Obsidian Entertainment’s The Outer Worlds 2 is an expansive and dense RPG with a rich narrative that offers multiple choices with grave consequences. There are multiple endings in the game, and you most likely won’t see all of them in a single playthrough. Before the main story concludes, a multitude of factors come into play that determines the ending you’ll get. In this guide, you’ll find out all main story endings as well as the Point of No Return, so you can tie up every loose end before saving or destroying Arcadia in The Outer Worlds 2.
Ending #1: General Ending (Sacrifice For The Greater Good)
Ending Requirements: Defeat Consul Emory Thoreau.
The general ending in The Outer Worlds 2 requires you to thwart Consul Emory’s plans to destroy Arcadia and turn it into their colony’s perfect form via a boss fight. You must kill Consul Emory, the final boss of the game, along with his soldiers present in the area. This boss fight will lead to the Rift destabilizing, and the only way to stop it is using the Rift Modulator with the ship inside the Rift. Then comes the decision to either sacrifice yourself for the greater good or have one of your Companions do it for you in The Outer Worlds 2.
You’ll be given three options after defeating Consul Emory and learning about the Rift’s destabilization: sacrifice yourself, let one of your Companions sacrifice themselves, or volunteer one of your party members to perform the sacrifice. Choosing any of these options will lead to the General Ending, which results in Arcadia being saved thanks to your sacrifice. Here are the ending descriptions for every Companion who willingly sacrificed themselves or was volunteered to do so:
Inez’s Ending Descriptions
- Willingly Sacrifice: And so, in the end, Inez accepted the opportunity to go out as a hero, thinking only of the lives that would be saved in her final moments. After everything, she had proven herself. In spectacular fashion.
- Volunteered Sacrifice: And so, in the end, Inez was volunteered against her will. As she drifted alone for her rendezvous with destiny, she could only wonder what she might have accomplished in life had someone else undertaken this final voyage to save the galaxy.
Marisol’s Ending Descriptions
- Willingly Sacrifice: Marisol Delgado joined in the sacrifice. Detached and calculating to the very end, she saw herself as Arcadia’s most effective weapon, and the rift was her final target.
- Marisol joined in the sacrifice. She had come to care for the members of her team. Ensuring the success of this final mission was the most efficient way to protect them.
- And so, in the end, Marisol Delgado saw herself as a weapon, and the rift was her final target. She knew that Arcadia had the best chance of survival if she flew the ship herself.
- And so, in the end, Marisol Delgado calculated that Arcadia had the best chance of survival if she flew the ship herself. She had come to care for the members of her team. Her sacrifice was the most efficient way to protect them.
- Marisol sacrificed herself to save Arcadia. And while many found it unbelievable that a once legendary assassin would make such a selfless choice, her crewmates on the Incognito understood completely.
- Volunteered Sacrifice: And so, in the end, the job of closing the rift fell to Marisol, through no choice of her own. And as she cursed herself for ever calling the commander “dear,” she took small comfort in the fact that anyone else would have mucked up this final mission.
Aza’s Ending Descriptions
- Willingly Sacrifice: And so, in the end, Azahelia Leitenger was able to finally end her life nobly by saving the colony with her sacrifice. Not that she cared about that. She was beyond such pedestrian concerns of right and wrong. She was going to merge with perfection, and she couldn’t have been happier.
- Volunteered Sacrifice: And so, in the end, as Aza was forced to sacrifice herself to save Arcadia, she could only wish that she’d never met the Commander and that she still believed paradise was waiting for her on the other side of the rift—instead of the nullification of her existence.
Tristan’s Ending Descriptions
- Willingly Sacrifice: And so, in the end, with the Protectorate’s survival hinging on his sacrifice, Tristan flew into the rift, thus giving his fellow subjects their first honest source of inspiration.
- Volunteered Sacrifice: And so, in the end, the job fell to Tristan, though not by choice. But even as he insisted his commander would rue this day, Tristan took comfort that his death would mean his fellow subjects could continue living their perfect lives.
Niles’ Ending Descriptions
- Willingly Sacrifice: And so, in the end, Niles chose to sacrifice himself to save the galaxy. In doing so, he assured his place in history as one of the Earth Directorate’s finest. He became the subject of a tear-jerking biopic starring an overpaid heartthrob, inspiring a brief surge in Directorate recruitment.
- Despite Niles’ affection for VAL, he didn’t believe automechs like her should replace their human counterparts. Yet Niles was no longer part of the Earth Directorate, and he had no say in the matter.
- Niles, unwilling to let his beloved commander go alone after everything they had been through together, volunteered to accompany them. He was at peace at the end, side-by-side with the agent who had renewed his belief in himself.
- Volunteered Sacrifice: And so, in the end, Niles was forced to sacrifice himself. In his final moments, he could only wish that he’d never joined the Earth Directorate. Due to a clerical error, his name goes down in history misspelled.
Augustine de Vries’ Ending Descriptions
- Willingly Sacrifice: Augustine de Vries went along, knowing nothing would make up for her actions. But at least she’d not have to live with her guilt any longer.
- And so, in the end, Augustine de Vries chose to die alone for her actions. And yet even that hope faded in her final moments as she realized nothing would make up for what she had done. But at least she’d not havw to live with her guilt any longer.
- Volunteered Sacrifice: Augustine de Vries did not even have that hope left in her final moments. She knew nothing would make up for her actions. But at least she’d not havw to live with her guilt any longer.
The best outcome would be to sacrifice yourself to save the people of Arcadia in The Outer Worlds 2, if you’re fond of your Companions. In that way, you go out like a true hero and as an inspiration to all of your party members and the people of Arcadia. This is the general ending you’ll get for defeating Consul Emory and his soldiers in The Outer Worlds 2.
Ending #2: Best Ending (Factions Work Together)
Ending Requirements: Speech Level 20.
This is the best ending you can unlock in The Outer Worlds 2. You need to have Speech Level 20 and convince Consul Emory to change his mind, show him the gaps and errors in his logic, and then skip the final boss. You have to find relevant information and clues before speaking with the Consul during the final scene of The Outer Worlds 2. When you’ve obtained the necessary information, speak with him, and pick the following dialogue options.
- I already know that the Matriarch didn’t invent skip drives. Why is that relevant?
- That’s a lie. The Sovereign never wanted this. You’ve perverted his plan!
- I’ve seen the Matriarch’s writings. You have no idea what she envisioned.
- If you’re wrong, you’ll destroy everything you claim to love! Nothing is worth that risk.
Ending Description: And so, in the end, when the Consul was faced with the undeniable errors in his logic, he chose to save Arcadia by closing the rift himself. He died hoping his sacrifice might make up for the disastrous decisions he had made.
These dialogue options will unlock only if you have your Speech Level at 20. Consul Emory will feel his ideologies have been challenged, and rightfully so, which will change his mind completely. Instead of destroying Arcadia, he’ll offer to sacrifice himself by closing the destabilized Rift to make amends for the terrible decisions he made earlier in The Outer Worlds 2.
This is undeniably the best ending you can get in The Outer Worlds 2, since all of your party members, including you, can live happily on Arcadia, and you’ll skip Consul Emory’s boss fight completely. Not every battle is won with violence, and this ending highlights it perfectly, which is one of the key themes in The Outer Worlds 2.
Ending #3: Bad Ending (Dumbness Destroys Arcadia)
- Ending Requirement 1: Have the Dumb Trait
- Ending Requirement 2: No one is sacrificed.
- Ending Requirement 3: Defeat Consul Emory.
To get the bad ending in The Outer Worlds 2, you must possess the Dumb Trait, defeat Consul Emory, and then pick the most idiotic dialogue options presented to you thanks to your Trait. The Dumb Trait unlocks the most stupid dialogue options in times of crisis, which makes for an incredibly hilarious playthrough. However, at the end of the game, it is this very Trait that will put everyone’s lives on Arcadia at risk in The Outer Worlds 2.
After defeating Consul Emory, similar to the general ending, you’ll be informed about the Rift destabilization and the only way to stop it. However, instead of sacrificing yourself, letting your Companions sacrifice themselves, or forcing one of your party members to do the sacrifice, you’ll do nothing. This will cause the rift to destabilize and destroy everything, including the entirety of Arcadia in The Outer Worlds 2.
When the option to sacrifice either yourself or your Companions present itself, you need to deflect the choices to sacrifice yourself or others to save Arcadia. To unlock the ending, pick these dialogue options:
- Well, I’m not going to do it. So I guess we’re all going to die.
- I’m just not in the mood right now. I’ll do it later. (Dumb Trait Required)
Ending Description: And so, in the end, the Commander chose not to choose. Thus, the rift destroyed the colony, killing everyone in Arcadia. Followed shortly by everyone everywhere as rift destabilizations rippled across the galaxy. In conclusion, the end.
So, picking this option not only consumes Arcadia but also kills everyone across the entire galaxy and brings an end to life as we know it, erasing all chances of The Outer Worlds 3. While this is indeed a terrible ending, you can’t deny the humor in it. Ironically, it’s kind of a fitting end to the journey, since the Arcadia colony is already ravaged by warring factions and threats of Rifts breaking the space-time continuum in The Outer Worlds 2.
The Outer Worlds 2: Point of No Return
The Point of No Return in The Outer Worlds 2 is before the final mission, “Sins of the Past on the Precipice of the Future.” To begin this main mission, you need to regroup your crew and head back to the Horizon Point to investigate the rift activity that poses a grave threat to Arcadia’s safety. When you are about to return to the Horizon Point Station, a pop-up window will appear with this text:
You are about to return to Horizon Point Station and determine the fate of the Arcadia colony. If there’s anything you want to do before you navigate to the station, do it now—before you cross the point of no return. Would you like to continue?
If you click yes, you’ll begin the final mission of The Outer Worlds 2 and will be locked out of doing any more side content. If you click no, you’ll be able to explore the entirety of what this RPG has to offer before you make up your mind to decide the fate of Arcadia once and for all. Do not worry about accidentally going past the Point of No Return, since the game will let you know via a pop-up window. So, tie up any loose ends, then finish your journey as a commander in The Outer Worlds 2.
That’s all you need to know about the main story endings and the Point of No Return in The Outer Worlds 2. For more comprehensive guides on this expansive RPG, check out the ones on Full Burn, Near Full, or Patrial Burn and Kill or Spare the Grafting Doctor.
