The Outer Worlds 2 Dev on Why Staple RPG Feature is Missing

The Outer Worlds 2‘s game director, Brandon Adler, has revealed why one staple RPG feature is missing from the upcoming title. Although this feature does appear in many RPGs, Adler has a good reason why it won’t be present in The Outer Worlds 2.

With The Outer Worlds 2 officially locking in its October 29 release date earlier this year, the hype continues to build for Obsidian’s upcoming RPG. The first game received largely positive reviews, maintaining a Top Critic Average of 83 on review aggregator site OpenCritic. For the sequel, Obsidian is slowly revealing some interesting details about what players can expect from the game, and everything points to it being bigger and better this time around.

The Outer Worlds 2 is $80, But You Don’t Have to Pay That Much

The upcoming Outer Worlds 2 is yet another $80 game, but gamers can technically play through it in its entirety at a fraction of the cost.

Speaking to RPGSite, The Outer Worlds 2 game director Brandon Adler confirmed that players will not be able to respec their character during their playthrough, saying, “Lots of people love respec. And that is definitely one way you can go about things. I personally want the player to understand their choices are permanent – they matter – and then they think more about their choices. There’s a lot of times where you’ll see games where they allow infinite respec, and at that point I’m not really role-playing a character, because I’m jumping between — well my guy is a really great assassin that snipes from long range, and then oh, y’know, now I’m going to be a speech person, then respec again.”

This is Why You Can’t Respec in The Outer Worlds 2

Adler also clarified that “it’s not wrong that people like to play like that,” but he just wants to “make sure that the role playing is really strong. I want to make sure that you’re building your character and really doubling down – making sure that role-playing comes through the whole experience.” Players could respec their skills and perks using the Vocational Competence Respecification Machine in the original Outer Worlds, so it’ll be interesting to see if this change proves to be an improvement in The Outer Worlds 2.

Respec isn’t quite a standard RPG feature across the board, although it is popular in the games in which it appears. For example, massive games such as The Elder Scrolls don’t allow respec, and force players to build into a playstyle or risk making the game harder for themselves. Meanwhile, the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring are examples where respec is available and works really well as a way to switch up a playthrough and try something new. There are positives and negatives to both approaches and frankly, there’s no correct answer.

I personally want the player to understand their choices are permanent – they matter – and then they think more about their choices.

A lack of respec is just one way The Outer Worlds 2 is avoiding some features many see as important to the RPG experience. Like its predecessor, it was previously confirmed that The Outer Worlds 2 won’t have romance options, which is definitely a big thing for some. However, it’s interesting to see a studio subverting the norms, as otherwise every RPG would pretty much be the exact same game.