When you invest points in a skill area when playing the Outer Worlds, you get to select a perk for every 20 points you put in. Perks are special benefits that you can use to improve your skills. Both you and your companions can make use of Perks and there are several different tiers of them. We’ve prepared this handy guide to explain how perks work and we’ve listed every perk in the game.
The Outer Worlds Perks
Every time you progress 2 levels, you get one perk point. This can be done by finishing quests, accepting Flaws or just playing the game for fun. Perk points can be spent on unlocking a perk of your choice for yourself or your companions.
Each Perk tier requires you to have some of the previous perks unlocked. We’ve listed every Perk that you and your companions can take advantage of.
Player Perks
Tier 1
- Toughness: This can increase Base Health by up to 50%.
- Slow the World: The tactical Time dilation meter can be increased by 25%.
- Lone Wolf: You deal 25% increased damage when you’re alone.
- Strider: Your walk speed can increase by 25%.
- Cheetah: Your sprint speed can increase by 20%.
- High Maintenance: Your armor durability loss or even the weapon loss can be decreased by 25%.
- Precision: If you have a companion your critical chance can be increased by 25%.
- The Negotiator: The vendor price can be decreased by around 20%.
- Deadly Demonstrations: You can easily increase your XP by killing a companion.
- Traveler: Fast travel can be utilized when you are tired or emotional.
- Quick and the Dead: The rate of tactical time dilation can be increased by 50%.
- Pack Mule: This pack can increase your capacity by a whopping 50kg.
- A Few Bits More: You can increase additional consumables or ammo or any regular stock at vendors by 100%.
- Resilient: The rating for the base armor can be increased by 5%.
Tier 2
To get these, you’ll need 5 of the previous perks.
- Run and Gun: It can decrease the movement penalty to accuracy by around 65%.
- The Reaper: This increases the tactical time dilation upon a single kill by 25%.
- Weird Science: The damage of science weapons can be increased by 50%.
- Speed Demon: The movement speed increases around 25% when the tactical time dilation occurs.
- Scanner: When you take a direct headshot the award increases to 20%.
- The Collector: The range distance increases by 5m for interactable highlight.
- Snake Oil Salesman: The buying price for vendors increases by 20%.
- We Band of Brothers: It increases the chance of critical skills for a companion by 25%.
- Tag Team: You can again reset the companion’s ability for cooldown by 25% when you use a companion’s ability.
- Rolling Thunder: It decreases the companion’s ability by 20% after each kill.
- Harvester: The health increases around 15% after each kill.
- Hoarder: The weight reduces by 50%.
- Pack of Pack Mules: The capacity increases by 40kg for carrying a capacity bonus.
- Soliloquy: You can increase your speaking skills by 10%.
Tier 3
To get these, you’ll need 10 of the previous perks.
- Wild Science: Damage from science weapons is increased by 50%.
- Steady Hand: Ranged Weapon Sway and Movement Penalty to Accuracy are both reduced by 100%.
- Confidence: After knocking down an opponent, your next attack will almost certainly be a critical hit.
- Armor Master: Skill Bonus is increased by 100%, and Armor Rating Bonus is increased by 10%.
- Super Pack Mule: Carrying Capacity increases by 100kg.
- Tactical Master: During Tactical Time Dilation, your Movement Speed rises by 70% for 5 seconds.
- Revenge: Damage is increased by 20%.
- Last Stand: When your health falls below 25%, your damage increases by 30%.
- Boom, Headshot: Headshot kills provide 25% more damage to enemies within 2.5m.
- Don’t Go Dyin’ On Me!: Increase the health of your allies by 25%.
- Penetrating Shots: Ranged attacks deal 1 Armor Rating damage for 10 seconds.
- Thick Skin: Damage from plasma and area of effect is reduced by 15%.
- Tit for Tat: Melee Damage is restored when health improves by 15%.
- Solo Sneaker: Enemy detection radius is reduced by 33%.
Companion Perks
Tier 1
- Healthy: Base Health improves by 30%.
Boisterous: The threat generated increases by 30%. - Sneaky: Threat Generated rises by 10%.
Tier 2
Have just one perk from Tier 1 to unlock these.
- Fine Aim: Ranged Damage increases by 10%.
- Battle Hardened: Armor Rating rises by 5%.
- Heavy-Handed: Melee Damage can increase by around 10%
Tier 3
You need 2 of the previous perks to unlock these.
- Spec Ops: You have a 20% chance of resetting an ability’s cooldown when you use it.
- Stonebreaker: Companionship Capability Damage is increased by 30%.
- Jazz Hands: Equip time is reduced by 30%, while ranged weapon reload speed is increased by 30%.
Tier 4
You need 3 of the previous perks to unlock these.
- Echoing Thunder: When you kill an opponent, you have a 20% chance of resetting the cooldown of an ability.
- Shake it Off: The duration of the harmful status effect is reduced by 30%.
- Showtime: Damage done for 5 seconds is increased by 25%.
Tier 5
You need 4 of the previous perks to unlock these.
- Long Winter: The duration of Companion Abilities’ Status Effects is increased by 20%.
- Stand Your Ground: For 10 seconds, Armor Rating rises by 3.
- Second Wind: Your health will improve by 25% if you are down.
Best Perks
Below are our recommendations for the best perks in the game which will help you get the most out of the RPG experience.
Tier 1
Since you need to take 5 perks, we recommend the following:
Toughness: Increasing your health by half might be useful if you want to rush into a fight on a regular basis. When you reach level 30, your health will be 3,500 by default, and 5250 if you select this perk. That massive amount of additional health is really worth it.
Lone Wolf: If you plan to leave your companions at the ship and go it alone then we strongly recommend you take this perk to do more damage.
Quick And The Dead: This is a good choice since most players need their Tactical Time Dilation Recharged faster.
Pack Mule: Pick this one so that you don’t have to manage your inventory too often.
Tier 2
Harvester: This is one of the finest perks in the game, and it’s especially useful in combat because you don’t have to stop firing to heal.
Weird Science: Science Weapons are extremely powerful and odds are you’ll have at least one or two at hand so it’s best to increase their damage.
Scanner: If you use tactical time dilation then this is very useful.
Also, try to go for perks that are boosts of tier 1 perks such as Pack of Pack Mules.
Tier 3
Armor Master: Everyone can make use of this perk effectively and if you’re wearing chimera, you will get when an additional +10 lie, +10 intimidate, and +10 persuade. That’s a pretty big amount and can help you pass skill checks.
This is pretty much the king of tier 3 Perks. Aside from this, stick with Perks that help you take down foes faster such as Confidence, or boosts from previous perks that make your life easier such as Super Pack Mule.
That is every tier of Perks in the game. You can unlock as many as you want so pick the ones that best suit your playstyle.
