Star Wars Outlaws update cuts polarizing forced stealth, but players are still torn
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The latest Star Wars Outlaws update is a doozy, focusing mostly on removing one of the biggest issues players had with the game: forced stealth.
“Player choice has always been a core focus of Star Wars Outlaws, but after listening to your feedback, we’ve realized there’s more we can do to give you even greater freedom,“ creative director Drew Rechner wrote in a post on Ubisoft’s website. “Restrictions like ‘Do not raise the alarm’ or ‘Do not get caught’ in quests were forcing players into stealthy playstyles, limiting the ability to choose whether to use combat or not. As a result, some quests could feel frustrating or unfair. We also found that detection mechanics could be unpredictable and inconsistent as well.”
While sneaking will remain a “viable” option, according to Rechner, getting caught will no longer send players packing back to the last checkpoint. The game state will instead transition into combat, allowing protagonist Kay Vess to blast her way out of a sticky situation. Syndicate districts, which previously only allowed stealth, will now also let players choose a more direct, combat-focused approach if their reputation with the local gang is less-than-stellar.
“And we’re not stopping there,” Rechner added. “We’re also expanding player choice in broader ways. For example, you can now pick up and keep weapons you find in the field for much longer, with more opportunities to use them in various scenarios. We’ve also added more meaningful combat decisions, like targeting specific enemy body parts for powerful headshots and exploiting weak points. The addition of positioning and timing tactics will also make combat scenarios more dynamic. Our goal is to let you play the way you want to play.”
Community reception to the update has been largely positive, with many saying Star Wars Outlaws is approaching a level of polish it should have had at launch.
“Folks were bouncing off the game because of the forced stealth,” reads one happy comment on the game’s official subreddit. “That was flat out non-negotiable for some people. I got through it, but if they can reach a larger audience with an adjustment, go for it.”
“Not sure if going full Rambo is the best way to approach most situations,” wrote another user. “But at least if you screw up the stealth, it isn’t the end of the world.”
“As someone who plays games without the HUD, I hate the change to add NPC detection and state indicators,” wrote a third, proving you can’t please everyone. “You cannot turn these new ones off despite all options available.”
A vocal subset of players has also been upset to find no fix in the update for the graphics issues afflicting some games on PlayStation 5 Pro.
Star Wars Outlaws launched on Aug. 30 to a middling reception. Writing for Polygon, critic Todd Harper described the open-world game as “beautiful” with a “rewarding” main story, but also said it tried to do too much. Stealth, Harper added, was both a gigantic part of the game and its “most egregious offender,” a sentiment reflected in many reviews. Julian Gerighty, former creative director on Star Wars Outlaws, acknowledged the issue in a Sept. 7 interview with GamesRadar+, referring to an early mission with insta-fail stealth requirements as a “mistake.”
