All Outer Worlds 2 companions and how to recruit them

(Image credit: Obsidian)

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Niles
VALERIE
Inez
Aza
Marisol
Tristan

There are six Outer Worlds 2 companions to find and recruit, each with a unique ability. You can have two in a party and who you take is entirely up to you, and what abilities you want to use. You start the game with Niles and VALERIE, with four more you have to find and unlock.

Below I'll explain how to get all the Outer Worlds 2 companions and what their abilities are. While you'll mainly be using Outer Worlds 2 skills to build up your character, or choosing Outer Worlds 2 perks and other attributes, you can also consider these companions as an extension of your build and playstyle thanks to their unique skills. Let's take a look at them all now.

Outer worlds 2 Niles

How to unlock: Complete the intro
Skill: Niles puts himself in the enemy's line of fire to protect his comrades. Enemies are more likely to target him, and he will occasionally fire at enemies not targeting him, taunting them.
Faction: Earth Directorate

Niles is an Earth Directorate soldier that you meet at the very beginning of The Outer Worlds 2. At the end of the introductory mission entitled "The Earth Directorate Mission," he automatically becomes available as a companion.

One of his major tools is his ability to taunt enemies to draw aggro away from you in The Outer Worlds 2. If you feel like you're dying too quickly or being overwhelmed, then he can be a great distraction tool.

Outer Worlds 2 VALERIE

How to unlock: Complete the intro
Skill: Whenever Valerie uses her Life Injection module tray, all other party members, including herself, are also healed for a moderate amount. Heals 20% health instantly.
Faction: Earth Directorate

VALERIE is an Earth Directorate Robot in The Outer Worlds 2 who is a part of your crew from the very beginning. At the end of the opening mission she automatically becomes available as a companion, like Niles.

Having VALERIE as part of your team can prove super useful due to her ability to consistently heal you. Her syringes not only recover health but also provide a damage reduction bonus. For those who are finding their health is just depleting a bit too quickly, then be sure to recruit Valerie.

Outer Worlds 2 Inez

How to unlock: Met at Ministry of Accuracy after the Milverstreet or Kaur Outer Worlds 2 quest at the Fairfield town hall.
Skill: Inez occasionally tosses medicine packs near you. Walking over them automatically uses them, reducing your toxicity build-up or crash duration. Medicine packs break apart on their own after a moderate duration OR fire armour piercing scalding shell shards.
Faction: Auntie’s Choice

Inez is with the Auntie's Choice, one of the Outer World 2 factions you can work with. She's an Enhanced Soldier you first meet her during either Milverstreet or Kaur's mission and later meet again when she returns to Fairfield to speak with Milverstreet.

She'll offer to join your crew in exchange for helping fix her grafted arm. You can then choose between two different grafts - a more defensive healing graft, or a more combat focused armour-piercing graft. Inez is almost like having two choices for a new companion as you can decide her graft based on what you need and have a soldier or a healer.

Outer Worlds 2 Aza

How to unlock: Free her from her cell in the Decommissioned Autonomous Extractorium in west Golden Ridge. Agree to hunt down her fellow cultists.
Skill: Aza chooses discretion over aggression and attempts to flank weak targets in combat.
Faction: The Glorious Dawn

Aza is one of the easiest companions to unlock in the Outer Worlds 2. All you need to do is sneak or fight your way into the Decommissioned Autonomous Extractorium in west Golden Ridge and then free her from her cell.

She's a perfect addition to any team looking for a strong offence thanks to her skill that allows you to blast enemies with an explosive cluster and has multiple charges - enemies that are hit take extensive physical damage and are crowd-controlled.

Outer Worlds 2 Marisol

How to unlock: Complete the Beginning at the Endpoint quest at Zyranium Refinery in Golden Ridge. Side with Initiate Alva.
Skill: Marisol occasionally tosses more portable capacitors near you. Walking over them automatically activates them, restoring gadget energy. Attacking them causes them to explode, dealing shock damage in an area around them. There is a cooldown between uses.
Faction: The Order

Marisol will be in disguise when you meet her, making her one of the harder companions to recruit in The Outer Worlds 2. If you don't side with her during the quest where you meet her, you can actually accidentally kill her and lose out completely. If you want to avoid that and recruit her, then be sure to side with Initiate Alva during the Beginning and at the Endpoint quest.

If you're finding it hard to defeat bosses, then definitely go and recruit Marisol. If your build relies on critical hits, then having Mara's Soul is a large bonus based on all of her attacks being critical damage. This will allow you to do massive amounts of damage super quickly as well as activate your effects.

Outer Worlds 2 Tristan

How to unlock: Met at The 2nd Choice on Free Market Station. Complete his quest at Golden Ridge.
Skill: Enemies are more likely to target Tristan, and hostile effects on him last half as long. Harmful status effect duration: -50%.
Faction: The Protectorate

Tristan is part of the Protectorate, and you'll meet him at the Second Choice Bar on Free Market Station. Complete his quest at Golden Ridge to recruit him in The Outer Worlds 2.

Tristan's ability allows him to deal massive amounts of AoE damage, and he can taunt enemies too. If you want a risky high damage build then you can team him up with Dependant, one of the Outer Worlds 2 flaws, that gives you a +25% damage buff on enemies damaged by companions at the expense of -10% damage otherwise. Another bonus to having Tristan in your team is the fact that he will point out things of interest as you explore the world.