If you’ve played Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, then you might think that The Outer Worlds 2 shares a connection, direct or otherwise, to its predecessor. However, on top of a new setting, companions, and characters, there hasn’t been any mention of the previous game’s events or even the endings.
When asked if the latter will have any impact on one’s playthrough in the sequel, creative director Leonard Boyarsky told Game Informer, “No, not specifically, because it is a completely different colony.”
Arcadia, the new star system that players explore, is effectively “cut off. There are references to things that happened in the first game; I don’t want to mislead people, though, and [have] them think there are a lot of details, but there’s the story of the universe that’s going on, and we’re continuing that story.
“So there are elements of what happened in the first game that you could find references to. I think players who played the first game and liked the first game will enjoy finding those little things that players who didn’t play the first game won’t.”
While it may seem somewhat odd, director Brandon Adler says that ensuring each new entry unfolded on a new colony was the goal set forth by Boyarsky and Tim Cain (who is a creative consultant on the sequel). “So we knew we wanted this to be a new colony because we have other stories we want to tell.” It also wanted to avoid labeling any of the previous game’s endings as canon, especially given all the different directions that the setting could go in.
Launching on October 29th, The Outer Worlds 2 will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and Pc alongside Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Check out the latest gameplay trailer here and learn more about how it’s handling pets.
