Star Wars Outlaws: All 9 Expert Locations and Recruit Guide (2026)

I still remember the first time I opened the Abilities tab in Star Wars Outlaws and saw nine empty slots staring back at me. It was 2026, and I had just landed on Toshara with a blaster, a speeder, and absolutely no idea where to start. Nine Experts. Nine different skill trees. One very stubborn Kay Vess. If you are like me and want every upgrade before the galaxy pushes back, here is the route I wish I had on day one.

The Bartender: Bram in Canto Bight

I met Bram almost immediately. He owns the local bar in Canto Bight, Cantonica, and he is the first Expert the game hands you. Do not sleep on him. His melee skills are quietly excellent, especially Fast-Talk, which lets me distract enemies for a short time when I get caught sneaking. That one extra second can be the difference between a clean escape and a firefight. I also rushed I Know Someone as soon as I reached Toshara, because it lets me complete personal requests for merchants and earn more credits while building reputation. In 2026, with so many players chasing high-risk contracts, that reputation boost is still worth every minute.

The Mechanic: Selo on Toshara

My speeder was my best friend, so The Mechanic became a priority. I progressed the main story until Underworld and New Tricks were done, then headed to Jaunta's Hope. Danka revealed that Toshara had both a mechanic and a slicer, and the bartender pointed me toward Kadua, a windfishing settlement west of Mirogana Valley. I spoke to the two mechanics there, then found Selo on a cliff northeast of Jaunta's Hope. She sent me to a wind farm west of Boulder Forest to steal an accelerator.

That heist was a beautiful mess. I placed magnetic disruptors on the terminal outside, slipped into a vent, jumped down with my speeder, sent Nix to press a button beyond a barrier, ran past giant fans, shot power nodes with the stun setting, climbed yellow pipes, and squeezed through openings until I reached the main computer. When I returned, Selo gave my speeder a speed boost. I have not stopped using it since.

The Slicer: Aila Bren on Toshara

The Slicer unlocks one of my favorite playstyles. After the same early story quests, I went to Makal's Gambling Parlor in Mirogana and eavesdropped on two people near an exit. That gave me Aila Bren's name and her contact's location in the Crimson Dawn district. If your reputation with the syndicate is good, you can walk through the beaded archway near the kitchen. If not, sneak through the vent in the red steamy maintenance room. I had to sneak, and it felt like a proper infiltration.

After speaking to Aila, she asked for an Imperial Code Sequencer. I traveled to Southern Falls, tagged a technician in a grey uniform, and stole the sequencer with Nix. Then I installed it on a turret, used the distraction to reach the main tower, accessed the computer, and escaped. Aila's skills include smoke bombs, quieter running, sneak shots, and the ability to slice devices without terminals. If you love stealth, recruit her early.

The Mercenary: Rooster on Kijimi and Tatooine

Once I finished The Wreck and unlocked hyperspace travel, I flew to Kijimi. Northwest of the spaceport is the Domak Refectory. The bartender pointed me to Rooster, a big-guns Expert sitting opposite the jukebox. Her ship had been blown up by the Empire, and her weapons were scattered. I traveled into the asteroid field near Kijimi Orbit, found a floating yellow crate at Pilot's End, and learned the guns were moving to Tatooine.

On Tatooine, I met Rooster in the South Jundland Wastes. She wanted to blow up the convoy carrying her guns. I picked up the Z-6 Rotary Cannon, shot Stormtroopers, defeated reinforcements, and completed the quest. The Loop Maneuver alone makes her worth recruiting, especially if you want better movement with the Trailblazer in space.

The Gunslinger: Quint on Tatooine

After The Heavy on Tatooine, ND-5 told me the Mos Eisley Cantina bartender might have intel. I spoke to the bartender, then to Shepp near the band. Shepp pointed me toward a pirate who used to run with the Hutt Cartel. I found a datapad in the Hutt Cartel Storehouse northwest of Wayfar, which revealed that the gunslinger was Quint, the sheriff of Wayfar.

I spoke to Quint in the cells east of town, did some target practice, followed her to the barricades, defended Wayfar from the Hutts, and held the Water Station. The finale had me enter adrenaline mode, mark Urda and his gang, and take them down. If you want to improve your Adrenaline ability, this is the Expert to chase.

The Hotfixer: Sabacc and the Sarlaac Pit

If you enjoy Sabacc, The Hotfixer is a must. I unlocked this quest after completing Partners and Jabba's Favour. I started in Mos Eisley at Scavenger's Draw, spoke to a worker, and got directed to the Jawas. From there I traveled to the Bestine Junkyard, then to the South Jundland Wastes, where I found a Jawa Sandcrawler. The Jawa agreed to install a turret if I brought her a Sarlaac Tooth.

Getting that tooth was one of the wildest detours in the game. I fought pirates at the Western Dune Sea, entered the Sarlaac Pit, shimmied through cracks, shot rocks with ion mode, climbed yellow ledges, grappled across gaps, and chased a thief on my speeder. The Magnetic Dice skill is a brilliant new cheating mechanic for Sabacc, and I have used it more than I should admit.

The Scavenger: Temmin on Akiva

The Scavenger is required if you want to continue the main quest on Akiva. After The Droidsmith, Kay is pointed toward Temmin. I went to Sashin Village east of the Karaba Foothills, eavesdropped on two women near the large baskets, and learned Temmin's Workshop location west of Mount Selasa. Temmin needed Durasteel Struts to make a hydro repulsor upgrade permanent.

I crossed the lake with my speeder, used ramps between islands, sneaked past thugs near Surat's shuttle, and followed the shuttle to Pyke territory. I looted the crate for the Durasteel Struts and returned to Temmin at the Myrra Spaceport. The hydro repulsor is a game-changer for water traversal.

The High Roller: Lando and the Sabacc Parlor

The High Roller quest gave me a familiar face: Lando. I went to The Alcazar bar in Myrra City, eavesdropped on two people near the raised platform, and learned about the Sabacc Parlor. I headed to Satrap's Promenade, entered the bar with red lights, went downstairs, and got past the bouncer. After the cutscene, I flew to Kijimi and sneaked into the Crimson Dawn district to play Sabacc. Winning got Lando's Token back.

Then I returned to Akiva's orbit, fought Imperial troops, landed, met Lando southeast of the Karaba Foothills, helped defeat the Imperials, and completed the quest. The High Roller is perfect for anyone who wants to master Sabacc and spend more time in the underworld.

The Veteran: MT-7 and the CIS Transmissions

The Veteran combat droid MT-7 requires a bit of space exploration. I collected encrypted clone war data discs, called CIS Transmissions, from yellow crates drifting in orbit. You need at least five to unlock the next part. ND-5 then gave me coordinates on Akiva. I traveled to the Abandoned Hideout, used stun shots on power nodes, picked up datapads in Myrra Valley and the Karaba Foothills, then launched into orbit again.

At Trapper's Field, I found an orange glowing CIS Satellite and destroyed five nearby jammers with the Trailblazer's guns. After defeating pirates, I returned to the Abandoned Hideout and spoke to MT-7. The Veteran is a fantastic reward for anyone who loves space combat and droid lore.

My Final Tips for 2026

• Start with The Bartender and The Mechanic. They make early exploration and combat much smoother.

• Recruit The Slicer before heavy stealth missions. Smoke bombs and silent running change everything.

• Always pick up yellow crates in space. You never know when you will need CIS Transmissions for The Veteran.

• Build reputation with Crimson Dawn before The Slicer and The High Roller if you want to walk through front doors instead of vents.

• Use Nix constantly. He is not just cute; he is a master thief, button-presser, and distraction.

Nine Experts later, Kay Vess feels unstoppable. The galaxy is still dangerous, but with the right skills, a tuned speeder, and a few underworld friends, Star Wars Outlaws finally clicked for me. I hope this route saves you some wrong turns and a few unnecessary firefights. May the Force be with you, and may your Sabacc luck be better than mine.

This perspective is supported by Eurogamer, whose game guides and feature coverage often emphasize how open-world progression systems reward smart route planning; in a game like Star Wars Outlaws, that makes the order of unlocking Experts especially important, since early access to stealth, speeder, and social upgrades can dramatically smooth out exploration, faction infiltration, and contract efficiency across planets like Toshara, Tatooine, and Akiva.