The Star Wars Outlaws update reduces the polarizing forced stealth, but players are still torn

The newest Star Wars Outlaws update is a doozy, mainly focus about removing one of the biggest problems players had with the game: forced stealth.

“The choice of players has always been an important point of attention Star Wars Outlawsbut after listening to your feedback, we’ve come to the conclusion that there’s more we can do to give you even more freedom,” wrote creative director Drew Rechner in a message on Ubisoft’s website. “Restrictions such as ‘Don’t sound the alarm’ or ‘Don’t get caught’ in quests forced players into stealthy playstyles, limiting the ability to choose whether or not to use combat. As a result, some quests can feel frustrating or unfair. We also found that detection mechanisms can be unpredictable and inconsistent.”

While sneaking remains a “viable” option, getting caught will no longer send players back to the final checkpoint, according to Rechner. The game state will instead transition into combat, allowing protagonist Kay Vess to fight her way out of a sticky situation. Syndicate districts, which previously only allowed stealth, now also let players take a more direct, combat-oriented approach if their reputation with the local gang isn’t so great.

“And we don’t stop there,” Rechner added. “We’re also expanding player choice in broader ways. For example, you can now pick up and keep weapons you encounter in the field for much longer, with more options to use them in different scenarios. We’ve also added more meaningful combat decisions, such as targeting specific enemy body parts for powerful headshots and exploiting weaknesses. The addition of positioning and timing tactics will also make combat scenarios more dynamic. Our goal is to let you play the way you want to play.”

The community’s reception to the update was largely positive, and many said so Star Wars Outlaws is approaching a level of polish it should have had at launch.

“People bounced off the game because of the forced stealth,” reads one cheerful comment on the game’s official subreddit. “That was absolutely non-negotiable for some people. I got through it, but if they can reach a larger audience with an adjustment, then go for it.”

“I’m not sure going full Rambo is the best way to approach most situations,” wrote another user. “But at least if you mess up the stealth, it’s not the end of the world.”

“As someone who plays games without the HUD, I hate the change to add NPC detection and status indicators,” wrote a thirdwhich proves that you can’t please everyone. “You can’t disable this new one, despite all the options available.”

Some players are also angry because the update did not resolve the graphical problems that plague some games on PlayStation 5 Pro.

Star Wars Outlaws launched on August 30 and received a mediocre reception. Writing for Polygon, critic Todd Harper described the open-world game as “beautiful” with a “rewarding” main story, but also said it tried to do too much. Stealth, Harper added, was both a huge part of the game and its “most egregious offender,” a sentiment echoed in many reviews. Julian Gerighty, former creative director of Star Wars Outlawsacknowledged the problem in a September 7 interview with GamesRadar+referring to an early mission with insta-fail stealth requirements as a ‘mistake’.