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The Outer Worlds 2's First DLC, Side Effects Guaranteed, Launches December 2

OFFICIAL Written by GPN · Nov 10, 2026, 2:49 PM ET · The Outer Worlds 2 · Gaming

The Outer Worlds 2 gets its first story expansion on December 2. Side Effects Guaranteed is the opening chapter of a two-part DLC story, and it costs $14.99 on its own or comes with the Premium Edition and the Premium Edition Upgrade.

A distress call draws the crew of the Incognito to a derelict ship whose crew lies in suspended animation, contaminated during a heist by something that causes what the captain's message calls explosive cell death. The trail leads to Gordon Hazen, an agent of Sub Rosa, a criminal crew that steals from the factions instead of working for them, and on to Elysium Valley, a new region on Eden settled by former Protectorate subjects their leaders forgot.

Gordon would rather talk than fight, but a rival Sub Rosa agent, Algernon Lankester, wants to exploit the settlers for his own gain, and the fate of the frozen crew, the settlers, and Sub Rosa itself rests on the player's choices. Decisions made here will carry into the second DLC, due in spring 2027.

The expansion adds new threats, including vicious canids and primal sprats, sprats roughly a hundred times their usual size. The level cap rises from 30 to 36, with 15 new perks and four new flaws, including Lethally Tolerant, which raises maximum toxicity but kills the player instantly on a Toxicity Crash, and Must Have Been the Wind, which marks an assassination target for a damage and speed bonus, or a penalty for hitting the wrong one.

New weapons, armour, and companion outfits arrive alongside a Sub Rosa-run radio station with 20 new songs. Players who want to jump straight in can use a new alternate starting point from the main menu, beginning with a custom save at the DLC's start.

Facts gathered from

• Xbox Wire

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