Star Wars Outlaws: What You Need to Know About Nix and the…

Companions and sidekicks have always been a core part of the Star Wars experience, from R2-D2 and C-3PO in the original trilogy to K-2SO in Rogue One and BD-1 in Respawn's Star Wars Jedi series. These companion characters often provide some much-needed comic relief, and offer up some useful services that the main protagonist requires on their journey. Companions have become an important tradition for Star Wars, and it's a tradition that Star Wars Outlaws' developers are embracing fully.

A furry Axolotl-like creature, Nix has been front and center of Star Wars Outlaws' marketing, appearing prominently throughout its various story and gameplay trailers. The faithful companion of smuggling protagonist Kay Vess, Star Wars Outlaws' Nix will seemingly play a vital role in the game's story and gameplay. A few of Star Wars Outlaws' developers recently sat down with The Best War Games to discuss the creation of Nix, the Merqaal species he belongs to, and what fans need to know about this new Star Wars companion before they jump into Outlaws for the first time.

What Star Wars Outlaws' Devs Want Fans to Know About Nix and the Merqaal

What a Merqaal Is, According to Star Wars Outlaws' Devs

Touted as the first truly open-world Star Wars game, Star Wars Outlaws brings its fair share of new lore to the Galaxy Far, Far Away. One such piece of new lore is the Merqaal species, a mysterious new race that's never been seen before in Star Wars media. Star Wars Outlaws' associate art director Marthe Jonkers recently provided The Best War Games with a brief description of the Merqaal species, saying:

"Merqaals are small creatures that originate from a jungle planet. They are used to a harsh environment with the scales on their back providing protection from rain and predators. Merqaals have dexterous paws and big claws, and with their sharp teeth they are more than capable of defending themselves.

A very unique element to Merqaals are their 'feelers.' With those, they can sense the environment for danger. Nix also uses them to communicate with Kay, putting them up when he is excited or has found something, and curling them down when he is cautious."

In Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay trailers, fans can see Nix's Merqaal 'feelers' in action, with Nix using them whenever a player commands him to survey the environment, an act that tags enemy units. Nix's paws, claws, and sharp teeth will also come into effect whenever the player commands him to pounce on an enemy and distract them.

How Star Wars Outlaws' Devs Approached Creating a New Star Wars Companion

A core component for any iconic Star Wars companion is that they need to be likable, and one of the easiest ways to do that is by making them as adorable as possible. Jonkers spoke briefly about how the team approached making Nix a cute, yet reliable companion, explaining:

"For Nix, we got tons of inspiration by just observing our own pets. The relationship we have with our cats and dogs inspired how we thought about Nix’s design and behavior as a real animal. Nix can be very cuddly and cute when he gets a belly rub, but beware of his sharp claws and teeth!"

Nix isn't the first Star Wars companion whose creation was inspired by pets. Chewbacca was originally based on George Lucas' own Alaskan Malamute named Indiana.

How Kay and Nix's Relationship Differs From Other Star Wars Duos

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Star Wars is home to plenty of iconic companions and sidekicks, who with their counterpart create some of the most iconic duos in entertainment history. But each Star Wars duo has something distinct that sets their relationship apart. Han Solo and Chewbacca's partnership feels very different from Anakin and R2-D2's. Star Wars Outlaws' narrative director Navid Khavari explained how Nix and Kay's relationship differs from Star Wars' other duos:

"I do think there’s something particularly unique between Kay and Nix, in that they grew up together from when Kay was young."

[...]

"We infused so much of our own pets into Nix’ character – I know whenever we were writing scripts or talking to Humberly (Gonzalez, who plays Kay) and our fantastic puppeteer Camille (Loiselle-D'Aragon) that we wanted to show Kay seeing Nix not just as a pet, but family."

It's clear that Nix is going to play a pivotal role in Star Wars Outlaws, throughout its story and in its gameplay. Now, the pairing of those two vital components will hopefully induct Nix into the Star Wars companion Hall of Fame.

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