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Outer Wilds places the player in a time loop as they travel through space and explore the worlds around them. As you explore, you will come across various puzzles and mysteries. When first starting the game, the vast area of space can seem quite daunting, but we are here to help.
In this guide, we are going to go over helpful tips for those starting Outer Wilds. This guide is meant for those that are struggling at the start of the game, as well as for those that need some help figuring out what to do first.
Explore Timber Hearth
Timber Hearth is the planet that you start on. Here, you can find a populated village. It may be tempting to quickly rush off into space, but don't forget to explore the village first. You can find valuable clues that will help as you learn about the solar system.
Speak With Everyone
In the starting village, you will have the option to talk to the villagers. You can opt to run by and ignore them, but some of these villagers will provide valuable tutorials for you to learn that will help you progress in the game.
Practice Flying And Landing
Flying can be hard; your first few times taking flight, you may crash land and damage your ship. Rather than setting out while barely understanding how to fly, it's best to practice. This can be done on a flat surface of a planet, as well as from the starting village.
On the way to the observatory, you can find a little drone that allows you to practice flying. Make sure that you are familiar with the controls of flying before you launch into space.
Repair Your Ship If You Crash
If you do end up crashing your ship, don't forget to repair it. To repair your ship, all you need to do is check the screen to the left of the pilot's seat. Here, you will find a screen that shows each part of your ship that needs to be repaired.
After looking at what needs to be repaired, simply walk up to the ship part and interact to repair it. This will take no materials and can be done quickly.
Visit Every Planet
This may seem simple, but you should visit the surface of every planet before progressing deeper into the core. Planets contain hidden secrets, but these don't have to be figured out right away. We recommend getting to know the solar system around you before diving into a planet.
Explore A Different Location If You Get Stuck
There are tons of mysteries and puzzles that you will encounter. Sometimes, you will not have enough information to figure out what to do. Other times, it may just be difficult to understand what you should do.
It's perfectly acceptable to move to a new location if you are stuck. This will give you a break which can lead to a new idea. Additionally, while you are away, you could discover a bit of information that proves to be useful.
Don't Panic If You Die
During your first hour of playing Outer Wilds, you will die. Thankfully, the game is set in a time loop, meaning that you will respawn back at the campsite on Timber Hearth.
Dying is part of the game. When you accidentally crash or forget to put on your space suit, you will die, but you will still keep the knowledge that you learned.
It's important to know that you will always die 20 minutes after a new loop starts. This is because there is a supernova event that occurs in the solar system that will wipe out everything. You cannot avoid this, but the information that you gather will be available in your ship log, which we will talk about next.
Check The Ship Log
As mentioned above, any information will be added to your ship log and will stay there even if you die. Because of this, you should always check your log when you enter your ship for the first time.
At your ship log, you can go over what you know, and what has yet to be found out. The log will indicate if more information can still be found out about a certain topic. This means that if you die, you can check the log to make sure you got all the available information at a certain location.
Utilize Your Scout Launcher
The scout launcher is a little probe that you can launch from your ship to take pictures.
This is helpful if you are exploring a new area. Rather than risking death, you can launch the probe and see what dangers you might encounter. If you are nervous about entering into a new area, try sending out your scout launcher.
Read Everything
Throughout the solar system, you can find various papers and plaques. These are very important to the game and can provide a variety of clues on what you should be doing. Because you are traveling through space by yourself, you will not have anyone to instruct you on what to do. By reading, you can learn about the history of your solar system, as well as what you should do next.
Now that you know the basics of Outer Wilds, get out there and start exploring!