Murder on Eridanos

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> In Murder on Eridanos, players must venture to the skies of Eridanos and unravel the grandest murder mystery in the Halcyon colony. Everyone is a suspect in this peculiar whodunit after Rizzo's hired spokesperson, the famous Halcyon Helen, winds up dead ahead of the release of the brand-new Spectrum Brown Vodka.
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> Solve the case in this second expansion which features a murder mystery, a unique world where players must travel to the floating islands of Eridanos, new weapons and character customization including three new science weapons as well as weapon and armor variants.
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> —The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos - Official Opening Cinematic description
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***The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos*** is the second of two expansions for *The Outer Worlds*, released on March 17, 2021.

## Developmental history

During development, Megan Starks regarded that the colorful aesthetic juxtaposes with the darker, dangerous theme going on behind the scenes.

## Story and setting

Set on the gas giant Eridanos, the plot focuses on Halcyon Helen's final and finest adventure.

## Developer quotes

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> I think it juxtaposes really well with the darker, dangerous theme that’s going on behind the scenes.
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> —Megan Starks, regarding the aesthetic
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> Even our designers made fun of him, because his signed autographed photos show up in trash cans all over the hotel area.
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> —Tim Cain, regarding Spencer Woolrich
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> It’s more like a science device, using mathematical equations to try and predict the outcome of the universe. If there was a blood pool that existed and someone’s mopped it up and it’s no longer visible to the naked eye, you can actually look into the short-term past and see that it was there.
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> —Megan Starks, regarding the Discrepancy Amplifier
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> The idea for it actually came from Nitai Poddar, who is my co-lead narrative designer on the project. We were writing all these ideas on a whiteboard about the murder mystery and key suspects, and talking about the different ways you could role play as a detective. He was like, ‘we really need a magnifying glass.
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> —Megan Starks, on the idea of the Discrepancy Amplifier
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> Everyone needs to play this expansion with low intelligence even once. We even tell players in the beginning that if they don't have high intelligence, certain interactions get really weird.
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> —Nitai Poddar, on low intelligence playthroughs
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> We knew it was going to be a murder mystery, but we were asking ourselves as a team the same questions you’re asking now. How do we do a murder mystery in Halcyon? A setting that is very much about corporate authority, factory workers and that sort of thing You need a setting that evokes the same tradition of trashy 1920s newsprint dime novels, which would always have some sort of grand, ostentatious, or exotic location. The high-end hotel where a celebrity is murdered is a classic trope of the old-school murder mystery, so we did reach for the grab bag and shove them together in one area. One of the benefits of that is it lets players enter the unfamiliar territory of the new DLC but feel like they’re on familiar ground. When we have that solid footing of recognisable imagery and familiar tropes, then we can throw the unfamiliar at you. We can undermine your expectations by setting up those expectations to begin with.
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> —Nitai Poddar, on aesthetic and gameplay focuses of the DLC
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> I’d say Eridanos and the second DLC was never designed to put a bow on the main story, or to tie up loose ends, or finish the story of The Outer Worlds. But knowing that it’s the final DLC is a love letter to the fans. If we’re going to go out with one DLC, let’s make it something fun, something full of the moments that fans love in this game, and put a lot of effort into upping the production value and making it really impressive. One of our writers, Kelsey Beachum, came up with a wonderful idea for a marquee moment with our companions. I won’t spoil it, but if you get a chance to talk with a certain tossball player who happens to be in the area – please bring a companion and have them help you out. That moment was so much fun to write, and every companion has a different moment in the spotlight in that particular interaction.
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> —Nitai Poddar, on the finality of the DLC
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## Videos

The Outer Worlds- Murder on Eridanos – Official Opening Cinematic
## Behind the scenes

One of the inspirations for the DLC was the 1974 film *Murder on the Orient Express*.

## References

1. ↑ Washington Post: ‘Murder on Eridanos’ DLC is ‘Outer Worlds’ at its comedic best