Star Wars Outlaws tips and tricks

Here's some beginner tips and tricks to get you started with Star Wars Outlaws.

Star Wars Outlaws / Ubisoft

Star Wars Outlaws is out for everyone now, and if you’re just getting started with Ubisoft’s latest open-world adventure, there are a few things that will make your journey with Kay easier.

The game does a very good job at introducing you to its various mechanics within the first few hours of gameplay, but some mechanics can easily be overlooked. So, here's 10 Star Wars Outlaws beginner tips and tricks to help you on your adventures in that galaxy far, far away.

1. Don’t forget about everything Nix can do for you

Stealing a keycard from a guard is surprisingly easy when Nix can do it for you. / Ubisoft

Kay’s trusty pet and partner in crime can do all sorts of things and even make the difference between success and failure in tough situations. Apart from pulling off theatrics to distract your enemies, Nix can steal credits and fetch stuff, including quest items, weapons, grenades and lifesaving bacta vials. 

Nix can also unlock doors, sabotage alarms, and even sneak through tiny vents into an adjacent room to create a path for you. Make sure you hold L1/LB (Q on PC) often, to reveal all the actions Nix can perform at any given moment.

2. Use Nix Sense when you’re stuck and during stealth missions

Nix Sense can reveal enemies and interactable objects, such as this air vent. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Nix’s own version of the Witcher Senses, highlights enemies and interactable objects even through walls, helping you plan when it's safe to move or take down a guard during stealth. It will also reveal hidden cables or other elements that will help you figure out your way forward.

Nix Sense also ensures you never miss any chests, collectables or quest items, and highlights explosives you or Nix can detonate to wreak havoc on enemies. To use Nix Sense, hold Up on the D-pad (B on PC).

While on your speeder or flying with The Trailblazer, you can use the same button to scan the environment for interactive elements too.

3. Upgrade your blaster and switch between modules often

Once you unlock the two addidional modules for your blaster, you can switch between them during combat. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Your minimalist scoundrel’s arsenal consists of just one weapon, but your blaster is more versatile than a multitool. As you progress through the story, your blaster will get three blaster modules you can quickly switch between, each with several configurations and upgrades for you to unlock.

The Plasma module is your default mode during shootouts, but the Ion module is more effective against droids, shields and for taking down tougher enemies by electrocuting them first and then finishing them with a melee attack. The Power module takes longer to produce a shot, but its very good at blasting groups of several enemies at once.

You also have to switch between modules for certain environmental puzzles requiring the Ion module to short-circuit a door to unlock it, or the Power Module to blast a rock and reveal something behind it, for example.

To switch between the Plasma and Ion modules, press Triangle/Y on your controller. For the Power, hold Triangle/Y. On PC you press 1, 2, or 3 for Plasma, Ion and Power, respectively.

4. Remember to use Stun Shot and Adrenaline Rush

Stun Shot takes down human enemies quickly, but takes time to recharge. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Remember that your blaster has a Stun Shot, which is different from the three modules. It allows you to silently take down human enemies without being detected by nearby guards. It won’t work on droids and takes quite some time to charge, but it's a very powerful option during stealth missions.

To use Stun Shot, press L2/LT (right-click on PC) to aim and R1/RT (F on PC) to shoot. Make sure you don’t miss as you don’t get a second shot until it recharges.

Another ability that recharges over time is Adrenaline Rush, which slows down the game for a few seconds, letting you mark several enemies for Kay to take down in quick succession. You can even use it while on your speeder to reduce the heat during intense chase sequences.

You activate Adrenaline Rush by pressing the two analogue sticks on your controller (X on PC).

5. Stealth comes first, shooting second

Sneaking is your best weapon in the game. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Kay’s blaster may be versatile, but Star Wars Outlaws is still a game that focuses more on stealth action than shootouts Sneaking will be your main modus operandi throughout most of the game. Some of the main missions even require you to go undetected and fail instantly once you’re discovered or if enemies raise the alarm.

That said, your gun can save you in many situations, allowing you to get back into stealth mode, especially when faced with a manageable number of enemies alerted to your presence. Some story sections will require you to shoot behind cover and use your entire arsenal of grenades and Nix abilities to survive.

6. Get the slicing kit as soon as possible

Unlock advanced slicing early in the game. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Slicing simple computer terminals and other devices during main story missions doesn’t require a Slicing Kit and Kay’s regular skills are enough to hack these. But if you’ve already gone off the beaten path, you surely have found terminals and devices that require a slicing kit to unlock.

Once you’re done with the early missions on Mirogana, make sure you get it as soon as possible, so you don’t miss out on precious loot in your adventures. Check out our guide on how to get a slicing kit in Star Wars Outlaws, to unlock your advanced slicing abilities sooner rather than later.

7. Talk to people and listen to conversations

Eavesdropping at cantinas and markets will get you valuable intel. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Star Wars Outlaws takes a very different approach to quest discovery than many other Ubisoft open-world games, giving you many options to find side content by exploring the world. When looking for side quests or when you are stuck at a specific intel chain, make sure you talk to everyone around you and eavesdrop on chats whenever you get the Listen prompt.

This will quickly fill your journal with intel about trading opportunities, key part locations, side quests, treasures, new experts to learn abilities from, and more.

8. Maintain a good reputation with all factions

Having good reputation with the four factions opens doors. / Ubisoft, GLHF

There are four factions in Star Wars Outlaws and each controls specific territories and districts on the game’s five planets. Having a good reputation with a faction opens up plenty of opportunities. Kay can enter their districts freely, get better deals with syndicate-affiliated merchants, earn gifts and rewards, and receive more jobs from that faction at contract brokers.

It may seem that increasing your reputation with one syndicate always lowers your standing with another, but that’s not the case. Also, there are plenty of opportunities to make up for lost rep by doing contracts for a faction you want to please.

Trying not to fail at stealth while infiltrating a faction’s restricted areas is an important way to keep your reputation intact, making it easier to level up.

For more on the rewards that come with high reputation, read our guide on which faction should you side with in Star Wars Outlaws.

9. Lockpicking and slicing don’t ‘pause’ the world around you

Enemies can still detect and attack you while trying to pick locks and slice terminals. / Ubisoft, GLHF

Throughout the main story and during side quests, there will be plenty of locks to pick and computer terminals to slice. Some of these are mandatory to progress the story and move forward to the next room where your objective is, and there are others that give you loot or make sneaking easier by turning off cameras or clearing your wanted status.

Before starting a lockpicking or slicing mini-game, always make sure there are no guards nearby, so that you have plenty of time to finish them. It may not be obvious, but these mini-games don’t pause the game around you, so if you’re not careful or quick enough, a guard may catch you red-handed.

Check out our lockpicking guide and easy slicing tips to hone your skills.

10. There’s always a way in and a way forward

Kay and Nix will always find a way. / Ubisoft, GLHF

You will spend most of your time in Star Wars Outlaws trying to infiltrate restricted areas and navigating labyrinthine enemy bases. No matter how well-guarded and impenetrable a base or camp or a syndicate’s district looks, there’s always a way in.

Make sure you walk around an area to find an alternative entrance nearby. This can be a grapple point that lets you jump across a fence, an air vent hidden behind boxes, or another entry point that has been overlooked by the guards.

If you get stuck during a lengthy mission and you don’t know where to go or what to do, use Nix Sense for pointers and remember some of the tips above which may hold the clue to your next step.

These are just 10 tips and tricks to help you get started with the game. For everything else, there’s our Star Wars Outlaws walkthrough, where you will find more guides and explainers.