The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't let you join the Protectorate

Outer Worlds 2 has a bunch of factions, and like other Obsidian RPGs, your affiliation with them is tracked. If you gain approval for helping the group, and lose approval if you act against their interests – and you can even be declared their enemy if you take it too far.

However, there is one faction that thinks the same about you no matter what you do: the Guardians. They are the dominant force in Arcadia, at war with the Chosen of the Aunt and in conflict with the Order of the Ascendant. And while your relationship with the latter two is tracked, there's no way to see how the Protectorate feels about you or how to befriend them, and players are frustrated.

No, you cannot join the Protectorate in The Outer Worlds 2

“My biggest gripe with this game, we can't join the Protectorate,” says Reddit user spikywobble. “I love The Outer Worlds 2, but it really feels too limited with the faction system. Why the hell can't we join the Guardians?”

“I understand they're the main villains but I mean, not really,” agrees Soggy-Return8876. “Every faction is better in some way. The point of the game is to roleplay right? If I want to roleplay as a Directorate agent blaming the Protectorate after the Horizon Point incident, that might make sense narratively.”

“Totally agree,” says Korileau. “The game favors auntie's choice over the protectorate which is bullshit. If the writing was really smart, there would be a “reform protectorate” option for people like me who hate auntie's choice and orders.

Now, as others have argued in the comments, there are reasons why you can't. I won't go into spoilers, but it's very hard to see how a player can rest on the Protectorate in the game. This really requires a completely separate path to writing, because depending on how far you get within the faction, it can drastically change the ending sequence.

But with that being said, I see no reason why there shouldn't be a approval bar as you get with other factions. You can meet many friendly members of the Protectorate, as well as some stores and quest givers. In fact, the people we deal with aren't really privy to the activities of the higher-ups – the antagonists we're against during the main story – so it won't be contradictory.

Also, as some have countered, Fallout: New Vegas literally lets you join Cesar's Legion. Hell, you can even do it as a female character, despite the fact that the faction is extremely patriarchal. However, The Outer Worlds 2 is structured differently than New Vegas, so on the technical front, it might not be possible.

However, the game seems to be going down well with the players so far. It's out now for everyone, with the full launch yesterday.