r/outerwilds

04 January 2024 07:39

the scariest thing in the game...

...is not the anglerfish or falling into brittle hollow for the first time or the stuff on the stranger, but actually hearing End Times within Final Voyage after you've already taken the warp core. i panicked so hard thinking "its already over??? what??? im gonna die since the loop is stopped" because i thought the sun was gonna explode

https://redd.it/18xtesd
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

03 January 2024 07:39

Outer Wilds memes without context

https://redd.it/18x5gqj
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 18:39

Was playing with one of the quantum rocks And HOLY this spooked me
https://redd.it/18wsujf
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 16:39

Russian Map Mode of Ship Log: Brittle Hollow bug

So in map mode of ship log I can't see the headers of log entries. Happens only on Brittle Hollow and in Russian. Does not happen on other planets or if I change the language to English.


I did not mode the game, if that matters

https://preview.redd.it/sdigbhank1ac1.png?width=1541&format=png&auto=webp&s=01b693dd86cc36010ec06c12011b810a241db6dd

https://redd.it/18wrioz
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 15:39

goes in a figure eight pattern. Talk about an infinite skating rink! Inside of it is a white star. A white dwarf? No, that would be too hot for ice. I believe that it is a white hole. This would explain the ice. All planets are emitting a gas that seems to connect every planet together. The gas also resembles the urchin's lamp, as well as supernova stardust. The planets have different color gas depending on what star is inside. The base planet has blue gas like the planet with the yellow star, so this base planet has a yellow star.

I will now offer some ideas for the species' habitats. It's interesting to have the urchins and mantis people coexist. This is different from the first game where the species shown would have a line of succession. Owlks to Nomai to Hearthians. What's even weirder is them living on the same planet together. Competition could be very prevalent in this solar system. However, what if they don't live on the same planet? What if they live in two different copies of the solar system?

I figured the urchins must have their own dream world like the Owlks did. Where is it? I believe that their dream world would be similar to what's in the movie "The BFG". The BFG is a giant who is shown to jump into a lake and come out on a reflected side with dreams flying around that he catches. The urchins are sea creatures, so they must live in this lake on the base planet. While not exactly a dream world, it would be a reflected world. It's either the lake that brings the urchins in this reality, or the pit. That could be the concept of this base planet. To go even deeper, what if this reflected side of the lake is a copy of the solar system? This could explain the complications of urchins and mantises living so close by. The mantises colonize their copy of the solar system, and the other copy is for the urchins.

Now there is plenty of opportunities and story branches to explore with having two copies of the solar system. Maybe the reflection version has planets that aren't hollow. Maybe the reflection version has a black hole in that back planet instead of a white hole. Maybe that's how they connect the two. This shows that there are 3 possibilities of connections of the solar systems. The pit, the lake, or the possible black hole. I believe in this reflected world because the only mirror in the first game was in the ending, in the eye of the universe. In the prisoner's portion, you blow out the candle of the species, and then the candle of your mirrored self. That shows a mirror is in relation to the Owlks, which makes a relation to the urchins. The reflected solar system could be the original grounds for the urchins, but they probably went in the white hole and couldn't get back, so now they needed to make a gateway back.

What would the main story of this game be? There is already so much that can be discussed about this one end screenshot, but there's so much not shown. There could also be a planet that's not even shown. This is from how the gas connects all planets, and one connection goes off the screen. It's interesting how this second game would start with the urchins and mantis people (Owlks and Hearthians), which makes it seem like a dlc would introduce a counterpart to the Nomai. All of these counterparts really tie it back to reflections. Every day I feel like I draw new conclusions of what a second game could be like. I already feel like this end screen lays out a big map of it out.

This bring us to the conclusion. I wanted to make this post to show that there is more to be drawn by this final screenshot and new universe. There's more than just, "This final screen is just to show that the new universe is teeming with life!". A second game or not, there is just so much possibility for one. I encourage everyone reading this to make your own ideas, your own questions. Make sure to put them in the comments as I'd love to read them. I know this post is very unorganized, I'm just trying to lay out my ideas and inspire appreciation for the game. If I was unclear or vague at some points, feel free to ask

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 14:39

Was I dumb? When did you realise..

Spoilers for the DLC ahead

I've just recently picked up the DLC again after having put it down for a while. I did my best to get as little information from outside sources, so I thoroughly investigated every inch of the Stranger trying to advance. It lead me to the damaged laboratories where the owl bois tested the lanterns. Having seen the rooms full of owl corpses, I interpreted what I saw as them figuring out they had to die with the lantern around the fire, so I went to try that out. One way ticket to the simulation! Except now I thought that was the only way to enter.

What followed what a long, frustrating grind to try and figure out what to do in the simulation; every failed attempt, every small misstep into water and every end of the universe causing me to have to make the journey from Timber Hearth to the simulation all over again. It was incredibly frustrating and strongly disincentivized curiosity and experimentation, always having to play it safe and only try something if it seemed very credible that it would do something. That was, untill I randomly tried dozing off at one of the fires to wait for the dam to break.. Being able to wake up and jump right back into the simulation made such a big difference in terms of trying things out! It made the DLC fun again!

I can't help but wonder if I'm the only one who misinterpreted the clues. How and when did you realise you could just sleep there? Did you discover you can enter by dying before or after that? How long did it take you to figure out what difference it made from within the simulation?

Edit: Just in case the tone of this message caused any confusion: I really loved my time with the DLC once I figured this out! The way it let you advance by revealing information to you was, in my opinion, even better than the base game did it! This was just me reflecting on how one crucial misunderstanding made my game far harder than it was supposed to be.

https://redd.it/18wod3d
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 13:39

Why this game is a masterpiece, a short essay (Big picture spoilers,nothing majorly specific)

Outer wilds is a beautiful game that sticks with you long after it is buried, and even though most of the entertainment comes from the realisation of the story this game manages to keep replay value merely due to players wishing they could experience it again for the first time. The game’s core aspects of death and acceptance really mould the game into a beautiful experience that will shake you to your core, and possibly make you rethink your current outlook on life (it certainly did for me)

The games main gimmick of the supernova every 22 minutes is part of what makes this game so darn fun to play. The scramble to scavenge as much as you can of the past of your solar system in a race against the beautiful clock that is the sun sets the game up to be amazing. After a few cycles you start to understand that your life is merely not important in this game. The aim isn’t to stay alive, it is to find out as much as you can before you inevitably die. I noticed this to be an interesting parallel to life, and is one of the main parts of this game that changed me. Your death is inevitable, so instead of clinging to your life you should enjoy it. This game really helped me get over my fear of dying, and obviously while I still don’t WANT to die, I acknowledge that there is nothing I can do about it so I should stop acting like there is. No matter the way you die, whether autopiloted into the sun, crushed on ember twin by the rising sands, or merely not checking for ghost matter, you will ALWAYS learn and ALWAYS change the way you tackle the situation. This game’a design preys on the human habit of constantly evolving and adapting and the engagement inside your head keeps your attention always.

Not only do I see the game’s structure as a whole as a metaphor for life, I see the inevitable life cycle of you playing the game the same way. The game does not have an official ending. No text on the screen saying “well done, you finished the game it’s time to quit or start a new save”. Your interest for the game dies at the same time your ability to play it does. The devs know they did well, and by not making this game an infinite well of content they make you experience grief at the loss of an awesome game but also acceptance of the fact it was fun while it lasted, but now you move on. Intentionally or not, the impact that actually playing the game and deciding when you’re done has can be devastating, and I appplaud the devs for making a game that makes you cling on for dear life to look for every last bit of content until you force yourself to put it down.

The emotion that the devs manage to put into these texts to fully flesh out these characters we never even see or hear is astounding. The devs managing to make you sympathise with words on the wall is crazy, you could just be laughing along with a joke on the wall or genuinely having a fun time until the reality of the situation hits you and you remember that everyone you have become so attached to is already dead. One thing that a lot of people get wrong in my opinion is that this game teaches nihilism. While I understand where that point of view comes from, it’s not like that game teaches you that nothing you do matters just because you’re gonna die. Just the same as life, Outer Wilds is an experience. Although you know that experience is gonna end, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it while you’re in it.

One way the game is dissimilar to life is that what the game has to offer is limited. For the time frame you’re given in real life to explore everything it’s simply not possible to run out of things to see in 80 or so years. Hell, even the game doesn’t let you explore it all in one life span but obviously in real life you don’t have an unlimited amount of lives. Outer Wilds is not a game about nihilism. It is a game about appreciating life and simple curiosity really. The cute mini universe scaling puts into perspective how much life has to offer. Each planet in the outer wilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 11:39

Why are the lines in certain nomai wall texts thicker than usual? (top is thick, bottom is normal)
https://redd.it/18wkwlq
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 09:39

On December 31st 2022, I finished the Echoes of the Eye DLC. On December 31st 2023, I platinum'ed Outer Wilds. I wonder what will happen in 2024.

https://redd.it/18wjk92
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 07:39

Needing a nudge for midgame(?) EotE

So I'm making my way through the DLC right now after finishing the base game a couple days ago (loved it btw). I've entered the Stranger and visited all the main locations in the river loop thing from what I can see. But there are some things left that I'm a bit lost on that I would appreciate getting some small hints/nudges in the right direction!

1. I assume this relates to the other things that I haven't figured out yet, but I have no bloody clue what to do with the Artifacts. Tried using one on one of the green flames and didn't seem to get any reaction.
2. The Abandoned Temple. I can see the vertical wheel slidey puzzle thing (and I solved the other one with the panel by using a scout) but I don't know how to find the code to the Temple one.
3. The Hidden Gorge is still marked with an orange asterisk but I'm not sure where else I'm supposed to explore. I found the side room with all the burnt reels and the secret mural reel, but I do not recognize any of the locations shown in it so it isn't very useful to me at the moment. I can also see the one room where I can see a slide reel sitting on a table but I'm not sure how to access it.

https://redd.it/18wfwat
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 05:39

I cannot get to (the third thing) on Dark Bramble

I am in the endgame, on the Switch version, and I have been having a LOT of trouble with Dark Bramble, and have not been able to get to >!The Vessel!<.

I've gotten two of the main parts of the planet (>!Feldspar and Escape Pod 3!<), but I didn't use the spaceship for that and just floated there.
Part of the initial problem I have had is entering the planet, as both the spaceship controls in the game are complex, and entering Dark Bramble requires me to be aligned with the "holes", and I can't be going diagonally or else I crash.
How should I be getting the momentum I need so that I don't need to use the thrusters once I'm inside?
I'm only able to get a small amount of speed by the time I am inside, and I'm moving slowly and not even sure that I'm making progress in whatever light point I'm trying to go to (either to >!Escape Pod 3 so I can send a scout through the seed!< or the red dot >!since I know that the Vessel is somewhere there!<).
With the pods, what is the range of which where I will be safe to use my thrusters, both when entering and exiting one?
Am I also correct in thinking that the ship should always be moving in the direction that I am facing when piloting it?

I would very much appreciate help with this section, since it has been frustrating me.

EDIT: To be specific, what I have trouble with is knowing the range from which an angelfish would hear me (I know about the snores but I am unsure of the furthest distance you may hear that from in relation to the fish itself) , and how to be avoiding and moving around them while maintaining speed

https://redd.it/18wbcz4
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 03:39

NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!!

So I’m new to the game, like maybe 20 hours in? Kinda struggling with what to do but I REFUSE to watch guides. Currently I’m at that big like gravity cannon and trying to figure out what to do, without spoilers any kind of tips?

https://redd.it/18w95xd
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 01:39

Outer wilds and a possible causality paradox (caution - spoilers ahead for a bunch of stuff)

Okay, wall of text potential here but I'll try to keep it simple and break it up best as possible, I just need to get this theory out to other people and hear their input.

Besides a couple of things that were clearly done for gameplay purposes (like teleporting back through a white hole) there are very few plot holes/inconsistencies in the story of outer wilds, except: why is every star dying all roughly at the same time and so fast? Even the museum says it normally takes a long time.

This is where my theory comes in:

During the ending sequence in the forest we watch entire galaxies blink out, one by one (we can even nudge a couple out of existence early)

If the eye is linked to the universe in some way this symbolic destruction of everything could be the literal destruction of everything, slightly time dilated to make the few seconds last half an hour or so, but ultimately entering the eye destroys everything at roughly the same time which is why ALL the stars are dying.

It's a good explanation, but that might not be too new of a theory to some, the part I've had stuck in my head is:
entering the eye destroys our sun, but, the only reason we enter the eye is because our sun is being destroyed, so the only reason we enter the eye is because we've already entered the eye, the effect comes before the cause.

So is this a causality paradox? The universe ends at the exact first moment we become capable of entering the eye and ending the universe; it isn't some crazy series of good luck that we just happen to be in the perfect situation the find the eye, right when the sun explodes, the sun only explodes because were in the perfect situation to find it

(if we didn't have the translator tool or the sand was blocking the ATP etc. the sun wouldn't explode yet because we wouldn't be capable of reaching the eye to cause it to explode).

The hatchling observing the eye ends the universe, the universe ending forces the hatchling to observe the eye, the hatchling observing the eye ends the universe, etc etc.

I hope ANY of that made sense, now why do I taste pennies?

https://redd.it/18w8cm0
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

01 January 2024 23:39

Is this game for me?

idk, i just want to experience that "magic" that this game offers but i just reached giant's deep and man, im absolutely terrified, i dont feel comfortable at all with all that water tho, the thalassophobia is real, it is even scarier with all of those cyclones, i dont know how to deal with it and i mean, yeah, i could explore all the other planets but i think i'd lose like a big part of the game, do you have any advice?

https://redd.it/18w0rge
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

01 January 2024 21:39

I can’t figure out how to move forward

I’m at a point where there are no obvious actions to take I have seven questions on the graph thingy they are feldspar, the ash twin project, the vessel, escape pod 3, the quantum moon, and two other things associated with the quantum moon the shrine and the sixth location. I don’t know if it was my mind tricking me or what but I think I saw a tiny blue sphere at the edge of the solar system but that may not be real because I’m so desperate for a solution to my problems. All I have is one question: is it worth trying to figure this out on my own?

https://redd.it/18w2vxb
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

03 January 2024 08:39

Outer Wilds: heart attack inducing…

https://redd.it/18wzftn
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 19:39

What are the Outer Wilds species attitudes towards Space Travel?

https://redd.it/18wrswv
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 17:39

Anyone else think this projection is scary AF?
https://redd.it/18wsexh
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 15:39

me questions. Thanks for reading.

https://redd.it/18wgohl
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 15:39

My Ideas for an Outer Wilds 2

Hello everyone. I just want to start off by saying that what I’m about to lay out is not saying that a sequel should exist, it’s just offering what one would entail. I understand many fans of Outer Wilds do not support a sequel because the first game is a masterpiece in itself. I respect that and I believe it as well. I am also going to drop a bunch of spoilers, so if you haven’t finished the base game or the dlc, DO NOT READ ON.

A few days ago, I was watching a friend play Outer Wilds. They had just beaten the dlc, and did the base game ending afterwards. When I saw the 14.3 billion years later screenshot, I saw the Echoes of the Eye portion of the picture pop in. The first time I beat the game, I did not think much on this screenshot. Observing the full picture raised many questions in my head. What is that counterpart to the Owlks? Why is there a pit with “flames” in it? Why are the planets all hollow? Many questions can be answered from how the new universe was shaped by the knowledge of your character from the base game. However, some need a bit better answers.

https://preview.redd.it/yrw3jpx2hy9c1.png?width=2560&amp;format=png&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=6c82d565d988d604fed7a9103f157febb11c554e

Let’s start by talking about the counterpart of the hearthians. At first I thought they were mosquitos, but they resemble mantises more. This is confirmed by Mobius Digital Games’ X/Twitter post that has a sticky note mentioning Mantis People. https://x.com/mobius\_games/status/1442732367182016514?s=46&t=k0Uei2kxyORtXQr4ctjvtg. This shows mantis people were in the minds of the developers. They have 6 legs like mantises have. This poses the question of what their space suits will look like. In a second game, I was stuck on how it would play out without a time loop. I have no ideas on how there’d be a workaround with the death aspect, but I do have an idea on the gathering of knowledge. At first, I figured the planets would have to be larger than the base game to have more information from the lack of the time loop. However, I now feel they will be similar sizes, but just feel bigger due to how mantis people are insects and will be small compared to hearthians.

Moving on to the Owlk counterparts, I believe they are Sea Urchins. This will make more sense later. This urchin is holding a lamp similar to the artifacts that the Owlks have. I believe it is either a bug zapper (it made more sense when I believed the other species were mosquitos), or even a lamp made of ghost matter. These urchins have “ponchos” like the Owlks had. The design in these ponchos match the design on the totem stones by the pit. These totem stones may possibly be the new quantam rocks of this universe. I believe that every universe has been created through each universe having an eye of the universe. This must mean each one will have quantum shards. However, they might not all have the same functions. More on the pit later.

There’s more to the base planet, but let’s focus on the background planets. The closest one is hollow with a star in it like the core. It looks similar to the base planet. It has a moon that is also hollow with a star. That moon looks like the inside is lava, but the outside has stuff. This moon will not be explored on the inside like the other planets, but the outside. This moons has a white star inside. I believe that this star is a white dwarf. This is shown by how the moon has lava inside and a white dwarf "is the hottest thing in the known universe". The second planet seems to be like giants deep made of rivers, lakes, and islands. However, it's of course hollow. It appears to have three moons. Unlike the moon of the first planet, these three moons are not hollow. A zoom in on the red moon shows that it has crack streaks like Jupiter's moon, Europa. The first planet has a red star (another supernova?), but this second planet looks like it has a yellow star. The farthest back planet is intriguing. It is icy like dark bramble and

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 13:39

is over 10,000x smaller than the planets in our solar system. As good video to put this into perspective I would recommend the scale of Outer Wilds The way that the player knows “oh I’m doomed to die” and yet continues to move on simply because they’re curious disproved the nihilism argument as a whole. If you’re watching a movie but you realise it’s gonna end soon,that doesn’t mean any sane person would just stop the movie and leave.

To conclude my essay of sorts, I would sum up the main things that makes this game an honest 10/10 for me are the overarching metaphor for life, the complex characters, the fascinating lore and honestly simple human curiosity. Anyone who has the ability to comprehend should play and enjoy this game.

https://redd.it/18wn5dj
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 12:39

Let's improve a nearly flawless game

Somehow SPOILERS (of course)

We all can't imagine how difficult it must have been to tell such an intecrate story inside this carefully crafted world and make sure, that every player is able to discover all places, tell the important apart from the more irrelevant etc.
Are there any small improvements that you think, would have benefitet the game "objectively" speaking?
Do you think my improvements are doing that or are there any arguments to not implement them?

Here are my ideas:
1. Choose more differentiable symbols for the Hanging City Districts and the Probe Cannon Modules (I think they are actually the same and I saw some players "Aha" at their link, even though they have no connection)

2. Add a Log Entrance on the "Quantum Moon" when trying to land on it that explains, how the gas/fog seems to blur the vision, which is what makes the Moon able to change location (For many people the reasoning seemed unintuitive otherwise, so if more players could tell this reasoning, the Quantum Mechanics would feel more coherent)

3. Fill the exploded core inside the Interloper with loads of Ghost Matter (I myself didn't even make the connection that the matter inside the Interloper is ghost matter. I somehow understood that this must have been the extinction event, but there is no link to ghost matter other than that you find some on your way to the core, like you do everywhere else. I feel like it must stand out more in its ghost-mattery-ness. Even the big snakey crystals didn't remind me of the smaller ones in the rest of the solar system, especially when I could just safely touch them)

4. Make the Ghost Matter Tutorial have two fenced regions with an artificial puddle between them. To progress to the rock throwing kid, you need to go through the puddle (Maybe even have a dialogue option where the kid mentions the puddle. Every Player notices this flaw at one point and it is discoverable somehow, but only the smallest portion of players would notice this without searching the internet)

5. (this is language specific I guess) Change the German prompt to "unidentifiziertes Signal" - Undidentified Signal (It says "unidentifizierbares Signal" which means "unidentifiable signal" which makes you think there is nothing to be done to identify it lol)

https://redd.it/18wkych
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 10:39

I have a question

I watched my very good friend play this game back in 2020 and I remember bits and pieces about the mechanics and want to know if I can still get the full experience out of the game as when I watched him play it, I didn’t know the game was very spoiler dependent and it’s genuinely one of my biggest regrets in my life. I sit up at night listening to the banger soundtrack thinking about how I will never fully experience and enjoy this game. It’s one of my favorite games ever and I haven’t even fucking played it. Anyway the mechanics I know are that you take a picture of quantum stuff to make it stay, I know about the tornado in giants deep and you go in it to do something but it’s kinda vague in my memory. And lastly I know about the fish in the dark bramble being blind and not making noise is safe. I remember basically nothing else and I also know nothing about the dlc as my good friend never played it. What do yall think? Should I just say screw it and play it anyway or am I way too spoiled for it to be worth it?

https://redd.it/18wl4ug
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 08:39

Question about something I accidentally came across

>!On my playthrough I appear to have accidentally brute forced my way into the Ash Twin Project (the one where you need to be warping while it's being sucked up by sand). In what part of the game does it tell you to do this? What I mean is that had I not done this by accident, where in the game would it have told me or hinted at me to do this? Thanks.!<

https://redd.it/18wj1rn
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 06:39

can i finish the game if i don’t discover everything? (no spoiler)

i am playing this game for the first time and i want to discover everything before the end of the game but i’m scared to come across the end when i’m just exploring the planets
is there this possibility?

https://redd.it/18waww2
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 04:39

Seriously struggling with the DLC

I started out loving the DLC, the spooky vibes were immaculate and I love the concept of rafting around a ringworld, but after I entered the dream world I have utterly hit a wall on progression. All the hints I've discovered just seem to be pointing on how to get to the dreamworld but they just seem like directionless pitch black mazes, where am I supposed to be going? My ship logs don't even show anything else to explore in these areas either.

https://redd.it/18wea6y
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 02:39

What do they eat?

So just curious, what exactly have the anglerfish in Dark Bramble evolved to hunt? I don’t imagine they subsist off of the occasional astronaut who happens to stray too far, so what do they eat? Or what’s their natural prey, in others words.

https://redd.it/18w9678
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

02 January 2024 00:39

i can't get the archeologist achievement, really don't know what is wrong.

&#x200B;

https://preview.redd.it/ekjyg4jsbw9c1.png?width=1417&amp;format=png&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=e3e6e6c17ab82e1293ac51a720a116fda4f9dcf7

https://redd.it/18w76ur
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

01 January 2024 22:39

Game question new player

Hello ,

I have ps plus extra and see this game is on it.

Is this a game where 1-2 hours max a night is enough to play through and enjoy the loop or does one need longer dedicated session?

I enjoyed hades , Edith finch, talks principle . Not sure if this is like those at all

Cheers

https://redd.it/18w2qru
@r_outerwilds

r/outerwilds

01 January 2024 20:39

Why is there always more D:

I just barely made it past the guard at the bottom of Starlit Cove, fell into the hole in the middle and felt safe thinking i was through the worst of it. Bumped into 2 guards in that room below.. I nearly shit myself and woke up my girlfriend and her cat. Loving this DLC so far

https://redd.it/18w3boc
@r_outerwilds