The Outer Worlds Perks Guide: Perks that work best for all playstyles

As is the case with any RPG, perks play a big part in shaping your character. The Outer Worlds is no different, featuring a whole host of different upgrades and enhancements you can choose to make your character your own. 

You get one perk point every two levels, and with the level cap being 30 that means you can get a total of 15 different perks throughout your playthrough, with the option to respec from The Unreliable at any time.

If when playing you tend to take a lot of the same damage or falter in the same way, you'll get the chance to take on a flaw. Doing so will give you a specific weakness like plasma damage, but it'll also give you a perk point to spend. To get the most out of perks, you're going to want to take a few flaws. 

This guide will take a look at the perks that work best for all playstyles. No matter whether you're going for combat or dialogue, the advantages that some of the perks offer are going to be ones you don't want to miss out on.

Knee-deep in The Outer Worlds? Check out some of our other guides on topics like finding every science weapon, all character flaws and recruiting every companion!

Best Tier 1 Perks

Tier 1 is accessed as soon as you reach Level 2, which should happen very early. As the introduction to perks, the ones you’ll find here are the most straightforward. 

Slow the World- +25% Tactical Time Dilation Meter Max

No matter how you choose to play The Outer Worlds, you’re going to be in a lot of combat encounters, and your major advantage comes from Tactical Time Dilation. Any perk that makes it more useful is a must. 

Cheetah- +20% Sprint Speed

You’re going to be spending a lot of time getting around Halcyon, and speeding up that process is definitely a good thing. Cheetah also completely invalidates another perk that speeds up your walking, so make sure not to get both. 

Deadly Demonstrations- +50% XP from Companion kills

Although this may not seem like the best investment so early on in the game, it’ll pay dividends throughout your adventure. A 50% XP boost is actually quite substantial, and you’ll always have your companions around. As a general rule, don’t get any of the perks that only benefit you when you’re on your own- companions are just too helpful to give up. 

Quick and the Dead- +50% Tactical Time Dilation recharge rate

Another Tactical Time Dilation perk, this one is especially helpful because of how much you’re going to be using the skill as a whole. Trust us, it’s going to run out quickly, so a 50% recharge rate increase is very helpful. 

Pack Mule- +50kg Carrying Capacity

With so many different items, you’re going to want to increase your carrying capacity. Another first tier perk allows you to fast-travel when encumbered which is also helpful, but you’re going to want to try and prevent that in the first place. Both are good options though. 

Best Tier 2 Perks 

Tier 2 perks can be acquired when you get five perks overall, which will come at Level 10 if you don’t take any flaws. Things get a lot more specific here, but there's still a fair few perks that work for general playstyles. 

The Reaper- +25% TTD Restored per Kill.

Like we’ve said before, Tactical Time Dilation perks are pretty essential, even if you’re not playing the game aggressively. 25% is a good increase as well, especially when you’ll be killing so much. 

Scanner- +20% Bonus to Extra Headshot / Weakspot Damage.

This perk is absolutely essential for making combat easier. Weakspot damage happens when you shoot an enemy in Tactical Time Dilation, which you’ll be using a lot of. Although 20% may not seem like much, every little bit helps. 

Rolling Thunder- -20% Companion Ability Cooldowns for each of your kills.

A few of the perks in tier 2 focus on the cooldown for companion abilities, but this is the only one that guarantees you something, as the others just offer a chance. If you feel like gambling, the other two have good rewards, but it’s a bit of a risk spending a perk point on a chance. 

Harvester- +15% Health Restored per Kill.

By the time you get to tier 2 perks, you’ll be getting to some of the more combat-heavy encounters in the game. Some of these moments can actually get quite difficult, so restoring health in the background is definitely a big help. 

Hoarder- -50% Consumable Weight.

Consumables are everywhere in The Outer Worlds and you’ll definitely be hoovering them up as you play the game. Although you could just increase your weight limit, it’s easier to basically negate the worry altogether and make them featherweights. 

Best Tier 3 Perks

The final tier of Perks can be unlocked when you’ve got 10 perks overall, which should happen at Level 20. A lot of the perks here are very encounter specific, which means they’re not the overall best choice. Only go for these ones if you’re sure you’ll get a use out of them.

Confidence- Your next attack after killing an enemy is a guaranteed Critical Hit.

Critical hits are usually chance based, so being given the ability to have a guaranteed one can be great against tougher enemies. Make sure to kill in a specific order if you get this perk. 

Armor Master- +10% Armor Rating Bonus. 100% Skill Bonus.

There are a lot of different armor based perks in the previous Tiers, but this is by far the most effective by just giving the player a confirmed boost to their stats. 

Tactical Master- +70% Movement Speed during Tactical Time Dilation for 5s.

Although this only works when you have full Tactical Time Dilation, the ability to counteract your own slowdown makes up for it. 

Don’t Go Dyin’ On Me- Revive Companions to 25% Health. Cooldown: 15mins

Another specific sort of perk, it’s worth getting this one just to get the chance to revive your companions. The 15 minute cooldown is a bit of a pain, but it is your only option.