The Outer Worlds guide: Science weapons

Not every weapon in The Outer Worlds is for putting bullets into bad guys. Some of them are just about fun, and those are the five science weapons scattered around the Halcyon Colony.

Science weapons don’t deal the most damage, but they are unique and interesting. And they’re just a whole lot of fun. Below, we’ll talk about what science weapons are and how to find all five of them.

What are Science Weapons?

Science weapons are basically anything a mad scientist would create — like shrink rays, anti-gravity guns, or mind control rays.

They don’t deal a ton of damage on their own, but their damage will scale with the wielder’s tech > science skill. They all require energy cell ammo.

The real use of science weapons is their physics-breaking properties. The shrink ray, for example, makes your target temporarily tiny, deals some plasma damage, and reduces their damage and armor. The UDL gloop gun splashes shocking gloop around that also causes targets to float helplessly into the air.

How to find science weapons // Weapons from the Void

When you first board the Unreliable as captain after completing Stranger in a Strange Land, read the previous captain’s notes on the computer in your quarters. You’ll get leads on the first two science weapons in the game.

Shrink ray // Acquire Phineas’ Science Weapon

This one is the easiest to get. Once you’re free to fly around the system, head to Phineas’ Lab. Poke around a little, learn what you can, and talk to him. This weapon is in a case just to the right of Phineas’ speaker.

The shrink ray deals plasma damage and reduces your target’s size, armor, and damage.

Prismatic hammer // Acquire the Science Weapon on Groundbreaker

Hawthorne’s notes will point you toward Gladys on Groundbreaker — you’ll be talking to her anyway as part of Passage to Anywhere. Buy the battered Mardet datapad from her, and it will point you to a hidden room on the west side of the Groundbreaker map.

You’ll have to climb on top of some bunks to find the narrow door inside. Fight your way past the outlaws, and unlock the door on the right.

The prismatic hammer deals all kinds of damage (sometimes at the same time), and sends out a wave of energy.

Mandibular rearranger // Acquire the Science Weapon on Scylla

Hawthorne’s notes will point you toward Gladys on Groundbreaker — you’ll be talking to her anyway as part of Passage to Anywhere. Buy the Hephaestus Mining – Archive Cartridge, and review it on the terminal in your quarters.

Head to Scylla, and follow the pin on your map to the east. You’ll find this baton in a building near the Abandoned Mining Outpost.

The mandibular rearranger deals physical damage but can also stagger your enemies and freeze them in place.

Gloop gun // Errors Unseen side mission

This one doesn't show up in the Weapons from the Void entry in your journal. You’ll find it as part of the Errors Unseen side mission on Monarch.

In the UDL Lab to the southwest of Stellar Bay, clear out the marauders. Use the terminal on the left side of the main room to unlock the gun — you can either hack it, or answer the three security questions.

If your hacking skill isn’t high enough, pick the three most ridiculous, over-the-top corporate answers — “Protect the Chairman,” “Berate him relentlessly to defend the Chairman’s honor,” and “Arrest your spouse and admit your children to a reeducation program.”

The gloop gun deals shock damage (with splash damage on other targets nearby), and makes your target levitate.

Mind control ray // Space-Crime Continuum

You’ll buy the clue leading to the mind control ray from Duncan in the Fallbrook Dry Goods and Supplies on Monarch. The SubLight datapad he sells you will point you to Cascadia.

The weapon you’re looking for is near the terminal you access during the Space-Crime Continuum side mission for Lilya Hagen of the SubLight faction. From the terminal, turn left. Jump across to the platform, and jump to the platform to the right. Climb the two ladders to find your mind control ray.

The mind control ray deals plasma damage, and overrides organic and automechanical systems to make your targets turn on each other.