The Outer Worlds 2, the follow-up to Obsidian Entertainment’s cult classic 2019 RPG, is slated to release sometime in 2025. It should be a rather interesting project to behold, especially in the wake ofOblivion RemasteredandStarfieldbefore it—two games that clearly share at least a little DNA withThe Outer Worlds.
How closelyThe Outer Worlds 2aligns with itsElder ScrollsandFalloutinspirations remains to be seen, but the cross-pollination between the IP and Bethesda’s body of work is generally considered a positive. This mostly comes down to the fact that, despite having a similar approach to class design, progression, and presentation,The Outer Worldsretains Obsidian’s signature focus on flexibility and player freedom, making it a unique spin on the open-world Bethesda format rather than a carbon copy of it. Nowhere is this freedom of choice more clear than inThe Outer Worlds' handling of NPC-killing: players can decimate every single character in the game if they please, even locking themselves out of major quests in the process. This being an option speaks to Obsidian’s views on player expression in RPGs, but this particular murderous freedom could be elevated by taking inspiration from a long-runningElder Scrollsstaple.
Why The Outer Worlds 2 Could Benefit from Its Own ‘Dark Brotherhood’
A Dark Brotherhood-Esque Faction Could Give Structure to Indiscriminate Killing in The Outer Worlds 2
The freedom tokill every NPC inThe Outer Worldsis novel, and certainly sets it apart from other RPGs of its ilk, but the novelty of such freedom wears thin quickly. While it’s respectable that Obsidian would account for the potentiality of an interstellar serial killer, rampaging through settlements with no regard for human life, there’s not much depth to this playstyle. If anything, it’s more like an interesting mechanical experiment, allowing players to see what happens if they eliminate various quest-givers, merchants, and other key NPCs, pushing the game’s robust virtual population systems to their limit.
This is quite different from what happens when players commitmass murder inThe Elder Scrolls. If a player murders enough innocents inOblivionorSkyrim, they will be invited to join the Dark Brotherhood, an esoteric league of assassins with dubious morals, to say the least. Joining the Dark Brotherhood will spark a long quest chain, injecting the player’s horrible, murderous acts with meaning and gravity. Something similar in a game likeThe Outer Worlds 2, where players will presumably be able to kill far more NPCs than in anElder Scrollsgame, could add greater depth to the role-playing experience.
The Outer Worlds 2’s Sci-Fi Premise Could Offer a Nice Spin On the Dark Brotherhood
The Dark Brotherhood is an interesting concept, smoothly folded into the medieval high-fantasy world ofThe Elder Scrolls; the faction is characterized by spooky robes, worship of dark gods, and assorted ritualistic behaviors. Everything about The Dark Brotherhood screams “fantasy murder cult,” and while this works within the context ofThe Elder Scrolls, a similar group ina game likeThe Outer Worlds 2could be recontextualized in meaningful ways.
Instead of worshiping gods of chaos, perhapsThe Outer Worlds 2’s theoretical “Dark Brotherhood"could embrace a nihilistic worldview, rejecting spirituality and common ethics in light of humanity’s expansion into space. Maybe this organization could be characterized by disillusion, borne from the erosion of mysticism and mystery that may accompany rampant space travel. Conversely, the group could be devilishly Machiavellian, willing to take innocent lives for the purposes of medical science, weapons testing, social experimentation, and the like.
The Outer Worlds 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The Outer Worlds 2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the award-winning first-person sci-fi RPG from Obsidian Entertainment (just look at the exciting number of dashes in this sentence!). Time to clear your calendar – get ready for an action-packed adventure with a new crew, new weapons, and new enemies in a new colony! So much newness!As a daring and most likely good-looking Earth Directorate agent, you must uncover the source of devastating rifts threatening to destroy all of humanity. Your investigation leads to Arcadia, home of skip drive technology, where the fate of the colony, and ultimately the entire galaxy, rests on your decisions—your strengths, your flaws, your crew, and the factions you choose to trust.EXPLORE A NEW FRONTIERThe Arcadia colony is engulfed in a factional war, as the Protectorate’s so-called benevolent rule is challenged by the rebellion of their religious order and a corporate invasion. As destructive rifts spread across the colony, each faction fights to control or close them for their own ends. Navigate diverse zones, uncover hidden lore, and shape the fate of a system on the brink!YOUR COMMANDER, YOUR WAYBuild your character with the abilities and choices that reflect your playstyle. The colony reacts to your every move, crafting a narrative that’s yours to own—whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, an astute strategist, a crusader for chaos, or something different altogether. And yes, you can dumb!ENLIST YOUR COMPANIONSRecruit companions with unique traits, backgrounds and goals. Whether you choose to help them achieve their ambitions or steer them toward your own objectives, your influence shapes their growth (or death), making them an integral part of the immersive story you create together.
