The third Dev Update from the Star Wars Outlaws team brings a few new details about how the stealth vs open fight options are evolving with Update 1.4 while the game gets its first discount for Black Friday.
A couple of days after the second Dev Update was published, we got the next installment. Creative Director Drew Rechner is back with more clarifications on the upcoming changes to combat vs stealth expected to be part of Update 1.4.
Guns Without Brains vs Slow and Stealthy wins the race
In today’s post, Drew discusses approach the developers are taking to improve and enrich the gameplay experience for players who don’t like being forced into one type of gameplay and scenario.
Almost all of the quests in the game will be reworked to allow for a seamless transition from stealth into open combat.
Star Wars Outlaws attempts to recreate the pure scoundrel experience as best as possible. Kay Vess is not a Jedi, she doesn’t have a glowstick in her hand that makes her ultra-powerful (I miss Cal!). What she brings to the table is a new experience for most Star Wars fans.
When Star Wars Outlaws launched, most of us were coming off the Nekko and were still used to wielding our awesome lightsabers. I admit, it took me a little bit of time to get used to the fact that Kay can actually be shot and defeated in the matter of seconds, even on normal difficulty at the beginning of the game. She is a normal human being.
That said, Kay was frequently tasked with sneaking behind enemy lines and through enemy encampments and bases to obtain or achieve something valuable. In their desire to portray her as a regular human, the devs forced upon us all a stealth approach in many situations.
This was not a favorite part of a lot of players. And the devs are making changes based on this feedback. Better late than never, right?
In today’s dev update, we learned that not every mission will allow you (but most should) to transition from stealth into combat based on your own desire or if you get caught while sneaking.
Previously, the game punished you severely by either forcing you or often transporting you quite further back in your progress with no other option but to try again.
As of Update 1.4, the dev update stated, that stealth will be removed as a requirement from the missions where it previously was the only option.
You are still encouraged to play stealthy and live the life of a sneaky and fragile scoundrel (a leveled-up and skilled Kay is not squishy at all, but you get my point), but you are not punished with a reload when you get caught. Instead, you will have a chance to fight through and complete your task anyway.
You will also be able to fight if you get spotted while in a syndicate area. You will finally be able to take out your blaster and show the crime lords that you are not an easy catch.
As stated in the previous dev update, another big improvement we will see in the game after tomorrow’s update are the revamped and redesigned weapons.
Drew underlined in today’s update the fact that you will get to keep the looted weapons for much longer. This would be done by increasing ammo capacity in many situations, but mostly by allowing you to… climb while carrying a weapon.
Below is the full text of the Dev Update #3 message as published on ubisoft.com on November 20, 2024:
Outlaws,
Welcome back to another Dev Update from the Star Wars Outlaws Team!
This time, we’d like to dive further into player choice – specifically, the agency given to you to decide whether you’d like to use a stealthier or more combat-focused approach.
Since launch, we’ve made some adjustments to the game experience to ensure you have options on how you approach situations across your journey – for example, you can now choose to go in combat-first around Syndicate territories or approach them from the shadows. Star Wars Outlaws represents to us a true scoundrel experience and as Kay and Nix are street thieves by trade, stealth will always be an option for players that prefer that playstyle – but we heard your feedback, and we’re implementing changes that allow for greater player freedom and embracing more playstyles.
To speak more on this topic is Drew Rechner, Creative Director on Star Wars Outlaws:
Player choice has always been a core focus of Star Wars Outlaws, but after listening to your feedback, we’ve realized there’s more we can do to give you even greater freedom. Restrictions like “Do not raise the alarm” or “Do not get caught” in quests were forcing players into stealthy playstyles, limiting the ability to choose whether to use combat or not. As a result, some quests could feel frustrating or unfair. We also found that detection mechanics could be unpredictable and inconsistent as well. As you know, Title Update 1.4.0 will bring the biggest improvements to this and I’ve shared some more details on that below.
Our first step in expanding player choice is removing forced stealth from almost all quest objectives. This doesn’t mean that sneaking is no longer a viable or even preferable option in some cases. Rather, if you’re caught while sneaking, the objective won’t fail and reset you to the last checkpoint. Instead, you’ll seamlessly transition into combat. We know many of you enjoy the stealth approach, so it was important to us to preserve that playstyle while also giving you the freedom to decide how to tackle each mission. Ultimately, you’ll have the choice to sneak, go in combat-first, or—my personal favorite—sneak until you’re caught and then blast your way out. And if you end up in combat, you’ll get to experience the new and improved combat loop described in our Dev Update #2.
Our changes don’t stop with just quests though. We’ve also enabled combat in syndicate districts, which previously only allowed for stealth. This means you can still enter a syndicate district peacefully if you’ve built a good reputation with that syndicate or sneak past their guards, but now you also have the option to fight your way through if you prefer. Again, this is all to maximize your agency and choice.
And we’re not stopping there. We’re also expanding player choice in broader ways. For example, you can now pick up and keep weapons you find in the field for much longer, with more opportunities to use them in various scenarios. We’ve also added more meaningful combat decisions, like targeting specific enemy body parts for powerful headshots and exploiting weak points. The addition of positioning and timing tactics will also make combat scenarios more dynamic. Our goal is to let you play the way you want to play.
We’re excited for you to experience these changes and hear your feedback. Thank you for being part of this journey as we continue to improve the game.
As always, keep an eye on our socials for more from us, and be sure to give us your thoughts on Twitter, Instagram and start a conversation with us in our Official Discord.
Thank you again for your feedback and excitement!
– The Star Wars Outlaws Team
The first game discount
Many of you who have previously played and purchased Ubisoft games must have expected this. This company doesn’t wait too long before they start offering their new titles at a discounted price. Star Wars Outlaws quickly joined this list.
Right now, as part of the company’s Black Friday deals, you can purchase the base game for a discounted price at €52.49 (normal price is €70). The other game editions are also at a lower price during this sale.
With Wild Card, the first DLC, arriving shortly, it is an interesting and certainly lucrative moment to consider a purchase. Or, if you are OK with not owning the games you play, you can rent Star Wars Outlaws via the monthly subscription Ubisoft offers.
