Obsidian Entertainment has announced Side Effects Guaranteed, the first story expansion for The Outer Worlds 2, in a post on Xbox Wire. The expansion is the first chapter of a two-part narrative arc, and it opens with a distress signal that draws the Commander and the crew of the Incognito to a derelict ship with a gruesome mystery aboard.
The ship's crew is found in suspended animation, next to a puddle that was most likely a person. A video message left by the captain explains that her crew was contaminated with something during a heist and will suffer explosive cell death unless they find a cure — or, as she corrects herself, something more like a "liquefaction." The message leads the Commander to Gordon Hazen, one of the leading agents of Sub Rosa, a criminal organization whose members steal from the factions rather than work for them.
Hazen sends the Commander to Elysium Valley, a new region on Eden settled by former Protectorate subjects who have been forgotten by their leaders, believing they may hold the answers to saving his frozen crew. Hazen personally favors diplomacy over violence, but he needs the information whatever it takes. He is not the only one with an interest in the valley: fellow Sub Rosa agent Algernon Lankester wants the Commander to help him exploit the subjects for his own personal gain, and the fate of the settlement, the frozen agents and Sub Rosa itself will be left for the player to decide.
Check out the teaser:
The expansion adds more than story. Elysium Valley brings new threats, including vicious canids and primal sprats — a normal sprat at roughly 100 times the size — while the level cap rises from 30 to 36, opening three more perk slots with 15 brand-new perks added. Four new flaws join the build system, among them Lethally Tolerant, which raises the Commander's maximum toxicity but makes a Toxicity Crash instantly fatal, and Must Have Been the Wind, which marks an assassination target in each combat group and trades damage and speed buffs against steep debuffs for failure.
There are also new weapons, new armor and new outfits for every companion, plus a Sub Rosa-run radio station featuring 20 new songs. Players who want to start with the expansion can choose a new alternate starting point from the main menu, which provides a custom save that lands them at the start of the DLC with skill and perk points ready to allot.
Choices made in Side Effects Guaranteed will carry directly into the second expansion, and The Outer Worlds 2 itself is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, including with Game Pass. Side Effects Guaranteed will release on December 2 for $14.99, or as part of the Premium Edition and Premium Edition Upgrade, with the second part of the expansion following in spring 2027.
Source: Xbox Wire
