Star Wars Outlaws beginner's guide: 7 tips and tricks to turn you into a veteran scoundrel

As a seasoned gamer and long-time Star Wars enthusiast, I’ve found myself immersed in the gritty underworld of Star Wars Outlaws. This game is not for the faint-hearted, as our duo, Form Nix, find themselves up against some formidable opponents who are better equipped and more powerful.

For quite some time now, we’ve been yearning for an exciting new Star Wars game developed outside of EA, and that wait has finally come to an end. The latest addition, titled “Star Wars Outlaws,” revolves around the escapades of rogue character Kay Vess as she navigates her way through the galaxy’s deadliest criminal organizations. It’s a sprawling open-world action-adventure game, boasting seven planets to delve into, and just like Ubisoft’s other creations, there’s an abundance of details to remember while exploring.

In this article, we present a comprehensive newbie’s guide to Star Wars Outlaw, a game that offers distinctive mechanics and gameplay unlike other Ubisoft titles. Even seasoned fans might initially find themselves puzzled. But don’t worry! With these seven essential tips and tricks, you’ll quickly transform from an inexperienced rookie into a skilled outlaw.

By bearing these points in mind, the rest of what you need to know about Star Wars Outlaws should become second nature.

1. Play until your ship is in Jaunta’s Hope

Star Wars Outlaws beginner's guide: 7 tips and tricks to turn you into a veteran scoundrel

In Star Wars Outlaws, a sprawling open-world game across seven intricately designed planets, initially, you find yourself restrained rather than ruling freely. At the start, your character Kay Vess is trapped in the lively city of Canto Bight on planet Canto. For an hour or so at the outset, your options for exploration are quite limited, and there’s not much incentive to venture into the few accessible locations. Even after you manage to escape Canto and crash-land on Toshara, your freedom to roam remains restricted.

You’ll be able to use your speedy vehicle to travel to Mirogana city initially, but you’ll primarily be confined within its boundaries until you complete the “New Tricks” main quest. After that, you’re free to explore! However, upon gaining your freedom, you’re instructed to leave Mirogana in search of an upgrade for your blaster, and at the same time, your companion Waka informs you that your ship, Trailblazer, has been relocated to Jaunta’s Hope village.

In this scenario, Star Wars Outlaws fully unfolds, yet you can’t entirely depart from the planet. Finishing the “New Tricks” mission enables you to break through Toshara’s atmosphere but not its orbit. Despite this, there’s an abundance of content and quests solely on Toshara that could keep you engaged for hours, so I recommend playing until this stage before fully investing in exploration or completion.

In this stage, you can start searching for fresh Experts to discover valuable new skills such as the Speedy Burst and Detailed Hacking Set, which will open up new regions and hidden mysteries for you.

2. Take advantage of Nix’s abilities

It appears that every Star Wars creation features a charming pet or robot sidekick, and this rule holds true for Star Wars Outlaws as well. In this case, your loyal companion is Nix, an endearing and exceptionally intelligent furry creature who offers assistance in ways you may not initially anticipate. When navigating the world of Star Wars Outlaws, Nix proves to be your most indispensable resource. Understanding their abilities greatly enhances your experience.

Nix can access many areas that you can’t thanks to small openings and gaps
Nix can open and close doors, vents, and shutters for you, even from a distance
If you spot items or loot in hard-to-reach places or want to snatch something without being caught, Nix can fetch almost any loose items and bring them straight to you
This includes weapons, as Nix can pick up powerful weapons from gun racks or fallen enemies and bring them to you
Nix is also able to sabotage alarm systems and set explosives and other traps to detonate on a brief timer, often with far more subtlety than you’d be able to on your own
Nix can attack enemies to give you a starting advantage in combat (including letting you do a quick takedown)
For the stealthier approach, Nix can distract enemies with a little show, moving them away from their position and occupying their attention for a brief time
Finally, Nix can use their enhanced senses to “scan” the area around you, temporarily highlighting enemies and interactable elements

Nix isn’t a magic pass that frees you from trouble immediately, as they need time to maneuver and enemies might spot them, but they are incredibly adaptable when it comes to helping you in almost anything. You can even customize Nix with unique decorative items or grant them new skills (such as the ability to kick grenades away from you) by feeding them and collecting treat charms.

In certain aspects of the game, Nix is indispensable; they are useful in almost every scenario. As time passes, I use Nix more frequently, making it advantageous to delve into their capabilities as soon as possible.

3. Use your Journal and acquired Intel

In Star Wars Outlaws, they’re excited to offer you fresh missions and tasks primarily through its main plot. However, a significant part of your experience in Ubisoft’s newest adventure is driven by the clues and details you gather as you progress. As you journey through Star Wars Outlaws, you’ll stumble upon various data pads filled with notes and snippets of information, overhear confidential chats between characters you can listen in on, or uncover secrets just by following the leads and connections you’ll forge during gameplay.

In Star Wars Outlaws, anything that could potentially unlock uncommon enhancements, hidden details, or entire story arcs is categorized as Intel, which you’ll find recorded in your Journal. To maximize your gameplay experience, regularly consult your Journal to stay updated on new leads and potential clues. The Journal sorts your Intel into various sections based on their relevance and complexity, allowing you to prioritize tasks efficiently.

One fragment of intel could lead you on a hunt for whispers about a new Expert, a chase that would eventually turn into a sequence of tasks to earn their trust (and assistance). Alternatively, you might stumble upon a clue hinting at a secret cache hidden somewhere in the world, a treasure trail to follow. The quest system is intriguing, given the multitude of intel sources available. Your journal will also sync with the map whenever you have location details, making it simpler to trace your targets.

4. Pay attention to your Syndicate Reputation

In Star Wars Outlaws, one of the major aspects is your Reputation. This reputation can influence significantly the outcomes of specific missions and overall success, as Kay Vess interacts with up to four powerful criminal organizations such as the Pyke Syndicate, Crimson Dawn, Hutt Cartel, and Ashiga Clan. Maintaining a good standing with these syndicates could be crucial for your overall progress in the game.

You can easily monitor your Standing with each Criminal Gang in a specific menu, and it spans from “they’re hostile; shoot on sight” to “we’re fond of them; they have no limitations.” Each Criminal Gang controls various zones across the playable planets, and your Standing with that group determines whether you can traverse those areas and what level of access you receive.

Enhancing your reputation grants you exclusive access to merchants within criminal organizations. As your ties with a particular syndicate strengthen, these merchants can provide you with an expanding array of goods and increasingly larger discounts on those items. You can view a complete list of all the syndicate-specific merchants you’ve encountered on each organization’s dedicated page.

You also get exclusive benefits and rewards for reaching new Reputation tiers with each organization. Accidentally wandering into the wrong territory when your Reputation isn’t good enough is a fast way to get shot, though, so it’s important to be familiar with how to check your Reputation. Of course, it’s also important to know how to improve your Reputation.

5. Master juggling the four Criminal Syndicates

In Star Wars Outlaws, there are several methods to enhance or damage your standing with the four major Criminal Syndicates. While fulfilling their tasks will increase their confidence in you, it’s important to understand that the dynamics are not straightforward.

One simple rephrasing for your text could be: In Star Wars Outlaws, the quickest route to earning a syndicate’s disapproval is by betraying them. This can make your missions and tasks more intricate since many of these assignments originate from syndicates. The decisions you make while completing these quests hold significant weight as the game frequently challenges you with difficult choices that may result in severe consequences.

In this scenario, you might find yourself tasked with retrieving stolen goods for the Pykes. However, during the mission, someone from the Hutts could offer you a large sum of money to hand over the goods to them instead. If you complete the quest as originally intended, it will boost your standing with the Pykes. But if you betray them and take the Hutt’s offer, you’ll earn a significant amount of money and gain positive reputation with the Hutts, but you’ll lose a considerable amount of reputation with the Pykes.

At times, it’s not always straightforward who knows what in the world of these criminal organizations. However, there might come a time when you can secure valuable information about the Empire from the Crimson Dawn. You could decide to pass this information along to the Pykes or keep it for yourself and return it to the Crimson Dawn, earning significant favor with the syndicate you choose. Regardless of your choice, the other syndicate will remain oblivious since the information originated elsewhere.

In most cases, the outcomes of your choices can be predicted using common sense, reasoning, and knowledge about the mission or intelligence you’re dealing with. However, the unpredictable actions of syndicate members might lead to surprising results. For instance, an agent from Crimson Dawn could secretly insert themselves into a mission supported by the Hutts, forcing you to make an immediate decision between betraying the Hutts or risking the wrath of Crimson Dawn. As a result, your standing with each criminal organization is likely to change frequently, regardless of your efforts to appease all parties involved.

6. Take advantage of quests to upgrade your gear

In Star Wars Outlaws, Kay Vess and Nix make an effective team, but their adversaries possess greater power and superior resources. To keep up and handle the tougher assignments smoothly, enhancing your equipment is essential. Fortunately, there are several methods for this upgrade, and much of it hinges on gathering Intel.

In your journey through Star Wars Outlaws, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a wealth of details and clues, which could lead to improved equipment, essential upgrade parts, and novel skills. For instance, you’ll stumble upon Mentors who, once they trust you, will offer a new skill and numerous other upgrades that can be obtained by completing designated tasks.

In addition, you’ll uncover details about special elements and enhancements that can improve your blaster, speed vehicle, or spaceship. These improvements could be hidden in secret caches, locked within secured containers, or simply offered for sale by particular vendors. Indeed, vendors are essential players, and the only thing standing between you and acquiring a top-tier component for your equipment might be your syndicate reputation.

In summary, Vess has the ability to acquire special clothing and accessories such as shirts, pants, and holsters, which offer additional benefits like enhanced health or quicker movement speed. Such items are not commonplace and cannot be crafted at home. Instead, you’ll come across this unique gear hidden in treasure chests scattered throughout Star Wars Outlaws. Additionally, certain merchants may sell gear, with some of their stock being exclusive to the elite members of the Criminal Syndicates.

7. Use everything you can find in battle

In the Star Wars universe, Kay Vess carries a reliable blaster, yet it falls short compared to the devastating weapons found elsewhere in this galaxy. Unlike many other Star Wars games where you assume the role of a powerful Jedi or renowned warrior, you’re playing as a cunning thief in this game. Vess can quickly be outmatched in combat situations, whether by overwhelming numbers or formidable firepower. To emerge victorious, you must make clever use of all available resources at your disposal.

This strategy involves utilizing environmental dangers such as explosives to eliminate groups of adversaries, instructing Nix to bewilder and disorient enemies, and particularly, seizing weapons from defeated foes. You’ll discover blaster and sniper rifles that significantly boost your combat ability, although their ammunition is restricted, and your agility may decrease; however, the enhanced firepower might justify this compromise.

Primarily, stealth tends to be your ally. Vess is proficient at swift (and sometimes comical) takedowns against most adversaries, while her unique talents are geared towards moving unnoticed and silently eliminating enemies. However, in case of chaos, that discarded blaster rifle might be the key to your survival.

Star Wars Outlaws is a big game, but worth exploring

Star Wars Outlaws isn’t flawless; it has its share of glitches and problems that prevent it from being among our top Xbox games this year. Despite these flaws, it represents an improvement for Ubisoft over their recent releases, providing an enjoyable experience that offers a nice break from other Star Wars games. The game’s Scoundrel character and Intel/Reputation systems make playing in the Star Wars universe a delightful experience.

2024-08-30 16:10

Star Wars Outlaws beginner’s guide: 7 tips and tricks to turn you into a veteran scoundrel