Best Background in Outer Worlds 2, Explained

The Outer Worlds 2's character creation options aren't just limited to cosmetic features. You'll also be able to choose their starting skills, traits, and even a background that represents who they were before joining the Earth Directorate. While it doesn't have as major an influence on the gameplay as your traits will, your background will come into play throughout your playthrough of The Outer Worlds 2 to open up new ways for you to approach certain quests or dialogue scenarios. As such, some players may be wondering what the best background is in The Outer Worlds 2, so let's run through each of the options.

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By Daniel Morris

All Backgrounds in Outer Worlds 2

There are five backgrounds in The Outer Worlds 2. I've listed each of these and their descriptions below.

Ex-Convict: You never cared for the Earth Directorate, and they never cared for you. So much so that they decided it would be best for you to spend much (if not all) of the rest of your life behind bars. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, so you accepted a deal to work for them to clear your record. Or escape while they weren't looking.
Gambler: "The Grand Plan." Hah! You know the universe is run by blind luck and chaos, even if you've been riding the winning edge of that chaos for most of your life. Unfortunately, that winning streak came to an end when you lost a bet with an agent who was trying to convince you to utilize your penchant for bucking the odds in the service of the Earth Directorate.
Lawbringer: After experiencing a youth of hardship and corporate malfeasance, you joined the Earth Directorate, devoting your life to bringing order to colonies in the throes of chaos. You are a champion of the people, whether they want one or not. The law is not to be trifled with, and neither are you.
Professor: You were a prominent voice in your field until your penchant for "full contact" archaeology and your colleagues' jealousy at your success rate for retrieving artifacts long thought to be lost cost you both your tenure and position. Fortunately, your talent for dealing with the more unsavory elements of artifact trafficking will serve you well in the Earth Directorate.
Renegade: You may have lived a life that skirted the laws of any colony you found yourself operating in, but that's what you were paid for. And definitely not a reason for your unsatisfied previous employers to hunt you down, is it? Joining the Earth Directorate seemed like a great way to solve the problems your "work" history may have caused.
Roustabout: You're not quite sure what happened. You simply wanted to find a job that used your particular set of skills. Which would be "none." Yet, one accidental death of a well-known villain later, you're now known as a gunslinging Earth Directorate agent not to be trifled with. You often find yourself wondering if this "Earth Directorate" has any good cashier openings.

Which Is the Best Background in The Outer Worlds 2?

Outer Worlds 2 Best Starting Builds Character Creation

From a few playthroughs in The Outer Worlds 2, all the backgrounds offer various lines of dialogue and opportunities to approach quests in different ways that otherwise wouldn't be available to you. The best background in Outer Worlds 2 during the early hours for this is 'Professor', as it grants you the ability to outwit NPCs, and approach some of the earlier quests with a more scientific and academic mindset.

However, we also noticed similar opportunities arising when using the Ex-Convict background, where we could refer to our shady past. That being said, my experience as an Ex-Convict felt more limited in terms of the benefits than something like the Professor did for one of my colleagues.

As such, while there isn't a definitive 'best' background in The Outer Worlds 2, some certainly seemed to offer more positive advantages in situations than others. From our time playing with them so far, they all have their moments, just in differing scenarios. As such, I'd recommend just choosing the background that resonates most with you and the type of character you want to roleplay as during your time in the game.

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