All of The Outer Worlds 2 companions you can recruit to your crew
Ahead of launch, Obsidian (sarcastically) predicted that The Outer Worlds 2 companions are "the part of the game you'll remember more than the ending." Hey, in an action-RPG that just might be true. The companions in the first game of its not-Fallout space corporation tech dystopia were certainly one of its high points.
As is the drill for a party of RPG misfits, your companions in Outer Worlds 2 will have their own faction loyalties, backgrounds, skills, and storylines that you can affect with your choices. Those details are pretty thin on the ground right now though. We know a lot less about TOW2's crew than we did about Avowed's in its launch month earlier this year. Here's what we know so far though: names, factions, and a bit of snark about their abilities.
Can you romance your companions in The Outer Worlds 2?
Nope. You can't kiss your companions in The Outer Worlds 2. That's standard for Obsidian at this point though. There also weren't romances in Avowed (except there was kind of that Kai romance in Avowed). Obsidian has reiterated that no, you can't sleep with your mates in this one either. Maybe they'll have snuck in another off-screen sort of romance, but there definitely won't be any broader system of companion approval and smooching scenes. You'll need to go back to Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 for that.
Aza
Faction: The Glorious Dawn
Aza is part of a cult that worships the rifts that it's your goal to get rid of, "and in her case, violence in general," so that's sure to start off as an easy partnership. "You can choose to either turn her away from overt violence or support her chaotic and dangerous tendencies," Obsidian says. She's got a dagger and a wearable hand cannon for firing incendiaries seen in trailers so she'll likely be a sort of rogue-y engineer combat type.
Inez
Faction: Auntie's Choice
Inez is a combat medic who survived an initiative to graft soldiers with animal parts to make them more dangerous. She's still working for Auntie's Choice after that though, apparently. "She wants the player to help fix her graft, among other things," Obsidian explains. She's shown with a rifle in the companions trailer, though it also notes that she knows field medicine.
Marisol
Faction: Order of the Ascendant
Your rep from the church-like Order of the Ascendant is Marisol, "an aging but still deadly assassin." Apparently she has some kind of unfinished business to sort out with your help. Marisol is a definite tech-head with big old goggles and a science pistol and it looks like her outfit has some kind of offensive abilities of its own.
Niles
Faction: Earth Directorate
Obsidian says Niles "can fix your shit" but "can't commit to a hobby." He's a member of the Earth Directorate, which has been likened to space marshal "good guys" who come in to whip a place into shape. You'll be playing as another Earth Directorate agent, so I'd bet you'll recruit Niles pretty early on in the game as your tutorializing buddy cop.
"He's looking for your help to decide whether he wants to become an even better agent or to turn his back on the Earth Directorate completely," Obsidian says.
Tristan
Faction: Protecterate
A member of the authoritarian Protectorate faction, Tristan is "judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one armored package." You'll be able to either help him judge wrongdoers by the Protectorate book or "show him what true justice looks like." He's allegedly just as blunt as his big old hammer, which you can spot him using to dole out a lot of knockback in combat. It also looks like he's got a berserker-style taunt ability to draw fire from enemies.
Valerie
Faction: Earth Directorate
Valerie is an automech support drone who is "basically Niles' helper," Obsidian says. It also notes that she can heal and provide damage reduction, so she'll be that support companion you use early on and then probably leave behind forever as soon as you've got some more heavy hitters available.