The Outer Worlds 2 offers a whole new colony to explore. Become friendly with new factions, crush them completely under your very sleek boots, or ignore them completely because you got lost in side quests.

In The Outer Worlds 2 you carve your path through Arcadia, a colony teeming with factions, intrigue, and chaos. It’s also home of skip drive technology and where the fate of the entire colony – and the galaxy – rests. As a daring, undeniably good-looking, and questionably competent Earth Directorate agent, you’re tasked with uncovering the source of devastating rifts threatening the entire galaxy. Talk about stakes (not to be confused with raptidon steaks, those are very different)!  The choice of how to deal with the rifts is up to you. “Your worlds, your way,” as we say at Obsidian.

Are the rifts the only thing threatening Arcadia? Of course not! That would be too easy. A factional war between the “benevolent rulers” known as the Protectorate, a rebellious scientific religious order, and a corporate mega power has the colony torn apart. Each is trying to close or control the rifts for their own good/monetarily profitable needs. Church, state, and capitalism! Who will win?! Well, that’s really up to you. This is your game.

When it comes to crafting your commander, it is full-on “RPG with RPG elements” time from ability points to skill checks in conversations, to even how flawed you want to be because, let’s admit it, no one is perfect. Except those who think they are. Look at you go. Being perfect.

How you build your commander and chart your way through the narrative is uniquely yours as you plunge into this player-driven story. Whether you’re a disciple of diplomacy, a smart strategist, a crusader of chaos, or defiantly different (so we can keep the alliterations), the choice – you guessed it – is yours. Oh, and with this being The Outer Worlds, yes, you can dumb!

A distress signal beckons you and your crew of the Incognito to a derelict ship, where you discover the ship’s crew in suspended animation. All signs point to foul play, especially the puddle of what was most likely a person. You recover a video message left by the captain of the vessel, who explains that the crew has been contaminated with something while on a heist that will cause explosive cell death unless they find a cure. And by explosive cell death, she means more like a… “liquefaction”.

By the looks of the puddle on the floor: liquefaction indeed.

The stakes are set for the release of the first of a two-part narrative DLC expansion of The Outer Worlds 2 on December 2. In Side Effects Guaranteed, the video message you found leads you to Gordon Hazen, one of the leading agents in Sub Rosa, a criminal organization made up of like-minded individuals who have chosen to live their lives stealing from the various factions instead of working for them. Gordon in turn sends you to Elysium Valley, a new region on Eden that is home to a settlement of former Protectorate subjects that have been forgotten by their Protectorate leaders. He believes they may have the answers to saving his crew. He personally favors diplomacy over violence but needs you to do whatever you need to in order to get the information he needs.

But Gordon isn’t the only one with interest in Elysium Valley. Another Sub Rosa agent, Algernon Lankester, wants to recruit you to help him exploit the subjects for his own personal gain. The fate of the subjects, the frozen Sub Rosa agents, and the future of Sub Rosa itself is up for you, our intrepid Commander, to decide.

A new narrative story is not all that will be coming when Side Effects Guaranteed launches in a few weeks, however.

Along with the new region of Elysium Valley to explore, players will encounter new threats like vicious canids and primal sprats. What’s a primal sprat? Just a normal sprat, but about 100 times the size. Surely, they’re just as friendly and forgiving of all the time you “accidentally” shot their much smaller cousins while exploring Arcadia.

With these new threats comes the ability to make your Commander even stronger and, of course, more flawed (but in a good way). The level cap will increase from 30 to 36, bringing more skill points to broaden your build. Being able to go to level 36 also means there are three more perks you can acquire, with 15 brand new perks being added into the mix.

Four new flaws will also be introduced that can change how your Commander plays, like “Lethally Tolerant,” a flaw that recognizes your built-up resistance to chemicals so your max toxicity will increase. This is great in the moment, but if you ever experience a Toxicity Crash, you will die instantly. Another example is “Must Have Been the Wind,” which will mark an “assassination target” for a combat group. Killing the target will grant a 20% damage and speed buff until the combat ends, but failing to do so or attacking someone who isn’t the target applies a 10% damage and speed debuff to the player for 30 seconds. Truly rewards that come with great risks.

Side Effects Guaranteed will also see new weapons, new armors, and new outfits for each of the companions, as well as a brand-new Sub Rosa-run radio station featuring 20 new songs for the game. For those who want to jump straight to the action in the DLC, a new alternate starting point is being added to the main menu when you choose a new game that will allow you to start with a custom save that lands you at the start of the DLC. Start the game, allot your skill and perk points, and enjoy Side Effects Guaranteed right away!

This jam-packed adventure with a deep story and systems to build your ideal commander will set up the next DLC for The Outer Worlds 2 that will be coming in Spring of 2027, and choices made will directly impact the next DLC. Part one of this overarching expansion story, Side Effects Guaranteed, will release on December 2 for $14.99, or is available in the Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade for The Outer Worlds 2.

While The Outer Worlds 2 is a single-player RPG, you won’t be alone! Not virtually anyway. Enlist a crew of companions to help you achieve your goals. Nothing says “middle management” more than sending people out to fight your fights for you, then having them judge everything you do with a visual reminder of how much they loved or hated it. Maybe you’ll help them fulfill their dreams or goals along the way. Clearly you care enough about the people working with you to see their dreams realized… right?

The Outer Worlds 2 is available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).