You don’t want to sneak or hack in The Outer Worlds 2 — you want to pull the trigger. Then the Gunslinger build is for you. In this guide we show you how to play the revolver hero the right way, with the best skills, perks, and companions.
The Gunslinger build is ideal if you love diving headfirst into firefights in The Outer Worlds 2. As a revolver hero you bank on high DPS, swift movement, and crits at close to mid-range. Melee and stealth aren’t your thing — instead you stir up trouble with pistols, rifles, and specialty ammo. This guide walks you through the foundation of a great Gunslinger build in Obsidian’s new sci-fi RPG.
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Combat tactics for Gunslingers: How to shoot smart in The Outer Worlds 2
In The Outer Worlds 2 it’s not just about pumping out damage — it’s just as crucial to dodge attacks cleanly and play tactically. Make consistent use of your double jump and keep moving at all times: stand still too long and you’ll get focused down fast.
Aim your shots at weak points like heads or energy cores to land critical damage. The Tactical Time Dilation device makes this even easier — slow time to line up precise shots and delete priority targets. Also match elemental weapons to enemy types: Shock is great against machines, Plasma excels versus organics, and Biomass works well against armored foes.
- Tip: Even if you specialize in firearms, always carry a melee weapon. If you run dry mid-fight, you’re not helpless.
Resource Management: Ammo, reloading, and companions
In longer battles, smart resource management is key. Keep looting ammo and pay attention to which types you need — light, compact, or biomass, for example. When you reload, do it in cover whenever possible; reloading in the open can get you killed.
Use your companions deliberately: their abilities can distract enemies, add burst damage, or heal you at the right moment. Suppressed weapons also shine for stealth kills — you’ll save ammo and avoid escalating skirmishes into full-blown firefights.
Mods and upgrades: Squeeze more out of your guns
Mods can transform a weapon, but once installed, they can’t be removed. Scopes boost precision at range — great for snipers. Grips improve handling and often increase raw damage output.
There are also mods that add elemental damage — Shock (excellent versus robots) or Plasma (very effective on organics). Plan your loadout ahead of time: the wrong mod can turn a good gun into dead weight.
Pick the right weapons for your Gunslinger build
Before you draw, know your playstyle. Not every weapon fits every character build. For quiet takedowns and stealth attacks, suppressed weapons are perfect — you’ll stay unnoticed and conserve ammo. Prefer distance? Go with sniper rifles and a scope so you can tag weak points from far away.
For close-range Gunslingers, shotguns are the top pick: they hit hard up close and reward aggressive play. Legendary and unique weapons often come with special bonuses and higher damage. Keep an eye out for standout pieces — they can give you a decisive edge.
Gunslinger Skills in The Outer Worlds 2: The key stats for Gunslingers
Two backgrounds fit a Gunslinger especially well: “Lawbringer” if you prefer to uphold order with moral conviction, and “Renegade” if you’d rather bend (or break) the rules. Fundamentally, any background works — they mainly unlock special dialogue and rarely shift skill checks. Otherwise, backgrounds have little noticeable impact on minute-to-minute gameplay.
For traits, Gunslingers usually pick between Agility and Tenacity. With the “Agile” trait you move significantly faster — both while sprinting in combat and while crouch-walking (each +25%). That makes it easier to reach cover or dodge incoming fire. “Tough” gives you a once-per-fight revive window: you’re spared from death and get three seconds to heal or pivot your tactic.
You can also take both traits, but then you’ll need to assign one additional drawback. If you truly plan to solve everything with sheer firepower, the negative trait “Dim” is a workable tradeoff. You’ll permanently drop five skills, but since this build focuses on damage anyway, the downsides are manageable.
Skills: What you need for maximum damage
Your core Gunslinger skills are “Firearms,” “Perception,” and “Engineering.” Firearms boosts damage on all ranged weapons and improves armor penetration — essential for top-tier DPS. Perception further increases weak-point damage and shines with well-placed rifle and revolver shots. Engineering raises your general damage resistance so you can stay in the fight longer.
Rush Firearms to level 10 as early as possible to spike your damage, then follow up with Perception and Engineering.
Key perks for Gunslingers
Bullet Shield: Increases damage resistance and base health by 10% each.
Requirements:
- none
Trophy Hunter: +5% crit chance, plus an extra +15% crit chance against strong enemies.
Requirements:
- none
Rapid Recharge: Energy recharge rate increases by 500% for 5 seconds (30-second cooldown) — crucial for Tactical Time Dilation (bullet-time).
Requirements:
- Science at level 1
Ninja: +10% dodge chance in heavy armor; +20% in light and medium armor.
Requirements:
- none
Trick Shot: Killing an enemy via a weak point causes the shot to ricochet and damage nearby targets.
Requirements:
- Firearms level 1
- Perception level 1
Face Reader: +20% damage against human enemies.
Requirements:
- Perception level 5
Commando: Unlocks an additional weapon equipment slot.
Requirements:
- Melee or Firearms level 1
Shiny New Toy: +20% damage for a short time after swapping weapons.
Requirements:
- Perk “Command”
- Firearms or Melee level 5
Lucky Strikes: +100% critical damage. If a crit kills an enemy, they explode, dealing damage equal to 20% of a nearby enemy’s health.
Requirements:
- Firearms or Melee level 20
Sharpshooter: +100% sneak-attack damage; +30% damage against nearby enemies; −15% damage against distant targets.
Requirements:
- Firearms level 1
Crabble Rancher: +10% ranged damage; +20% crit chance.
Requirements:
- Firearms level 2
Serendipitous Slayer: +10% crit chance with a 1-second cooldown.
Requirements:
- Firearms level 2
Deep Drums: +50% magazine size.
Requirements:
- Firearms level 3
Gun Runner: −50% ranged spread and accuracy penalty while moving; you can also fire assault rifles, shotguns, and SMGs while sliding.
Requirements:
- Firearms level 4
Hail of Lead: The longer you hold the trigger on an automatic weapon, the higher the damage (+2% per shot).
Requirements:
- Firearms level 5
Eden Windage: +25% range and +25% weak-point damage for sniper rifles, pistols, and marksman rifles.
Requirements:
- Perk “Krebsler Rancher”
- Firearms level 3
Multitasker: Stowed weapons auto-reload when you reload your equipped weapon.
Requirements:
- Perk “Command”
- Firearms level 14
Penetrating Shots: +50% armor penetration for shotguns and SMGs.
Requirements:
- Perk “Close Quarters”
- Firearms level 6
The best companions for Gunslingers in The Outer Worlds 2
True revolver heroes love going solo, but if you don’t want to skip your squad entirely, consider Tristan and Val. The towering Arbiter acts as a tank, draws aggro, and flushes enemies out of cover so you get clean lines of fire. The robot V.A.L.E.R.I.E. keeps you alive when the heat turns up. Alternatively, swap her for Marisol — she’s a support who can mark targets or temporarily turn your shots into guaranteed crits.
