Does Outer Wilds Save When You Quit? How The Time Loop Checkpoints Work

Yes, quitting out of Outer Wilds does save your progress in the game‘s continuous 22-minute time loop structure. Specifically, opening the pause menu and selecting "Quit Game" saves everything you‘ve accomplished in the current cycle and starts a fresh new loop when you relaunch Outer Wilds.

As a passionate Outer Wilds gamer myself, I was initially confused about how saving and progression works. But once I grasped the time loop mechanic, it became one of my favorite parts of this incredible sci-fi exploration game.

In this guide, I‘ll fully explain Outer Wilds‘ unique cyclic saving system including what carries over between loops, how quitting differs from dying, tips to optimize saving progress, and more!

An Overview Of Outer Wilds‘ Time Loop Mechanic

Outer Wilds employs a 22-minute time loop mechanic centered around the nearby Sun going supernova. This creates a limited period for you to explore the mini open-world solar system before everything resets.

The game autosaves when you quit out from the pause menu. So quitting acts as a checkpoint to preserve your overall progress. This carries over into each new full loop cycle.

So why use a repetitive time loop instead of standard saves? As game designer Alexander Beachum explains, it:

• Allows for iterative progress (uncover bits of the mystery each loop)
• Encourages exploration freedom (any order, no dead ends)
• Creates urgency & puzzles (race against the clock items)

This innovative cyclic design makes mastering Outer Wilds incredibly rewarding. Let‘s look at exactly how saving and progression works…

What Gets Saved When You Quit The Time Loop?

Quitting out from the pause menu checkpoints your current progress by retaining all key discoveries and narrative developments. Here are the key items and progression elements that carry over through each subsequent time loop cycle:

Ship Upgrades & Discoveries:

• Flight computer paths, coordinates, and ship log notes
• Upgrade modules like jetpack boost and autopilot
• Rumors and leads uncovered at space stations

Narrative & Mystery Progress:

• Locations of Nomai historical ruins, writing, and artifacts
• Knowledge learned about Nomai history, science, culture
• Important clues and leads regarding the time loop

Environmental Changes:

• Ash Twin towers alignment for Black Hole access
• Brittle Hollow crater expansions and lava draining
• Removed Short Range Teleporter obstructions

Plus your Outer Wilds spacesuit, scout tool, andQuantum Moon recall ability all persist as permanent upgrades.

So in summary – locations found, narrative leads followed, environmental tricks, upgrades, and more all get "saved" when quitting out of a time loop cycle to incrementally progress.

What Is Lost Or Reset In Each New Cycle?

While most progress carries over, here are some elements that do reset or get lost when a fresh time loop begins after quitting:

• Specific puzzle solutions (may need solving again)
• One-time only events in a cycle (supernova photo)
• Environment resets (Ember Twin sand)
• Orbital patterns and alignments
• Oxygen tank and jetpack fuel levels

So things like racing to grab a rolling module before it falls into the sun may need to be repeated more than once across cycles.

Compare: Saving Via Dying Vs Quitting The Game

You might be wondering – what happens if I simply let the Sun go supernova rather than manually quitting? Is it the same outcome?

The answer is…pretty similar! Both dying and quitting function as saves and lead to a fresh time loop cycle with progressed preserved.

However, there are some minor differences in how these events impact the next loop:

Dying to Supernova:

• Must re-traverse to remote planets
• Environmental puzzles reset
• One-time events lost for loop

Quitting To Menu:

• Can immediately return to any planet
• Persists environmental changes
• Retains one-time cycle events

So in most cases, quitting out to the menu will be more efficient for preserving within-cycle progress compared to simply waiting 22 minutes for death by supernova.

Backup Saves Protect You From File Corruption

One downside of autosaving instead of manual saves is potential save file corruption. Thankfully, Outer Wilds has a system of rolling backup save files.

These backups can be found locally here (for Steam users):

C:\Users[username]\AppData\LocalLow\Mobius Digital\Outer Wilds\Backup

If your main save ever gets lost or corrupted, grab the latest working backup save corresponding to your user profile! This provides an added layer of protection in preserving your Outer Wilds progress.

Speedrunners Optimize The Time Loop Saving Strategically

If you watch Outer Wilds speedrunners tackle any % category runs on Twitch or YouTube, you‘ll notice they utilize the saving mechanic very strategically.

Top runners like Kharak employ careful quit outs at optimal points to ratchet progress quicker. This allows them to essentially "speed learn" at key points to enable huge jumps in subsequent loops.

By saving only after uncovering new key clues, they minimize repeat exploration and propel towards the various speedrun endings faster. It‘s masterful and strategic use of Outer Wilds‘ time loop!

Tips To Maximize Progress With Outer Wilds Saving

Here are some of my top tips for using Outer Wilds‘ unique saving system to your advantage:

Quit Early, Quit Often: Don‘t wait for the death explosion! Manual exit early to preserve that loop progress.

Take Notes: Jot down breadcrumbs and clues you uncover to follow up on next loop.

Focus Objectives: Rush to make progress on 1 or 2 targets at the start.

Visit Recall Anchors: Set up statues to quickly return to planets mid-loop.

Backup Saves: Protect your progress against corruption possibilities.

Conclusion

And there you have it, a comprehensive guide to saving and progression with Outer Wilds! While the lack of manual saves may seem limiting at first, the time loop mechanic opens up extremely rewarding incremental discovery and mastery.

Quitting out starts a fresh cycle while carrying over your essential progress – creating a satisfying checkpoint system. So don‘t fear the Outer Wilds supernova, embrace it as a chance to try again with added wisdom!

Let me know if this guide cleared up how saving works for you Outer Wilds newcomers. And happy exploring!!