Of all ofStar Wars Outlaws’ core gameplay mechanics, combat is arguably the most underbaked. Stealth is relatively straightforward in terms of the simple level designs players can anticipate, too, but at least players can almost always rely on Nix to function with dynamic options in the environment if they are able to take a moment, survey a landscape, and strategize a way to clear or navigate a restricted area. Even dogfights in outer space are limited to players’ standard maneuverability in the Trailblazer while firing at enemy starships, and not unlike Kay Vess’ blaster configurations it’s in these various offensive options thatStar Wars Outlawsneedlessly overcomplicated combat with strict skill trees.
Star Wars Outlaws‘ Trailblazer Configurations Give a Bit of Variety to Dogfights
Star Wars Outlaws’ Trailblazeris armed with three weapons configurations: cannons, launchers, and turrets. Personalization within these three categories is quite expansive, allowing for personalization with C-K12B Rapid Fire Cannons, PT-240 Proton Torpedoes, and IT-11 Ion Turrets among tons of other mini-branches.
The issue here with all of this customization is that selecting between various types and progressing through their upgrade branches costs resources that can’t be salvaged again if players decide they wish to try out a different one—say, if they want to swap torpedoes for missiles.
Star Wars Outlaws’ upcoming second season pass DLC, A Pirate’s Fortune, is described as revolving around the Trailblazer and overall space gameplay. There’s no telling how expansive or intricate the story chapter will be, such as whether new configurations or mobility options may be added, but it would be a huge boon to see configurations for missiles, torpedoes, and other combat-oriented means be pared down if not reevaluated wholesale.
If Massive has no plans to deepen or extrapolate onStar Wars Outlawsafter this DLC is out, though, there’s a low likelihood of anything substantial being implemented. As it stands, dogfights are tremendously easy ordeals and Hondo Ohnaka’s arrival will hopefully come with some spectacular, cinematic thrills akin toStar Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’s Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Star Wars Outlaws’ Blaster Configurations Lose Their Luster Once Players Pick Their Favorite
Moreover, blaster configurations inStar Wars Outlawshave the same issue, but they’re more prominent because duels and shootouts are far more common depending on how itchy players’ trigger fingers are. Players swap between plasma, ion, and power modules for environmental interactions and puzzles, which is a great if not basic way of implementing variation into gunplay aside frompick-up weapons such as the A300 and E-11 Blaster Rifles, Z-6 Rotary Cannon, or TL-50 Heavy Repeater.
However, betweenplasma, ion, and power modules inStar Wars Outlaws, there are individual skill set branches, including light, rapid, and heavy branches for the plasma module, for instance. Each branch’s three additional nodes allot a new upgrade, and they’re typically quite expensive with particular resources required (some being locked behind side quests or faraway NPCs, no less).
Not unlike the Trailblazer’s configurations, this is only distressing because players must commit to spending hard-earned resources to progress through a configuration’s branches and might decide later on that they prefer another. There are also more module branch upgrades per blaster configuration, meaning players might be deep within a particular branch before another is finally unlocked and accessible.
Players won’t know if they enjoy the feel of one module’s upgrade until they make the purchase, and while they can toggle back to a previous upgrade in a branch it’s difficult not to see that as a waste of players’ resources if they can’t dismantle the upgrade to retrieve any common materials and put them toward another module or skill instead. Plus, once players have found a blaster configuration module they like, all others become obsolete.
