10 Tips for Playing Outward - Outward Guide - IGN (2024)

When playing Outward, it doesn't take long to realize it's not a normal RPG. It's tough, full of options, and doesn't hesitate to throw you in the deep end to fend for yourself.

With this in mind, we decided to put together a list of Tips and Helpful Knowledge that will benefit all players.

Patience, Patience, Patience

There is no single, greater tip to give then one of patience. Outward is not a fast moving, quick to play game. Traveling takes time, moving around items from dungeons to towns takes time, harvesting resources to craft gear... takes time.

This isn't saying the game is bad, but that if you try to rush through you'll find yourself struggling. Take the time to explore the world, loot dungeons, stockpile gear. It will all serve a purpose at some point, and you'll thank yourself in the long run, as you'll have everything you need before you realize you need it.

Hoard Items Like You've Never Hoarded Before

This is both good and bad, so bear with me.

Hoarding items is essential to your success in Outward. Everything requires something, and that something you often find while out exploring. Crafting materials, cooking ingredients, potions, they all take items to be created. Of course, earning money also requires items to be sold, so picking up as much as you can and storing it in Cierzo, or selling it, is quite important.

The downside? Travel time. You have a very limited inventory, which means you can only pick up so many things, and transporting what you do pick up will take awhile. For this reason, it's important to prioritize certain items. Crafting materials should always be picked up, as well as weapons and armor. However, once your inventory reaches max, start dropping the heaviest things first, like low tier armor, or overly heavy weapons.

Don't Store Items in Your Pockets!

Short and sweet, just don't do it! If you die, there's a high chance you lose any items stored in your pockets. Always store stuff in your backpack unless you absolutely know you'll need it (like Bandages).

A Sword And Shield To Begin With

Combat in Outward is no joke. It only takes a few hits for you to die, and that's from the weakest of enemies. Since armor can be tough to come by early on, we highly suggest players start out with a Sword and Shield as their primary weapons, until you grow comfortable enough to wield other weapons.

A shield gives you tons of defensive power, as it will block the majority of physical hits at the cost of stamina. Your only other option if you don't use the shield is dodging around, which can be tricky even at the best of times, and since you have low tier armor early on, a single missed dodge can be costly.

Using a Sword is also nice early on as it's fast, allowing you to quickly poke an enemy then back away. They're also common among bandits, so getting your hands on one is rarely a challenge.

Graberries, Water and Bandages

These three items are the key to your long term health in Outward.

Graberries are a commonly found item, growing throughout the world. They will help satiate your hunger and give a nice Stamina Regen buff while you eat them. They're also light, and are simply easier to carry then full course meals.

Water is another necessity, and again, easy to obtain. A single Waterskin can hold several sips of water, more than enough to last a few days of adventuring, during which you'll likely find other fresh water sources. Remember, only fresh water should be consumed.

Lastly, Bandages are used to heal. They can cure the Bleeding effect if you get deeply cut, and will also slowly heal you over time after being applied. They are an essential tool, and will save your life countless times. They also are easy to craft, using only 2 pieces of Linen.

Mana Isn't All That

If you're looking to become the worlds coolest mage in Outward, you might want to think again. While magic can be useful, it's more of a secondary consideration and shouldn't be used as your primary tool unless you are extremely familiar with the game. The reason for this, is that learning spells is both time consuming and expensive, and Mana can be very hard to maintain early on.

For your first playthrough, we highly suggest you only dabble in Mana, and wait until either later in the game, or another playthrough to truly try your hand at being a mage. If you're wondering how to even get Mana, since you don't start with it, then check out this quest: Acquire Mana

The Enemy of my Enemy

One of the nice things about Outward is that, no one seems to like each other. You can use this to your advantage to help swing a fight in your favor. Are some Bandits bothering you? Lead them into a pack of Hyenas!

It won't always work, but when the option is available, give it a try, and watch the battles victory get handed directly into your arms.

Death is Alarming, But Not That Bad

When you die, it can be quite alarming, because you'll often find yourself without your items. Terrible right?

Well, it's not as bad as you think. While it's true that you can lose items stored in your pockets, you'll never lose your backpack. Even if your thrown in jail, or a cage, or otherwise stripped of it, your gear is always kept somewhere nearby for you to recover it. It might take some searching, but it's always there. If you're lucky, you will have a marker on the radar at the top, indicating the direction to your backpack.

Don't Ignore The First Mission

When the game begins, you're told to earn 150 Silver to satisfy your debt, and that you must do so within 5 days. Do not ignore this! If you do not pay within the 5 days (game time), you'll be exiled from your town, unable to return.

This is not good, for obvious reasons. You lose access to your house, which has sleeping and cooking facilities. There are also several useful vendors in Cierzo, which you'll also no longer be able to shop at. 150 Silver is not that hard to come by, and you can find out more by reading this page: Call to Adventure.

Beware: Traps Ahead

There's nothing like hearing a click, then suddenly a dozen spikes rocket through your body. No? You don't want that?

Well, make sure to always keep one eye on the floor! Traps are very common near treasure and in caves. They will appear on the ground as small switches with several holes around them. So long as you don't step on the pressure plate, you'll be safe, but during the heat of combat or when you're not paying attention, it's easy to run over one and quickly find yourself sprawled dead on the ground.

This also makes light sources incredibly important. Never leave home without a torch or lantern, or else you risk stepping on the wrong thing in a dark cave!