The Outer Worlds: An Unexpected Blast from the Past with Grenades
Almost seven years after its initial launch, and roughly six months following the debut of its sequel, Obsidian Entertainment is delivering a surprising and significant update to the original . Players can look forward to a host of improvements, bug fixes, and perhaps the most exciting addition: grenades. This unexpected revitalization breathes new life into the beloved RPG, a move that delights its dedicated fanbase.
Obsidian recently shared a comprehensive on Steam, outlining their plan to roll out “a couple of updates” for the game. This marks their first major communication regarding the title since June 2023. The first patch, which has already been deployed, served primarily as a test for their update pipeline and addressed several immediate issues within the game. A more substantial patch, scheduled for later this month, will introduce the much-anticipated explosive throwables – a feature already present in – alongside further performance enhancements, lighting adjustments, and numerous gameplay and quest corrections.
Beyond the gameplay additions, Obsidian is also implementing significant changes to the game’s storefront presence. Starting May 27, the standard edition of The Outer Worlds will be removed from digital storefronts, leaving only the available for new purchases. Current owners of the base game need not worry, as their copies will remain fully playable. For those wishing to upgrade, there’s a generous offer: PC (Steam, GOG, EGS), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S players who own the vanilla game can upgrade to the Spacer’s Choice Edition for free until May 27. Players on older consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will need to own both the base game and its two DLCs to receive the free Spacer’s Choice Edition upgrade. Furthermore, pricing adjustments are coming to the base game and DLCs on these legacy platforms.
The Outer Worlds update 2.5.7.0 patch notes:
General
This update brings a significant array of general quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, enhancing the overall player experience. One notable change prevents companions’ status effects from being obscured by their health bars, providing clearer tactical information. Players will no longer experience severe FPS drops when repeatedly firing the Storm Cannon at close range. The heat effect radiating from the Unreliable ship has been optimized, ensuring it no longer accumulates with each player arrival. UI icons now scale appropriately with the Font Scaling setting, improving readability. Various textual errors, such as typos in “artillery cannon” and “Shipping,” have been corrected. Furthermore, quest-related interactions have been made more consistent; for example, players can now utilize either of the two beds in Ash’s old Outpost for the ‘Little Memento’ quest. Manual saving is now possible even when under the ‘Concuss’ status effect, offering greater flexibility. Visual fidelity has been addressed with fixes for the Super Scoper 3000 zoom and correct display of Felix’s book, “Systems and Serfdoms,” in his room. Other fixes include proper display of status bar icons, item ownership in the workbench, correct gate loading between locations, and prevention of game freezes during the item repair tutorial. Companion weapons, specifically SAM’s, can no longer be mistakenly equipped by the player. Environmental decorations are now distinct from interactable items, reducing confusion. Players are also safeguarded from getting stuck in various environmental spots, such as between crates at the Spaceport. Weapon modding visuals have been corrected, ensuring sights are centered after modifications and VFX displays properly. Minor graphical issues, like dark shadows on cans in Phineas Lab, have been resolved. Companion armor now displays correctly even after player modifications in the Workbench. All aptitudes are now correctly shown as applied during selection and on the summary screen, and tinkered Elite Troop Armor mods display accurately. Lastly, several specific instances of players getting stuck in the environment, typos in quest beacons, incorrect dialogue triggers for Udom Bedford and Vicar Max, and unresponsive tutorial triggers for hacking and lockpicking have been resolved.
Design
The design modifications in this patch focus on refining game mechanics, perk functionality, and descriptive clarity. A key adjustment ensures that players now receive a singular +10 bonus from a Bonus Support perk, regardless of how many companions are in the party, standardizing its effect. When a player’s ship level advances to a multiple of five, the Companion UI tabs will now correctly update to indicate that new Perk points are available for allocation, providing clearer feedback on progression. The Extend-O-Sight weapon modification has been rebalanced; it now accurately increases both the Effective and Max Range of the equipped weapon by 25%, making its benefit more consistent and impactful. Furthermore, the description for the ‘Paranoid’ flaw has been updated to offer a more precise explanation of its effects. The new text, “Repeatedly getting caught by guards has made you jittery, especially when roaming around Restricted Areas or sneaking,” clearly communicates the consequence and context of this character drawback. These design tweaks aim to create a more intuitive and balanced gameplay experience, ensuring that perks and flaws behave as intended and their descriptions are unambiguous.
Quests
This update significantly polishes various quests, ensuring smoother progression and eliminating previous immersion-breaking glitches. A notable fix prevents Sanjar and Zora from appearing inside the OSI Temple unless the player has successfully mediated a truce between them, maintaining narrative consistency. Once players commit to acquiring Radiator parts, they can now properly engage with other NPCs about the task, regardless of their initial dialogue choices, preventing quest blockers. The ‘Solution Vital’ quest now correctly updates its status after Captain Irion is defeated on Scylla, ensuring objectives are registered. Players can now successfully provide the NVTUR mech with the required phonographs to complete ‘The Electric Fling’ quest, resolving a long-standing issue that prevented its conclusion. The ‘Weathered Lockbox’ is now correctly turned in upon the completion of the ‘Little Memento’ quest in Amber Heights, providing a satisfying resolution. Furthermore, during ‘The Electric Fling’ quest, players can now reliably pick up the phonograph, which was previously a point of frustration for many. Sophia will no longer offer the “Signal Point in Space” quest after the player has already obtained the targeting module, avoiding redundant questlines. The objective ‘Speak to Spencer Woolrich’ in a particular quest will no longer persist as active if the player has already gathered the security footage by conversing with Bellhop Owens first, streamlining objective tracking. Finally, a crucial fix for the ‘BOLT with His Name’ quest ensures that Huxley is visibly present during conversations after being released from her locked room, preventing an awkward, invisible NPC interaction.
Performance
Performance enhancements are a key focus of this patch, delivering a smoother and more consistent framerate across various parts of Halcyon. Players will notice significant FPS improvements in the bustling area of Fallbrook, making exploration more fluid. Conversations, specifically with Percival Platt, have also received optimization to prevent any potential framerate dips during these interactive sequences. Exploring vast regions like Roseway, Eridanos, Monarch, Emerald Vale, or Gorgon for the very first time will now benefit from enhanced performance, leading to a more pleasant initial experience in these diverse environments. A problematic bug that allowed players to fall through the ground when traversing from islands to the Grand Colonial Hotel has been resolved, ensuring greater stability during movement. The tutorial area, particularly where the first Marauder enemies are encountered, has also seen performance improvements, offering a better introduction to combat. Furthermore, the Emerald Vale Junkyard Point of Interest now runs more efficiently, reducing potential stuttering. A critical fix addresses an issue where the framerate would steadily degrade when continuously shooting at metal surfaces, eliminating this persistent performance drain. These optimizations collectively contribute to a more stable and enjoyable gameplay experience, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in the world without technical interruptions.
The reintroduction of grenades, coupled with these extensive bug fixes and performance enhancements, signals Obsidian’s continued commitment to The Outer Worlds. This robust update, delivered years after its initial release, provides a compelling reason for veterans to revisit Halcyon and for newcomers to discover its unique charm, now with an even more polished and explosive experience.
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