The Outer Worlds

Easy massive damage:
Reach Level 10 and unlock Sam and Vicar Max for your party. Go to the Respec terminal in the Unreliable and respect. Give yourself 100 Science skill. Tinker your Science weapons to maximum. At the cap, it will only cost 200 bits —- instead of the normal large bit cost. Return to the Respec terminal and respect again. Everything you tinkered will still be very powerful. The Prismatic Hammer is the best Science weapon for pure damage. Vicar Max and Sam have perks that increase damage. Vicar Max can unlock a perk that increases Science weapon damage by +20%. You can increase damage further with Sneak Attacks and boost Melee Damage. You can also use this trick to tinker any of your weapons —- tinker your armor, weapons, and all your companion gear as well. Then, just swap back and keep the bonuses. Note: This exploit was performed on an unpatched version of the game. It may eventually get patched. To avoid not being able to use this trick, either do not install new patches before using this exploit or delete the patches. You can avoid patches being installed by disconnecting from the internet until you are ready for the game to install new patches.

Getting the Prismatic Hammer:
The Prismatic Hammer can be found on the Groundbreaker. Enter the bunk room to the left of the Promenade entrance and climb onto the beds. Sneak into the hidden room through the vent, and kill the guards to collect a key to the locked door —- the Prismatic Hammer is inside. The Prismatic Hammer has a strong Power Attack, and deals all elemental damage types at the same time. Bring characters with perks that increase Science Weapon Damage, and select perks of your own that increase it further. You can boost Science Weapon Damage by +120% with Vicar Max and your character perks.

Unique weapon locations:
Search the indicated location to find the corresponding unique weapon:
Emerald Vale
Blad-On-Stick (2-Handed Melee): It is found in the Marauder Hideout, northwest of Edgewater. Kill the bandit leader to get it.
Fiver (Revolver): Purchase at Stefan's Bartering Post in the Botanical Garden.
Grace's Rifle (Hunter's Rifle): Pickpocket or kill Grace in the Botanical Lab to get it.
Landing Pad Cutter (Tremor Cleaver): Walk along the lower ledge of the Landing Pad in the Emerald Vale Region to find it on the ledge facing the water.
Maxwell (Impact Hammer): Purchase for 3,000 bits at the Emerald Vale General Store in Edgewater.
Ol' Reliable (Light Machine Gun): It is found in the Primal Nest, next to a dead body in the canyon area.
Peacekeeper (Sawed-Off Shotgun): Kill or pickpocket Constable Reyes in Edgewater to get it.
Shock Stick (Riot Baton): It is found in the Geothermal Plant, carried by the security chief's corpse.
Groundbreaker
Montag (Flamethrower): Defeat Captain MacRedd in the Back Bays of Groundbreaker. He is the first enemy you will encounter and talk to when you take the elevator down.
Salvager's Helper (Light Pistol): Purchase for 6,000 bits at Gladys' store on the Groundbreaker. This is a very powerful pistol.
Silencer (1-Handed Melee): It is found on Frey's body (in the center of the station) on Relay GB-23, during "The Silent Voices" quest. The quest is given by the woman in Engineering on the Groundbreaker, across from the Captain's office.
Scylla
Irion's Flintlock (Auto-Mag Pistol): Save Captain Irion on Scylla to get it.
Roseway Gardens
Rapti-Prod (Tossball Blocker): It is found on one of the four tables in Vaugn's Lab in the interiors of the Covert Lab. You will enter this lab during "The Distress Signal" quest.
Ulti-Nature (Ultimatum Pistol): Successfully complete the "Vulcan's Hammer" quest in Roseway. Return Orson's weapon schematics, then wait awhile and he will contact you through ADA on the Unreliable. Return to Roseway to get the Ulti-Nature, which is a powerful pistol.
Monarch Wilds
Anti-Manti Ray (Laser Carbine): It is found at the Mantisaur Lair. Find the lair directly west of the Fallbrook Crossroads. The weapon is sitting in a pile of bones guarded by a large monster.
Euthanasia Kit (Tactical Shotgun): It is found on a dead medic in a building north of the Terra One Publication building, in the abandoned settlement west of Stellar Bay.
Purpleberry Launch (Shock Cannon): It is found in Cascadia. Enter the second floor apartment to the left of the fallen "Bottling Plant" sign to find it in the sink.
Rapti-Don't (Heavy Machine Gun): It is found on a dead body in a corner of Monarch called Hero's Last Stand. The area is north of the Sulfur Pits. The body is on a huge pile, behind a Mega Raptidon.
Supper Time (Captain's Spine): It is found on a dead body in the locked room at the top of the Mather Residence. You will enter this room during "The Secret People" quest, given by the warehouse manager in Stellar Bay.
The Candy Cane (Inferno Scythe): It is found at the Cascadia Bridge Safe House. Take the elevator down at the bridge —- you will need to hack the Cascadia Gate Door to reach the bridge. In the room below, the weapon is carried by Herbert.
The Hammer Of Olympus (Impact Hammer): It is found on the Sundered Rock. The rock is on a ledge to the east of the Devil's Peak Summit.
Thunder (Assault Rifle): It is found inside the C3 Barracks, on Devil's Peak.
Byzantium
Pink Slip (Dead-Eye Assault Rifle): Purchase from Forsythe Luxury Munitions in the Byzantium Region.
The Exterminator (Vermin Revolver): Purchase from Forsythe Luxury Munitions in the Byzantium Region.

Recruiting companions:
Successfully complete the indicated task(s) to recruit the corresponding companion:
Ellie (Groundbreaker): Find Ellie (and her quest) in the medical area of the Groundbreaker, in the Promenade. Talk to her and complete her "Worst Contact" quest to unlock her. Ellie's skill focus are Lie, Engineering, and Medical.
Felix (Groundbreaker): Go to the Groundbreaker Docking Bay to find Felix just outside your ship. He is a space adventurer with no respect for the Board. Talk to him once and leave Groundbreaker to be able to hire him. No quest is required. His skill focus are Sneak, Persuade, and Lockpick.
Nyoka (Monarch): Nyoka can be found at The Yacht Club in Stellar Bay. She is a heavy-drinker armed with an energy LMG. Complete her quest and agree to get her help for your main story quest for her to join you. Nyoka's skill focus are Sneak, Lie, and Medical.
Parvati: Take the elevator in the Edgewater Cannery, and talk to the boss for the "Stranger In A Strange Land" quest to automatically unlock Parvati as an engineer helper. She is an awkward worker with loyalty to Spacer's Choice. Her skill focus are Engineering, Persuade, and Lockpick.
SAM (Unreliable): The robot is in one of the rooms. Examine it after restoring power and taking flight with the Unreliable. You will start "The Cleaning Machine" quest. Find the Acid Steeper through the locked door in the Storage Facility in Roseway. SAM's skill focus are Science, Hack, and Intimidate.
Vicar Max: Talk to Vicar Max in the church in Edgewater to begin his "The Illustrated Manual" quest. Complete the quest to unlock Max. He is interested in new interpretations of "the law". His skill focus are Hack, Science, and Intimidate.

Increase carry weight:
As you progress through the game, you will find Backpack armor mods. Backpack mods increase your carry weight by +20kg. Your companions can also equip armor with these mods installed. Instead of having their own inventory, companions can increase your total carry weight. Mod three suits of armor with a Backpack mod, then equip them to your character and your two companions to get a total +60kg to carry weight.

Before you find Backpack mods, you can use perks. The following four perks are recommended to increase your total carry weight:
Pack Mule (Tier 1): +50kg carrying capacity.
Traveler (Tier 1): Fast travel when encumbered.
Pack Of Pack Mules (Tier 2): +40kg carrying capacity bonus from companions.
Super Pack Mule (Tier 3): +100kg carrying capacity.

Alternate endings:
Successfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding ending:

Best ending: Side with Dr. Phineas Welles for the entire story. Do not turn him in, and choose to save him at the end of the story. Additionally, collect 100% of the chemical from the secret lab, and send a corrupted tracer from Phineas' communicator terminal. Note: A high Science skill will help solve the problems of the colony.

Good ending: Side with Dr. Phineas Welles for the entire story. Do not turn him in, and choose to save him at the end of the story.

Bad ending: You can begin this alternate storyline as early as the Groundbreaker. Go to the Halcyon Holdings embassy and choose to turn in Phineas to the Board. They will send you on alternate evil missions once you reach Byzantium much earlier in the story. To get this ending, work with the board to hide the Hope colonists and ensure the success of their freezing program to solve the food crisis.

Worst (secret) ending: Start a new game and set your Intelligence to "Below Average". Later in the story, you will need to steer the Hope ship to a new location. Do not allow ADA to drive, and instead choose to steer the ship yourself. Continue driving it, even though you are not intelligent enough to actually succeed. Instead of saving the Hope, you will slowly drive the colony ship into the sun. This is also good for speedruns since it allows you to skip the entire final section of the game.

Hints, tips, tricks, and secrets:
Use the following hints, tips, tricks, and secrets to get the most out of The Outer Worlds.
You Can Steal Anything And Talk Your Way Out Of Crimes: Stealing is a great way to earn easy money. Lockpicks (Mag-Picks) and Hacking (Cyber Shunts) allow you to access areas you normally cannot reach, and usually there is a good reward waiting. Start with the room in the back of the bar for an easy pick. Try to make sure no one sees you stealing items marked with red. If you are caught, having high speech skills will make escape easier. You will lose some reputation with the company, but you will not have to pay a fine.
Good Starting Armor Or Weapons: Right as you enter the town of Edgewater, look left for a way into the Barber Shop. Go inside, and go to the back room where you will find a dead guard. Just close the door, and you can easily steal from him. If you are lucky, he will have a set of Guard Armor. This is a great starting set, and it increases your Armor rating from 3 to 9. If he does not have the armor, he should at least have a weapon and some ammo to loot.
Get Parvati As Your Companion (And Raid Her House): Talk to the town overseer at the top of the elevator in the Cannery to quickly earn your first companion. Parvati is a helpful shooter with Engineering skills that can solve problems for you. Just by having her with you, you will be able to increase your skills and complete any Engineering challenge checks. You can also raid her house, which is located across the street from the bar. You will know the correct one when you enter the building with the garage and workbench.
Carry And Store More Items: One of the most useful perks to get early is Pack Mule. It instantly gives you a +50kg carry weight bonus. That is a lot if you do not have a strength build. The more stuff you carry, the more potential money you can earn, and the easier it will be to buy what you want later. Alternatively, you can store extra stuff at your ship. Use the containers inside to permanently store extra stuff. If that is not enough space, you can also unlock a perk that allows you to fast travel, even if you are overencumbered.
Instantly Breakdown Weapons And Armor: While looking into a loot container, press Square to scrap the selected item, saving you time and inventory space.
Useful Features In Items Menu: There is a sub-menu you can use in your inventory that gives you instant access to a few useful features. For example, the Swap command is hidden in the radial options menu when using any inventory screen. This allows you to swap positions of your primary four weapons. You can move your favorites to the front, or put melee weapons in the rear.
Do Not Buy Weapons: Weapons are expensive when buying them from vendors. It is much better to save your bits for upgrades at the workbench. Use tinker on guns you find in the environment; marauders carry Assault Rifles, Hunting Rifles, Revolvers, Pistols, and Shotguns. They are all good, and there is no reason to buy them from a store. You will eventually get them all just from exploring.
Unique Melee Weapon: One early side-quest you can do is found in Constable Reyes' office. Talk to her, and she will send you to hunt three bandits outside of town. The Blad On Stik 2H melee weapon is carried by one of the three bandits, inside the Marauder hideout. It is northwest of Edgewater, just west of the Botanical Labs.
Use Stealth And Hunting Rifles: Enemies do not get alerted if you get an instant kill, even if it is with a loud weapon. When you are stalking a marauder camp, you can kill an enemy with a headshot without alerting the entire camp. Just wait for nearby enemies to lose their alert level.
Repair Weapons And Armor With Parts (Or Bits At The General Store): Break down weapons and armor to recover parts. Weapon and armor parts are valuable resources that allow you to repair your broken weapons and armor without spending money. You can choose to repair your gear for parts, but first make sure to check if your items are actually experiencing any negative effects. Some gear does not start losing power until it is pretty worn. If you are out of scrap, you can always visit the town vendor and spend bits to repair your gear.
Look For Pristine Weapons And Armor: Pristine weapons and armor are marked with a diamond symbol. They are not better than standard weapons and armor, but they are worth twice as many bits to vendors. Pristine weapons and armor are extremely rare, but keep an eye out for them. Do not breakdown these random weapons and armor for scrap. Save them for selling.
Upgrade Science To 20+ To Unlock Tinker At Workbenches: If you have 20+ Science skill, you can start tinkering. For 50 bits at the start, you can upgrade weapons and armor to make them more powerful or provide extra defense.
Upgrade To 20+ Handgun/40+ Melee To Unlock TTD Effects: While TTD is active, shoot legs to slow/stop, shoot arms to lower attack, and shoot the head to stun. You will see yellow lightning at the effected spot. You can even shoot humans in the crotch for the "Weaken" status effect. Move your aiming reticule over each part to see what status effect will occur.
Upgrade Dodge To 20+ To Unlock Leap To Reach Hidden Loot: Upgrade Dodge to 20+ to unlock the ability to leap forward, even while jumping. This allows you to jump much further than normal, and you will be able to reach platforming puzzle loot. For example, there is a crashed derelict ship just north of Edgewater with two crates you can only reach with the leap skill.
Find New Locations Around Edgewater For XP: Explore early in the game to earn easy XP and find unique areas, tough enemies (like mega creatures), and rare loot.
Check All Tabs When Modifying Weapons And Armor: At any workbench, you can apply powerful mods. Next to each weapon and armor, there are white dots. Those are mod slots, and if you do not check every tab when modding, you may miss out on powerful upgrades. Many early armor suits have four mod slots -- so make sure to scroll through all four. Use the triggers consoles to see everything you can apply.
Get A Second Companion: Go to the local church in Edgewater to find a strange companion. This guy will only become available after you have repaired your ship, but if you finish all the steps of his heretical quest, he will join you onboard the Unreliable.
After Leaving The First Area, Equip Two Companions And Select Perks Geared For Survivability: Your companions become a lot more useful after leaving the first area. When they level up, select perks to make them tougher —- more HP, armor, etc. It is recommended to bring both of them, and equip them with the best possible armor. You will be surprised by how much easier it is with your companions around.
Infinite Auto-Saves Anywhere On Supernova: You can only fast travel to the Unreliable (ship) on the Supernova difficulty, and auto-saves are extremely limited. You can only save (or auto-save) in your ship. There is a way around this system. When you fast travel to your ship, an auto-save will be generated at the spot where you just traveled from. Load your new auto-save file after traveling. Since you cannot fast travel anywhere else, this is a great way to generate saves anywhere on the map.
Change AI Behavior To Keep Companions Alive: Go to the settings, and scroll over to your party members to alter their AI behavior. You can order them to be more passive, stay further away from fights, and only use ranged weapons. Make them play defensively since if they die, they are permanently dead. At the start of the game, this is a pretty big deal. Later in the game, once you have good armor and weapons for your teammates, it is not quite so bad.
Special Ignorant Dialogue: Set your Intelligence to very low at the character creation screen to get unique dialogue options that indicate how dumb your character is. If you are playing on the Supernova difficulty, this can actually happen temporarily.

Trophies:
Successfully complete one of the following tasks to get a trophy:
The Outer Worlds Platinum Trophy (Platinum): Collected all trophies for The Outer Worlds.
The Outer Worlds (Gold): Completed The Outer Worlds on any difficulty.
All for One (Silver): Completed all companion quests.
Destroyer of Worlds (Silver): Had maximum negative reputation with 3 factions.
Everybody Likes Me (Silver): Had maximum positive reputation with 3 factions.
Hard (Silver): Completed The Outer Worlds on hard difficulty.
Jack of All Trades (Silver): Killed an enemy with a science weapon sneak attack during TTD, with a weakspot critical hit.
Supernova (Silver): Completed The Outer Worlds on supernova difficulty.
Anything for a Friend (Bronze): Finished a companion's quest line.
Best Friend (Bronze): Recruited a companion.
Elemental Maelstrom (Bronze): Killed an enemy that was hit with all 5 damage types.
Everything Must Go (Bronze): Sold 10,000 bits worth of items to vendors.
Flawed Hero (Bronze): Acquired 3 flaws.
Got Your Back (Bronze): Killed 50 enemies with companion abilities.
Health Insurance (Bronze): Used the medical inhaler 300 times.
Impossible Mission (Bronze): Succeeded at 3 dialog conversation checks with a single disguise.
Level 30 (Bronze): Character level 30 reached.
Mad Scientist (Bronze): Killed an enemy under the effects of 4 science weapons.
Never Seen (Bronze): Killed 50 enemies with sneak attacks.
Not the Best Choice (Bronze): Simultaneously equipped Spacer's Choice brand clothing, headgear, and 4 weapons.
One for All (Bronze): Recruited all of the companions.
Patient N (Bronze): Killed 20 enemies that were infected by spreading N-rays.
Poor Sportsmanship (Bronze): Hit 30 enemies in the groin during tactical time dilation.
Short Circuit (Bronze): Killed 30 automechanicals with shock damage.
Silver Tongue (Bronze): Used dialog skills 30 times in conversations.
Skilled (Bronze): Raised a skill to 100.
The Harder They Fall (Bronze): Killed a mega creature.
Tossball All Star (Bronze): Killed 50 enemies with a tossball stick or tossball blocker.
Upgrades Available (Bronze): Improved your gear 30 times through tinkering and mods.
We All Fall Down (Bronze): Turned 100 enemies to ash with plasma damage.
Well Balanced Breakfast (Bronze): Simultaneously had bonuses for meat, carbohydrates, sugary drink, caffeine, and alcohol.
Well Dressed (Bronze): Wore 'A Nice Hat' and 'Chimaera' at the same time.

Additionally, there are 17 secret trophies:
Hard Time (Silver): Landed on Tartarus.
Paradise Found (Silver): Landed in Byzantium.
Something's Fishy (Silver): Reached Stellar Bay.
Ticket to Anywhere (Silver): Got your very own ship.
Welcome to Halcyon! (Silver): Landed in Emerald Vale.
A Star is Born (Bronze): Starred in an Odeon Pictures movie.
Dentastic (Bronze): Saved the universe's greatest diet toothpaste recipe.
Lost and Found (Bronze): Skipped the Hope.
Ludwig was Right (Bronze): Brought robo-destruction to Edgewater.
Mightier than the Sword (Bronze): Saved Edgewater permanently.
Monarch Abides (Bronze): Won the battle of Stellar Bay.
Peace in Our Time (Bronze): Brokered peace between the Iconoclasts and MSI.
Pirate Radio (Bronze): Stopped the Monarch broadcasts.
SubLight to the End (Bronze): Completed the SubLight quest lines.
Sunburn (Bronze): Skipped the Hope into the sun.
The Audience Gasps (Bronze): Learned the shocking truth about the colony.
The Cartographer (Bronze): Dealt with the cartographer.