will make sure that you don’t have to spend time respeccing your character and handing over Bits to do so. Plus, you’ll then be able to enjoy all of the game with your character excelling in the playstyle you want them to.

Do Some Side Quests

If there’s one thing that’s absolutely worth doing during your first couple of hours in Outer Worlds, it’s completing some side quests.

While the main quests offer the biggest chunks of XP and the main threads of the storyline, side quests are fun little excursions that also offer pretty great rewards, both in terms of XP and gear.

Plus, they’re actually pretty well-done and help to flesh out the lore of Outer Worlds’ Halcyon system.

Loot Everything

It can be easy to fall into the trap of speeding through the main quests, getting all of that XP, and moving swiftly onto the next one. Doing that would put you at a huge disadvantage though.

Mainly because you’ll be missing out on so many weapons, bits of armor, gear, and other valuable items that you could have looted if you’d taken the time to do so.

Unlike Fallout 76’s horrendously limited inventory system at launch, The Outer Worlds’ item weight system doesn’t seem so restrictive on the amount of stuff you can carry.

During the opening hours, you can just about pick up everything you spot and not have an issue for a good while.

Even when you do, you can sell junk items for good profit, break down old weapons and armor for parts to upgrade and repair others, and even get Perks which will further increase the amount of items you can carry in one way or another.

The bottom line is, go explore, search every container, pick up everything, and sift through it when you’re eventually over encumbered. Up until this point, every item you leave is a missed opportunity for profit or better gear.

Visit a Workbench

All of the weapons and armor you pick up in The Outer Worlds will succumb to damage or general wear and tear as you’re out and about exploring planets. The more damaged they become, the less effective they’ll be in combat.

Similarly, some of your favorite weapons and gear can quickly be underpowered for the quests you’re trying to take on. Or maybe you just want to add a mod to your gear.

All of this can be done at workbenches. These are your go-to for gear maintenance and are well worth visiting fairly frequently just to make sure you’re making good use of those mods, Tinkering with your gear to make it more powerful, or repairing bits that are busted.

Venture Off the Beaten Path

It can be easy to just blast through The Outer Worlds’ main story quests and do the occasional side mission without truly exploring and seeing what the game’s various planets have to offer.

Doing so would be an injustice. The Outer Worlds has plenty for players to see outside of its main and side quests, and exploring off the beaten path will help you to see it all.

Not only that, but you’ll often come across locked doors you can lockpick or terminals that can be hacked. Doing so will often open up a new path or access to a previously unreachable area that often holds a bunch of loot or powerful new gear.

Quit holding onto those Mag-Picks and Bypass Shunts and venture off the beaten path. It’s almost guaranteed to net you something fruitful.

Keep Switching Out Your Gear

During your early stages in Outer Worlds, it can get easy to just stick to the guns that you know and love. While getting used to new weapons can take a while, it’s absolutely imperative that you keep switching out your old weapons and armor for new gear that you pick up.

Not only will more powerful weapons save you ammo by taking down enemies in fewer hits, but improved armor will help you tank more hits before you go down. It’s a win-win situation.

There you have our picks for the first things to do in Outer Worlds. For more tips, tricks, and guides, be sure to check out our ever-expanding guide wiki, or search for Twinfinite.