Outer Worlds 2 allies are more than companions, they're your key to the galaxy

The Outer Worlds 2 promises a thrilling tale of intergalactic derring-do, filled with plenty of drama and action. But what's a grand escapade if you've no-one to share it with? Obsidian has always been a name you can trust when it comes to crafting interesting allies, and its latest space RPG is looking to expand on its previous offerings in this regard. At Gamescom, we spoke with creative director Leonard Boyarsky and game director Brandon Adler about who'll be joining you on your new adventure across Arcadia.

The Outer Worlds 2 looks to be building on the parts of the original that I loved most, tightening the Fallout style that Obsidian delivered in New Vegas into something more condensed, focused, and mechanically robust. It also achieved something that many of the best RPGs in this style haven't, getting me to actually bring a companion along on my travels rather than leave them behind in favor of a solo journey. Perhaps that's due to the more jovial and silly tone the space game has, even in the face of its haunting future ruled by dystopian megacorporations.

Outer Worlds 2 companions will be similarly important, but Boyarsky says the team was emphatic that it "didn't want to just keep repeating the same kind of personalities. So we looked at the archetypes, we looked at what kind of characters we wanted to fill those slots." He says, much like the other areas of the sequel, the team wanted more depth here.

"In the first game, we had some really interesting character companion quest lines, but I don't feel like we had enough where you could really change who they were as people. They didn't have as much of a character arc as we would have wanted to give them. So we really put a lot of time and effort into giving each of our companions a character arc this time that you can really influence, and change who they end up as at the end of the game through your actions."

"One of the things [we wanted to do] was making sure that each of the factions were represented in the companions," Adler continues. "Obviously there's a lot of good storytelling moments you can do there. But another cool element is that you can actually get the inside scoop on each of these factions; you can see what their internal thought processes are, how they view the other factions or the world itself."

Gameplay is also an important factor in picking your pals. "One of the reasons I keep Niles with me in most of my playthroughs is that he has field training - he's basically a mobile workbench," Adler says. "You can have him help craft stuff for you, like ammo or explosives or other things, or he can help mod your weapons while you're out in the field so you don't have to go back [to your ship]."

There are six companions, and Boyarsky points to Val, an automech support drone with ties to Niles, as the 'fallback option.' "She's an awesome companion, but she's like our 'light companion,'" he explains. "If you decide, 'I don't want to play with any companions,' she's still on the ship going, 'Okay, I know you've killed everybody but maybe you should go check out this area next.' So it was a great fallback for us narratively."

It's certainly good to have the option, meaning you'll be given the opportunity for some direction even if you'd rather fly solo for the most part. Val still has her own companion quest, of course, although Boyarsky notes, "You can change her function in the world, [but] you can't really change her personality because she's non-sentient, just like all of the auto-mechanicals in the base game."

You can spruce up your ship in another very exciting way as well. "I don't think we've talked about this anywhere," Adler teases. "We have a pet system, and you can find different pets in the world, and they'll live in your ship. There's fun stuff like that. We like to build out the ship a little bit so players can make it their own."

The Outer Worlds 2 release date is set for Wednesday October 29, so there's not too much longer to wait. Now that it's getting close, I'm finding myself rather looking forward to a new intergalactic adventure, and as a big Monster Hunter fan I'm certainly very appeased by the promise of gathering a bunch of animal pals to hang out in my crib.

If you're itching for more ahead of launch, we've run down how The Outer Worlds 2 traits work so you can start thinking about your potential play styles. Take a look through The Outer Worlds 2 system requirements as well to make sure your PC is up to the task.

Who will you be bringing along on your adventure? Come tell us in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you'll find thousands of fellow readers to chat with about the latest and greatest in PC gaming.

Additional reporting at Gamescom by Jamie Hore.