Players beginning their new adventure in The Outer World’s Halcyon Colony will likely be looking for allies to help against the endless hordes of marauders, alien monsters, and, worst of all, corporate bureaucrats. As fate would have it, there are up to six individuals willing to join you on your adventures for a variety of reasons. They make up the crew of the Unreliable, and they are at your disposal.
These companions are individuals with unique abilities and skills that can help in certain scenarios, some more than others. Regardless of who you take on missions, they each contribute to the overall game experience through their backstories, personalities, combat abilities and utilities.
SAM
Short for Sanitation and Maintenance, SAM is the only auto-mechanical member of your party. Despite this uniqueness, however, he’s considered one of the least used companions of the Unreliable crew. While he’s already aboard the ship at the start of the game, he lies in a deactivated state and can only be reactivated by finding a part somewhere in the Roseway Gardens.
SAM is best utilized for combat missions against large and powerful bosses but doesn’t offer much in terms of character development or interactions. At best, he’s great for background comedy, while the rest of the crew offer so much more to the experience when tagging along. For players wishing to go for an evil or psychopath playthrough, SAM is the only companion who will have absolutely no qualms with you murdering everybody.
Nyoka Ramnarim-Wentworth III
A native of Monarch, Nyoka is considered the best hunter on the planet, which is handy when traveling on this map because many giant alien creatures are looking to eat you. She’s similar to Ellie in many ways, aside from being a high-functioning alcoholic and having a better demeanor. Unfortunately, when directly compared, she’s not as useful as our mercenary sawbones.
Despite her reputation, Nyoka’s skillset leaves something to be desired as none of them are towards combat. Her sneak skill can prove useful when you prefer sneaking past an enemy or setting up an ambush. Her Barrage ability, while epic looking, is purely damage-based.
Felix Millstone
A true rebel without a cause, Felix is an orphaned kid who’s lived on the Groundbreaker his whole life and jumps at the first chance for adventure when you arrive with your ship. He might be the brightest member of your crew, but the kid’s got heart and is always ready for a fight. He’s also got an obsession over the in-game sport tossball.
His ability is also the best of the bunch, as he’s willing to run up to literally any enemy and dropkick them. It’s hilarious every time and surprisingly powerful. His persuade skill can be very handy for players who wish to use their silver tongue to win the day rather than just shooting someone in the face.
Ellie Fenhill
Raised in the lap of luxury of Byzantium, Ellie was trained to be a surgeon but eventually left to become an adventurer and mercenary. Her pessimistic personality has many fans split on whether to like her or not. Her values of professionalism and paying debts often overshadow her dark outlook on life. She’ll often comment on the player’s actions more than any other crewmate, especially if you’ve chosen an altruistic solution to a mission.
Combat wise Ellie’s decent in a fight, though her special ability isn’t a very powerful or entertaining game changer. As an experienced medic, however, her skills and perks can be quite useful in healing otherwise fatal injuries while in a fight against tough opponents.
Vicar Maximillian Desoto
A priest with a violent streak, Vicar Max joins your party so he can search for the answers to the universe and achieve enlightenment. Of all the crew members you can recruit, Max seems to have the most interesting and eventful backstory, having spent some time in prison even.
In terms of gameplay, Max’s hack and science skills give the player new unconventional solutions to finishing quests and exploration. His ability involves shotgunning enemies, sometimes stunning or knocking them down for you to finish off. Additionally, one of his character's unique perks increases the damage of any science weapon in your arsenal.
Parvati Holcomb
That’s right, you all knew this was coming. Parvati is considered the best companion in The Outer Worlds by many fans and possibly one of the best from Obsidian’s other RPG titles. Raised as a mechanic in the rundown corporate town of Edgewater, Parvati is the first companion players will come across and can recruit. She’s kind, quirky and the most empathetic of the group. She’s also a well-written LGBTQ+ character, which can be a rarity in most video games.
Despite her close to pacifist nature, she’s quite useful in combat. Parvati’s Overload ability provides a guaranteed knockdown against all types of enemies, even mega-sized creatures and other bosses. And her skills of persuade and lockpick will always be useful to any player looking to explore, loot and convince others in dialogue.