In The Outer Worlds 2, Niles is a companion who grants a powerful crafting convenience through his Field Tinkering ability. This lets you craft ammunition, grenades, and various mods anywhere outside of combat by opening a portable workbench interface.

Crafting items and materials

Crafting Category & Example Items Key Materials Needed
Ammo (Common rounds, Long rounds, Specialty ammo), Grenades (Basic Explosive, Elemental e.g., Volatile Explosives) Scrap Metal, Black Powder, Lubricant
Weapon Mods (Explosive Rounds, Plasma Barrels, Electric Barrels), Armor Mods (Self-Repairing Armor Mod, Ghost Array Mod) Scrap Metal, Lubricant, Circuitry, Cloth
Primers (Health Regen Primers, Elemental Primers) Various crafting materials depending on primer type
Tools & Utilities (Mag-Picks (lockpicks), Bypass Shunts) Scrap Metal, Circuitry, Lubricant

How to use Niles for crafting ammo and grenades

Make sure that you have Niles as a companion.

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When you need to craft ammo or grenades while exploring, initiate dialogue with Niles and select the "Field Tinkering" dialogue option. This opens a workbench crafting menu similar to the one on your ship.

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In the crafting menu, go to the ammo or grenades section to view recipes available to you. Once you have the required materials, select the ammo or grenade you want to craft and confirm.

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Tips

  • Always carry plenty of junk items to break down into crafting materials like Scrap Metal and Black Powder, since you’ll need them frequently for ammo and grenades.
  • Unlock and purchase as many crafting recipes as possible from vendors and through exploration to expand your crafting options.
  • Use Niles’ Field Tinkering to craft ammo and grenades on the go, especially for rare ammo types that are expensive or hard to find.