Stop Wasting Points in The Outer Worlds 2: The Must-Have Skills, Traits, and Perks

Outer Worlds 2 is almost here, which means it is time to make peace with the character creator. If you want a build that opens doors (literally and figuratively), skips busywork, and hits hard from the jump, here is the no-fluff version I would give a friend.

My quick picks (so you can get playing)

• Background: Exconvict. Runner-ups: Professor or Renegade.
• Traits: Lucky (must), then Brawny or Innovative. On higher difficulty, add Resilient. For a negative, take Dumb.
• Skills to prioritize: Speech and Lockpicking. Pair skills with your traits; do not double-invest.
• Skills to skip early: Melee and Explosiveness.
• Perks: Trophy Hunter; in Sneak, Light Step (or Ghost if you are going light) and skip Assassin; in Speech, Tall Tale Teller; in Guns, Lucky Strikes, Crabble Rancher, and Trick Shot.

Background: where your run actually starts

Backgrounds in Outer Worlds 2 are basically your class flavor, but the important part is that they unlock unique dialogue options and interaction checks. Some of these can flat-out bypass high skill requirements. The standout is Exconvict. It regularly punches through checks that would otherwise demand maxed-out Lockpicking or Engineering, and it fires more special interactions than the other options. Translation: faster progression, more shortcuts, less grinding.

If Exconvict is not your vibe, Professor and Renegade are your second-tier picks. Professor shines on academic and high-end science checks, though you can often get the same result with only a small investment in the Science skill or by taking the Brilliant trait. Renegade is similarly flexible, landing in the same 'versatile and useful' zone.

Traits: tiny choices, huge impact

Lucky is the non-negotiable trait. You get a flat +5% critical hit chance for combat power, sure, but the sneaky strength is that certain opportunities just open up for you at random. Pair Lucky with Exconvict and you have a master key for dialogue and environmental checks. It is weirdly strong.

For your second trait, Brawny is fantastic if you want to force open doors and get into locked spaces without pouring points into Engineering and Lockpicking. If that playstyle is not for you, Innovative is a great all-rounder that stays useful basically everywhere.

Cranking the difficulty? Resilient gives you an extra life in every single combat encounter. In a game known for tough skirmishes, that is huge.

As for a negative trait, Dumb is the cheeky pick. It unlocks ridiculous dialogue options that are often shockingly effective. Comedy that wins fights? Yes please.

Skills: invest where it multiplies

Builds are personal, but here is the trick: do not pay twice for the same outcome. If you took Brawny, you can afford to keep Engineering low. If you grabbed Lucky or Brilliant, you can skip a lot of Science checks without missing out.

The two skills you should almost always prioritize are Speech and Lockpicking. Speech explodes the number of dialogue paths, hands out strong perks, and routinely solves problems without a big firefight. Lockpicking is your ticket to loot, shortcuts, and hidden areas you will otherwise walk past.

On the flip side, avoid dumping early points into Melee and Explosiveness. Their best perks show up late, so they are not pulling their weight in the opening stretch.

Perks: the part that makes your build sing

There are a lot of perks, but only a handful do that 'wow, I feel stronger' thing right away. Start in the Neutral category with Trophy Hunter. It stacks critical hit chance against tougher enemies, and if you pair it with Lucky and a crit-boosting helmet, you are looking at roughly a 30% increased crit chance on bosses by around level two. That is bonkers acceleration.

For utility, the Sneak and Speech trees are the most efficient. In Sneak, everything except Assassin is excellent. Top pick: Light Step, which basically makes you immune to traps. If you just want a taste of Sneak without going all-in, grab Ghost. In Speech, Tall Tale Teller is the star because it straight-up gives you +20% Damage.

Over in Guns, there are tons of options, but a few standouts work on almost any build: Lucky Strikes (more crit goodness), Crabble Rancher to stack even more critical chance, and Trick Shot, which is a straight-up cheat code early on because it effectively taps weak spots twice.

The short version

Let your background and traits open doors for you so your precious skill points can live in Speech and Lockpicking. Then layer on perks that multiply crits and utility. The result is a character that sees more of the game, finds more ways around problems, and still deletes bosses early. No spreadsheets required.