Best early skills in Star Wars Outlaws
Starting strong with the right know-how.
Unlocking the best early skills in Star Wars Outlaws gives Kay a better chance of survival and even lets you bypass tough enemies and annoying technology altogether.
It takes a bit of work and, in some cases, a little story progress in Star Wars Outlaws on certain planets, but it's well worth the trouble.
We've listed our top picks for the best Star Wars Outlaws skills to start with below, including details on what makes them worth your time.
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How to unlock new skills in Star Wars Outlaws
Kay learns new skills from various self-styled experts across the galaxy - gunslingers, ace mechanics, little Jawa scavengers, and even old family friends. Finding the first two experts and unlocking their initial skills is something you have to do before leaving Toshara for the first time. The rest of them are easy to miss, though, especially if you don't review new intel when you gather it.
The road to finding new experts starts with an intel chain and a lead on someone who can help Kay learn some new tricks. Completing that initial chain usually leads you to the expert, who has a quest of their own, which might involve finding an item or extracting them from a highly dangerous imperial compound.
Once an expert agrees to help Kay, you can view their available skills under the 'abilities' tab in the menu and see what you have to do to unlock a skill. Requirements usually include finding specific items and components, though you may also need to complete certain actions in combat, depending on the expert.
Best early skills in Star Wars Outlaws
Here's the best early skills to get from early experts in Star Wars Outlaws:
Bram - The Bartender
All of Bram's abilities under 'The Bartender' are worth unlocking quickly, as much for the skills they offer Kay as for the way they teach you to play the game.
Armored Undershirt is essential, as it increases Kay's health meter by one. Fast Talk lets Kay briefly distract an enemy who discovers her in a restricted location and use that time to incapacitate them, and Keep Talking does the same for multiple enemies.
I Know Someone is more situational, but it gives you the opportunity to nab some rare gear. It lets Kay access the 'personal requests' tab for certain merchants, even if she has poor Syndicate reputation, and she can trade specific items for equipment you can't find anywhere else.
Selo - The Mechanic
Selo, the speeder mechanic, might be the second expert you unlock, but only two of her abilities are worth getting early. Smoke Bomb lets Kay create distractions, block lines of sight, and quickly escape nearby enemies, which is brilliant, and Scoundrel's Pouch gives Kay an extra slot for Bacta Vials and Grenades, which is essential.
Aila - The Slicer
Most of Aila's Slicer abilities count as 'helpful but not essential', except her starter skill, Slicing Kit. The kit unlocks automatically after you rescue Aila from an imperial compound, a process we discuss in more detail in our Slicing Kit guide.
The Slicing Kit lets Kay interact with certain imperial terminals to extract data, erase her wanted status, open security doors, and turn off inconveniently placed security cameras. It makes life so much easier, so be sure to complete Aila's intel before leaving Toshara.
Electro Shock Prod
Unlocking the next expert takes a bit of time and some story progress, regardless of whether you follow ND-5's advice and visit Tatooine first. So before heading to Tatooine, we recommend completing the story mission on Akiva and freeing Gedeek to unlock the Temmin's Family intel chain. Follow that, complete Wexley's quest, and when you can, unlock the Electro Shock Prod, a device that lets Kay use stealth takeouts on elite enemies.
Deathtroopers, the little piggy guards in Jabba's Palace, and any enemy marked in yellow during Kay's adrenaline attacks count as elites, and you can't subdue them with melee or stealth attacks - unless you have the prod.
Quint - The Gunslinger
Quint, the gunslinger on Tatooine, is worth unlocking early as well. You might not need Kay's adrenaline attack often in the early game, but as you start progressing further, the option to take out multiple enemies at once with Quint's Adrenaline Rush Mastery skill becomes invaluable. Quint's intel chain starts at the Mos Eisley cantina, but you have to complete the Tatooine story before you can freely explore the city and cantina.
You may want to do a few jobs to get on the Hutts' good side first, though. Tatooine's main quest sends Kay into Hutt territory, and Quint's intel chain sends her back into Hutt territory. If she's seen or starts a fight when her reputation is at 'Poor' or lower, she'll lose even more face with the Hutts and have to make it up with extra contracts.
It's much easier to just be on good terms, so you can sail in and do what you need without problems.