The Outer Worlds 2 delivers a host of details directly to players
Yesterday, Xbox kicked off their Xbox Games Showcase with a new trailer for The Outer Worlds 2, which you can see below, but they were not done there, as they also hosted the Outer Worlds 2 Direct right after the show.
As the trailer above revealed, The Outer Worlds 2 will arrive on October 29, and there is a collector’s edition that will grant access a few days earlier.
The games new central location is Arcadia, a colony cracking under pressure, torn apart by space-time rifts, shifting alliances, and three power-hungry factions locked in a war for control. It’s louder, riskier, and more unpredictable than anything the Halcyon system ever threw at you.
In the first game you were brand new to the galaxy at large, but this time you are an agent of the Earth Directorate, so you know a few things. Your mission is simple, do whatever you want to solve the problem of Arcadia. You can align with one of the three factions, or none of them, you can exploit the people who live there, or you can be a pain in the butt for all who call Arcadia home, it is up to you.
There are three factions at play in The Outer Worlds 2, one of which is an update to a brand that players will remember from the first game. Here are the details on the three groups:
The Protectorate: A military regime powered by endless resources that believes people are happiest when they don’t have to think for themselves. Order is peace. Obedience is comfort. Truly loved by all loyal citizens – just ask them.
Auntie’s Choice: The loud, smiling merger of Auntie Cleo’s and Spacer’s Choice. They promise freedom, fulfillment, and a future where your only real choice is which Auntie’s product you’ll need next.
The Order of the Ascendant: Rogue scientists turned faith-based futurists, determined to perfect humanity by solving the Universal Equation. They worship patterns, predict the future through math, and perform rituals in labs with terrifying precision all in service of a better tomorrow.
Picking a side doesn’t just mean wearing a fancy patch or something, but if you align with Auntie’s Choice and start doing them favours, the area they call home might change to reflect some wins, the radio in the game might actually start to praise your actions and even the world will respond to what you are doing. But be aware that if you assist one, the others will downgrade their experiences, including the radio talking bad about you or your actions.
Speaking of the radio, this is not a propaganda thing, though there will be some of that, but rather like the recent Fallout games, the radio will play music. But as said above, there will also be news, based on the actions you have done or not done, which could add some variety to things.
Just like in the first game, there are Companions to travel with, this time there are six and each of them has their own reason for following you around the place. One might beg you to spare a faction leader. Another might ask you to murder an entire town. Sacrificing a companion could help you survive a key moment, but lock you out of their questline – and you’ll hear about it. On the radio. From the faction you just betrayed.
These aren’t just followers. They’re allies, wild cards, and occasional liabilities who breathe fire (literally). And each one brings something different to the table:
Niles: Another Earth Directorate recruit torn between duty and defection.
Inez: A former experiment from Auntie’s Choice with a grafted combat edge and a moral core.
Aza: A chaos-loving Rift worshipper with a taste for violence and room to grow – maybe.
Marisol: A stoic killer from the Order of the Ascendant with calculations to settle.
Tristen: A walking tank and judge from the Protectorate, looking to dispense justice – or redefine it.
Valerie: A floating, chirping support unit with unexpected upgrades and untapped potential.
The game is releasing on October 29 for Xbox Series X|S, PC and PlayStation 5. It will be available in standard and collector’s edition formats, though for some weird reason, there is no standard edition of the Xbox version at retail. It will also be available day one in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass PC, with an upgrade pack available for those who want all the extra goods.
Now if that was not enough news for you, the team also took part in the Xbox Games Showcase Deep Dive series on the Xbox Podcast, to talk about the game, just set aside some 30 minutes for this one.
