Star Wars Outlaws is stepping up its game with the release of its first story pack, Wild Card, now available on Xbox Series X|S. This new addition plunges players into a thrilling Kessel Sabacc game on board the casino cruiser Morenia, but with a larger table and some unique rules to spice things up. It’s time to refine your strategy by getting familiar with these differences.
To even take a seat in this high-stakes match, players are required to complete the Gunsmith quest alongside The High Roller quest for none other than Lando Calrissian. In Wild Card, our protagonist Kay Vess finds herself under orders from Governor Thorden of Toshara. Her mission? Infiltrate a prestigious Kessel Sabacc game and snag a coveted prize, only to realize there’s a hidden game lurking in the shadows of the underworld. This challenge is just the beginning of the adventures that await in Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card. However, entry is strictly invite-only, meaning Kay must use her cunning and charm to maneuver her way into the game.
The fundamentals of Kessel Sabacc remain a key part of the Wild Card experience, where the goal is to outsmart opponents by assembling the best hand from the blood and sand cards. Players must survive three rounds per match, but without chips, you can’t draw new cards—and once they’re gone, so are you.
Aboard the casino cruiser Morenia, the version of Kessel Sabacc you’ll encounter shakes things up with some interesting variations. Protocol Droid EY-E9 takes charge as the game host and administers the house rules, notably banning the strategic shift tokens. These tokens usually offer players a distinct advantage or disrupt opponents’ strategies. However, in the interest of fairness for all participants, EY-E9 prefers to level the playing field by prohibiting their use.
Despite the rule against shift tokens, sneaky tactics aren’t entirely off the table. Three main cheats are still in the mix: using magnetic dice, employing Lando Calrissian’s double draw technique for drawing two cards instead of one, and Nix’s trick of spying on opponents’ hands. But don’t expect Nix to employ his usual tactics easily, as the game now unfolds in a lively, public setting where stealth is more challenging. Still, Nix has a clever new move: planting cards on other players, hoping they’ll be caught “cheating” by EY-E9 and booted from the game.
Additional twists to Kessel Sabacc in Wild Card include the capacity of other players to employ cheats, adding more complexity to the challenge. It’s essential for Kay to keep a keen eye on fellow players’ behaviors and exchanges. Spotting their cheating tactics can enable Kay to subtly tip off EY-E9, raising suspicions and potentially leading to their expulsion from the match.
Instead of the usual quartet seen across the galaxy, Wild Card expands the table setup. On the Morenia cruiser, six players compete at once, with EY-E9 facilitating and overseeing the entire affair, all while ensuring fair play.
For those eager to succeed at this revamped Kessel Sabacc, we turned to Thibaut Machin, a game director at Ubisoft Paris, for strategic insights. His advice centers on mastering new rules to emerge victorious.
### Double Draw
Machin emphasizes the double draw maneuver, an expert tactic picked up from Lando Calrissian, as indispensable in the new setup. Usually, this allows players to snatch a favorable hand, followed by a double discard to eliminate the excess card inconspicuously. Instead, Machin suggests pairing the double draw with Nix’s new card-planting ability, allowing you to retain your favorable card while getting competitors ousted, too.
### Gather Intel
Sleuthing around Morenia is critical, as Machin points out, since gathering intelligence will unveil useful tidbits about others at the Sabacc table. He highlights the importance of paying attention during these investigations to unveil cheating patterns, empowering you to expose them during gameplay.
### Have a Good Reputation
As the saga unfolds on Morenia, members of various syndicates have catches to attend, all invited to the Sabacc game by EY-E9. Reputation plays a pivotal role here. Building alliances with these factions could be crucial to finding a place in this exclusive game. Having a favorable standing with syndicates, Machin explains, will make navigating the storyline smoother.
### Take Your Time
Machin’s top advice is to exercise patience. With the increased complexity at the table, making hasty moves might cost you. Observing and understanding the dynamics at play is vital to gaining an upper hand. While impulsively splurging chips might seem tempting, Wild Card’s extended gameplay—with only eight chips at your disposal—calls for more thoughtful spending and strategic listening.
As you dive into Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card on Xbox Series X|S, remember that more content is on the horizon. Keep up-to-date through Star Wars Outlaws’ official social media channels and Xbox Wire for all the latest adventures.
