Best Machine Gun Build – The Outer Worlds 2

Discover how to create the best Machine Gun toting Heavy Weapons build in The Outer Worlds 2 – recommendations for backgrounds, traits, skills, perks, weapons, companions, armor, and leveling progression are included here.

Creating the best build for your character is a complex set of choices that all influence each other. Since The Outer World 2 doesn’t allow respec, every decision, even those during character creation are critical to your overall narrative and performance in combat. Traits, perks, flaws, skills, and gear all interact with each other and it’s best that you have a clear idea in mind for your end-game goal, or let us guide you below in this step-by-step process.

Our guide on the best Machine Gun build for The Outer Worlds 2 gives you each choice along the way, an explanation of why, and alternatives in case you want a different choice. We hope you enjoy this build and adapt it to fit your character and enjoy The Outer Worlds 2!

Build Updated for The Outer Worlds 2 Patch 1.05

🪐 Related

• TOW2 Backgrounds Explained
• Pick The Best Traits
• Best Skills Ranked
• Best Outer Worlds 2 Perks
• Best Flaws You Need!

Machine Gun Build Summary (TL;DR)

• Role: Damage Dealer, Tank, Medium Range
• Best Background: Lawbringer
• Best Traits: Resilient, Brilliant
• Strongest Skills: Guns, Engineering
• Key Perks: Bulletshield, Shrug It Off, Lucky Strikes
• Best Weapons: Machine Guns, Rocket Launcher
• Best Armor: Heavy Armor
• Best Companions: VALERIE, Niles
• Best Gadget: Tactical Time Dilation
• Patch: Release

Table of Contents

• Why Play a Machine Gunner Build
• Background
• Traits
• Skills
• Perks
• Flaws
• Armor
• Weapons
• Best Companions
• Gadgets
• Leveling Progression
• Consumables
• How to Play

Why Play a Machine Gun Build in The Outer Worlds 2 (OW2)

The Machine Gunner Build in The Outer Worlds 2 uses some of the strongest weapons in the game including Machine Guns, Special Weapons and Launchers to pack some insane damage. Additionally, you can wear Heavy Armor with a variety of defensive mods to withstand even the toughest battles. Ready to become a walking tank? This is the build for you!

Best Background for the Heavy Weapons Machine Gunner Build

Lawbringer is the best background for the Machine Gun build in The Outer Worlds 2 as you are looking to bring justice back to the system of Arcadia.

An alternative choice would be Renegade, while not a typical “good” option, it’s a background that plays to the law breaking solo lone wolf survivalist “bad” type of character.

1. Lawbringer Description: You are a champion of the people, whether they want one or not.
2. Renegade Description: You may have lived a life that skirted the laws of any colony you found yourself operating in, but that’s what you were paid for.

In The Outer Worlds 2, backgrounds are a purely role-playing choice, shaping your character’s history and personality rather than providing stat or skill bonuses. Unlike OW1, where backgrounds granted direct boosts, your selection here influences story, conversations, and how factions react to you. You play as an Earth Directorate Agent investigating dangerous Space-Time Rifts, with three major factions vying for control.

For a full breakdown of every option and its narrative impact, check out our The Outer Worlds 2 Backgrounds Guide.

Best Traits for the Machine Gunner Heavy Weapons Build

Resilient is the best trait for a Machine Gun build, letting you power through the deadliest of injuries. This trait lets you revive once per combat when you would have died otherwise, making you extremely durable.

If you want to select a second positive trait, go with Brilliant. This trait gives you more skill points at the start of the game, providing more flexibility in creating your build. However, two positive traits require you to select one negative.

If you decide to grab two positive perks we recommend you go with Abrasive, which limits your standing with each faction – not a huge downside considering you are the type that tends to work solo and won’t be held back by faction interactions!

1. Resilient (positive): Death is prevented for 3s the first time you would have died each combat.
2. Brilliant (positive): During skill selection, Specialize in 1 additional skill. Specialized skills start with two points.
3. Abrasive (negative): Standing with any faction can never increase past Trusted. Limits discounts, Speech bonuses, and options with factions.

In The Outer Worlds 2, traits replace the original Outer World 1 attribute system and expand on the “Flaw” mechanic with a more structured approach. Traits come in two forms, positive and negative. You can take one positive trait with no downside, but choosing two positive traits requires selecting a negative trait as well.

Because they are permanent and cannot be respeced, it’s essential to pick traits that align with your long-term goals. For a full breakdown of every option and its trade-offs, see our Outer Worlds 2 Traits Guide, or jump to the Best Traits Ranked.

Best Skills for the Machine Gun Build

Guns and Engineering are the best skills for the Machine Gun Heavy Weapons build in the Outer Worlds 2 because they increase your overall damage as well as defense. The Guns skill increases ranged damage and armor penetration which will help you stack up damage quickly on this build with automatic and special weapons, while the Engineering Skill stacks +1% Damage Resistance per point invested.

You can also increase non-specialized skills outside of character creation. Therefore, look to increase Speech and Lockpick. Speech helps with speech checks but also increases damage to humans and damage in general via Perks like Space Ranger. Meanwhile, lockpick helps with progressing through locked doors, gaining more items, and even gives bonus evasion in combat.

Below are the best skills for a Machine Gun build in The Outer Worlds 2:

1. Guns (specialized): +10% Ranged Damage, +1% Armor Penetration.
2. Engineering (specialized): +1 Difficulty and lower mechanical systems can be fixed, +1% Damage Resistance
3. Speech (non-specialized): +1 Difficulty and lower speech checks can be overcome, +5% Damage to Humans.
4. Lockpick (optional): easily open locked containers and doors, providing more loot and easier access to areas, plus 1% evasion per point.

In The Outer Worlds 2, skills are fewer in number than in the original Outer Worlds, but each one has a bigger impact on your build. During character creation, you can specialize in up to two skills, allowing them to be leveled to your current level +2, while all others cap at your current level. This makes your specialization choices critical, as they can define your combat style, exploration tools, and dialogue options for the entire game.

Because your skill investment influences which perks you can unlock, it’s best to plan your build so that your background, traits, perks, and companions all support a shared goal. For a full list of every skill and its effects, check out our Outer Worlds 2 Skills Guide or our guide on the Best Skills Ranked.

Best Perks for a Machine Gun Build

Bulletshield, Shrug It Off, and Lucky Strikes are the best perks for the Heavy Weapons build in The Outer Worlds 2 because they increase your armor and max health along with Critical Damage.

Bulletshield can be taken early for a bonus of +10% Damage Resistance and +10% Base Health to help you survive more encounters, while Shrug It Off gives you 50% additional Temporary Health. Finally, Lucky Strikes is your end game (20 Guns Skill) Perk which massively increases your Critical Damage and causes enemies to explode.

Below are the best perks for a Machine Gun build in The Outer Worlds 2:

• Bulletshield: +10% Damage Resistance, +10% Base Health
• Trophy Hunter: +5% Crit Chance, +20% vs Bosses
• Hail Of Lead: Guns with automatic or burst fire deal increasing damage the more you fire.
• Makeshift Armorer: +1 Armor Value to your equipped armor for every 25 bits crafted.
• Shrug It Off: When combat starts and whenever one of your companions is downed, immediately gain temporary health equal to 50% of your max health.
• Through the Keyhole: +50% Weapon Range
• Commando: You unlock an additional weapon equipment slot.
• Connoisseur: +25% Healing from Food and Drink, +25% Inhaler Charge from Drugs
• Deep Drums: +50% Magazine Size
• Space Ranger: Your Speech skill also scales damage.
• Tinkerer: Your modded weapons now deal bonus damage, increasing with your Engineering skill.
• Multitasker: Your holstered weapons reload automatically when you manually reload your active weapon.
• Rapid Recharge: Energy Recharge Rate +500% for 5s
• Contingency Screen: When your health hits 25%, the Gas-Energy Deflection Apparatus gadget automatically activates
• Lucky Strikes: +100% Critical Damage; Deals 20% of nearby hostile’s health in damage on killing with critical hit

In The Outer Worlds 2, perks function like a hybrid of the first game’s system and Fallout’s perk charts, offering 90 unique perks spread across multiple tiers. You earn a perk point every even-numbered level. Unlike the first game, many perks now have specific skill prerequisites, so your character build must be planned with both skill leveling and perk selection in mind.

For a full list of perks and their requirements see our Outer Worlds 2 Perks Guide or The Best Perks Ranked guide.

Best Flaws for the Machine Gun Build

Flaws are optional selections that can make or break your build. For the Heavy Weapons build, the best Flaw to select would be Overprepared. The Overprepared Flaw gives you 50% more ammo at the expense of a damage debuff IF you reach zero ammo. The easy way to avoid any negative impact of this flaw is to simply reload your weapon before reaching zero ammo, meaning you’ll get the benefits without any of the downside!

Bibliomania is another useful Flaw which gives you an extra 20% health as long as you haven’t spoken to any NPCs in the past 2 minutes. If you do speak to an NPC, your Health takes a 30% debuff, but there are ways around this as you can avoid conversations before combat or simply wait out of range until the debuff subsides.

In The Outer Worlds 2, the Flaw system returns as a risk–reward mechanic that reacts to your in-game behavior. If you repeatedly perform certain actions, like staring at the sun, you may trigger a Flaw prompt, offering a permanent gameplay trade-off. Once accepted, Flaws cannot be removed, making them a lasting part of your character’s journey.

For a full list of Flaws see our Outer Worlds 2 Flaws Guide or you can check the Best Flaws Ranked Guide.

Best Armor for the Machine Gunner Build

The best Armor for a Heavy Weapons build in The Outer Worlds 2 is the Gothic Armor and Helmet, or the Kaur’s Kuirass unique armor and Bomb Suit unique helmet.

Characters in The Outer Worlds 2 can equip both head and chest armor with a variety of stats.  Each armor piece can have an available mod slot shown with the small rectangular icon.  Not all the mods are known, but bonuses and mods will be critical to your build.

Hibernation Suit and Helmet

The Hibernation Suit and Helmet return to the Outer Worlds 2 from the original game and offer some decent protection and modding capability at the start of the game. Both items can be found in the lockers on board your ship, the Incognito.

Kaur’s Kuirass

The Kaur’s Kuriass is a heavy armor piece that offers substantial protection, helping you to manage incoming damage in combat. This unique armor also comes with the Adrenaline Shot mod which reduces Toxicity, allowing you to heal more often, scaling up with your medical skill, plus 30% Damage Resistance at the start of combat. Kaur’s Kuirass can be obtained by siding with Kaur in Fairfield and completing her questline.

Gothic Armor and Helmet

Gothic Armor and Helmet pieces can be picked up as early as the game’s second planet called Dorado. The Gothic set has a unique medieval look, complete with spiked shoulders, helmet and chest armor. Gothic Armor is great for a melee build in The Outer Worlds 2 thanks to its additional Base Health and Damage Resistance bonuses – plus it looks intimidating!

Bomb Suit Helmet

The Bomb Suit Helmet is one of the best helmet’s in The Outer Worlds 2 if you plan on using some form of Explosive damage. That’s because it’s Lit Fuse mod grants Temporary Health when dealing Explosive Damage. This pairs perfecting with a Rocket Launcher or the Agatha unique Machine Gun.

Best Weapons for the Machine Gun Build

The Chainspark Cannon, Agatha, and the Lock-On Rocket Launcher are the best Heavy Gunner Weapons in The Outer Worlds 2.

Chainspark Cannon

The Chainspark Cannon is one of the most borderline broken weapons in the entire game. This shock-based machine gun spits out chain lightning that connects across multiple enemies, damaging them all. This will be your go to weapon in The Outer Worlds 2 for facing Automechanicals as shock damage will stun them, forcing them to stop damaging you and your companions.

You can find the Chainspark Cannon at the end of the Vox Relay location on the first planet, Eden.

Description: Tired of aiming at lots of enemies? Just aim at one, and this gun does the rest.

Agatha

Agatha is a unique Machine Gun that shoots exploding bullets! Thanks to the Agatha’s Surprise mod, this weapon fires 25% more slowly but its bullets explode on hit. Thanks to its explosive damage, the Agatha machine gun has some unique interactions in the Outer Worlds 2 that make it very powerful. For example, you can wear the Bomb Suit Helmet while using this weapon and gain infinite temporary health due to the Lit Fuse mod (see above).

Description: Finally! A gun named Agatha that shoots exploding bullets! There’s no mystery here!

Lock-On Rocket Launcher

The Lock-On Rocket Launcher is the ultimate in battlefield devastation. This weapon uses target locking to more accurately dispense rockets at medium to long range, blowing up everything in your path. I recommend you save this for groups of enemies or snipers who you need to flush out from cover as ammo can be scare unless you are excellent at crafting.

Unique Weapons and Science Weapons return, offering rare and powerful gear often tied to specific quests or hidden locations. Weapon modding has been overhauled, each weapon now has its own dedicated set of mods, allowing you to enhance performance or add unique effects tailored to that weapon. You can equip up to four weapons at a time and swap between them via a quick slot wheel, making it easy to adapt mid-fight. For a full list of weapons, their mods, and where to find them, see our Outer Worlds 2 Weapons Guide.

Best Companions for the Machine Gunner Build

VALERIE and Niles are the best companions for the Machine Gunner build because they compliment your medium range damage setup. VALERIE is extremely useful for a Machine Gun build as she can heal the player as well as provide powerful buffs and even extra Armor Rating. VAL’s perks also allow the player to gain more crafted materials.

Niles is an excellent companion when it comes to distracting enemies as his Revolver serves as a ranged taunt. Use this to get enemies attention while you mow them down with your machine gun. Plus, having Niles in your party lets you use his Field Tinkering skill which acts as a workbench for crafting no matter where you are. With as much ammo as you need, Niles is your new best friend!

Below is our best party composition setup for the Machine Gun build in the Outer Worlds 2:

1. Player — Medium Range DPS – Heavy Armor for strong defensive potential and can tank.
2. VAL — Role: Ranged Healer and Support
3. Niles — Role: Distraction and Crafter — use Niles distraction ability to get a quick breather from soaking damage yourself.
   • Alternatives: Consider Marisol for more damage and her ability to lock down enemies

Each companion brings a distinct combat role, such as melee tank, ranged DPS, or support. Moreover, each companion has their own personality and backstory. Expect unique abilities, personal quests, and an approval system that reacts to your decisions, influencing dialogue and possibly quest outcomes. For a complete breakdown of all known companions, their abilities, and best gear setups, check out our Outer Worlds 2 Companions Guide.

Best Gadget for the Machine Gunner Build

Tactical Time Dilation is the best gadget for a Machine build because it slows down time. This helps with aiming for weak points, or shooting multiple bullets in a second. Alternatively, the N-Ray Scanner can be used because it grants a 20% critical bonus while active. Use N-Ray if you’re confident in hitting targets, or TTD if you need help with aiming.

Gadgets use a unique energy which can be used in one of four ways.  You can swap gadgets anytime you want via the UI Wheel.  While there is a primary gadget that we recommend, feel free to swap as you encounter different circumstances where they could be useful.  Check out our full guide here, or a summary below:

• Gas-Energy Deflection Apparatus: use for high damage situations or hazards
• N-Ray Scanner: look through walls to identify targets before charging into a room
• Auntie’s Acidic Dematerializer: destroy corpses when sneaking around
• Tactical Time Dilation Gadget: helpful when aiming or closing the gap on any build

Leveling Progression

In The Outer Worlds 2, players can progress up to Level 30. Check this section for an exact leveling progression for Skills and Perks.

Best Consumables for the Machine Gun Build

In The Outer Worlds 2, consumables provide powerful temporary bonuses that can turn the tide of a fight or help you pass a critical skill check. These items can boost damage, increase defenses, restore health, improve movement speed, or enhance specific skills for dialogue and exploration. Consumables are typically found as loot, purchased from vendors, or crafted using the game’s workbench systems.

We will update this portion of the guide once more information is avalible.

How to Play the Machine Gun Build in The Outer Worlds 2

The core combat gameplay for the Machine Gun Build in The Outer Worlds 2 is simple: mow down your enemies and don’t stop! This is a bit of an exaggeration, as you will still want to be tactical, using cover as needed to reduce incoming damage and to reload, especially on harder difficulties.

Use your time dilation device to get within range of enemies or for when you get swarmed so that you can take them out quicker.

Open with a high burst of machine gun fire to eliminate as many enemies as possible once combat begins. Let your companions distract enemies so you can continue to push damage. For survival, use your Medical Inhaler alternating with healing from Inez’s companion ability. Always move constantly from side to side to avoid enemy snipers and don’t forget to run and find cover as some skills and perks can lower incoming damage on the move.

More Builds For The Outer Worlds 2

Check the links below to browse more of the Best Builds for The Outer Worlds 2!

• Best Builds For The Outer Worlds 2
• Rifle Build
• Explosives Build
• Gunslinger Build
• Melee Build
• Machine Gun Build
• Science Build
• Sniper Build
• Stealth Assassin Build
• Thief Build
• Speech (Pacifist) Build
• Dumb Build