If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent the first 2-6 hours of any RPG you started in the character creator, creating the smartest, strongest, and coolest hero possible. But what if I told you that there’s an even better way to create a character? Just have a look at The Outer Worlds 2, which arguably throws all that out of the window and embraces being gloriously, over the top stupid.
You heard right, Obsidian’s sequel doubles down on the studio’s trademark dark and twisted satirical humor and dialogue-driven gameplay, and for some reason that includes a “dumb” character build, which arguably opens up some of the most funny (and tragic) interactions in the entire game. The best part, however? Being dumb doesn’t make you useless, quite the contrary in some cases.
Your intellectual shortcomings now come with unique dialogue, similar to choosing a Malkavian clan in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. There are even plenty of moments, where your lovable moron outsmarts the smart people simply by accident. So if you’ve ever wanted to just stumble through the galaxy’s capitalist chaos armed with asinine confidence, bad ideas, and probably a blunt tool if all things fail – this is your guide. Let’s get stupid together, shall we?
What Does The Outer Worlds 2 Dumb Trait Actually Do?
Choosing the Dumb trait in The Outer Worlds 2 drastically lowers your Intelligence stat, which affects dialogue checks, hacking, and technical skill use. On paper, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. In practice, though? It’s pure comedy gold.
Not only that, but your character apparently becomes blissfully unaware of their surroundings, turning serious scientific conversations into awkward comedy sketches, but in a good way. I chuckled more than once, and in one instance, even broke out in full-blown laughter – something video games don’t make me do all that often anymore.
Now, this trait does come with its downsides, and while you’ll miss out on certain high-level persuasion or science checks, you’ll unlock entirely new “dumb” dialogue options that often bypass these checks in the most ridiculous ways, so it’s a good tradeoff in my humble opinion. Think: calling a hostile scientist a “lightning wizard” mid-fight, or mistaking a complex AI for a “talking fridge.” It’s dumb, it’s charming, and sometimes – it just works. Sorry Todd.
Let’s get down to business and see, if we can’t build the dumbest character possible in The Outer Worlds 2 – just for you guys.
The Best Skills to Pair With the Dumb Trait
Focus on Melee and Defense
Suffice it to say, your dumb-ass of a hero won’t be solving problems with their brain anytime soon, so it’s best to make them good at solving them with a hammer. Prioritize Melee and Defense early on, for strength-based builds pair beautifully with Dumb, letting you smash through problems that smarter characters would try to talk their way out of. At the end of the day, you’re not the most smooth-talking individual, you’d rather let your weapon speak – most of the time.
Inspiration and Leadership
Even the dumbest captain needs a crew that believes in them, as unrealistic as that sounds. So my suggestion? Do put some points into Leadership and Inspiration. Your companions can pick up the slack when it comes to hacking, lockpicking, and using science weapons, while your own charisma keeps them from mutinying every five minutes. Probably.
Sneak and Stealth – But Poorly
You might not think your character is sneaky (and they definitely aren’t), but investing a few points in Stealth opens up some hilarious fail-states. Your “stealth attempts” will often trigger unique dialogue or bungle an infiltration in spectacular fashion – which can still lead to some memorable victories, and another dumb story to tell your children.
My Recommended Flaws and Perks For A Dumb Build
Roleplay, Roleplay, Roleplay – That’s What It’s All About
At this point, we’ve already committed to our dumb hero in the most absurd way possible, but The Outer Worlds has another ace up its sleeve – flaws. This mechanic amplifies the chaotic charm of your Dumb build and gives you more flavor in roleplaying.
You can also embrace flaws that lower your Perception – doubling down on your hero’s inability to process basic visual cues. This way, in your twisted world, your dumb character suddenly makes sense, and I felt insanely cool roleplaying someone that might be able to save the galaxy more by accident, than with competence. Or not.
Focus on Perks That Keep You Alive
Let’s face it, a 5 star general your hero is not, so you’ll definitely be missing out on some tactical advantages when it comes to fighting. So perks that increase health, your armor, or even your companion effectiveness are a must-pick. It just fits that a character that dumb must either have a guardian angel watching over them, or have the companions get you out of situations you got them in, so for aunties choice’s sake – pick “resilient” as soon as possible.
Later, you can experiment with perks that boost melee criticals or slow down time during combat, especially if you want to lean into that “accidental genius” persona. Not saying I did, but it’s a way to play the game – thankfully. This also doubles down on your hero’s inability to process basic visual clues, so it’s a double win for me.
Play Dumb – But In a Smart Way
The secret to a great Dumb build isn’t just low Intelligence, it’s committing to the character, even if you look at the dialogue option you hover over, thinking “Gee, I’d never say anything like this in real life”. So, what do you do? That’s right, always pick the goofiest dialogue option. Ignore complicated plans. Choose the “kick it” or “press random button” solution whenever available. You’ll find that the game actively rewards this chaos with unique quest paths and outcomes you’d never see in a min-maxed run, which we can’t thank Obsidian enough of for including it.
Even Obsidian’s writers have admitted that the Dumb dialogue paths are some of their favorites to write – and it shows. It’s not just about being funny per se, it’s about exploring The Outer Worlds 2’s moral absurdity through the eyes of someone too dim to understand it, yet too honest to lie about it.
You won’t charm every NPC, and you’ll miss out on some complex solutions – but you’ll gain access to a version of the game that feels completely unique. It’s a reminder that in a world of corporate overlords and brainy hypocrites, maybe being a well-meaning idiot isn’t such a bad thing after all, blissfully ignorant of all the bad stuff happening to you, your party, and really – all around you.
