Understanding The Outer Worlds 2’s Genius Flaw System
Here’s something I absolutely love about The Outer Worlds 2: the game literally rewards you for playing badly. Seriously. While most RPGs punish your mistakes, Obsidian decided to flip the script and turn your gameplay quirks into permanent character traits. It’s brilliant, frustrating, and weirdly addictive all at once.
The flaw system works like this: play a certain way long enough, and the game notices. Stand too close to exploding robots? Boom—you develop a fear of automechanicals. Can’t stop stealing everything that isn’t nailed down? Congratulations, you’re now a kleptomaniac. The game then offers you a permanent debuff in exchange for an equally permanent buff that usually complements your playstyle.
Here’s the kicker: accepting flaws isn’t mandatory, but refusing them means missing out on some genuinely powerful bonuses. It’s a risk-reward calculation you’ll need to make throughout your entire playthrough.
Every Single Flaw in The Outer Worlds 2 (Complete List)
I’ve tested every single one of these during multiple playthroughs, so let me break down exactly what each flaw does and how you’ll accidentally unlock it.
Combat-Focused Flaws
Anger Mismanagement
- What You Get: Power attacks hit 25% harder
- What You Lose: Taking hits while blocking deals 50% more damage
- How to Unlock: Swing melee weapons around and avoid blocking like the plague
- My Take: Only worth it if you’re committed to a berserker build where blocking isn’t part of your strategy anyway
Dependent
- What You Get: 25% damage boost when attacking enemies your companions recently hit
- What You Lose: 10% overall damage reduction
- How to Unlock: Let your companions do the heavy lifting while you hang back
- My Take: This is secretly one of the best flaws in the game. Your companions charge in automatically anyway, so you’re essentially getting a net +15% damage boost if you coordinate properly
Reckless Leadership
- What You Get: When one companion drops, the other gets fully healed with abilities ready
- What You Lose: You can’t revive companions mid-combat anymore
- How to Unlock: Watch your companions eat dirt repeatedly
- My Take: High-risk, high-reward. Great for aggressive playstyles, terrible if you rely on companion synergy
Technophobia
- What You Get: Deal 20% more damage to robots
- What You Lose: Take 20% more damage from robots
- How to Unlock: Fight lots of automechanicals
- My Take: If you’re good at dodging, this becomes a straight damage buff against one of the most common enemy types
Treacherous
- What You Get: 100% sneak attack damage, enemies lose track of you 50% faster
- What You Lose: 25% less base health
- How to Unlock: Play stealthy—crouch everywhere, backstab everyone
- My Take: Absolutely essential for stealth builds. The health loss doesn’t matter if nobody sees you
Resource Management Flaws
Consumerism
- What You Get: 15% discount at all vendors
- What You Lose: 10% less when selling items
- How to Unlock: Buy the Premium Edition (yes, really)
- My Take: Free money saver if you bought the right edition. No-brainer acceptance
Drug Addiction
- What You Get: 40% less toxicity from your inhaler
- What You Lose: Inhaler heals 20% less
- How to Unlock: Spam that heal button constantly
- My Take: You’ll probably unlock this naturally. The reduced toxicity is genuinely useful for inhaler-heavy builds
Gluttony
- What You Get: Food and drinks restore 15% more health
- What You Lose: 10% slower in combat
- How to Unlock: Eat and drink everything to restore health
- My Take: The movement penalty hurts, but if you’re already using consumables heavily, might as well commit
Hermit
- What You Get: 25% chance for double materials when scrapping items
- What You Lose: Vendor prices increase 50%
- How to Unlock: Break down everything instead of selling
- My Take: Only viable if you’re crafting-focused and rarely buy from vendors
Kleptomania
- What You Get: Automatically steal items (yes, really)
- What You Lose: Vendors charge double for stolen goods
- How to Unlock: Steal everything that isn’t bolted down
- My Take: Hilarious but impractical. You’ll accidentally ruin quest lines and vendor relationships
Profligate Spender
- What You Get: VALERIE stores 75% of your earnings until level 30, gives you interest
- What You Lose: Limited access to your own money early-game
- How to Unlock: Spend bits like water
- My Take: Long-term investment strategy. You’ll get 150% back at level 30, which is massive for endgame shopping
Wasteful
- What You Get: Enemies always drop ammo
- What You Lose: 25% higher vendor prices
- How to Unlock: Constantly run dry on ammunition
- My Take: Never worry about ammo again. Worth it for gun-heavy builds
Exploration & Stealth Flaws
Bad Knees
- What You Get: Crouch-walk 50% faster
- What You Lose: Crouching makes noise in a 10-meter radius
- How to Unlock: Crouch constantly while moving
- My Take: Completely defeats the purpose of stealth. Hard pass unless you’re speed-crouching for memes
Easily Startled
- What You Get: Enemy footsteps 25% quieter, detection rate reduced
- What You Lose: Zero damage resistance for 8 seconds after being spotted
- How to Unlock: Fail at sneaking repeatedly
- My Take: The detection reduction is nice, but getting caught becomes extremely punishing
N-Radiated
- What You Get: 5% chance to auto-cloak when hit
- What You Lose: 5% of max health always taken as N-Ray damage
- How to Unlock: Complete the N-Ray Range area in Golden Ridge
- My Take: Story-specific flaw. The auto-cloak can save you in clutch moments, but the permanent damage hurts
Sungazer
- What You Get: Up to 50% health regen in daylight
- What You Lose: Permanent vision damage, 100% worse weapon spread
- How to Unlock: Stare at the sun like an absolute madman
- My Take: Don’t. Just don’t. The vision damage makes the game almost unplayable
Skills & Progression Flaws
Bibliomania
- What You Get: 20% more base health
- What You Lose: Health reduced by 30% for 2 minutes after NPC conversations
- How to Unlock: Read every book and datapad you find
- My Take: Net positive if you space out conversations. Good for lore nerds who also like tanking
Dangerously Curious
- What You Get: Double XP from hacking
- What You Lose: Hacking costs one extra bypass shunt
- How to Unlock: Hack everything in sight
- My Take: Bypass shunts are cheap and plentiful. This is basically free XP if you’re a hacking enthusiast
Easily Distracted
- What You Get: One extra skill point per level
- What You Lose: Can only invest in your lowest skills
- How to Unlock: Spread skill points everywhere instead of specializing
- How to Unlock: Spread points across multiple skills
- My Take: Forces jack-of-all-trades builds. Great for variety, terrible for min-maxers
Flawed
- What You Get: Extra perk point every 5 levels
- What You Lose: Must accept every flaw offered
- How to Unlock: Accept 2+ flaws in one playthrough
- My Take: Meta-flaw for masochists. Perk points are valuable, but mandatory acceptance can wreck specialized builds
Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome
- What You Get: 15% bonus experience
- What You Lose: Random dialogue choices selected for you
- How to Unlock: Speed through conversations
- My Take: XP is nice, but losing dialogue control in a choice-driven RPG? That’s rough
Equipment & Combat Mechanics Flaws
Compulsive Liar
- What You Get: Ignore skill requirements for lying
- What You Lose: Must always choose lie options when available
- How to Unlock: Lie in conversations constantly
- My Take: Roleplaying gold. Great for silver-tongued devils who want to lie their way through everything
Energy Hog
- What You Get: 50 extra gadget energy
- What You Lose: 25% slower energy recharge
- How to Unlock: Drain your gadget meter constantly
- My Take: Bigger battery, slower charging. Works well with energy-efficient gadget builds
Luddite
- What You Get: 10 damage resistance while gadget energy is full
- What You Lose: 25% smaller energy meter and slower recharge
- How to Unlock: Never use gadgets
- My Take: Opposite of Energy Hog. Rewards you for ignoring game mechanics entirely
Overprepared
- What You Get: 50% larger magazines
- What You Lose: 40% less damage for 8 seconds after emptying magazines
- How to Unlock: Reload obsessively before emptying clips
- My Take: One of the absolute best flaws. Just reload after every kill and never trigger the penalty
Snobbish
- What You Get: Nothing good
- What You Lose: 20% higher crafting material prices, can’t break down items
- How to Unlock: Buy tons of crafting materials
- My Take: Actively terrible. Avoid this one
Teetotaler
- What You Get: Inhaler heals 25% more
- What You Lose: 25% more toxicity per use
- How to Unlock: Avoid using your inhaler and taking Zyranium damage
- My Take: Paradoxical flaw. Better healing but faster toxicity buildup
Tunnel Vision
- What You Get: Bonus armor penetration
- What You Lose: Permanently lose your second weapon slot
- How to Unlock: Only use one weapon for extended periods
- My Take: Devastating loss for build flexibility. Only consider if you’re married to one weapon type
The 4 Best Flaws You Should Actually Accept
After extensive testing, these are the flaws that consistently provide more benefit than drawback:
1. Overprepared – The Tactical Reload King
This is my personal favorite and it’s incredibly easy to game the system. The 50% magazine boost is phenomenal for crowd control situations, and you can completely avoid the damage penalty by developing one simple habit: reload after every engagement.
Pro tip: Bind reload to an easily accessible key and make it muscle memory. I reload after literally every kill, which means I’ve never once triggered the damage reduction penalty.
Best for: Any gun-focused build, especially automatic weapons and shotguns
2. Dependent – The Team Player’s Secret Weapon
Here’s what makes this flaw brilliant: your companions are aggressive by default. They charge into combat whether you want them to or not. So if you’re playing any ranged build, you’re already letting them engage first anyway.
The math works out beautifully: you lose 10% base damage but gain 25% against enemies your companions hit. That’s a net +15% damage increase for playing exactly how the game already encourages you to play.
Pro tip: Pair this with companions who have AOE damage abilities. Let them soften up groups, then clean up from range.
Best for: Ranged weapon builds, tactical players, anyone using guns over melee
3. Dangerously Curious – The Hacker’s Dream
Double XP from hacking terminals is absurdly good for leveling speed. The Outer Worlds 2 is packed with terminals, computers, and locked systems everywhere you look. If you’re someone who hacks everything anyway (and you should be), this flaw turns your exploration into an XP farm.
The bypass shunt cost increase sounds scary until you realize these items are:
- Found commonly throughout the world
- Cheap to buy from vendors
- Craftable if you invest in the right skills
I’ve never once run out of bypass shunts in any playthrough, even with this flaw active.
Pro tip: Check out our complete guide to farming Mag Picks and Bypass Shunts to never worry about resources.
Best for: Exploration-focused players, tech-savvy builds, anyone maxing stealth/tech skills
4. Consumerism – The Free Money Saver
If you bought the Premium Edition, this is literally a free 15% discount on everything with minimal downside. You’ll earn plenty of bits through quests and exploration, so the 10% selling reduction barely matters.
The discount becomes increasingly valuable as you progress because endgame gear costs thousands of bits. Saving 15% on a 5,000-bit weapon is 750 bits back in your pocket.
Pro tip: Combine this with the Profligate Spender flaw for maximum economic efficiency (if you can handle the early-game money restriction).
Best for: Anyone who bought Premium Edition (duh), shopping enthusiasts, endgame gear collectors
Flaws to Avoid At All Costs
Not every flaw is created equal. These are the ones that will actively make your playthrough worse:
Sungazer – The Vision Destroyer
100% weapon spread increase means you literally cannot aim properly anymore. The health regeneration doesn’t come close to compensating for being unable to hit anything. I genuinely cannot think of a build where this is worth accepting.
Kleptomania – The Accidental Criminal
Automatic stealing sounds hilarious (and it is, briefly) until you realize you’re:
- Aggressing NPCs unintentionally
- Failing quests because you stole plot-critical items
- Paying double prices for stolen goods
- Getting shot at for picking up quest items
Snobbish – The Crafter’s Nightmare
Losing the ability to break down items removes a core game mechanic for basically no benefit. The increased material costs just add insult to injury.
Bad Knees – The Noisy Sneak
Making noise while crouching defeats the entire purpose of crouching. Speed increase doesn’t matter if every enemy within 10 meters hears you coming.
Strategic Flaw Acceptance: Building Around Weaknesses
The key to mastering flaws is accepting ones that complement your existing playstyle rather than forcing you to adapt. Here’s how to think strategically:
For Stealth Builds:
Accept Treacherous early and build around it. The massive sneak attack damage boost defines your entire combat approach. Avoid Bad Knees and Easily Startled.
Recommended reading: Our complete traits tier list helps you synergize traits with flaws.
For Tank Builds:
Bibliomania gives you that extra health pool. Pair it with Dependent if you’re using companions as additional aggro management.
For Gunslinger Builds:
Overprepared is non-negotiable. Add Dependent for damage boosts and Wasteful if you’re burning through ammo.
For Tech/Hacker Builds:
Dangerously Curious for XP farming, Easily Distracted for extra skill points to spread around.
For Melee Builds:
Anger Mismanagement if you dodge instead of blocking. Avoid Tunnel Vision unless you’re absolutely certain you’ll only use melee.
The Achievement Hunter’s Path: Flawed Hero
If you’re going for 100% completion, you’ll need to unlock the “Flawed Hero” achievement by accepting three flaws in a single playthrough. Here’s my recommended trio:
- Overprepared – Accept early, use throughout entire game
- Dependent – Accept mid-game once you have reliable companions
- Dangerously Curious – Accept whenever it pops up
This combination provides tangible benefits without crippling any particular playstyle. You’ll also want to check our complete achievement and trophy guide for optimal unlock strategies.
Advanced Flaw Mechanics & Tips
Timing Matters: You can refuse flaws when they’re offered and they’ll pop up again later. Don’t feel pressured to accept immediately.
Build Flexibility: Some flaws lock you into specific playstyles. Accept these early if you’re committed, but save flexible flaws for later when you understand your build better.
Companion Synergy: Several flaws interact with companion mechanics. Learn how each companion fights before accepting companion-related flaws. Our complete companions guide covers their combat styles in detail.
Level Scaling: Flaws that grant XP bonuses (Dangerously Curious, Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome) are more valuable early-game. Check our max level cap guide to plan your progression.
Difficulty Considerations: Higher difficulties make defensive flaws more punishing. Consider your difficulty setting before accepting health-reducing flaws like Treacherous.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope. Flaws are permanent for that playthrough. Choose carefully.
There’s no hard limit, but you’ll typically see 5-8 flaw opportunities per playthrough depending on your playstyle.
Most don’t, but Compulsive Liar directly affects dialogue choices and can alter quest outcomes.
Only if you’re confident in handling every subsequent flaw. The extra perk points are valuable, but mandatory acceptance can wreck specialized builds.
Nothing bad. You’ll miss out on bonuses but won’t be penalized.
My Personal Flaw Philosophy
After multiple playthroughs, here’s my approach: I treat flaws like character development opportunities. Each flaw I accept tells a story about how my character plays and what mistakes they’ve made.
My current playthrough character is a paranoid hacker (Dangerously Curious) who relies heavily on companions (Dependent) and has excellent trigger discipline (Overprepared). These flaws don’t just provide mechanical benefits—they create a coherent character identity that informs my roleplaying decisions.
That’s what makes The Outer Worlds 2’s flaw system genius: it turns your gameplay mistakes into narrative elements while rewarding you mechanically. It’s reactive character development that most RPGs only dream of achieving.
Related Guides & Resources
Getting Started:
Character Building:
Combat & Survival:
Key Choices:
Ending Note
The flaw system in The Outer Worlds 2 represents some of the most interesting character progression I’ve seen in modern RPGs. It rewards experimentation, punishes one-dimensional gameplay, and creates emergent storytelling through mechanics.
Don’t be afraid to accept flaws—they’re designed to enhance your experience, not ruin it. The best playthroughs embrace character imperfection and build around it creatively.
Now get out there and develop some character-defining neuroses. Your flawed hero awaits.
