Star Wars Outlaws Stealth Guide

Star Wars Outlaws is at its core an action-adventure game, but that doesn’t mean it’s all run and gun in its open world setting. The game makes heavy use of stealth elements, and really ramps up all the possibilities of what main character Kay Vess can actually do.

You’ll spend a lot of time sneaking around by observation, infiltrating secure locations, and – most importantly – avoiding detection. Let’s break it down with some helpful hints to take advantage of the various systems at play, and how using stealth as a strategy is important for success.

Sneaking in Star Wars Outlaws

The sneaking aspect of Outlaws is straightforward enough. Many areas will have you crouching behind boxes, barriers, walls and other obstacles to avoid being seen by enemies. This is something you’ll learn early on, as Kay is tasked with sneaking into a big casino in the opening act.

While sneaking, it’s important to take stock of everything around you and this can be accomplished by both visual confirmations, and by using the Nix sense ability to highlight interactable items such as cameras, enemies, and alarm panels.

The observation aspect comes into play because each area typically has several ways you can approach the target location. For example, taking the right or left side of a loading bay, climbing up ladders and scaffolding or choosing to stick it out on the ground. There’s even vents Kay can crawl through if you choose to be even more cautious.

All of these things will get a lot of mileage in Outlaws, and you’ll often find that some routes are better than others while playing the stealth game. To that effect, trial and error often becomes necessary.

Pickpocketing in Star Wars Outlaws

Being a scoundrel means Kay can freely break the law and do many unsavory things such as stealing from other people. The pickpocketing mechanic works out because it saves you from having to directly engage with people as you go around avoiding detection.

The way this works centers on Nix, who can be sent to retrieve items from far away objects and people on the map. Nix is a huge asset because he can do many of the things Kay can’t, so make sure you collaborate with him as much as you can when feeling out any new area.

Alarms and Cameras in Star Wars Outlaws

There’s a lot of alarms and cameras you’ll have to deal with in Star Wars Outlaws, and many locations where having to sneak through without setting off the alarm or getting caught is a quest goal.

Cameras are typically easy to spot, but if you’re not sure, use the Nix sense action to scope out where they are, and if there is any avenue to disable them. Some cameras can be easily turned off by having Nix go and activate a button. Other times, you can disable them by hacking a nearby computer and then turning them off.

Alarms are somewhat similar, and they too can be spotted in the usual Nix sweeps. You can preemptively disable most alarms by either having Kay sabotage them herself, or send Nix on over to do it for you. That way, if you do accidentally alert some enemies, they can’t run and activate the alarm right away.

Another key point when that happens is you’ll see an alarm counter icon start to fill above an enemy’s head. If you take them our or neutralize them before the counter completes, you’ll avoid setting off the alarm as well even though you created a racket.

Takedowns in Star Wars Outlaws

Takedowns are another key component of stealth in Outlaws because it’s something you’ll be doing a lot of to clear areas of enemies. While crouching down, simply walk slowly behind an enemy, hit the button prompt, and Kay or sometimes a combination of her and Nix will take the opponent out of commission.

Watch out with this though, because if you leave bodies in view of other enemies roaming around, that may alert them to start looking for the perpetrator. You can also drop down and surprise enemies this way, or use Nix to distract them so you can get in closer.

Using Nix in Star Wars Outlaws

Without Nix, Star Wars Outlaws would be a much different game. He’s integral to so much of the gameplay, that his temporary loss is a bit of a shocking moment.

That said, when he is around there’s so many neat tricks he can do that can help you get through the game’s heavy stealth mechanics.

By using Nix’s quick actions, which can be seen above things like enemies, explosive barrels, and other items, just tap his action button and he’ll take care of the rest. During stealth sections, baiting enemies with Nix over to areas with the explosives is a particularly fun bit of strategy if you want to mix things up during gameplay.

Nix can also sneak into small spaces and open doors or levers that Kay might not be able to, and having him fetch things like key cards or bacta vials for healing keeps the gameplay loop snappy and satisfying.

Star Wars Outlaws Stealth Tips

With all of these mechanics in mind, making use of all of them during stealth sections is going to be the way to go in terms of strategy. First, you'll want to assess any new area you sneak into. Use the Nix sense and feel out what you have to work with because it'll save you a lot of time and potentially grief in the long run.

Scope out which enemies are in the area, and figure out how you want to deal with them. For example, if you're in one of the Imperial bases, you'll want to avoid setting off the alarm so disabling those alarm panels is one of the first things you should look out for because you don't want to trip up and have someone trying to activate it later. Try to sneak up upon Stormtroopers and perform a takedown if you can. Getting them out of the way will help you if you need to stand around and use a computer.

Using Nix to distract officers works too because there's usually several of them in a given area. Send him over to distract one, take down the other and then take out the one Nix distracted to finish the job.

When you encounter a larger area, such as a hangar bay, it's important to systematically go through the area so you're not having to start back at the beginning again. Once again, use Nix to check what you're working with and then choose - are you going left or right? Above or below? Usually staying up high seems to be the best path, but take it slow and avoid camera - deactivating them as you go - and enemies, who will start a whole chain reaction if you're spotted.

If you stay low, be sure to look out for vents and spaces you can crawl in to avoid detection. It can be tedious work, but the results will pay off your patience.

If you do get caught in Syndicate controlled areas, however, do be prepared for your reputation to take a hit. It's not much at first, but it can go down with each subsequent time you get caught in an area you don't belong. Best get that reputation to Good standing if you want to play around in those areas by doing Syndicate-related quests.

All in all, stealth is a major mechanic in Star Wars Outlaws, so hopefully keeping these aspects of it in mind will help you get a better grasp on how to approach each location successfully because again, there’s a lot of them. That doesn’t mean they’re impossible though, just remember that sometimes trial and error is key.