While you’re gaining levels in The Outer Worlds 2, you will also be unlocking perks. There isn’t a limit to how many you can equip at one time, as you can just keep stacking them atop one another. However, since you only unlock one every two levels, you do have to make sure you choose which ones you want wisely.
Some are available straight away, while others require that you have some points in certain skills or already have other perks to unlock them. You can get the following ones fairly early in the game, as the requirements aren’t tough to reach. Despite how easy they are to get, though, they’re still very effective.
Trophy Hunter
Unlock Requirement: Available From The Start
If you’re not playing stealthily, you’re going to have to get into plenty of fights during the game. The Trophy Hunter perk can help a lot in these skirmishes. This is because it improves your critical chance by five percent against regular enemies and boosts it by 15 percent against stronger foes.
With it equipped, you can be a lot deadlier, whether you’re using guns or melee weapons. The extra increase you get against stronger enemies is particularly beneficial, as leaders and bosses are generally very dangerous.
Bulletshield
Unlock Requirement: Available From The Start
Bulletshield increases both your damage resistance and base health by 10 percent. The drawback is that enemies are more likely to target you instead of your companions. However, being the target isn’t actually a big issue.
After all, while all of your companions are nice to have around, they aren’t exactly the most sturdy combatants. Unless you put plenty of points into the Leadership skill, they tend to die quickly, making you the main focus of the enemy anyway. So, the negatives of this perk don’t outweigh the positives.
Commando
Unlock Requirement: Melee 1 Or Guns 1
By default, you are only able to equip two weapons. The Commando perk, however, gives you an additional slot. It isn’t the only way to get another slot in the game, as you can also craft a weapon holster. Yet, getting the Commando perk is the quicker way.
It’s certainly useful to equip more than two guns or melee tools. After all, there are many different types of weapons in the game that serve different situations. Shotguns and melee weapons are good for dealing with the enemies that run at you, but ranged foes often back them up, so you need something to deal with those, too. Plus, the more guns you have on you, the less likely you are to need to reload in the heat of battle.
Crabble Rancher
Unlock Requirement: Guns 2
With the Crabble Rancher perk, you get a 10 percent ranged damage boost to your marksman rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Since those are some of the most common weapon types you’ll find in the game, the increased damage is very welcome.
Yet, that isn’t the only thing that the Crabble Rancher perk provides. It also increases your critical chance when one of your weapons is half empty. Needing to use up half a magazine to trigger this boost isn’t ideal, but it’s a nice addition nonetheless.
Treasure Hunter
Unlock Requirement: Observation 1
There are a few ways to quickly boost your collection of bits during the game. One option is to grab the Treasure Hunter perk. It occasionally rewards you with additional bits when you search through containers. Since there are a lot of containers to search in the game, it can be a nice boost to your funds.
That isn’t the only thing the perk does, though. Along with getting more bits, you can also acquire more crafting materials while searching. So, if you often craft things in the game, it helps you out in that capacity, too.
Connoisseur
Unlock Requirement: Medical 1
Survivability is important in this game since you face a lot of danger. The Connoisseur perk can help keep you alive by improving your healing. The perk gives you 25 percent better healing from food and drink. Also, it makes drugs contribute 25 percent more to your Inhaler Charge.
Therefore, it has a positive impact on both your in-combat and outside-of-combat healing. Since you need health regardless of build – even stealth players can’t avoid all danger – it’s a good perk for every type of player to get.
Space Ranger
Unlock Requirement: Speech 1
The Outer Worlds 2 is one of those games where you can talk your way out of fights by improving your Speech skill. The Space Ranger perk, however, allows you to be effective with both your weapons and words.
This is because having the perk means that every skill point that you put into Speech increases your damage a little bit. So, if you really commit to improving your Speech skills, you also become very deadly in combat at the same time. It makes you a very well-rounded adventurer.
Pharm-thusiast
Unlock Requirement: Medical 2
The inhaler that you heal yourself with contains a primer with specific effects. There are many primers in the game that heal you in distinct ways for different amounts of HP. With Phram-thusiast, you can insert two primers into your inhaler at once, meaning you get the benefits of both.
For example, you can have one that heals you immediately and one that heals you gradually over time, working together. You do have to deal with the toxicity that they both provide, but this perk also decreases that toxicity by 25 percent.
- Released
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October 29, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language
