Outward: Tips and Guides to Master the Game

September 27, 2024

Advertisement
Outward, an open-world RPG developed by Nine Dots Studio, offers a unique and immersive survival experience. Unlike other RPGs, Outward challenges players with a blend of exploration, combat, survival mechanics, and realistic character limitations. You play as an ordinary person rather than a hero, meaning no magic saves, no quick escapes, and no superhuman strength. In this guide, we'll provide tips and strategies to help you overcome the challenges of the game and enjoy your journey through Aurai.

Introduction

Outward is a game that requires strategy, preparation, and patience. From managing your health, stamina, and mana to gathering resources and managing your inventory, every decision you make can impact your survival. This guide is designed to help new and experienced players alike by providing practical tips on combat, exploration, crafting, and surviving the harsh world of Aurai. By the end of this guide, you’ll have the tools you need to thrive in Outward, even when the odds are against you.

1. Mastering the Basics: Understanding Survival Mechanics

Staying Alive: Food, Water, and Sleep

Survival in Outward starts with meeting your character’s basic needs: food, water, and sleep. Ignoring these needs can lead to negative effects like reduced stamina regeneration, illness, and even death.
  • Food: Keep a steady supply of food on hand to avoid hunger. Cook meals at campfires to prevent raw food from spoiling.
  • Water: Always carry a waterskin and refill it at fresh water sources. Dehydration can quickly lower your stamina regeneration.
  • Sleep: Resting restores health, stamina, and mana. Make sure to sleep regularly, either in a bedroll, tent, or at inns.

Managing Health and Stamina

Health and stamina are crucial in Outward, particularly during combat. Your health won’t regenerate naturally over time, so you’ll need to heal with potions, bandages, or by sleeping. Stamina, on the other hand, depletes with every action, so manage it wisely by eating and resting.
  • Potions and Bandages: Always carry potions and bandages to recover health during emergencies.
  • Stamina Food: Certain foods like Gaberry Jam can help restore stamina, allowing you to keep moving during longer journeys.

2. Combat Tips: How to Fight and Survive in Battle

Learn to Dodge and Block

Combat in Outward is tactical. You won’t win by rushing into battle—timing, patience, and knowing when to dodge or block are essential to survival.
  • Dodging: Timing is crucial when dodging enemy attacks. Roll out of the way just before the attack lands to conserve stamina and avoid damage.
  • Blocking: Equip a shield or weapon with blocking capabilities to deflect damage, but be mindful of your stamina when blocking, as it drains quickly.

Mastering Weapons and Combat Styles

Outward offers a variety of weapon types, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Experiment with different combat styles to find what suits you best.
  • Swords and Shields: A balanced option for offense and defense, ideal for beginners.
  • Great Hammers: Slow but powerful, these weapons are excellent for dealing high damage to tougher enemies.
  • Magic and Ranged Weapons: For players who prefer distance, bows and magic are effective but require careful management of mana and ammunition.

3. Choosing Your Starting Faction: The Path to Success

The Three Main Factions

In Outward, joining a faction provides significant bonuses and story progression. There are three main factions to choose from, each with unique perks and quests:
  • Blue Chamber Collective: Focuses on stability and family values, offering defensive bonuses and support.
  • Heroic Kingdom of Levant: Ideal for players who value freedom, this faction offers offensive advantages and increased mobility.
  • Holy Mission of Elatt: For those who value faith, this faction provides spiritual bonuses, such as improved magic and resistance to corruption.

How to Choose the Right Faction

Each faction has different benefits, and your choice should align with your preferred playstyle. If you want a defensive playthrough, the Blue Chamber might be your best bet. For offensive players, the Heroic Kingdom offers the advantage of increased damage output. If you’re focused on magic, the Holy Mission will grant you enhanced spiritual powers.

4. Exploration and Map Navigation: Finding Your Way in Aurai

Navigating Without a Map Marker

In Outward, you don’t have a typical GPS-style map marker. Instead, you’ll need to navigate the world using landmarks and a physical map. Pay attention to your surroundings, and use mountains, trees, and towns to orient yourself.
  • Landmarks: Use major landmarks like mountains, rivers, and statues to track your progress across the map.
  • Compass and Map Reading: Learning how to read your compass and correlate it with your map will save you from getting lost.

Fast Travel Options

While there are no traditional fast-travel mechanics, certain cities and camps have caravans that allow you to travel between them for a fee. These caravans are time-efficient and can help you avoid dangerous areas.
  • Caravans: Look for caravans in cities to move quickly between key locations.
  • Safety First: Avoid long-distance travel at night or in harsh weather conditions, as enemies are more aggressive.

5. Crafting: Maximizing Your Survival Chances

Essential Crafting Recipes

Crafting in Outward is vital to survival. From weapons and armor to food and potions, crafting allows you to maximize the resources you gather.
  • Weapons and Armor: Crafting higher-quality weapons and armor will give you a major advantage in combat.
  • Potions: Alchemy lets you brew potions that restore health, stamina, and even mana, making it an essential skill for survival.

Gathering Resources

To craft effectively, you’ll need to gather the right materials. Collect resources from your surroundings, including plants, ores, and animals. Always keep an eye out for hidden treasures and resource nodes.
  • Mining: Use a pickaxe to gather ores from mining nodes, which can be smelted into valuable crafting materials.
  • Foraging: Look for berries, plants, and other ingredients to craft potions and food.

6. Managing Inventory: Pack Wisely for Long Journeys

The Importance of Travel Light

Inventory management in Outward is key, especially since your character has limited carrying capacity. Traveling light will help you move faster and avoid fatigue during long journeys.
  • Backpacks: Different backpacks offer varying levels of storage and mobility. Choose wisely based on your adventure.
  • Essential Items: Always prioritize healing items, food, water, and essential equipment. Avoid overburdening yourself with unnecessary loot.

Managing Weight and Mobility

Carrying too much will slow you down and make combat more difficult. Use stash boxes in towns to store heavy or unnecessary items, and make sure you’re only carrying what you need for each trip.
  • Overburden Penalties: Exceeding your weight limit will affect your stamina regeneration, so always check your load before heading out.
  • Bag Drop in Combat: You can drop your backpack during combat to improve mobility but remember to pick it up afterward.

7. Magic and Mana: Unleashing the Arcane Powers

Unlocking Mana

Magic in Outward is powerful, but it comes with a cost. To unlock mana, you’ll need to sacrifice a portion of your health and stamina permanently. This trade-off is essential for those wanting to master the arcane arts.
  • Ley Line Ritual: You can unlock mana by visiting a Ley Line and performing a ritual to channel magical energy.
  • Balancing Health, Stamina, and Mana: Be mindful of how much health and stamina you sacrifice, as it can impact your ability to survive physically demanding situations.

Learning Spells and Rituals

Once you have mana, you can learn a variety of spells. Whether you choose fire magic, frost, or wind-based spells, mastering your magical abilities will make you a formidable opponent.
  • Fire Sigil: A powerful magic spell that creates a sigil, amplifying fire-based magic for those within its radius.
  • Spark Spell: A basic, but crucial spell that lights campfires and triggers certain traps.

8. Joining a Legacy: How Legacy Chests Work

Unlocking Legacy Items

The legacy chest system in Outward allows you to carry items over to new playthroughs. By placing powerful equipment in a legacy chest, your future character can retrieve those items with boosted stats.
  • Legacy Chest Locations: There are four legacy chest locations across the world of Aurai. Place your items in these chests before starting a new game.
  • Legacy Boost: Items stored in legacy chests are upgraded in future playthroughs, allowing your new character to start with powerful gear.

Using Legacy Gear Wisely

Make sure to use the legacy system strategically. Store high-quality weapons, armor, or rare items that you want to carry over to a new game. This gives your future playthrough a major boost from the start.

9. Making Money: How to Earn Silver in Outward

Trading and Selling Loot

Silver is the main currency in Outward, and you’ll need plenty of it for supplies, gear, and repairs. Sell valuable loot, such as gemstones or crafted weapons, to traders in towns for silver.
  • Selling Crafted Items: Craft high-quality weapons and armor to sell for more silver.
  • Looting Dungeons: Explore dungeons and caves for rare loot, which can be sold for a high price.

Best Money-Making Strategies

To earn silver efficiently, focus on crafting and selling items that are in high demand. Always keep an eye out for rare materials and loot that can be sold for a high price.

10. Multiplayer and Co-Op: Surviving Together

Cooperative Play

Outward offers a multiplayer co-op mode, allowing you to explore the world with a friend. This mode makes survival easier by allowing you to divide tasks, such as gathering resources or engaging enemies.
  • Cooperative Combat: In co-op, one player can focus on ranged attacks while the other engages enemies in melee combat.
  • Shared Resources: Players can share food, water, and healing items, ensuring that both players survive during long journeys.

Tips for Playing Co-Op

When playing in co-op, communication and strategy are key. Divide responsibilities based on your playstyle, and always make sure both players are prepared for combat and exploration.
  • Assign Roles: Assign one player to manage inventory and crafting while the other handles combat or navigation.
  • Share the Load: Split items and resources evenly to prevent overburdening one player’s inventory.

Conclusion

Outward is a unique RPG that blends survival mechanics with tactical combat and exploration. By mastering the game’s systems, from managing health and stamina to crafting powerful weapons and spells, you can overcome the many challenges that Aurai presents. Whether you’re playing solo or with a friend, these tips and guides will help you thrive in Outward, making each journey a rewarding experience.