Every Faction in Outer Worlds 2 (& How to Join Them)

In The Outer Worlds 2, you’ll encounter various factions – large groups that you can work with to earn rewards like discounts at shops or special conversation choices. While you can’t build a relationship with every faction, they all play important roles in the game’s story and you’ll meet them frequently.

Outer Worlds 2 features six main factions: the Earth Directorate (which your character starts with), the controlling Protectorate, the profit-driven Auntie’s Choice, the rebellious Sub Rosa, the logic-focused Order of the Ascendant, and the mysterious Rift Cult. This guide will show you how to join each of these groups, and give you a quick overview of what they’re all about.

Auntie’s Choice

Space – No Longer The One Place That Hasn’t Been Corrupted by Capitalism

Okay, so in Outer Worlds 2, the first group you can really build a relationship with is called Auntie’s Choice. Basically, it’s a huge company that formed when Auntie Cleo took over Spacer’s Choice – you might remember Spacer’s Choice from the first Outer Worlds game. It was a bit of a takeover, if you know what I mean!

In the hyper-consumerist world of Auntie’s Choice, everyone is fiercely competitive. Whether you’re a sanitation worker or a top executive, people are constantly striving to advance their careers.

Auntie’s Choice offers a path to success, but it’s a highly competitive world filled with relentless advertising, persuasive salespeople, and potentially unfair or deceptive payment practices. If you’re determined to climb the ladder in a cutthroat, profit-driven environment and are willing to do what it takes to get ahead, then Auntie’s Choice might be for you.

How to Join Auntie’s Choice in Outer Worlds 2

Following a mostly successful landing on the planet Paradise, Auntie’s Choice built the city of Fairfield in the southern part of the island. As you begin your journey in Outer Worlds 2, Fairfield will be the first major city you’ll come across – assuming you head north from the landing pad.

Enter the main building under the large Auntie Cleo hologram and choose to assist either Kaur or Milverstreet. Completing any of Auntie Cleo’s missions will improve your reputation with a faction, and this is the first chance you’ll have to start doing so.

Order of the Ascendant

Solving The Mysteries of the Universe With Zealous Mathematics

The Order of the Ascendant is a peculiar group, almost like a religious sect, dedicated to figuring out the mathematical patterns of the universe so they can foresee future events. They believe solving a grand, all-encompassing equation will elevate humanity – a concept similar to the search for the Ultimate Answer in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

The Order of the Ascendant isn’t driven by greed or a desire to control others, but they can be overly focused on strict principles. They prioritize calculations and forecasts from something called the Universal Equation when making choices, rather than considering human feelings or common sense. This can unfortunately lead to unnecessary pain and difficulty.

The Order of the Ascendant isn’t made up of bad people, but they are very focused on rules and completely dedicated to their core principles, called the Equation. Their ultimate aim is to help humanity progress, and while they can seem distant and overly academic, it’s a genuinely good intention – better than the goals of groups like Auntie’s Choice or the Protectorate.

How to Join The Order of the Ascendant in Outer Worlds 2

To begin earning the trust of the Order of the Ascendant, first finish the main mission on Paradise and locate the Vox Relay. After returning to your ship, you’ll be contacted by a representative of the Order, who seems to have been expecting you.

First, review the recorded footage. Then, travel to Golden Ridge and from the ship landing area, go south to locate an outpost. There, you’ll find the Order of the Ascendant assisting a large number of refugees.

If you gain access to Free Market Station through Emeline Galloway, you can meet a historian for the Order of the Ascendant there before traveling to Golden Ridge. Completing her task of documenting Free Market Station’s history will allow you to join the Order sooner.

Sub Rosa

A Black Market Based In A Crashed Ship Named “Free Market Station”

Sub Rosa is a hidden network of traders and suppliers operating throughout the Arcadia system. Members are secretive about their involvement, but joining grants access to exclusive goods and specialized merchants.

As I’ve been playing, I’ve noticed Sub Rosa has people all over the place! You can find their contacts in pretty much every major city. Just keep an eye out for their symbol – it’s a really cool looking yellow rose with a black circle cut out of it. That’s how you know you’ve found someone who can hook you up.

Sub Rosa isn’t officially connected to either the Protectorate or Auntie’s Choice, although it does share some business-like qualities with the latter. While it’s possible to finish the game without joining Sub Rosa, it’s strongly recommended to improve your standing with them. This will give you access to Free Market Station and unlock new merchants in each area.

How to Join Sub Rosa in Outer Worlds 2

To begin the process of reaching Free Market Station and gaining favor with Sub Rosa, head to the tower near the landing pad on Paradise. Use the terminal inside to find information about recent smuggling on the island. This will point you towards a terminal at the Fairfield Constable’s office, and ultimately lead you to Emeline Galloway, who manages the greenhouse in Fairfield.

Okay, so I just found out Emeline Galloway is mixed up with this super-secret smuggling group called Sub Rosa. She needs my help to cover up some of their stuff in Fairfield, and if I do it, I’ll get some rep with Sub Rosa and she’s promised to tell me where Free Market Station is. Sounds like a good deal, honestly.

Non-Reputation Factions

The Protectorate, Earth Directorate, and Rift Cult

Besides the groups already discussed, there are three others you can’t build relationships with: the Protectorate, the Earth Directorate, and the Rift Cult.

The Protectorate is the authoritarian, autocratic dictatorship that rules Arcadia. Founded by the inventor of the Skip Drive, it is now headed by the god-like Sovereign, who demands utter fealty and adoration from all subjects. The Protectorate is the primary antagonistic faction in The Outer Worlds 2, but you can still work with individual members of the Protectorate without necessarily helping out the Protectorate as an organization.
- For example, even if you are highly respected by Auntie’s Choice, you can still stroll into the auto-mech facility south of Westport to help with their Zyranium problem.
The Earth Directorate is the organization that your character is a Commander of at the start of the game. As part of the Earth Directorate, you help to snuff out corrupt corporations and tyrannical governments across the universe for whatever reason your Background dictates for your character.
The Rift Cult can be encountered for the first time on Golden Ridge. The Rift Cult is a group of fanatical cultists who worship the Rifts that have been appearing all around Arcadia (like the ones you can find in the Crabble Spawning Grounds next to the Paradise Landing Pad).
- Though you can’t gain reputation with the Rift Cult, you can work with certain members to understand the Rifts that have been appearing across Arcadia.

2025-10-24 20:45