Star Wars Outlaws Is Updating Combat and Removing Forced Stealth

Months after its release, Star Wars Outlaws is getting some huge gameplay changes in the next update, slated for November 21. Specifically, the combat and stealth are seeing major overhauls, which fans have been clamoring for for a while.

Star Wars Outlaws had a lot of potential as it approached launch in August. However, the reviews for the title were less than stellar. In our review, we remarked that “Outlaws could have truly been Red Dead Redemption 2 in space, and falls only just short.” Many were hopeful the title would finally deliver on the Star Wars scoundrel fantasy, especially with rhe Tom Clancy’s The Division series studio Massive Entertainment at the helm. While it had a rough launch, it seems the team is still committed to fixing the mistakes made from a gameplay-front. Now, they are on to tackle one of the key low points of many reviews, the stealth and combat.

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Posted on the official Star Wars Outlaws website, the team, as well as Creative Director Drew Rechner, talked about the upcoming change to the stealth and combat with Update 1.4. Now, instead of being forced into stealth as an option in missions, you can now continue the mission in full-on combat. This means that you won’t be brought back to a checkpoint or start of the mission if you’re found out.

Combat-wise, a previous post went over the fixes, which look to tackle the issues they had in the base game. This means overall weapon feel and upgraded stats on weapons were prioritized in order to ensure a better player experience. This extends to updated modules for Kay’s blaster like the Power module now allowing you to knock enemies out of cover or the Ion module having an extended stun period.

These changes are also part of Update 1.4’s push to restore player choice on a variety of things. For example, you can now target specific body parts, like the head, for quicker headshots or exploiting weak spots in an enemy. The changes, as mentioned before, are scheduled to go into effect on November 21.

In previous updates, like the one from September, the stealth mechanic was changed to not be too harsh. In that instant, rolling was fixed to be less detectable and differing detection levels were given to various locations. This meant that levels like “False Flag” were a lot more easier to complete, which is great for players who struggle with stealth or with how it was dealt in the game.

Despite the drawback from players for Star Wars Outlaws, the game still had some great details. As we mention in our review, the reputation system was a highlight of the gameplay, letting you truly feel like an outlaw. The title was also nominated for three Game Awards this year: Best Narrative, Best Performance (Humberly Gonzales as Kay Vess), and Best Adaptability.

Unfortunately, the sales of the title may be less than EA expected or hoped for. The publisher hasn’t yet shared details on just how many copies of Star Wars Outlaws were sold at launch and afterwards, but a lack of a number being broadcasted is rarely a good sign for a game’s outlook. While it’s too late to improve launch numbers, it’s good to know that the team is still dedicated to delivering a great product and listening to the fans.