All Skills in The Outer Worlds 2

Skills define your playstyle in The Outer Worlds 2 – whether you prefer dialogue-heavy characters, sharpshooters, or engineers, this guide details every skill category and how skill progression works in the sequel.

The Outer Worlds 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Obsidian Entertainment’s hit 2019 RPG The Outer Worlds, originally released for PlayStation 4, Windows (PC), and Xbox One. Backed by a larger budget and expanded resources, the sequel promises deeper character customization, richer narrative choices, and a more expansive universe to explore. Nearly six years after the first game’s launch, The Outer Worlds 2 is set to release on October 29, 2025.

This skills guide will break down everything we know so far about the skill system in The Outer Worlds 2, including how it may work, possible changes from the first game, and the ways it could shape your character’s abilities and playstyle.

Updated: this all skills guide for the Outer Worlds 2 now contains all the skills in the game and build recommendations for what to use and why. Also check out our Best Skills Ranked guide for The Outer Worlds 2!

Table of Contents

• What’s New in The Outer Worlds 2 Skills
• How Skills Work in the Outer Worlds 2
• All Skills in The Outer Worlds 2
  1. Engineering
  2. Explosives
  3. Guns
  4. Hack
  5. Leadership
  6. Lockpick
  7. Melee
  8. Medical
  9. Observation
  10. Science!
  11. Sneak
  12. Speech

What’s New in The Outer Worlds 2 Skills

The Outer Worlds 2 has less skills than the original, but they are also more impactful to your build. Players can choose up two specialized skills during character creation. Unspecialized skills can be increased up to your current level, while specialized skills can be increased up to your current level +2. Therefore, focusing in on one out of the 12 is critical to forming a cohesive build.

Expect skills to work similar to the previous game, however, they are more narrowly focused, while Perks in The Outer Worlds 2 are broad and have many ways to add power to your character.

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How Skills Work in the Outer Worlds 2

Skills in The Outer Worlds 2 are each designed to help a specific aspect of gameplay like melee, sneak, lockpicking, speech, and so forth. When you increase a skill, you gain a percentage bonus to that skill. For instance, Guns skill level one gives +10% Ranged Damage and +1% Armor Penetration. With four points into the skill, you gain 40% and 4% increases. It is unknown if there are hard or soft caps on skills. Meaning, do you reach a point of diminishing returns when you invest say 10 points? Likely not based on early previews of the game.

You will also want to be aware that skills influence which perks you can select. Meaning, you will need a certain level of a skill to even be aware of an existing perk. Therefore, a balanced approached may not be best if you have a specific goal in mind.

You will want to consider your characters build, perks, skills, background, companions, and traits all towards a common goal. For example, a Soldier will want to invest heavily into Guns and Explosives. Meanwhile, a stealth based build will want to optimize for Sneak and Lockpicking. Below are all the Outer World 2 skills.

All Skills in The Outer Worlds 2

Engineering

The Engineering skill increases the effectiveness of all armor, granting inherent Damage Reduction. In conversations and while exploring, Engineering aids in the ability to act on the knowledge of mechanical systems. Investing in Engineering allows you to select perks that further increase your defenses and benefits from weapon, helmet and armor mods.

• What it does: Enhances your ability to repair mechanical systems and increases damage resistance.
• Bonus for every level of Engineering:
  • +1 Difficulty and lower mechanical systems can be fixed
  • +1% Damage Resistance
• Build Recommendation: Speech Build, Explosive Specialist
• Best Faction: Order of the Ascendant
• Recommended Companion: Aza, Inez

The Engineering skill is a balanced choice because you gain overall damage resistance. You also gain a bonus to fixing mechanical systems which can help with story progression or making it easier to infiltrate heavily armored facilities with robot guards. You could play a tech savvy tank, that focused on survivability. With this skill, you’d want to bring a melee companion like Aza or Tristan and Inez for healing. You can drop a tank if you’re playing in melee range and bring Marisol who’s also tech smart. From a roleplaying perspective, the Order of the Ascendant will likely be your favored faction because of their desire to understand math and nature.

Explosives

The Explosives skill increases damage dealt with explosive throwables such as grenades and mines. While exploring, it allows the disarming of sensitive objects like mines and traps. Investing in Explosives allows you to select perks that increase the potency of explosives and plasma weapons.

• What it does: Increases damage from explosive throwables like grenades and mines, allows disarming traps, and provides resistance to explosive damage.
• Bonus for every level of Explosives:
  • +10% Explosives Damage
  • +1% Damage Resistance against Explosives
• Build Recommendation: Explosive Build
• Best Faction: Auntie’s Choice
• Recommended Companion: Tristan, Marisol

Overall, you should select Explosives if you’re going for a demolitionist build. The Outer Worlds 2 has a variety of throwables and explosive weapons including grenads, mines and even weapons like grenade launchers. For your faction choice, if you’re playing a soldier archetype, look to advance the Protectorate since they focus on authority and control. Companion choices depend on your range. Ideally, having Tristan play the melee tank and Marisol at range could give you a well-rounded team. Plus who doesn’t want 10% more damage with explosives!

Guns

The Guns skill increases damage dealt with all types of guns, including ballistic, shock, plasma, and bio guns. Investing in the Guns skill allows you to select perks that further improve your ability to use guns of various types.

• What it does: Increases ranged weapon damage and armor penetration.
• Bonus for every level of Guns:
  • +10% Ranged Damage
  • +1% Armor Penetration
• Build Recommendation: Sniper Build, Gunslinger Build
• Best Faction: Auntie’s Choice
• Recommended Companion: VALERIE, Aza

Select the Gun skill for a sniper or gunslinger build that revolves around combat rather than dialogue. The damage is “range” so you can use any weapon type from close to far range. Depending on that weapon choice, you want to select your companions. Val has a high burst missile ability which could compliment you if playing with a assault rifle or battle rifle at medium range. Meanwhile, Aza or Tristan can run melee interference allowing you to pick off targets. For faction choice, Auntie’s Choice is great if playing an outlaw or the Protectorate if you’re a law enforcement persuasion.

Hack

The Hack skill allows unauthorized access to various mechanical systems such as terminals, automechanicals, and vending machines. Investing in the Hack skill allows you to select perks that let you disable automechs directly, hack into bounty terminals, and access the restricted inventory of vending machines.

• What it does: Improves hacking skills for unlocking terminals and vending machines and boosts damage to automechs.
• Bonus for every level of Hack:
  • +1 Hack Difficulty and lower terminals can be unlocked
  • +5% Damage to Automechanicals
• Build Recommendation: Stealth Build, Tech Build
• Best Faction: The Order of the Ascendant
• Recommended Companion: Marisol, VALERIE

The Hack skill is a good choice for an Assassin or Stealth build that focuses on tech, energy weapons, and the Order of the Ascendant. Marisol is a great choice in companions due to her focus on math and unlocking the secrets of the system. You will also do well to advance the Order of the Ascendants cause with increased damage to automechanicals (robots). The downside to the hack skill is the damage only applies to robots, unlike the Guns skill.

Leadership

The Leadership skill increases the damage and survivability of your companions. Investing in Leadership allows you to select perks that let you use companion abilities more and improve the overall effectiveness of your companions.

• What it does: Improves your companions’ effectiveness in combat.
• Bonus for every level of Leadership:
  • +8% Companion Damage
  • +4% Companion Health
• Build Recommendation: Speech Build
• Best Faction: Any
• Recommended Companion: Tristan or Aza

The Leadership skill is a good choice for players who want companions to do the majority of work in combat. You have flexibility in all manner of faction and weapon choices here with this skill option. It’s unknown which is the “best” companion, but you will probably want the “holy trinity” if possible. Meaning, a high survivability character like Aza or Tristan, with a medium range companion like Inez, or a long range companion like Marisol. You, the player, can fit in any role depending on your preferred weapon choices, but this would compliment companion focused party. The skill will work best with builds focused less on combat such a Stealth Build or Pacifist Build.

Lockpick

The Lockpick skill allows you to unlock locked containers and doors. Investing in the Lockpick skill allows you to select perks that grant the ability to pickpocket humans and preview the contents of locked containers.

• What it does: Improves your ability to open locked chests and containers, preview items inside containers, and increases evasion chance.
• Bonus for every level of Lockpick:
  • +1 Lockpick Difficulty and lower locked chests and containers can be opened
  • +1% Evasion Chance
• Build Recommendation: Stealth Build, Pickpocket Build
• Best Faction: Auntie’s Choice
• Recommended Companion: Marisol, Inez

The Lockpick skill is a highly functional one that helps with opening chest but also a small boost to evasion chance, meaning you will always get some benefit from it. Ideally, players who love to sneak and steal will choose this as their specialized skill. Auntie’s Choice is the logical faction choice here because they value credits above all else! Look to combine this skill with Sneak and Marisol for the ultimate rogue thief build.

Melee

The Melee skill increases damage dealth with Melee weapons. Investing in the Melee skill allows you to select perks that futher improve your ability to use melee weapons of various types.

• What it does: Increases melee weapon damage and reduces damage taken while blocking.
• Bonus for every level of Melee:
  • +10% Melee Damage
  • -2% Damage Received while Blocking
• Build Recommendation: Melee Build
• Best Faction: The Protectorate
• Recommended Companion: Marisol, Niles, Inez

The Melee skill fits the Berserker build perfectly, allowing for a massive amount of damage. The base skill gives 10% damage specific to melee weapons, similar to the Guns skill, but you also reduce incoming damage while blocking. Melee will be a niche specific build, but melee damage and playstyle is confirmed to be functional and highly effective in The Outer Worlds 2.

For weapon choices, use a combination of melee knives for sneak kills and two-handed mauls for open field fighting. As a Melee specialist, you can pair Marisol or Niles for ranged sniping and Inez for healing with your companion chioce and any faction that makes the most sence for your character.

Medical

The Medical skill increases maximum Toxicity, allowing more uses of the Medical Inhaler at a time and increased resistance to Zyranium poisoning. Investing in the Medical skill allows you to select perks that further improve your inhaler, temporarily tame creatures, and make better use of corrosive weapons.

• What it does: Increases Toxicity threshold, allowing more inhaler uses and damage vs creatures.
• Bonus for every level of Medical:
  • +7 Toxicity Crash Threshold
  • +5% Damage to Creatures
• Build Recommendation: Gunslinger Build
• Best Faction: The Order of the Ascendant
• Recommended Companion: Inez, VALERIE

Select the medical skill if you want to role play the “survivalist” build type. You gain toxcity crash threshold resistance allow you to heal more often and increased damage to creatures, as well as the ability to temporarily tame some! The damage increase is specific here, unlike guns or melee, but it can help you while exploring. Niles and Val make a good companion pairing for your team allowing you to play with a Assault Rifle in melee range.

Observation

The Observation skill reveals hiden objects in the world and subtle behaviors in conversations. Investing in the Observation skill allows you to select perks that lets you find more loot, track enemies, and more effectively use enemy weakspots.

• What it does: Reveals hidden objects in the world and helps identify enemy weak spots.
• Bonus for every level of Observation:
  • +1 Difficulty and lower hidden objects can be found
  • +15% Weakspot Damage
• Build Recommendation: Sniper Build, Gunslinger Build
• Best Faction: Auntie’s Choice
• Recommended Companion: Marisol, Aza

The Observation skill is the best for snipers, looking to maximize damage at range. You gain 15% weakspot damage [er level which applies to headshots or weak points on an enemy. This is a massive damage increase compared to other skills, though it does require precise shooting! Consider focusing on the Tactical Time Dilation gadget to help you hit those weak points more easily.

You can bring in Marisol for a double sniper team or Aza for melee support. Auntie’s Choice will be a great faction to focus on aiding to increase your profits. Observation is a highly specialized combat skill meant for those who love to shot!

Science!

The Science! skill increases your maximum Gadget Energy, allowing you to use gadgets like Tactical Time Dilation for longer. Investing in the Science! skill allows you to select perks that further improve your gadgets and potency with shock weapons.

• What it does: Increases gadget energy capacity and enhances non-physical damage effects.
• Bonus for every level of Science!:
  • +7 Gadget Energy Meter Max
  • +10% more stacks of non-Physical Damage Type side-effects
• Build Recommendation: Dumb Build, Science Build
• Best Faction: The Order of the Ascendant
• Recommended Companion: Marisol, VALERIE

The Science! skill helps with gadget energy and non-physical damage effects. There are four gadgets in The Outer Worlds 2 that come with their own resource, gadget energy, to sustain their use. Therefore, if you think you will use gadgets to look through walls and other gameplay elements, pick Science!

Marisol and the Order of the Ascendant would be a good choice for companion and faction since they are oriented towards math, tech and science. Plus, Valerie is a robot companion who may have some unique interactions with Science. Also, science weapons have been expanded so you can expect to use those in combat when possible.

Sneak

The Sneak skill makes it harder for enemies to detect you while crouched. Investing in the Sneak skill allows you to select perks that avoid traps and perform sneak attacks.

• What it does: makes it harder for enemies to detect you while crouched and avoids traps and perform sneak attacks.
• Bonus for every level of Sneak:
  • +35% Sneak Attack Damage
  • -2% NPC Awareness Detection Rate
• Build Recommendation: Stealth Build, Pickpocket Build
• Best Faction: Auntie’s Choice
• Recommended Companion: Marisol, Aza

The Sneak skill is a perfect choice for anyone want to play stealth build or assassin. You can combine Sneak with Melee for a melee focused build or Sneak with Observation for a ranged sniper. The increased 3.5% sneak damage is percentage based, so expect huge damage as you start to invest in this skill.

Auntie’s choice is a perfect faction to aid since they aren’t likely to care about your sneak kills. Companion selection depends on your overall range focus, but Marisol and Aza make the most sense in general.

Speech

The Speech skill allows you to better influence others in conversations. Investing in the Speech skill allows you to select perks that let you get discounts at vendors, intimidate others, and gain more reputation with factions.

• What it does: Increases ability to pass more difficult speech checks and boosts combat damage against humans.
• Bonus for every level of Speech:
  • +1 Speech Difficulty and lower speech checks can be overcome
  • +5% Damage to Humans
• Build Recommendation: Speech Build, Leadership Build
• Best Faction: The Order of the Ascendant
• Recommended Companion: VALERIE, Inez

The Speech skill is a general all around strong skill because it increases damage to humans and helps with speech checks. This is likely going to be critical for anyone playing through The Outer Worlds 2 wanting to influence dialogue. With this skill, you can play a persuasion or negotiator playstyle and pick any companion or faction that you want since the bonuses are so broad.

FAQs – Skills in The Outer Worlds 2

Can I respec skill points?

No, respecing isn’t in the Outer Worlds 2 and you’re not likely able to change your skills unless you want to add to them.

What’s the best skill for new players?

Guns and Speech because they influence combat and dialgoue the two most important aspect of the games.

Are there skill synergy bonuses?

Yes, certain perks and gear enhance skills when used together.

Dive Into The Outer Worlds 2!

Check the links below to browse more guides and builds for The Outer Worlds 2: