10 Things To Know Before Playing Star Wars Outlaws

10 Things to Know Before Playing Star Wars Outlaws

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we're taking a look at 10 things you should know before playing “Star Wars: Outlaws”! Massive thanks to Ubisoft for inviting us to play the game during UbisoftForward and again once more with a hands-on demo!

Story

Star Wars Outlaws takes place between the events of “Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi”. Rather than take control of yet another Jedi or Sith, you play as Kay Vess, a young woman who has made big plans to pull off the biggest heist the galaxy has ever seen. With her trusty grappling hook and her animal friend, Nix, who looks a lot like a mix between an axolotl and weasel, Kay will encounter all sorts of dangerous foes and friendlies as she attempts to assemble a crew capable of carrying out her plans. She’ll have to sneak into areas and butter up some of the syndicates if she truly is destined to be one of the wiliest scoundrels in the galaxy.

Nix

While Kay does come equipped with a pistol and can modify it to be even more powerful, Nix is going to be critical in your mission. Don’t let his size fool you - this critter is going to be your Swiss army knife! He can open doors for you, distract and attack enemies, collect faraway objects, and even sabotage alarms and trigger explosives. Nix is capable of so much more, so make sure you’re keeping his abilities in mind for when you’re about to infiltrate an area. Trust us, you will need his help.

Upgrades

One of the most common complaints about modern Ubisoft games have been how RPG mechanics have soiled plenty of games that didn’t need XP-based progression and ludicrously huge skill trees. Well, Ubisoft is taking a breather from that in favor of a new system that is much more streamlined and gameplay-focused. Rather than farm XP just to get a two percent damage bonus with rifles, “Star Wars Outlaws” will task you with simple challenges to unlock new abilities and bonuses. These challenges will often be tied to the ability you’re trying to get, but performing ten stealth takedowns isn’t going to net you every move in the game. You will have to meet certain characters that can teach you these moves before you start taking on their challenges and unlocking them.

Making Bank

As you explore the galaxy, you will come across plenty of opportunities to make some extra scratch. However, stealing and selling junk sometimes doesn’t cut it. If you’re a gambling man, you’ll have two games to earn a ton of extra dough. Ubisoft has implemented a fun card game that is essentially like “reverse Blackjack”, if you get what we mean. You can even collect cheat tokens on your adventures to help you win these games or even send Nix over to peek at your opponents’ cards. But if you’re someone who prefers a simpler game, you can always place bets on some Fathier races. Although, something tells us not every table is rigged the same way.

Influence from “Watch Dogs”

In case you haven’t played any of the “Watch Dogs” games, they boast some of the most creative level design Ubisoft has ever put out as some missions will feature multiple solutions to fulfilling a task. “Star Wars Outlaws” is borrowing a page from that series and approaching missions with the same tactic. Some objectives may be solved in one of two or three ways. Sure, you may find a more direct path to get you in and out easier, yet a patient player may find a route that leads to hidden rewards or alternate scenarios. Just make sure you check your surroundings before entering restricted areas.

Hacking & Lockpicking

Much like the upgrade system, Ubisoft is approaching lockpicking and hacking very differently than their previous games. Both aspects of this game will present even more challenges that can help or hinder you. Lockpicking, for example, is a rhythm-based input where you’ll have to make your inputs at the exact same time as the locks moving around. Hacking, on the other hand, will present you with a set of glyphs, and you will have to input the correct sequence before running out of guesses. Both of these may seem basic on paper, but “Star Wars Outlaws” does have some tricks up its sleeve that we won’t spoil here.

Reputation

As you weasel your way out of every situation you get caught in, you will have to worry about how certain factions perceive you if you want to stay alive. On each planet you visit, some areas will be restricted unless you gain favor with a syndicate, which can be earned by making decisions they like or fulfilling their requests. However, the inverse is also possible. Anger a syndicate too much, and they’ll deny you from any area they hold control over. Heck, they may even try to come after you if you’re not careful! So, tread lightly, don’t be afraid to schmooze a bit, and you might be able to manipulate them into helping you out.

The Ubisoft Fare

Another frequent complaint about modern Ubisoft games is how bloated they can all feel. It can be overwhelming when your HUD is littered with so many icons. This is another change Ubisoft is looking to make with “Star Wars Outlaws”, and it's a change we noticed in our time with the demo. Certain side missions will be locked behind listening to a conversation between other characters or finding a datalog that details key items or locations. In other words, many of the side missions will depend on how much time you spend exploring and cluing in on things that sound promising.

Massive Entertainment

“Star Wars Outlaws” is developed by one of Ubisoft’s own studios, and it’s not under one of their many main branches from around the world. Instead, the game was made by Massive Entertainment, a Swedish studio that was acquired by Ubisoft in 2008 after its former parent company, Vivendi Games, merged with Activision Blizzard. Massive Entertainment would co-develop “Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” with Ubisoft Montreal in 2010 before developing “Tom Clancy’s The Division”, its sequel, and the 2023 game, “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora”. That said, fans of those games might find a ton to enjoy in “Star Wars Outlaws”.

Launch

We are so excited to know that the game is not far from launch! “Star Wars Outlaws” will launch on August 30, 2024 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series XS, and Windows PC. For PC players, you will only be able to buy the game through Epic Games Store, GOG.com, or through Ubisoft’s own services. The PC version will also come with DLSS 3 support, ray tracing, and more with an 8GB RAM requirement. The standard edition of “Star Wars Outlaws” will cost you $69.99 USD at launch, and story expansions are planned to drop in the following months.

All that said, are you planning to pick up “Star Wars Outlaws”? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!