As you reach the end of the Golden Ridge area in The Outer Worlds 2, you’ll be hunting down De Vries and Seer Wiley as part of the On the Trail of the Traitor main quest. The problem is, the sadistic Seer has put a moral quandary in your path to aid in the getaway of your ex-Earth Directorate target. As a result, you’ll need to choose between saving the hostages in The Outer Worlds 2 or leaving them to die: here are the results of each choice.
Outer Worlds 2: Should You Agree with Brun or Chao in 'Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality'?
Outer Worlds 2's 'Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality' quest tasks you with seeking out two books and siding with one of two scholars.
Should You Save the Hostages in The Outer Worlds 2?
When you’re heading to the end of the Golden Ridge area, you’ll be hunting your two devilish targets through the corridors of Alexandra Monastery until you find yourself faced with two doors on opposing sides. The left one says, “Betray Your Values”, and the other, “Be a Hero.” Through a window ahead of you, you can see human hostages lashed to the floor, unable to move.
Heading through the door on the right will take you to a puzzle room, but while you’re completing this test, Seer Wiley has more time to realize his and De Vries’ objectives. Choosing the evil route means heading through the left door, which is a bit more problematic for your targets.
What Happens if You Save the Hostages in The Outer Worlds 2?
If you complete the puzzle and play into the Seer’s hands, you’ll get a +3 boost to your Order of the Ascension rep. The downside is Wiley has time to send De Vries the security access codes she needs, which means she is able to activate Automech enemies to face you on the Greater Tranquility Substation, when you eventually get there.
Essentially, this means you’ve got some more foes to fight, which will be a bigger deal depending on your build. That said, for most characters, this won’t be a big deal — especially if you’ve invested in Hack, which increases your damage against robotic enemies — and you’ll benefit from a little extra XP.
What Happens If You Let the Hostages Die?
If you let Wiley squish the hostages into human sandwiches, you’ll lose 3 points of Order rep instead. However, you still have the chance to reverse your karmically questionable choice up to the point you reach the Seer’s arena. At this point, De Vries makes clear her disappointment with the Seer’s efforts, and while you still have Automechs to face, they’ll also attack De Vries’ soldiers. This means you’ll have an easier time in the Greater Tranquility Substation, but less XP.
Equally, you can complete the puzzle that can rescue the hostages, only to kill them with the “Activate Keypunch Cycle” choice, with the same result as leaving them to die anyway.
How to Complete The Outer Worlds 2 Orb Puzzle
If you choose to do the moral thing, or you’re brutal enough to want to kill the hostages by your own hand, head into the puzzle room on the right. Take the stairs on your left, and you’ll find a more open area filled with enemies. Once they’re down, head up to the top level and enter the room with an orb through glass on your right, above some pressure plates on the floor. The aim is to interact with these plates to ensure the orb can keep moving. Start by stepping on each plate and moving on to the next one when the orb is blocked on the other side.
Once the orb has descended at the end of the corridor, drop through the hole in the ground. Now, the orb is blocked by some breakable objects with red targets on them. Shoot those with your weapon, so the orb keeps moving. Next, follow the red cables on the ground up to a lever. Pull the lever twice, depending on where the orb is on its journey, then follow where the orb has stopped again at some more pressure plates.
Once you’ve stood on those in the same way as you did at the beginning, the orb will drop down above a safe opposite to where you first entered the area. Loot the safe for the Auto-Pneumatic Keypunch Activation Keycard and enter it into the device in front of the hostages. At this point, you can either save the hostages or kill them yourself.
The Outer Worlds 2
- Released
- October 29, 2025
