.45 Caliber SMG

Lore & Background

The Halcyon colony was built by the Halcyon Corporation as a self-sustaining settlement in the Halo system, and every piece of equipment aboard the ship and in the colony was chosen with corporate budget constraints in mind. The .45 Caliber SMG fits that philosophy perfectly: it's a compact, pump-and-shoot weapon designed for security detail, dockworkers, and anyone who might need to put down a feral cat or a hostile colonist without the paperwork of a full rifle. The .45 round is a mid-penetrator—enough to stop a threat through a thin bulkhead, not so overpowered that the colony's modest armor standards would render it useless.

In the broader context of the Halcyon's armory, the SMG sits below the colony's more prestigious firearms. The Monarch's elite guards and the Talos II security officers carry heavier, more specialized weapons. But for the average colonist minding their greenhouse or running a supply route through the Asteroid Belt, a .45 SMG tucked under the arm is the difference between a bad day and a fatal one. It's the weapon that says, 'I'm not a soldier, but I'm not helpless.'

The Outer Worlds' retro-futuristic aesthetic gives even this humble SMG a distinct character. Think brushed steel, a slightly oversized magazine, and the kind of utilitarian grip you'd see on a 1970s space-station security manual. It doesn't glow, it doesn't hum, it doesn't have a name etched into the slide. It just works. In a colony where the AI Talos II has been quietly rewriting reality, that quiet reliability is almost poetic.

In Their Own Story

The corridor on Halcyon Station smelled of recycled air and burnt coffee. Mara wiped her hands on her coveralls and checked the magazine one more time—twelve rounds of .45, standard issue, the same ones the dockworkers used to keep the feral rats off the cargo manifests. She wasn't a soldier. She wasn't even a security officer. She was a botanist who'd been stuck on the station for three weeks because the Monarch's supply shuttle kept missing its window.

The first raider dropped from the ventilation grate with a knife that shouldn't have been legal on a corporate vessel. Mara's .45 SMG coughed twice, three times, and the corridor filled with the sharp, flat crack of .45 rounds bouncing off the bulkhead. The raider was down. Mara stood there, breathing hard, the weapon still warm in her hands, and thought: *Twelve rounds. I used four. I'm going to need to find more of these before the next one comes through the vent.*

She holstered the SMG, picked up her clipboard, and walked back to the hydroponics bay. The tomatoes could wait. The colony, somehow, could not.

Reader's Guide

Item: .45 Caliber SMG Type: Submachine Gun (SMG) Tier: Common

The .45 Caliber SMG is a common-tier, base-game submachine gun. It fires .45 Caliber ammunition and deals moderate per-round damage with a moderate fire rate. Its weight is low, making it a practical choice for players who want a secondary weapon that doesn't eat into their inventory weight budget. It has no special effect in its base form—no crit bonus, no elemental damage, no unique perk—making it a straightforward, reliable option.

You can typically find the .45 Caliber SMG as a random drop from lower-level enemies in early-game areas such as Halcyon Station and the outer Monarch district, or purchase it from general goods vendors. It is not quest-gated and is not exclusive to any DLC. It is available to all characters regardless of faction or path.

Flavor text and presentation: The weapon's description in-game is deliberately dry and corporate, reflecting the Halcyon Corporation's no-nonsense approach to equipment. There are no hidden easter eggs or secret references tied specifically to this model, but its design language—brushed metal, simple sight, chunky magazine—is consistent with the game's retro-futuristic space-western aesthetic. Think 1970s sci-fi prop shop meets colony-issue gear.

For early-game use, the .45 SMG pairs well with the player's starting pistol as a close-quarters backup. It shines in tight corridors and aboard the Halcyon Station where long-range rifles are impractical. As you progress, you'll outgrow it quickly, but it remains a solid, zero-frills option if you ever need to clear a magazine of ammo or fill a weapon slot without spending credits on a rarer model.

Did You Know?

• The .45 Caliber SMG is one of the more 'honest' weapons in The Outer Worlds—no glowing elements, no named lore, no corporate branding beyond the generic Halcyon spec. It's the weapon equivalent of a colonist's plain stee
• In The Outer Worlds, the .45 round sits in the middle of the game's ammunition hierarchy. It's more powerful than the standard 9mm but less than the .50 or heavier calibers, making the SMG a natural mid-range damage opti
• The game's retro-futuristic design means even a 'common' weapon like this SMG has a distinct visual identity—chunky, analog, and deliberately un-sleek—contrasting sharply with the sleek sci-fi firearms of other space RPG
• Because it's a common-tier, base-game weapon with no quest lock, the .45 Caliber SMG is one of the first dedicated SMGs most players will pick up, making it a rite-of-passage weapon for new characters exploring Halcyon S