Best skills in Star Wars Outlaws to unlock first
Here are the best skills to unlock first in Star Wars Outlaws
Looking for the best skills in Star Wars Outlaws? As with other Ubisoft games, Star Wars Outlaws offers a host of skills to unlock as you progress through the game. These skills vary from slicing (hacking) to Speeder skills for traversal, gunslinging and more.
These skills are divided between different 'Experts'. Individuals you must track down across the galaxy and convince to teach you. Below, we've gathered a list of the best skills we've encountered so far and a rundown of how to unlock them for yourself.
Best skills in Star Wars Outlaws
The best skills in Star Wars Outlaws are the following, (be sure to click the ones that take your fancy or scroll down to see an in-depth tour of them all).
I Know Someone
The 'I Know Someone' perk allows you to fulfil the personal requests of certain merchants. What this essentially means is that you can trade materials for unique clothing items. This is handy if you're low on Credits but have a surplus of common materials like Coarseweave and Robuma Leather.
Nix's outfits are exceptionally cute but require more specialised items that you can get by asking Nix to dig for you at treasure spots. There is one such spot within the housing quarter just outside of Mirogana City.
As for the Kay outfits, these range in special perks. A few good items to pick up quickly are the Begamor Ruffian Pants, provided by the Treasure Trader in the Mirogana Market. These allow Kay to reduce incoming damage when running.
How to unlock the 'I Know Someone' skill
The 'I Know Someone' skill is part of 'The Bartender' Expert's group of skills. As you're introduced to this Expert and these skills almost straight away in Star Wars Outlaws, you simply have to follow these requirements to unlock the skill:
- Meet different merchants x6: This should be easy enough once you follow the main questline and get to Mirogana City on Toshara.
- Spend Credits at merchants x1,000: Complete quests and contracts to earn Credits. You can also bet on Fathier races and play Sabbac. See our full guide to making Credits fast for more tips.
Speed Boost
As you can imagine from the name, the 'Speed Boost' skill allows you to accelerate for a limited time when riding the Speeder. It's a simple yet effective skill that can save time when travelling across planets to quest destinations.
Additionally, in a pinch it can help you evade syndicate thugs and pirates. Also, Nix enjoys the boost and anything that puts a smile on their cute little face is worth unlocking.
How to unlock the 'Speed Boost' skill
You'll unlock the 'Speed Boost' skill as soon as you recruit 'The Mechanic' Expert. To do so, pick up Danka's tip and speak to the bartender at the cantina at Jaunta's Hope on Toshara. You'll get this option once you complete the 'New Tricks' main quest.
As part of this quest, you'll naturally unlock the Speed Boost perk on completion and will have access to the unlock requirements for the other Mechanic perks.
Smoke Bomb
Star Wars Outlaws does not shy away from stealth. In fact, some quests have non-negotiable stealth sections that will instantly fail if you're spotted. For this reason, the Smoke Bombs are an essential unlock pretty early on in-game.
Unsurprisingly, this skill allows you to drop smoke bombs, covering an area with smoke and allowing you to sneak through the fog undetected by enemies. This can be a real saver if you get pigeonholed between enemies and need more time to get to safety.
How to unlock the 'Smoke Bomb' skill
As per the above perk, the 'Smoke Bomb' skill is part of 'The Mechanic' Expert group of skills. The Smoke Bomb requires the following materials to unlock:
- Smoke Bomb Compressor: This is a special part that can only be obtained from the northern Boulder Forest region on Toshara. The part is within a canyon and you'll have to use the shock setting on your blaster against various power nodes to open doors and evade the strong winds of the region.
- Polycarbonate: This is a fairly common material that can be purchased from general goods merchants or picked up from either syndicate or imperial bases.
- Mg-2 Power Exceeder: For specialised Speeder parts that are less common like these, see the special 'Faction Stock' of merchants around Mirogana. To shop from this inventory you'll need a 'good' rep with whichever syndicate they are affiliated with. Pick up contracts to gain a reputation with each group.
Lightfooted
The most irritating thing about a sneak mission in Star Wars Outlaws is having a near-perfect run and then getting caught by something as simple as an ill-timed run. With the 'Lightfooted' skill, you can run and walk with reduced noise. Additionally, the enemy detection distance is halved, meaning you can walk closer to enemies without them being alerted by your presence.
This is an extremely simple skill but one that you will use again and again given the number of stealth sequences in Star Wars Outlaws.
How to unlock the 'Lightfooted' skill
The 'Lightfooted' skill belongs to 'The Slicer' group. Once you complete the 'New Tricks' main mission, Danka will give you the first clue as to The Slicer's whereabouts. Complete their mission and then do the following to get this skill:
- Complete a smuggler contract: Contracts are available once you complete the 'False Flag' main mission. You can access contract brokers through the computer terminal on the Trailblazer. Smuggler contracts involve you moving goods from one crate to another (sometimes within an allotted time limit).
- Perform a Takedown on an Imperial Officer: Imperial Officers tend to wear grey uniforms. You can usually encounter one or more at Imperial Outposts and Terminal stations.
- Lockpick different locks x3: Using your data spike you can access locked chests. Simply interact with the puzzle at the same time as the lights flash. Make sure you observe the rhythm of the lights as these change from lock to lock.
Sneaky Trap
The 'Sneaky Trap' skill is another handy perk to have in your back pocket when infiltrating bases in Star Wars Outlaws. This skill allows Nix to sabotage alarms, making them spark off and take down any enemies that trigger them.
If you haven't been doing so, you can already sabotage alarms to prevent them from going off. This is an advanced form of this mechanic and can help you thin the number of enemies if you are spotted.
How to unlock the 'Sneaky Trap' skill
The 'Sneaky Trap' is another skill within 'The Slicer' group. Recruit The Slicer by following Danka's hint after completing the 'New Tricks' main quest. Complete the following to get the 'Sneaky Trap' skill:
- Command Nix to perform different actions x7: Nix can distract people, steal from them, sabotage alarms, sabotage cameras, fetch items, open doors, press buttons and more.
- Slice devices in 3 attempts or fewer x3: There are plenty of terminals around imperial and syndicate posts to practise on. Try using your Slicing Kit to hack into areas both with and without terminals.
That rounds up our guide on the best skills in Star Wars Outlaws. For more Star Wars Outlaws tips and tricks, check out our guides to the best Trailblazer upgrades and best Speeder upgrades to smooth out your traversal both on and off-world. If you're short on cash, also see our list of tips for making Credits fast or our guide to unlocking the black market in Mirogana.