Just like in the first game, The Outer Worlds 2 opens with everything going predictably off the rails. Before your bad luck begins, though, you’ll get to define who you are — and that starts with your Traits.
One of the biggest factors shaping your playthrough is going to be Traits. Unlike Skills, which you can level up, or Perks, which unlock over time, Traits are permanent. Once you’ve picked them at character creation, they define how you interact with the world both mechanically and narratively from start to finish.
Let’s break down how Traits work, which ones are best, and what the trade-offs look like if you decide to grab two positives and a negative.
What Are Traits?
Traits represent your character’s innate strengths and weaknesses. They are set in stone at creation and cannot otherwise be modified, so you should choose carefully. You can choose up to two Positive Traits, but only if you also select one Negative Trait in exchange.
If you only pick one Positive Trait, you don’t need to balance it with a negative — but you’ll miss out on an extra boost.
While your Background mostly affects dialogue flavor and starting Skills, Traits actively change gameplay, be it opening new interactions, tweaking combat flow, or unlocking exclusive dialogue options.
Positive Traits
There are nine different Positive Traits to choose from, each with its own unique benefit.
| Trait | Effect |
| Brawny | You can sprint into or slide into enemies to knock them down, as well as pull open broken doors and interact with certain blocked paths. |
| Brilliant | Allows specializing in three Skills and offers unique dialogue and environmental interactions. |
| Heroic | Reduces companion ability cooldowns by 20%. |
| Innovative | Increases crafting recipe yields for ammunition, throwables, and resources. Special interactions and dialogue. |
| Lucky | +5% Critical Chance. Occasionally, it lets you succeed in environmental interactions without the required Skill. |
| Agile | +25% crouch and sprint speed; grants unique mobility-based interactions, such as squeezing through tight gaps. |
| Resilient | Instead of dying for the first time in combat, you survive for an additional 3 seconds. |
| Suave | 10% discount at all vendors. Your bounty must be twice as high before you’re flagged as an Outlaw. |
| Witty | Faction reputation cannot go below Neutral. |
Negative Traits
Taking two Positive Traits means you’ll have to balance things with a Negative Trait. There are only three of them, and all come with significant drawbacks — but some can be worth it depending on your playstyle.
| Trait | Effect |
| Abrasive | Your reputation cannot rise above Neutral with any faction. |
| Dumb | Permanently blocks off five of the twelve Skills, making them impossible to level and specialize in. Adds unique “dumb” dialogue options. |
| Sickly | -15% maximum health and – 15 Toxicity Crash Threshold. |
Each of those negative options changes how you approach the game:
- Sickly makes you super fragile. You die fast in open firefights and cannot chain healing effects. Great, if you’re playing stealthily – terrible if you’re charging into every room.
- Abrasive is surprisingly manageable if you’re planning a lone wolf or morally grey playthrough. You’ll never gain a faction’s full trust, but you’ll also avoid messy alliances. Pairing it with Witty locks you at perfect neutrality — balance in all things.
- Dumb is the harshest of the three. Losing five Skills permanently means cutting off entire branches of dialogue and Perks. It can be fun for roleplay, and the unique dialogue options are great, but you’ll feel it in gameplay.
How Traits Affect Gameplay
Traits do more than what’s listed in their tooltips. Some unlock shortcuts or alternate paths, others change dialogue or environmental outcomes.
- Brawny allows you to force open blocked doors that would otherwise require high Engineering.
- Lucky sometimes skips skill checks entirely — you may succeed at hacking or crafting without meeting the requirements.
- Suave and Witty rarely affect exploration but often unlock special dialogue options or discounts.
Each Trait adds personality to your character and, in many cases, small surprises that make replaying the game more interesting.
Can You Change Traits?
In short: no.
Once your character is finalized, your Traits are locked in forever. You do get one chance to respec your Skills and Perks after completing the first mission, but Traits and Backgrounds are off-limits. So think carefully before committing — whatever you choose will shape your story all the way through.
