Should you save or leave the hostages in The Outer Worlds 2?

Choosing whether to be a hero or betray your values in The Outer Worlds 2 is the most significant decision at the climax of the Golden Ridge region. Whilst pursuing Seer Wiley and his Order fanatics through the twisting corridors of Alexandra Monastery, you'll come face-to-face with an elaborate and sadistic quandary the seer has prepared for you.

On the one hand, you can save the hostages by completing an elaborate puzzle, but it'll give Wiley more time to accomplish his objectives. On the other hand, you can leave the hostages to their fate—getting squished by a pneumatic press—but you'll reach Wiley faster and might be able to throw a spanner in his schemes.

I explain both outcomes below and what the consequences are, but I also run through how to complete the hostage puzzle, including a little video of me doing it in-game.

Should you save the hostages in The Outer Worlds 2?

Saving or leaving the hostages in The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't impact as much as you'd think, but it does change a few things. The key differences are:

• If you save the hostages, you'll get +3 Order rep and they'll survive. This means you take extra time solving the puzzle to save them, and so you're delayed getting to Seer Wiley. He has time to transmit the security access codes to De Vries, meaning she can take control of the Automechs on Greater Tranquillity Substation. As Valerie explains later, this means that you'll be facing the station's Automech security when you infiltrate there next.
• If you leave the hostages, you'll get -3 Order rep and they'll be killed, though you do have right up until you enter Seer Wiley's arena to change your mind and go back to complete the puzzle that frees them. The fact that you took less time means that Wiley didn't have time to transmit the codes, and he'll explain that he didn't expect you'd actually leave the hostages to their fate. The message from De Vries on the terminal is also different—she expresses her disappointment in Wiley and that the assault is going to be much harder. As Valerie explains, the Automech security on Greater Tranquillity Station will still attack you, but it will now attack De Vries' soldiers as well.

Overall, I'd say that the best choice is to save the hostages. The result is just a few extra Automechs you have to fight and since that means more XP it's actually to your advantage anyway.

How to complete the hostage puzzle in The Outer Worlds 2

To free the hostages, you'll have to complete a little puzzle that involves moving an orb from one place to another. You can see a full video of how to solve it above, but in case you can't, here's the play-by-play:

1. Head to the upper floor, fighting past the enemies to get there
2. Step on the first switch straight ahead to release the ball, and then the subsequent two switches to your left to open each gate and keep it rolling
3. Go back downstairs and shoot the three crates blocking its path
4. Activate the switch with the red cables coming out of it, then activate it a second time once the ball is past the first barrier
5. Wait for the ball to stop, then step on the first switch on the ground floor to raise it up, then the subsequent switch to your right when the ball has stopped rolling again

Now you can retrieve the Auto-Pneumatic Keypunch Activation Card from the safe downstairs, which you can use at the main console to stop the hostages from getting squished. The safe also contains the Pinnacle Perfume Kilo mod for your inhaler.

At this stage, you can choose to crush the hostages yourself if you want, though this will give you -3 Order rep and accomplish the same result as leaving them would've, though your companions will be a little disgusted with you.

Outer Worlds 2 companions: Every crew member
Outer Worlds 2 best weapons: Grab these guns
Outer Worlds 2 best armor: Turtle up
Outer Worlds 2 lockbox locations: Unique gear
Outer Worlds 2 Advanced Decryption Keys: Open up