All Flaws in The Outer Worlds 2

Discover all the Flaws in the Outer Worlds 2 – how they influence your character, what they do, and whether or not you should you take them for your build.

The Outer Worlds 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the popular 2019 game The Outer Worlds, which was released for PlayStation 4, Windows (PC), and Xbox One. With Obsidian Entertainments’ increased budget and resources, this sequel sequel to the first game is expected to feature increased character depth, expanded story elements, and a larger game world. Now, nearly six years later, The Outer Worlds 2 is scheduled for release on October 29, 2025.

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How Flaws Work in The Outer Worlds 2

The Flaws system returns in the Outer Worlds 2 and it works based on your in-game behavior. Take Sungazer for The Flaws system returns in the Outer Worlds 2 and it works based on your in-game behavior. Take Sungazer for instance: the game notices that you look up into the sun frequently and stare (if you were to do that). Then, you get a popup asking if you want to take the flaw. If you accept the flaw you gain the following effects:

• Permanent damage to your vision
• +100% Ranged Weapon Spread
• Continually heal while outside during the day up to 50% health

For the entire game, once accepted, this flaw cannot be removed. It’s nice to get the extra healing in the sun, however, the visuals of the game will be altered permanently. Therefore, these flaws function as a double-edged sword giving you a positive bonus, but also permanent negative effects.

Flaws reward and reinforce your player character based on how they interact with the world around them, responding to specific conditions or decisions. Flaws present trade offs that may seem drastic at first. However, if anything, some of the flaws are likely to be powerful without too many negative attributes depending on your chosen build.

WARNING: there is currently no respec/reroll in The Outer Worlds 2. Therefore, if you’re 15 hours deep and accept a flaw, it’s a permanent decision and could ruin the game.

The Outer Worlds 2 Flaws List

The developers have said there are 30 flaws in total, most of which haven’t been revealed. Here’s all the Flaws we know of so far!

Bad Knees

Description: Years spent crouching have really done a number on your knees. They ache and squek, but as long as you stay crouching you can ignore the pain.

Effects: +50% Crouch Speed; Crouching emits a 10m radius sound that hostiles can hear and investigate

With the Bad Knees Flaw, you move faster throughout game while crouching which is great for Stealth builds, but your knees make a loud popping noise when you first enter crouch or exit the crouch.

This Flaw is a solid choice if you plan on specializing completely into a Stealth playthrough. The extra speed while crouched will be amazing and you’ll just need to make sure to enter and exit crouch away from any hostile NPCs.

Also, there are some perks that actually benefit from enemies investigating your position, such as the Ghost perk which gives you Camouflage when being investigated so this could actually be quite good in the hands of an experienced Stealth player.

Bibliomania

Description: You have an unhealthy obsession with books, and are left exhausted when talking with others. You have a permament bonus to your max health, but talking to anyone will reduce it for a long duration.

Effects: +20% Base Health; -30% Base Health for 2m after talking to anyone.

The Bibliomania Perk is another powerful choice which massively increases the players Health pool by 20% but decreases it by a greater 30% for 2 minutes after talking to anyone, including companions. This perk makes for the ultimate Lone Wanderer style of Solo Build, best with no companions.

Alternatively you could simply wait two minutes after speaking to NPCs before engaging again in combat, but this could be difficult in some cases like boss encounter where you go directly from dialogue into combat.

Consumerism

Description: You’re the reason our marketing works. Promotions and sales have riddled your brain, and you’re more interested in buying the next big thing than financial planning.

Effects: -15% Vendor Prices, -10% Sell Value at Vendors

Consumerism is a unique Flaw that is tied to the Premium Edition release of The Outer Worlds 2. This Flaw is actually pretty good because it saves you more in Vendor Prices (15%) than it costs in Vendor Selling prices. Also, its common to Breakdown gear for crafting resources instead of selling it to Vendors, so if you take this approach frequently then this Flaw really has no downside.

There are many very expensive items in this game, particularly Unique and Legendary items, so having that 15% Vendor Price drop is very nice!

Dependent

Description: Some lead from the front; you tend to lead from the back as much as possible, becoming dependent on your allies. You deal less damage in general but gain a large bonus to damage if attacking an enemy your companions recently attacked.

Effects: -10% Damage; +25% Damage to enemies recently damaged by a companion.

The Dependent Flaw makes you deal 10% less Damage at all times while also dealing 25% bonus damage to enemies recently damaged by a companion. There are special weapons and mods in The Outer Worlds 2 which force your companions to attack the same target as you, so if you are using one of those then the downside of this Flaw is essentially mitigated, making it a great choice if you can truly control who your companions are targeting on the battlefield.

Drug Addiction

Description: You’ve used the inhaler so much you’ve become reliant. Individual uses are no longer as potent, but you’ve built up tolerance from overuse.

Effects: -20% Health restored by the Medical Inhaler; -40% Toxicity received from the Medical Inhaler

The Drug Addiction Flaw reduces Health restored by your Medical Inhaler by 20% but also decreases Toxicity received from the Medical Inhaler by 40%. This is actually a powerful tradeoff because with less Toxicity build up you can take advantage of more powerful Inhaler effects and especially combined Inhaler effects.

Drug Addiction can also be a powerful Flaw when used in combination with the Inhaler Overload Perk which grants a lot of powerful bonuses including increased damage and movement speed but with increased Toxicity.

Easily Distracted

Description: Your skills are erratic to say the least, but a jack of all trades is often times better than a master of one. You can raise more skills faster, though it’ll be harder to ever maximize any particular one.

Effects: When leveling, you can only add skill points into your lowest non-zero Skill or any Skill you have no points in already.

The Easily Distracted Flaw forces you to add skill points to your lowest non-zero skill, but also gives you +1 Skill Points gained per level. What this means is that you can only increase your lowest skills. This is an interesting concept and could work well for a minimalist build with only a few skills invested into.

The Easily Distracted Flaw works perfect with the Dumb Trait, which already locks you to using only 5 of your 12 skills. Consider using this Flaw if you are an experienced RPG Gamer with a plan on exactly how you want to progress your skills and you’ll get a lot of value from it.

Easily Distracted

Description: You’re so easily surprised that you always try to get the jump on enemies. Getting caught leaves you open to damage for a short time, but you are better at stealth now.

Effects: -25% Footsteps Volume; -25% NPC Awareness Detection Rate; Your Damage Resistance and Evasion are ignored for 8s when caught by an investigating enemy.

The Easily Startled Flaw is very interesting for Stealth Builds such as a Stealth Assassin IF you don’t get caught. With this Flaw you have -25% Footsteps Volume and -25% NPC Awareness Detection Rate but your Damage Resistance and Evasion are ignored for 8 seconds when you are caught by an existing enemy. This means that once you are caught you are essentially defenseless – no damage resistance and no evasion!

This Flaw could work well if you are extremely methodical and eliminate all enemies before they detect you.

Energy Hog

Description: You’re constantly leaving the lights on and wasting energy. Your gadget energy now recharges more slowly, but you have an overall larger reserve to use or waste.

Effects: -25% Energy Recharge Rate; +50 Gadget Energy Meter Max

The Energy Hog Flaw reduces your Energy Recharge Rate by 25% but also increases your Gadget Energy Meter Max by 50. This Flaw makes it more difficult to recharge your Gadget energy, but gives you a great deal more initially. This means that your combat encounters will require more planning, because running out of Energy is more heavily penalized.

Flawed

Description: Life hasn’t been easy for you, but you’ve learned to power through any of your disadvantages and come out better for it. WARNING: This flaw drastically changes the experience and it is not recommended for your first playthrough.

Effects: Flaws must be accepted, but you gain an extra perk point every 5 levels. This bonus is retroactive.

Flawed is an extremely difficult Flaw to make use of because this makes you accept all Flaws you encounter! The bonus you receive here is quite powerful, with an additional perk point given every 5 levels, but this Perk is still very challenging to pull off regardless. Choose this one if you dare, or are looking for the most challenging playthrough possible.

Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome

Description: You’ve been racing through conversations and seem to hate the idea of having to talk with others. Your choices in conversations are now randomly picked for you after a few seconds, but you gain a bonus to all experience earned.

Effects: Your choices in convesation are randomly picked for you; +15% Experience Earned

The major downside to Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome is speedy decision making during dialogue popups. If you’re someone who takes a long time to listen and read the dialogue, do not take this flaw! It will automatically pick for you, and yes, it will be random, possibly even in dialogue with companions!

However, if you’re someone who isn’t focused on the story or decisive, this could be a great perk to select. With an additional 15% experience, you can fly through levels and reach end-game faster. To that end, remember that The Outer Worlds 2 doesn’t have enemy scaling. Meaning, the area and regions within the system contain more powerful enemies vs. enemies scaling to whatever level you are at.

What’s not known is how this perk is obtained. However, it’s likely that if you’re a button masher or spam clicker in dialogue, you should get a popup asking if you want this flaw.

Gluttony

Description: Food, food, food. You don’t let a single bite or drop go to waste. Your food and drink now heal for more, but you move a bit slower in combat.

Effects: +15% healing from Food and Drink; -10% Combat Movement Speed

The Gluttony Flaw in The Outer Worlds 2 increases the healing effect from Food and Drink by 15% while also reducing your Combat Movement Speed by 10%. While this is a nice boost to healing and Combat Movement Speed may not be a big factor for some builds such as a Sniper Build, the fact remains that healing from Food and Drink is already strong enough in most cases and can even be improved by Perks such as Connoisseur (25% increased healing from Food and Drink), so we would recommend you pass on this one.

Hermit

Description: Your self-reliance has made you an outcast. Vendors are less eager to sell to you and prices are increased but you gain a chance to receive double resources when you break down items.

Effects: +50% Vendor Prices; 25% chance to double items on Breakdown

The Hermit Flaw works by increasing Vendor Prices by a whopping 50% while also giving the player a 25% chance to double items from Breakdown while crafting. This Flaw is extremely bad if you plan on purchasing anything from Vendors, especially Unique Weapons and Armor which can be quite expensive. Making these items 50% more costly makes them borderline unobtainable in some cases which is why we don’t recommend picking this Flaw.

Kleptomania

Description: You just have to have it. Doesn’t matter what it is, but if it isn’t yours, you want it. You’ll occasionally steal things automatically, but you anything you’ve stolen sells for significantly more. WARNING: This flaw significantly changes the experience while in settlements. Not advised for players looking for a relaxing experience in towns.

Effects: You steal things automatically at random; +100% Vendor Buying Price for Stolen items

In the Xbox Direct, the developers commented about the Kleptomaniac flaw. When you steal you can sell for more bits, but sometimes when you look at things you auto steal them. What was shown was the player grabbing a massive gun off the rack in some spaceship, only to be attacked shortly thereafter. The benefit of this flaw is bits (the currency), but the random stealing makes your playthrough very chaotic.

Moreover, the range in which you can grab and steal items is quite far. Therefore, you’re likely to be staring at an item, thinking you’re out of range, only to steal it in front of NPCs. While a fun RP Thief/Rogue flaw, Kleptomaniac is likely to cause you massive problems or chaotic fun in your playthrough.

N-Radiated

Description: Travel through the N-Ray Range has left you fundamentally changed. Whenever you take damage of any type, you have a chance to additional N-Ray damage and automatically become camouflaged.

Effects: Whenever you take damage, there is a 5% chance you become Camouflaged automatically, but take an additional 5% of your max health as N-Ray damage.

Camouflaged: Invisible to enemies and deal bonus damage. Cooldown: 30s

The N-Radiated Flaw gives you a 5% chance to become Camouflaged automatically when taking damage but you also take an additional 5% of your max health as N-Ray Damage. This perk does not seem like a great option, particularly as the percent chance to turn invisible (Camouflaged) is so low and there is also a 30 second cooldown on the effect.

Overprepared

Description: Missing only a shot or two? Doesn’t matter you’ve already reloaded. If you ever let a weapon run out of ammo you’ll deal less damage for a short time, but all your guns now hold more ammo.

Effects: +50% Magazine Size; -40% Damage for 8s after a weapon’s magazine hits empty

The Overprepared Flaw is one of the best Flaws in The Outer Worlds 2, as it works for all guns that use a Magazine and gives you a solid bonus of 50% Magazine Size. The negative aspect of this Perk is fully manageable if you pay attention to your ammo and never let it drop to 0 by reloading first. We recommend all gun-based builds consider this Flaw as it offers an excellent bonus and is easy to control.

The Overprepared flaw is great if you’re someone who constantly reloads during combat. However, if you drop your all of your rounds before reloading, or have a low ammunition capacity sniper rifle weapon, then this flaw could be a big downside. 50% magazine size is awesome to keep your DPS high and avoid constantly reloading. However, you must pay attention otherwise you’ll be hit with a massive 40% damage reduction debuff for eight seconds!

Profligate Spender

Description: You’re not particularly good with money and it has been noticed by your crew. VALERIE has opened a savings account in your name. A portion of acquired bits are automatically stored for later. Each level you receive a dividend of those bits, with larger payouts every 5 levels. At level 30 your account is closed and you receive a payout in full with interest.

Effects:

• 75% of bits received are stored by VALERIE until level 30.
• Earn 25% of stored bits on level up as interest.
• Earn an additional 25% interest every 5 levels.
• At level 30, recieve 150% of your total stored bits.

The Profligate Spender Flaw is The Outer Worlds 2’s version of a savings account run by your parents, with the profits only being released to you when you turn 18. In this case, 75% of all bits the player receives are stored by VALERIE, your Robotic Companion, and at level 30 (Max Level) you receive 150% of that total stored bits.

This Flaw is extremely complicated and difficult to manage because you will need the majority of your bits to purchase supplies and gear during your playthrough and having 75% less bits during that time will make progression much more difficult.

The only way to use this Perk would be to play extremely thrifty, only using weapons and armor you obtain for free in the world, but even then, what is the point of not spending your extra money until Max Level? This Flaw is easy to skip.

Reckless Leadership

Description: Your leadership techniques leave a bit to be desired, with your companions often finding themselves in harm’s way. You are no longer able to revive your companions in combat, but whenever one does go down, your other companion will get a boost. They are fully healed and immediately fill their companion ability meter.

Effects: When one companion gets downed the other is fully healed and will fill their companion ability meter.

The Reckless Leadership Flaw makes you no longer able to revive companions in combat, but whenever one does go down, the other companion is fully healed and fills their companion ability meter.

Companion Synergies are a powerful means of defeating enemies in combat, so losing the ability to revive them would be difficult to manage. How this might work better is if you designate one companion as a “sacrifice” which would then make your other companion stronger using this Flaw. It doesn’t seem like something a strong leader would do however!

Sungazer

Description: You couldn’t help but stare into the gentle glow of Arcadia’s stars. Your eye-sight has been permanently damaged, increasing your spread with ranged weapons, but you’ve created a lasting connection with the daylight.

Effects:

• Permanent damage to your vision
• +100% Ranged Weapon Spread
• Continually heal while outside during the day up to 50% health

The Sungazer flaw triggers by constantly looking up at the sun (for whatever reason). You gain permanently damage vision, which isn’t great. It makes the bloom and the world look semi blurry. In exchange, you get more weapon spread but continually healing outside during the damage. The continually healing only goes to 50% health and only applies during the day, which is a massive downside.

This is likely to be one of the most difficult flaws to deal with. You gain almost nothing because healing with inhaler shouldn’t be hard, in exchange for terrible vision for the entire game. Unless there’s an achievement to beat the game with this flaw, we’d recommend avoiding it entirely.

Technophobia

Description: Automechanicals chill you to your core. They deal more damage to you, but you deal more damage to them.

Effects: +20% Damage taken from Automechanicals; +20% Damage to Automechanicals

The Technophobia Flaw increases your damage taken and damage dealt to Automechanicals by 20% each. This Flaw could be easily managed if you have a decent tank companion on your team including Niles or Tristan, as they could conceivably take all the damage for you while you would simply benefit from the bonus damage.

Automechanicals are also easily stunned or shut down by using Shock weapons or various Hacking perks, so this Flaw could be quite useful in those cases where the Automech is already at a disadvantage and is not able to attack you in return.

Teetotaler

Description: You avoid drugs to a fault, leaving you particularly vulnerable to their effects .Toxicity gained from using inhaler is increased, but the inhaler is more potent to your pure metabolism.

Effects: +25% Toxicity received from the Medical Inhaler; +25% Health restored by the Medical Inhaler

The Tetolar Flaw increases Toxicity received from Medical Inhaler use by 25% but also increases Health restored by 25%. This could be a good option for increased healing on your build if you are able to manage the Toxicity.

Make sure to check back on this post as we learn more about the flaws and how they work in the Outer Worlds 2.

Dive Into The Outer Worlds 2!

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