Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune DLC Review – Redemption

Back in August 2024, we reviewed the base version of Star Wars Outlaws and gave it a 6/10. At the time, we noted that while the game had its strengths, such as its surprisingly impressive and detailed open world, a somewhat decent story that captured the scoundrel fantasy well, and a genuine sense of exploration, it ultimately felt too rough around the edges with several shortcomings. From technical hiccups to inconsistent writing and some outdated design choices, Outlaws came across as a title that needed another year in the oven. We closed that review by saying we’d probably still play more of it, if only because we’re hopeless Star Wars sickos, but weren’t convinced we’d have more fun with it than with a toy lightsaber.

Since then, however, the developers have rolled out several major patches aimed at improving various gameplay mechanics. So, the big question now is: Is it finally worth your time, and does the new story expansion, A Pirate’s Fortune, build meaningfully on those improvements?

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room: A Pirate’s Fortune. This story expansion is a pretty short adventure, clocking in at around three to four hours depending on your skill level. Kay Vess, Nix, and their droid companion ND-5 set out to explore the Khepi system, where they team up with none other than the well know pirate Hondo Ohnaka in search of a mysterious treasure hidden within the Khepi Tomb. As you might expect, Hondo is the star of the show, who is equal parts sarcastic, funny, and dubious. Voiced by Jim Cummings, his performance gives the DLC its strongest personality.

The main antagonist is Stinger Tash, leader of the Rokana Raiders, who believes she can uncover the tomb’s secrets and lead her crew to the treasure. The story kicks off with an intriguing setup and a genuine sense of mystery, but unfortunately, the ending didn’t quite land for me. Without spoiling too much, the crew’s efforts lead to an ending that feels a bit underwhelming, leaving me questioning whether the journey was truly worth it. Still, despite the narrative’s lack of impact, Hondo Ohnaka’s presence alone makes the DLC worth seeing through to the end. He carries the entire expansion on his back, and to be frank with you, he’s the reason I stayed invested throughout the DLCs short runtime.

"Despite the narrative’s lack of impact, Hondo Ohnaka’s presence alone makes the DLC worth seeing through to the end."

Just like the base game, A Pirate’s Fortune sticks to the same core gameplay mechanics. If you’re expecting brand new systems and mechanics, you might want to lower those expectations. That said, there are some small additions, like simple environmental traps scattered around environments to keep you on your toes. What really stands out, though, is how much the gameplay has improved overall thanks to post launch patches.

Enemy AI, while still occasionally weird, is noticeably better than it was at launch. Enemies are more aggressive and more likely to suppress you in combat. Sure, there are still rare moments where they’ll ignore Kay even if she’s right next to them (yes, they can be that dumb at times), but these are far less frequent now. Stealth, too, feels tighter, Kay moves more fluidly, and sneaking past enemies feels more focused. However, this isn’t Metal Gear Solid V and Kay isn’t like Snake by any means, but it’s no longer the disappointment it was before. Combat has also benefited greatly from rebalanced damage values, weapons now feel impactful, and the third-person shooting is actually fun. It does make you wonder why the developers didn’t consider a Division 2 style cover system, as that small addition could’ve made firefights even more dynamic, not to mention a tad cooler.

One small letdown is the complete lack of new gameplay mechanics between Kay and Nix. In the base game, Nix can do various actions on behalf of Kay such distracting enemies or flipping switches. For a DLC, it would’ve been nice to see some new interactions but unfortunately there is none. Still, with improved stealth, punchier gunplay, and smarter enemies, the overall experience is finally fun and far less disappointing. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But is it still underwhelming? Definitely not.

A significant portion of the DLC’s gameplay now leans into space battles, which will feel familiar to anyone who played the base game. You’re still managing your ship’s shields, dodging missiles, and taking down enemy targets using the upgrade system as before, but there is one exciting change: thanks to Hondo Ohnaka, you temporarily pilot a Rokana Raider ship, and this is where things get interesting. While the core controls remain the same, the battles are now faster paced and feature two flight modes. In Recon Mode, your wings can be adjusted for faster travel, while Assault Mode shifts the wings horizontally and unlocks heavier weaponry (like missiles) for maximum damage output. A lengthy space combat segment in the DLC lets you control this ship in a visually spectacular and large scale battle, and it’s genuinely amazing. Switching modes mid-combat while dodging attacks and firing out missiles felt fantastic. It’s a shame there weren’t more of these sequences, but what’s here is definitely satisfying.

Star Wars Outlaws, despite a few odd facial animations, was easily one of the best looking games of 2024, especially if you playing it on a high-end PC. It was a graphical stunner, no two ways about that. One of the things I truly appreciated about the base game was its gorgeous open world locales and its superb attention to detail. Each map felt brimming with personality, and thanks to excellent art direction, simply riding through these worlds on your speeder was a treat in itself. Thankfully, A Pirate’s Fortune continues that visual benchmark. While it doesn’t feature new and massive open areas like the base game, the interior environments and atmospheric design, particularly within the Khepi Tomb, look fantastic. From dynamic lighting to various atmospheric effect, the DLC is just as visually impressive and immersive as the base game.

"Each map felt brimming with personality, and thanks to excellent art direction, simply riding through these worlds on your speeder was a treat in itself."

As noted in our original review last year, Star Wars Outlaws felt like a game with a lot of potential, but also one that clearly needed more time in the oven as certain elements just didn’t come together the way they should have. Fast forward to 2025, and after numerous patches addressing core gameplay mechanics, I can confidently say that Outlaws has definitely grown into a pretty solid experience. The Pirate’s Fortune DLC, while flawed in its storytelling, showcases many of the gameplay improvements the developers have rolled out over recent months.

To close off this review, Hondo Ohnaka steals the spotlight, and the short but exciting showcase with the Rokana Raider ship was a memorable highlight. Hopefully, the developers can continue to build on these changes and deliver more gameplay refinements in the future. That said, it’s hard to ignore the reality that Star Wars Outlaws has underperformed where it mattered most: sales figures. If only these improvements had been part of the initial launch, the story of this game might have played out very differently. It was pretty clear that Star Wars Outlaws was rushed out and the results were in front of of us back then. And with that, A Pirate’s Fortune may very well be the final outing for Kay Vess and her companion, Nix.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Star Wars Outlaws eventually earns some sort of cult classic status in the future, an experience that was rejected at launch but gradually embraced through word of mouth. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but personally, I’m glad I didn’t give up on it after its mixed launch. There’s a good game here now, and it deserves to be recognized, even if a little too late.

This game was reviewed on PC.