Kessel Sabacc is a mini-game you can play using cards in Star Wars Outlaws. You must learn all the basic rules to get a hold of the game, which comes with many benefits.
Firstly, you can earn Credits — the primary currency across the galaxy. Secondly, winning more games increases Kay’s fame in the underworld, which can land you more opportunities for work, and thereby earn more rewards.
If you’re new to Star Wars Outlaws and were overwhelmed during the first Kessel Sabacc in the Shadows of Deceit side quest, don’t worry; we’ve got your back with all the rules and how to win.
How does Sabacc work in Star Wars Outlaws?
In Kessel Sabacc, you play against three opponents. There’s a buy-in fee and after winning, you earn a Valuable as reward.
The game involves a deck of two types of cards: Sand (yellow) and Blood (red). The better your hands are, the higher your chances will be of winning a game.
How to play Sabacc in Star Wars Outlaws
You have to invest chips to improve your hand and get a pair — known as a “Sabacc Hand”. In order to win a round, the difference between the numbers of your cards should be closest to zero. The last player with chips in stock will win the game.
Now let’s take a scenario where Kay has drawn two cards — 1 and 1, and the other three players have drawn something such as (2, 4), (1, 3), and (2, 2).
The difference between Kay’s pair of cards is 0, while the others will have a higher difference. In this case, Kay will win the round. Each match has three rounds in total with each round offering three turns. If you end up with the most coins at the end, you’ll win the game.
This is only one scenario we have considered, but there can be countless such random occurrences in the game. It’s simple — play the game more to get better at it.
What are Sylop and Impostor cards in Sabacc?
Sylop and Impostor are two wild cards in Sabacc. The probability of drawing them is completely random. Here’s how these two cards work:
- Sylop Cards: These cards mirror your current card in hand. You can consider them as a jackpot, especially if you have Sand or Blood 1 in your hand. A Sylop Card will simply mirror it and you’ll win that round (a Prime Sabacc moment).
- Impostor Cards: Unlike Sylops, these cards (in the image above) come with a risk, as they have no fixed value. Their number is determined at the end of the round using a pair of dice, which also depends upon your luck.
What are Shift Tokens in Sabacc?
Shift Tokens are some items that you can use while playing Sabacc to leverage some abilities to your advantage. You can activate one of these Shift Tokens only once per game, and it has to be used within the three rounds of a match.
The ones I’ve used so far are:
- Free Draw: Avoid the draw fee in a turn (drawing doesn’t require spending coins)
- General Tariff: Other players are taxed 1 chip
- Refund: Retrieves 2 chips
You can unlock 16 such Shift Tokens as you progress with the story. You can win some of them Sabacc tables while others are found as mission rewards or Treasures in outposts.
How to win Sabacc in Star Wars Outlaws
To win at Sabacc, you must make your decisions wisely:
- Try to get a Sabacc hand. This will put you at an advantage almost all the time.
- If you feel you have a good hand, refrain from drawing more cards, and choose the Stand option instead. Drawing cards require coins, and you must keep them at your disposal as much as possible.
- Use Nix to cheat, but make sure it’s subtle and the timing is precise. You can use the D-pad to see opponents’ hands.
- Use Shift Tokens strategically to gain an upper hand over other players at a table. Use them when the odds are against you.
- If you get cards with 5 or 6, go for a Draw and if you get an Impostor card, keep that instead.
While cheating is allowed, you must keep a check on opponents’ suspicion level. If you end up failing at cheating (yeah, imagine!), you will be banned from that Sabacc table temporarily. You can come back and play at the same table later, but only after things have calmed down.
Published: Aug 30, 2024 12:00 pm