Our Star Wars Outlaws tips and tricks lay out all the advice we wish we'd known before we started playing Kay Vess's odyssey through the underworld of a hundred worlds. Star Wars Outlaws has a surprising amount of teeth to it, with some real challenges and nuances to the way it's played, but we've been scouting ahead, blaster in hand, and come back with all the hard-earned lessons we've brought back from the numerous hives of scum and villainy we found along the way. If you want the top 10 tips for Star Wars Outlaws, we're going through them here.
1. There's nearly always multiple routes into somewhere
There's many times in Outlaws where you have to break into hideouts, enemy territory, Imperial bases and more besides, such as the early mission where you have to stealth through Pyke District in Star Wars Outlaws. When you do, there's nearly always more than one way in. Maybe it's climbing walls, going through vents, having Nix trigger devices, swinging in with your grappling hook or just going in blasting, but if one way in is proving difficult, you're almost guaranteed to find an alternative if you keep your eyes peeled.
2. Stealing is free and easy, and even viable in combat
One of Nix's primary abilities is to steal things from certain NPCs when you complete a little timed button press. It's incredibly easy to do, and often very helpful. In towns it's a constant source of Credits, earning money along the way, and in combat and stealth, you can use it to get Grenades, weapons and Bacta Vials from enemies. Kay is a thief at heart - so make the most of it.
3. In combat and stealth, find somewhere high up
When in doubt, finding a rooftop, high ledge or wall is a smart move. Outlaws doesn't emphasise it much, but having a height advantage makes it harder for enemies to shoot you if they're aggressive, and gives you an eagle-eye view of the terrain and nearby foes when you're in stealth.
4. You only upset factions if they catch you being bad
If the Crimson Dawn are paying you to steal something from the Hutts, then obviously you might be a bit uncertain about having Jabba mad at you as a result - but he doesn't have to be. Part of the Star Wars Outlaws factions and reputation system means that loss of reputation only happens if they see you. Shooting and killing an enemy means you'll upset their faction, but if you can do the whole thing from stealth and using takedowns without ever alerting any NPCs, you'll be OK.
5. When combat begins, set Nix loose
It's easy to forget, but Nix is really helpful in combat, even beyond the theft mentioned above. Having him attack an enemy effectively stops them from doing anything, giving you a great chance to deal with them, and later upgrades even let you send him to trigger the grenades on the enemies' belts to blow them up. You can do this automatically when you're in combat by holding down the Nix button, then following the Protect Kay button prompt.
6. Don't try to please everybody - it's easier early on to pick some factions that you like…
While it is possible to appeal to all the criminal factions in Star Wars Outlaws, it's very difficult to have them all like you at once, and involves a lot of skill and investment in side content to reach that point. It gets even harder when many campaign story missions will unavoidably put you in conflict with these factions - so instead, focus on making friends with one or two. You can always invest in others later, but better to at least have some allies rather than trying to please everyone to no success.
7. … But when you are ready to be popular, Contracts are the way to go
All the factions do Contracts, special side quests that you can find via the various contract brokers around the galaxy. These are absolutely the best way to get into their good books - they come with significant reputation and credit rewards, and while there's usually a choice to betray them for more cash at the end of each quest, the important thing is that this doesn't usually upset another faction if you turn it down.
8. Fast Talk is a great way to deal with being spotted, but you'll need Adrenaline to handle groups seeing you
The Star Wars Outlaws Fast Talk ability you can unlock early on is your safety net for enemies spotting you in stealth, confusing them momentarily so you can grab your blaster or a smoke bomb. If you're caught by a group though, you can still pacify them collectively with the upgraded Fast Talk - but dealing with them is a lot harder. If that happens and you're talking them all down, that's the best moment to trigger the bullet-time Adrenaline Rush and take them all out in one go.
9. You don't have to fly to fast travel between worlds
After you're done deciding which planet to go to first in Star Wars Outlaws, you'll start unlocking fast travel points on different planets. Outlaws doesn't tell you this, but you don't have to be on that world to fast travel to it - sure, you can go back to your ship and fly there manually, but just open your map and pick the unlocked fast travel point to get there instantly. It's a little quality-of-life element that vastly speeds up your exploration and intergalactic commute.
10. Regularly check your ship for free rewards!
Once the Trailblazer is fixed and active, you should go back to it frequently, even if you're not planning on flying it anywhere. Rewards from factions that like you will be in the delivery box in the back, and at key moments in the story Kay's beneficiaries and teammates will leave other items and loot around the ship for you to find and use.
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