The Outer Worldsrecently released a new edition of the game that comes with all of the expansions, as well as a new increase to the player’s max level. The release also updates the game for performance and offers a discounted upgrade price for players who already ownThe Outer Worldsand the two expansions. While the community had been begging for an increased level cap for a while before this update, its new capacity is absurdly high for the game.
While the new edition may be great for new players to experienceThe Outer Worldsbefore the sequel launches in the near future, it’s too little and too late for existing players, especially those playing the game on PC. The base game was somewhat hindered bythe original level cap inThe Outer Worlds, but the new increase is an awkward surprise. PC Players already had access to methods for increasing the level cap, so even with performance upgrades, the latest updates weren’t what the community was hoping for.
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Comparing The Outer Worlds on PC to console platforms
Before the latest edition ever announced a raise to the natural level cap, players on PC could utilize mods to give themselves a fully customizable experience, such as altering the level cap to their heart’s desire. Given the variety and diversity that thePC modding communitycan offer, the new raised level cap and performance upgrades from the latest release of the game are unfortunately too little and too late for PC players. The improvements that the new edition brings to the game are good for new players that haven’t experienced it yet, but for PC players and those who have already finished the game, it isn’t anything worth returning for.
Modding wasn’t the only way that PC players could bypass the limitations of the initial level cap. Players on PC could also enablecheat codes inThe Outer Worldsvia console commands to bypass leveling up organically, so the curve in leveling up mostly affected console players more than others. The community had been asking for an increased level cap for a long time following the original release ofThe Outer Worlds, yet finally getting it when the sequel is so close to releasing isn’t what the community was hoping for.
Since there are already a couple of different methods that PC players can choose from, the update highlights the need forThe Outer Worldsto make mods availableon console platforms. Since the originalThe Outer Worldsis presumably done releasing new content and updates at this point, giving mods to console players could have been a much more satisfying send-off before the sequel releases.
The original level cap in The Outer Worlds
The main problem with the original level cap of 30 was that it was too low for a majority of players. The old level cap was efficiently balanced for the games’ combat encounters and RPG skill checks, except for those at the very end of the game. Going intoThe Outer Worlds’ endingat (or below) level 30 without having any prior knowledge means that there is a high chance for players to not meet the skill requirements to achieve the desired endings.
If players don’t fully specialize in skills that affect persuasion and intelligence, they will be setting themselves up for failure in the endgame if they have any intentions of putting these skills to use. While the original cap at 30 became a puzzle to manage and was increased slightly in the expansions (to 33, then 36), the newest capacity is ridiculously high, at an astounding maximum of 99.
Another reason the level cap was problematic inThe Outer Worldsis that the game doesn’t naturally pace players to reach it before the end. Since a majority of experience points come from quests, there is a steep progression curve after all but the final missions have already been exhausted. Before any expansions were released, the only way to reach the level cap after running out of quests was to repeatedly kill enemies that respawn aroundThe Outer Worlds' Halcyon Colony’s different planets.
Now that the expansions are out, players expecting to get closer to the level cap have a few more options to choose from, but the curve is still very steep. With a new level cap of 99, players can be beyond adequately equipped to handle any skill checks and encounters in the game nowadays, should they ever reach that capacity.
The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Editionis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
