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Character Creation and Progression
March 17, 2026 at 07:46 AM
Created character creation and progression article covering origins, classless system, and builds
Character creation in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn begins with a choice that goes beyond cosmetics. Players pick one of three origins, each rooted in the lore and physics of The Expanse universe. From there, progression follows an open, classless system that lets players build their character however they see fit.
The three available origins correspond to the three major human populations in The Expanse setting. Each origin affects the player character's physical appearance, starting stats, and how factions react to them throughout the game. Dialogue options, NPC attitudes, and certain quest branches shift depending on where the player character was born and raised.
Origin | Physiology | Background |
|---|---|---|
Earther | Average height, medium build. Adapted to full Earth gravity (1g). | Born on Earth under the authority of the United Nations. Earthers tend to be physically compact and well-muscled from living their entire lives under full gravity. They are accustomed to luxury relative to Belters and carry the political baggage of being part of the dominant inner-planet power. |
Martian | Taller than Earthers, bulkier build. Adapted to Martian gravity (0.38g). | Raised on Mars under the Martian Congressional Republic. Martians grow up in roughly a third of Earth's gravity, resulting in taller, broader frames. Mars is a military-industrial society obsessed with the terraforming project, and Martians tend to carry a sense of discipline and purpose. |
Belter | Extremely tall, thin frame. Adapted to very low gravity and micro-gravity. | Born and raised in the asteroid belt or outer stations. Generations of living in low to zero gravity have made Belters distinctly different from their inner-planet counterparts. They are the tallest and thinnest of the three groups, and they struggle physically in high-gravity environments. Belters face widespread discrimination and economic exploitation. |
The physiological differences between origins are not just cosmetic. They are a fundamental part of The Expanse's worldbuilding. A Belter who grew up in micro-gravity has bones and muscles that literally cannot handle full Earth gravity for extended periods. The game reflects these differences mechanically and narratively, though the exact stat implications have not been fully detailed.
Osiris Reborn does not use a traditional class system. There are no rigid archetypes like "Soldier," "Engineer," or "Medic" that lock players into a specific playstyle. Instead, the progression system is fully open. As the player levels up through combat and quest completion, they earn points that can be invested in any combination of skills, abilities, and passive upgrades.
This approach is inspired in part by Soulslike build philosophy, where players have the freedom to create unconventional combinations that suit their playstyle. The developers have emphasized that they want players to feel ownership over their character build rather than feeling channeled into a predetermined role.
While there are no classes, the progression system naturally supports several distinct playstyle archetypes. The following examples illustrate the kinds of builds players can create.
Build Archetype | Focus | Playstyle |
|---|---|---|
Gunslinger | Gunplay and weapon mastery | Prioritizes weapon damage, accuracy, reload speed, and secondary fire mode effectiveness. This build spends most of its time behind cover, landing precise shots and swapping between fire modes. Abilities are secondary. |
Technician | Skills and tech abilities | Invests heavily in ability cooldown reduction, device power, and area-of-effect upgrades. This build uses grenades with thrusters, energy shields, shoulder cannons, and other tech as the primary source of damage and utility, with gunfire filling gaps between cooldowns. |
Commander | Companion effectiveness | Focuses on upgrades that boost companion damage, durability, and ability frequency. This build turns the player into a force multiplier, issuing commands and keeping companions alive while they do the heavy lifting. |
Device Specialist | Drone and gadget mastery | Combines protective drones, deployable turrets, and trap-style devices to control the battlefield. This build excels at locking down chokepoints and creating safe zones during defensive encounters. |
Tactical Visor Build | Information and precision | Centers around the Tactical Visor ability and abilities that synergize with enemy detection. This build identifies threats through walls, marks targets for companions, and uses that information advantage to set up ambushes and flanking maneuvers. |
These archetypes are not mutually exclusive. A player could invest primarily in gunplay while picking up a few drone abilities for defensive situations, or focus on companion effectiveness but still unlock the Tactical Visor for better battlefield awareness. The system rewards experimentation.
Experience is earned through combat encounters, quest completion, and exploration milestones. Each level grants the player a set of points to distribute across the skill tree. The exact structure of the skill tree has not been fully revealed, but the developers have described it as a branching network where each node unlocks either a new ability, an upgrade to an existing ability, or a passive stat bonus.
Equipment also plays a role in progression. Weapons, armor, and tech devices can be found throughout the world or purchased from vendors in social hubs. Better gear provides raw stat increases, but it also unlocks new tactical options. A higher-tier grenade launcher might add a homing feature, for instance, while an upgraded drone might gain the ability to revive downed companions.
The combination of three origins and an open progression system gives players a strong reason to replay the game. An Earther gunslinger will have a very different experience from a Belter technician, both in terms of combat feel and narrative content. Faction reactions, dialogue options, and even certain quest outcomes change based on origin, meaning a second playthrough can reveal story threads that were invisible the first time around.
