Tips and Tricks

Star Wars Outlaws encourages you to explore as much as possible to find hidden Treasures, secret intel, and expert mentors to help Kay on her quest. Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind as you travel throughout the galaxy gaining a reputation as an outlaw.

There are plenty of tutorials and in-game popups to help you learn basic features, but the guide below provides a ton of pointers separated into five categories: General, Exploration, Credits, Combat, and Space Combat and Exploration tips.

General Tips and Tricks

• Use Nix vision. Use Nix as your pet-sized Arkham vision. Holding LB/L1/Q will tag anything Nix can interact with from much farther away than normal, including valuables you can collect. What also makes "Nix Vision" handy is that a line is drawn from Nix to the thing he can interact with. This is handy if you prefer collecting stuff yourself.
• Gather info to bluff successfully. If you find that a bluff doesn't work, try exploring the area to learn more information you can use to your advantage. For example, a bouncer in the tutorial section will only believe Kay's bluff after she learns he's into fast cars. This gives her enough information to come up with a believable bluff.
• Guards have better eyesight than you think. They can spot Kay through holey walls and inside open vents. If you're at risk of getting spotted, see if Nix can do an action for you instead. He can even distract guards if you need to perform an action that would attract attention.
• There's more than one visual cue for lockpicking. If you're having trouble with the Lock Override mini-game, pay attention to the pin that taps around the lock. It will move outwards just before it taps back down for the next beat, so paying attention to this will help with long pauses between taps.
• You don't always need to lose reputation with one faction to gain with another. Not all actions that increase reputation with a criminal network will negatively affect another one. Sometimes, reputation loss is unavoidable, but you can prioritize tasks and actions that don't have any downsides to the other networks.
• Pay attention to who holds power on each planet. In general, it's a good idea to curry favor with the criminal network that rules the planet you're currently spending time on (say, the Pykes for Toshara). This will allow you to move more easily throughout the map and avoid getting into trouble. There are often two syndicates that hold territory, though, so try not to completely burn bridges with them unless you want to hold off on building goodwill with them later.
• Raise your reputation instead of risking confrontation. If you don't have favor with a particular group and are forbidden from entering their territory, consider waiting on completing side quests that require you to snoop in those areas. Getting caught there not only forces you to restart exploring that area, but you'll lose favor every time you're caught trespassing.
• Don't neglect your Binoculars! You can use them to tag up to 10 objects, including enemies, traversal objects, and sabotage opportunities. This makes them essential as a stealth tool to keep track of everything.

• Use the Stun Shot often, but beware of the recharge. The Stun Shot effectively downs enemies instantly and works in stealth, but it takes a long time for it to recharge after firing it. You'll want to choose your shots wisely or have a Plan B ready (Nix attack!) if you get caught.
• Always keep your Expert ability unlock conditions in mind. You can even track ability requirements if you want an easier look at them. These abilities won't unlock automatically – you have to choose to do certain actions in the world, meaning the requirements may inform your playstyle for a while. Going out of your way to complete them can teach you quite a bit about how the game plays as well!
• Wires usually lead to something. If you're in a search area, and you're not sure where to go, follow the wires! If you have Nix scan the area, the scan will highlight wires that are connected to terminals. These terminals will often unlock doors or lower barriers that allow you to reach new areas.
• Complete the False Flag quest as soon as possible. It's recommended to play at least through False Flag before investing tons of time in side quests (aside from expert quests). After that, you'll be able to access more areas, quests, and features.
• Running out of Bacta Vials? Don't waste your hard-earned Credits on them! Instead, steal them from allied Syndicate camps or, if you're in excellent standing with a Syndicate, take vials as needed without sneaking around. These items replenish over time.

Exploration Tips and Tricks

• Kay can roll. Kay performs a roll if you double-tap the crouch button on a controller (B/Circle) or press CTRL on the keyboard. She'll also slide if you press crouch while sprinting.
• Eavesdrop on NPCs. Many casual conversations hold hints for an optional objective, like a dropped credit chip, datapad, or even an alternate path for your current objective. This information isn't noted anywhere, though, so be sure to pay attention.
• Sometimes, you need to pick a spot to eavesdrop. If you're exploring an area and hear two characters talking or arguing loudly, look around for a spot where you can lean/sit idly to eavesdrop on them. This will unlock some Intel for a new side quest.
• Collect as much salvage as possible. Explore every corner of every room for salvage and valuables that you can sell to merchants for credits. There's a lot to find, and you'll find better loot for crafting upgrades in Syndicate territory.

• Syndicate bases are full of great salvage. Thoroughly exploring enemy bases is the best way to get rare/expensive upgrade parts. Be sure to look around as much as you can in these off-limits spaces.
• You can drift on the Speeder. Need to quickly turn the bike around? Don't forget that you can hold LT/L2/CTRL at any time to do a drift turn. This even works at very low speeds!
• Your bike is a fast travel point! If you can't remember where you parked or otherwise want to get to it fast, select it on the map. You can also find it by pressing LT/L2/Y to pull up the Navigator on the map.
• Adjust your Speeder angle in mid-air. If you go off a ramp but can tell you're gonna slam into the cliff, remember to tilt the bike upwards so the bottom will hit the cliff. This will absorb most of the impact and minimize damage.
• The Speeder can charge up while stationary. If you need to get a lot of speed on the Speeder in a short distance, hold the brake and then the gas, building up speed. When Kay leans as far forward as she can, let go of the brake to launch at high speed. Do note that this doesn't work in areas where the Speeder's speed is restricted, like around buildings.
• Keep an eye out for walls you can climb. If you feel like you've reached a dead end, look at the walls around you for white or pale yellow markings. If you don't like these markings, you can turn them off in the settings under Gameplay. Then, change your settings to "Explorer mode."
• You can return to most locations. Some secret entrances or paths to new areas are blocked off when you first see them, especially if you're in a new area for a main quest. It's often best to progress through the main quest a bit. This does not apply to off-map quest areas that are unique to a certain quest. Be sure to explore just in case you don't get to go back again. This includes places like the very first tutorial area you're able to explore and any special bases.
• Treasure appearances trigger audio cues. If you hear the sound of a coin flip, it means an undiscovered Treasure is nearby and has appeared on your radar. Investigate Treasures for goodies like collectibles, credits, cosmetics, and crafting materials.
• Nix can reach places Kay can't. Keep an eye out for resources that are out of bounds or inaccessible. A lot of the time, you can send Nix out to recover them from across a vine or behind a fence. Some of the best crafting materials can be obtained this way!

Combat Tips and Tricks

• Combat often isn't necessary. Aside from consumable drops and progressing milestones for abilities, you don't get anything for defeating enemies. This means you can bypass them entirely without worrying you're missing out on anything like XP.
• Use Nix to defeat guard pairs without getting caught. If you need to take out two guards in a stealth situation, here's how to do it. First, hide where they can't see you but still have a line of sight. Then, send Nix in to attack one of them. The second guard will be distracted by their buddy being attacked, so you can blaster's stun option with RB/R1/F, then rush in to take out the one Nix is attacking before they can throw him off.
• The Empire has a wanted system. You may go a few hours between seeing Imperials, but they have their own wanted system attached to their interactions. At the highest level, these wanted levels won't go away automatically – you have to either bribe an Imperial officer or slice a bounty terminal in a high-security area. Learn more about the system in our How to Clear Wanted Status guide.

• You can still stay stealthy after getting caught. If you get spotted by a lone guard while in stealth, it's not the end of the world! If you can rush up to them in time and down them with melee, they won't have time to raise the alarm. A quick Stun Shot will also do the trick, but this takes a very long time to recharge.
• The game autosaves before combat. If you get caught while in stealth and want to try again, immediately reload the most recent autosave after you engage in open combat. This will put you right back at the start of combat so you can have another go.

Space Combat and Exploration

• Aim down sights when piloting the Trailblazer in a dogfight. When you ADS, the ship automatically follows your target, allowing you to focus on aiming and dodging instead of steering the ship.
• Keep an eye out for mines. The ones you'll spot first are big and red, but the tricky ones are the small orbs pictured below. ND-5 will warn you that mines are nearby and you'll hear a pinging sound that indicates the mines' direction.

• Some walls and beams are destructible. If you didn't turn off the yellow markings, keep an eye out for cracked sides of ships and disintegrating pillars. Shoot them a few times to destroy them.

• Open containers in space by shooting them! It may take a few hits before they open. Some yellow containers only require you to get close to collect their contents.
• Red barriers need to be destroyed just as they would on a planet. This means you need to look for a spot to blast with Ion shots. You might not have these unlocked yet but don't forget to return to these spots when you do.

Credits and Money Tips

• Make easy credits early by stealing from the guards! Do so by going into Nix's senses mode (hold LB/L1/Q) and then instruct Nix to steal from the target. It'll clearly say "Steal" if they've got credits or another item Nix can nab. The action is a QTE, so be sure to press the button for Nix to make the swipe when it's prompted. Nix may find other goodies as you progress through the game.

• There are good alternatives to bribery. Buying/bribing your way inside somewhere should always be your last resort since you could use those credits on something else. You should always scout around first for a way to sneak in, which will always be free!
• Not all valuables you pick up should be sold for scrap. Some items say they "could have some use later" in their description (usually high-value items) even though they may say "Safe to sell" too. Always check item descriptions and keep them in mind before selling anything.
• Many vendors are affiliated with Syndicates. When needing to buy something from a vendor, make sure to check out which faction they represent, as that could make a major difference in the price of their items. If you've visited a merchant before, you can check the Reputation tab to see a list of affiliated merchants for each faction. Some vendors will also reward you for being a repeat customer by lowering their prices.

• Vendor affiliation doesn't affect sell prices. While the prices for purchasing items from criminal network vendors will change based on your reputation with them, the price of items sold to them will never change. So, if you're in a pinch to get credits, don't be afraid to sell items to a vendor who's affiliated with a Syndicate that doesn't like you.
• If you find intel with a tip on Fathier Racing, note the tip. You'll get a hint on what to look for at the table, but not specifically what to look for. For instance, the tip might mention to bet on a fathier of a certain age, but it won't mention that you're looking for the one that's two years old, as we found on a certain datapad. The intel you found on the datapad isn't stored in the menus either.