Loading screen hints

This page is a list of **loading screen hints** found in *The Outer Worlds*. These are randomly displayed during the loading screens in the game.

## General gameplay

* Missed a tutorial or want a refresher? Tutorials can be read (or re-read) in your Journal.
* When your Holographic Shroud disguise starts failing, enemies may approach and interrogate you - you'll then have an opportunity to talk your way out of the problem.
* Not every challenge needs to be solved with a gun. They can be handled through negotiation... or subterfuge... or a big hammer.
* Picking up items that belong to other people is a crime and affects reputations, so be careful what you grab in-town!
* Crouching is useful! It activates stealth, improves your accuracy, and makes you a smaller target. It does make it harder to watch tossball matches, however.
* With just a little science, you can tinker with your weapons and armor at a workbench, increasing the damage they inflict or prevent!
* You can break down armor and weapons that you don't need to give you the parts you need to keep your gear in tip top shape.
* When buying and selling from a vendor, your best dialog skill (Lie, Persuade, or Intimidate) is automatically used to negotiate your best price.
* Fast Travel is a convenient way of moving to areas that you've already explored.
* Carrying too many things? You can transfer items into containers that are on your ship or that you find elsewhere in the world.
* Adreno will always be equipped in your Inhaler - unless you run out - and will heal you with each use.
* When your Inhaler finishes off a stack of consumables, it will automatically reload itself with another stack of the same type, if available.
* You can be both admired and feared by the same faction. They are not mutually exclusive!
* While sneaking, indicators in your HUD show nearby enemies, and their footsteps become more noticeable.

## Combat

* Armor reduces the damage of each incoming bullet or attack. If a fast weapon is ineffective, try a different weapon that's slower but hits harder.
* Tactical Time Dilation drains extremely slowly when you're not shooting. Take a few moments to examine your enemy - learn about their armor, health, and weaknesses.
* Melee power attacks do significantly more damage - great for sneak attacks and punching through heavier armor.
* Charging a melee power attack after a right to left swing will prepare a strong Sweep Attack across a wide arc and for significant damage.
* Dialog skill combat abilities trigger automatically in combat, distracting your enemies.
* Creatures take extra damage from plasma attacks. Automechanicals take extra damage from shock weapons.
* While affected by a status effect, you will see an icon in the upper left of your HUD. You can read details about the effect on your character panel.
* Having trouble closing the distance to use your melee attacks? Heavier armor, blocking, and moving under Time Dilation can all help!
* Bad guys too close to shoot? Use a Quick Melee attack to knock them back and give yourself room to shoot.

## Skills and perks

* Every 20 points in a skill unlocks a new bonus or upgrade in that skill - skill descriptions on your character give the details!
* Spending points in a skill group raises every skill in that group to a maximum of 50. To go above 50, you must spend points directly on the skill.
* If you'd like to try different choices for different skills and perks, try out the respecification machine on your ship.
* Perks provide unique bonuses for you and your companions.
* You can get temporary bonuses to your skills from consumables and wearing armor. This helps you pass skill checks and improves skills' passive bonuses but doesn't unlock skill upgrades.
* Raising your Science skill allows you to tinker your armor and weapon at a workbench, increasing the amount of damage they prevent or cause!
* Raise your Dodge skill unlocks a "forward dodge" - the Leap. Leaping is great for rapidly closing the distance on an enemy.
* Increasing your Inspiration skill improves your Companion's attack damage, and increasing your Determination increases their health!
* Raising your Inspiration unlocks special attacks for your Companions to damage, distract, and destroy your opponents.
* Raising your Block skill unlocks perfect block. With pinpoint timing, your block can stagger the enemy attacking you!
* Raising your Sneak skill unlocks sneak attacks while stealthing - your first attack against an unaware target gains a large damage bonus!
* Raising your Determination skill unlocks the ability to heal your companions when you activate your inhaler!
* Raising your Medical skill unlocks consumable slots for your Emergency Medicinal Inhaler, and increases the duration of inhaled consumables.
* Raising your ranged weapon skills unlocks Time Dilation location hits. For example, shooting an enemy in the leg cripples your target, slowing them.
* Raising your melee weapon skills unlocks the ability to do power and sweep attacks.
* Raising your stealth skills unlocks sneak attacks for bonus damage, previewing items in locked containers, and the ability to hack vending machines.
* Raising your dialog skills is good for conversations, and also unlocks combat dialog abilities that distract and disable your enemies.

## Items

* Pristine items are more than shiny! They have more durability and are worth more to vendors.
* You can flag items in your inventory as "Junk", then sell them all with a single command the next time you're at a vendor.
* Unique armor and Weapons can be found around Halcyon - hidden away, sold by vendors, and given out as quest rewards.

## Weapons

* Plasma weapons use high-energy fields to draw in and convert ambient aether into a superheated plasma state, which can be used offensively.
* Science weapons have weird and useful effects, but they also do damage - that damage increases as your Science skill improves.
* Most melee weapons can perform up to 3 quick swing combos. Some unique weapons can do fewer... or many more!
* Melee weapon modifications can improve swing speed, change the damage type, or even make your weapons more durable!
* N-rays are an exotic effect discovered in the early 20th century. N-ray attacks cause internal damage to a target, which then radiates more N-rays to surrounding targets.
* Charge-up weapons like the Plasma Rifle will consume more ammo with a longer charge, but also inflict a lot more damage!
* Guns in The Outer Worlds are built to be customized and modified with different barrels, scopes, and magazines. You can use these "mods" to upgrade your gun at a workbench.

## Armor

* There are three types of armor: light, medium and heavy. Heavy armor provides the most protection, but light armor provides better skill bonuses.
* Armor reduces damage from every attack. This makes heavy armor very effective against fast-attacking and light-damage weapons.
* Basic Armoring modifications improve armor against specific damage types, and give skill bonuses. Utility and Gadget mods provide a wide array of special bonuses and effects.

## Companions

* A downed companion will pop back up at the end of combat, but not in Supernova difficulty!
* If you give your companions a focus fire target, they will keep attacking that target until it's down, they're down, or you give them a new order.
* Companions not pulling their weight or getting knocked down too often? Their gear may not be up to date. Give them stronger weapons and armor, and watch them shine!
* Each of your companions has unique perks and a unique special attack. Build a team that fits your play style - or just hang out with your favorites.

## Lore

* During the 23rd century, the skip drive was invented, sparking another space race as corporations began exploring and claiming purchasing rights to known star systems.
* Faster-Than-Light ship drives are commonly called "skip drives," because they allow ships to approach and then "skip past" the speed of light.
* Halcyon is part of the Halcyon Cluster, so named because Halcyon is the brightest star in the cluster when viewed from Earth.
* Massive passenger ships can take up to a decade to complete a trip to the colonies. Light messenger drones can make the same journey in weeks.
* Ten corporations joined together and formed the Halcyon Holdings Corporation to buy the rights to the Halcyon system. They sent out their first colony ship in the late 23rd century.
* The original naming scheme for planets of the Halcyon Colony was chosen by the head of the Halcyon Holdings Corporate Board.
* The Earth Directorate was formed after The Great War to arbitrate international (and inter-corporate) disputes.
* The Earth Directorate catalogs habitable star systems and sells exploitation rights and nominal control of them to the highest bidders.
* Your loading screen tip could be HERE! Contact Spacer's Choice for your affordable marketing options!
* Terraforming is still a young science for humans, and the results have been... unpredictable, particularly with the effects on native flora and fauna.