‘Outer Worlds 2’ Inventoryโฃ Systemโ Creates Paradox ofโ Choice, Player Reports
Aโค hands-on preview of The Outer Worlds 2 reveals a potentially frustrating paradox for players: an abundance of loot that actively โdetracts โขfrom enjoyment. The โฃplayer, writing for Kotaku, โamassed a staggering 142 weapons, 110 pieces of armor, and โข98 helmets duringโ their playthrough, โฃmany of which were duplicates.โฃ Thisโข overwhelming inventory led to inaction, with unique items and vendor-exclusive content remaining unused.
The โคcore issue isn’t a lack of content, โขbut rather โthe lack of consequences for hoarding. Theโค player noted possessingโ seven identical uniforms and ultimately choosing to stick with โฃa single, amusing helmet and robes for the entirety of โขthe game simply because engaging with alternatives felt burdensome. They also bypassed a vendor’s unique inventory,including helmets โขthat alterโ the game’s graphicsโค to pixel art,due to a reluctance to learn the function โคof each item. this experience highlights aโ potential โdesign flaw where the freedom to collect overshadows the desire โฃto experiment and optimize.
The player suggests a โคpotential โขsolution: implementing mechanics that treat excessive hoarding as a negativeโข trait. This โcould include reducedโข vendor prices or an increased chance of finding pre-modified gear, incentivizing players to curate their inventory and actively engage with the game’s systems. theโ experienceโฃ underscores a growing trend โin RPGs-the tensionโ between player agency and meaningful decision-making within expansive loot systems-and โคcould inform design choices โขfor future titles in the genre.
