The Outer Worlds 2 introduces a new roleplaying element to your character progression. Alongside the perks you can unlock as you level up, you'll also be able to earn flaws based on how you approach the game. As their name suggests, flaws essentially nerf your character in one specific way, while also granting you a slight buff that complements how you've been playing The Outer Worlds 2. To help you get an idea of what's on offer and which ones you should actually choose to accept, I've compiled a list of all flaws in the game, as well as highlighted the best ones to accept during your playthrough.

Outer Worlds 2 Best Starting Builds Character Creation
Best Starting Builds in Outer Worlds 2

These six unique starting builds in Outer Worlds 2 serve as the foundation for six very different playstyles to approach the game.

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All Flaws in The Outer Worlds 2

flaws in outer worlds 2

Flaw Name

Description

Unlock Requirements

Anger Mismanagement
  • +25% power attack damage
  • Take +50% damage while blocking

Use melee weapons and don't block when getting attacked by enemies.

Bad Knees
  • +50% crouching speed
  • Crouching emits a 10m radius sound that hostiles can hear and investigate

Crouch when moving regularly.

Bibliomania
  • +20% base health
  • -30% base health for two minutes after talking with an NPC

Read lots of books and datapad entries.

Compulsive Liar
  • Skill requirements for lying are now ignored.
  • Dialogue options where you lie must always be chosen

Choose the 'lie' option whenever possible in conversations.

Consumerism
  • -15% vendor prices
  • -10% sell value at vendors

Unlocked by purchasing the premium edition of The Outer Worlds 2.

Dangerously Curious

Hack terminals frequently.

Dependent
  • -10% damage
  • +25% damage when hitting enemies recently damaged by a companion

Let your companions charge into attack and sit back in combat. This is easily unlocked if you're typically using long-range weapons.

Drug Addiction
  • Toxicity from using the Medical Inhaler is reduced by 40%
  • Restore -20% health when using it.

Regularly use your inhaler to restore health. This will likely be unlocked naturally as you play through the game.

Easily Distracted
  • Gain +1 skill points per level
  • You can only add skill points to the lowest skill or skills with no points.

Invest your skill points in multiple skills, rather than focusing on a select few.

Easily Startled
  • Footsteps volume and NPC awareness detection rate -25%.
  • Your Damage Resistance and Evasion stats are ignored for eight seconds after being detected by an enemy.

Try and fail at sneaking when engaging with enemies regularly.

Energy Hog
  • -25% Energy Recharge Rate
  • +50 Gadget Energy Meter max

Use your gadgets and drain your meter often.

Flawed
  • Gain a perk point every five levels
  • You must accept all flaws.

Accept two or more flaws in a single playthrough.

Foot-in-Mounth Syndrome
  • +15% experience
  • Dialogue options are randomly picked for you

Skip through conversations when talking with NPCs and quickly choose your replies.

Gluttony
  • Food and drinks restore +15% health
  • -10% combat movement speed

Use food and drinks to restore health regularly during your playthrough.

Hermit
  • Vendor prices +50%
  • 25% chance to receive double crafting materials when breaking down items

Regularly break down old weapons, armor, and junk items.

Kleptomania
  • +100% Vendor buying prices for stolen items
  • You'll automatically steal things

Regularly steal items.

Luddite
  • +10 damage resistance as long as gadget energy is full.
  • -25% energy recharge rate and gadget energy meter size

Rarely used gadgets in combat.

N-Radiated
  • 5% chance to automatically become camouflaged upon taking damage. This makes you harder to detect by enemies and allows you to deal sneak damage.
  • 5% of max health will always be taken as N-Ray damage

Unlocked upon completing the N-Ray Range area in Golden Ridge.

Overprepared
  • +50% magazine size
  • -40% damage for eight seconds after emptying a weapon's magazine

Regularly reload your gun before the magazine is empty.

Profligate Spender
  • 75% of any bits earned are stored by VALERIE until you reach level 30
  • You earn 25% of stored bits on level up as interest, and an additional 25% every 5 levels. At level 30, you'll receive 150% of your total stored bits

Buy a lot from vendors and spend lots of Bits.

Reckless Leadership
  • When a companion goes down, your other companion is fully healed and their ability meter is immediately filled
  • You can't revive companions in combat

Your companions are regularly downed in combat.

Snobbish
  • +20% vendor buying price for crafting materials
  • Can no longer break down items

Buy a lot of crafting materials from vending machines and vendors.

Sungazer
  • Suffer permanent damage to your vision
  • +100% ranged weapon spread
  • Up to 50% health regeneration when outside during the day

Look directly at the sun for a long time.

Technophobia
  • +20% damage to automechanicals
  • +20% damage from automechanicals

Engage automechanicals in combat regularly. This will likely be unlocked naturally as you progress through the game.

Teetotaler
  • +25% health restored when using your Medical Inhaler
  • +25% toxicity from using the Medical Inhaler

Avoid regularly using your Medical Inhaler and taking Zyranium damage from defeated automechanical enemies or spillages throughout the world.

Treacherous
  • -25% base health
  • +50% enemy awareness depletion rate
  • +100% sneak attack damage

Take a stealthy approach to combat. Deal sneak damage to enemies regularly and crouch to remain undetected as often as possible.

Tunnel Vision
  • Gain a bonus to armor penetration
  • Permanently lose the second weapon slot

Only have one weapon equipped for a prolonged period of time.

Wasteful
  • Enemies always drop ammo
  • +25% Vendor Prices

Constantly run out of ammo for your weapons.

What Are the Best Flaws in The Outer Worlds 2?

outer worlds 2 increase max health

As flaws are determined by how you approach the game, certain ones may have a greater impact and be more beneficial to you than others. However, there are a few standout flaws that offer a benefit without as painful a drawback. I've listed these below so you know when to accept them when they arise.

Consumerism

While you'll take a 10% reduction in your selling prices for items, the 15% discount on buying prices more than makes up for it. As you'll still earn a lot of bits from completing main objectives and side quests, you'll never properly struggle for money. However, the discount only increases in value the further you progress with the best weapons and armor obviously costing more to purchase.

Dangerously Curious

If you're someone who likes to hack anything and everything they come across, then Dangerously Curious is well worth accepting. The 100% increase to XP earned from hacking will help you level up faster, and Bypass Shunts can easily be found around the world (and are cheap to buy from vendors if you're really in a pinch), so using twice the amount isn't as big a problem as it might initially sound.

Dependent

Having spent a ton of time in The Outer Worlds 2 at this point, it doesn't matter which companions you choose to bring with you, they all tend to charge into combat. That means you'll naturally find yourself sitting back if you're using guns instead of melee weapons. Let them deal damage (even better if they have damage-dealing abilities) and then pick them off from range. This way, you'll essentially get a net +15% boost to any damage you deal.

Overprepared

Reloading your weapon after every kill, or at least before you empty the magazine, is something you can build into your muscle memory (I already naturally do this anyway). As such, the risk of reduced damage is a non-factor here. The increased magazine size becomes incredibly useful in crowd control combat situations, too, so this one's a no-brainer.

If you're looking to unlock all the achievements and trophies in The Outer Worlds 2, you'll want to accept at least three flaws during your playthrough. 'Flawed Hero' is only unlocked by accepting three flaws.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
The Outer Worlds 2 Tag Page Cover Art
9 /10

The Outer Worlds 2
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RPG
Shooter
Adventure
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
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Released
October 29, 2025
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language
Developer(s)
Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Xbox Game Studios
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
RPG, Shooter, Adventure