190:, a detail given to her by L'Etoile. Dollarhyde, who is also asexual, gave Parvati a more "personal voice", and described feeling "lucky" that she was able to "inherit" the writing duties for this character. One line in particular, where Parvati talks about how others treat her as a robot, mirrored Dollarhyde's own personal experiences. Dollarhyde put herself into the writing by making Parvati similarly apprehensive about speaking to the person she likes. When writing the romantic elements of Parvati's story, Dollarhyde approached this with the perspective of a friend giving advice and "facilitating good experiences" to those they care about. The details of Dollarhyde's sexuality became more widely known as a result of interviews due to Parvati (and by extension Dollarhyde's) popularity, which she outed herself during. When Parvati reveals her asexuality to the player, Dollarhyde intentionally excluded dialogue options to behave bigoted towards the character, so players who related to Parvati would not have the "rug out from under them." Parvati was chosen as the first companion in the game in order for her to be the "voice of surprise and delight and horror" for the player as they both see what the world is like, neither being very familiar with it.
216:. She is first met by the player-character in the town of Edgewater, where she is found speaking to the mayor Reed Tobson. He tasks the player-character with shutting down the power to stop striking workers and bringing them back to work for him, and the player can choose to bring Parvati with them. Once they make it to the rerouting terminal, they can either reroute the power to Edgewater or to the workers, depriving the other in the process. After this quest, Parvati will ask to join the crew, and if accepted, will take on the role of engineer on the player's spaceship. As the story progresses, the player can learn more about her, including her
183:, Dollarhyde stated it was unusual for the project to have this much information for a character, as well as to have multiple writers be in charge of a companion for the game. Other people involved in the creation of Parvati include concept artist Hannah Kennedy who helped design her model, and quality assurance tester Ariana Tavantzis who provided "a lot of" feedback. Senior narrative designer Megan Starks noted Parvati's personality as a contrast against another compansion, Ellie; where Parvati wants to help people, Ellie is more selfish.
177:, and was also the favorite character of the Obsidian staff due to her being "so likeable" and having a "very strong moral center." He aimed for her to be an "empathetic moral center" for the main cast, and wrote her to be "a little more naive, but very sweet" and caring. When L'Etoile left the project, the duties for designing her were given to narrative designer Kate Dollarhyde, who was given a "very long concept" document with an unusual amount of detail in it, including dialogue for her. In an interview with
220:
and romantic interest in the character Junlei
Tennyson, whom the player can help Parvati pursue. Parvati struggles with her asexuality and other insecurities, and the player can help her overcome them and confess to Junlei. If done, Junlei reciprocates Parvati's feelings and goes on a date with her,
135:
due to her personality, quest involving Junlei, and Burch's performance. The depiction of her sexuality was also praised by critics, both in terms of her asexuality. Multiple critics identified her as one of the most important characters as far as LGBTQ+ representation, with one critic stating that
304:
s editor in chief Stacey Henley regarded her as "one of gaming's most important characters," praising her romantic pursuit for being well-written and for examining her anxieties about her asexuality, describing it as a real problem asexual people experience. She appreciated too that it depicted
270:
writer
Heather Wald expressed disappointment that she could not romance Parvati, citing her "caring personality" and awkwardness as the qualities that attracted her to her. However, she eventually grew to appreciate her status as a "friend and supporter" of Parvati in her own romantic pursuits.
201:
while writing, which she found to be an obstacle due to not being able to properly hear her writing out loud by a person. When casting began, Dollarhyde was shown an audition for
Parvati by Burch, and felt she fit how she imagined Parvati to sound. When discussing what she saw in Parvati, Burch
315:
writer Eleen Reinke stated
Parvati as the first character they saw themselves in. They cited different elements, such as her asexuality, queer romanticism, and anxiety when confessing to Junlei. They also discussed the perception of asexual people being inherently aromantic, and how Parvati's
44:
251:
was surprised by how popular
Parvati was, though added in retrospect she felt it made sense, since Parvati represented groups of people rarely addressed in media, and was pleased that so many liked her. She was ranked among the best video game characters of the 2010s by
122:, who was chosen for the role after she auditioned and was picked by Dollarhyde for how well she evoked the character. She was originally designed to be asexual by L'Etoile, while Dollarhyde expanded upon this with her own experiences as an asexual person.
280:
called her a "champion for marginalized players" due to her asexuality. He felt it was rare to see a character who is both asexual and bisexual, and praised the game for how it never portrays her sexuality as "strange" or a "big twist." Patrick Klepek for
110:. She is one of the companion characters that can accompany the player-character, recruited on the first planet as an engineer for their spaceship. She is romantically attracted to the character Junlei Tennyson, though she grapples with her
543:
728:
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197:, who gives her a southern drawl. Burch was given the role years after the character was first conceived, and as such, Dollarhyde had to work with either no spoken dialogue or dialogue spoken by a
868:
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which goes well, and they become romantic partners. Otherwise, Parvati can accompany the player on various missions throughout the game. She also appears as an available companion in two of
934:
1147:
416:
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Parvati has received generally positive reception and has been described as a fan favorite, with
Dollarhyde receiving an outpouring of support for her work on Parvati. Voice actress
495:
607:
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and one of the best of 2019, noting her fan following derived from her sexuality. He also praised her writer and voice actor for helping make her feel "real." Gita
Jackson of
136:
she sees themselves in
Parvati due to her asexuality and queer romance, and another feeling she is one of the most important video game characters because of these elements.
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and anxieties around pursuing Junlei, with the player-character being able to help her work through her issues. She was initially conceived by Chris L'Etoile for
373:
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858:
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considered her definitively the best character in the game due to her personality and independence, saying that
Parvati is what got him into the game.
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771:
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533:
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described her story as an "examination" of both the difficulties for certain people to fit into society as well as a "touching queer love story."
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staff, with
Charlie Hall praising her "painfully genuine" personality, her quest line, and Burch's performance. Hirun Cryer of
1198:
664:
337:
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1023:
990:
630:
1401:
696:"The Outer Worlds Companions explained: How to unlock companions, use companion commands and behaviours explained"
161:
engineer who wears goggles and overalls, and is one of the companions that can join the player in their quest in
600:"The Outer Worlds "Comes Now the Power" Quest Guide - Should you reroute power to Edgewater or the Deserters?"
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Parvati's sexuality has led to her being well-received, both by players and critics, with Peter Morics of
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explained that it was her ability to find "beauty and wonder in a bleak world" that stood out to her.
1365:
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228:
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729:"The Outer Worlds: Murder On Eridanos DLC Is The Perfect Murder Mystery Experience To End The Game"
173:
1024:"Parvati aus The Outer Worlds ist der erste Charakter, in dem ich mich selbst wiedergefunden habe"
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Parvati as someone interested in romance, noting how many believe that asexuality means
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571:
429:
Parvati Holcomb, an Indian woman wearing goggles on her forehead, in The Outer Worlds
158:
925:"The Outer Worlds wouldn't let me romance my companions, but I fell for them anyway"
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as well, and voice further praise for how involved the player is with her romance.
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828:"The Outer Worlds Star Ashly Burch Never Thought Parvati Would Be So Popular"
700:
534:"The Personal Story Behind Parvati, the Surprise Star of 'The Outer Worlds'"
958:"How The Outer Worlds' Parvati Became A Champion For Marginalized Players"
486:"The story behind Parvati, the internet's favorite Outer Worlds companion"
1292:
1205:
1051:
665:"The Outer Worlds' Parvati Is One Of Gaming's Most Important Characters"
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892:"Ranking The Outer Worlds' Companions, From Parvati to Ugh... Felix"
144:
Parvati Holcomb was conceived by writer Chris L'Etoile for the 2019
118:
before duties were taken over by Kate Dollarhyde. She is voiced by
1254:
1055:
766:
991:"The Outer Worlds Will Rattle Your Idea Of A Perfect Planet"
795:"Horizon Zero Dawn Sequel Potentially Leaked by Job Listing"
338:"The Outer Worlds was inspired by Firefly, Obsidian reveals"
129:, identified as one of the best characters of the 2010s by
374:"The Outer Worlds guide: Companions, and how to find them"
631:"The Outer Worlds Romance Guide - How Relationships Work"
567:"Everything We Know About Companions In The Outer Worlds"
407:"The Outer Worlds coming to Nintendo Switch on June 5"
157:, who later left development of the game. She is an
1346:
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1139:
1098:
1089:
86:
69:
56:
26:
859:"The 70 best video game characters of the decade"
762:"The Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon DLC Review"
125:Parvati is considered a standout character in
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8:
331:
329:
1272:
1095:
1074:
1060:
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287:regarded her as the standout character in
42:
18:Video game character from the Outer Worlds
1148:Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
367:
365:
167:. He drew inspiration from the character
1422:Video game characters introduced in 2019
419:from the original on September 18, 2020
325:
1003:from the original on November 19, 2019
970:from the original on November 15, 2019
937:from the original on November 15, 2019
807:from the original on November 15, 2019
598:Billcliffe, James (October 28, 2019).
546:from the original on November 13, 2019
527:
525:
523:
521:
519:
517:
515:
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498:from the original on November 16, 2019
479:
477:
475:
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350:from the original on November 15, 2019
23:
1036:from the original on January 19, 2024
838:from the original on December 5, 2023
774:from the original on January 25, 2024
708:from the original on January 24, 2024
658:
656:
641:from the original on January 24, 2024
610:from the original on January 24, 2024
532:Klepek, Patrick (November 13, 2019).
456:from the original on January 26, 2024
439:
437:
386:from the original on January 24, 2024
7:
871:from the original on January 1, 2020
826:Dedmon, Tanner (February 14, 2020).
760:Stapleton, Dan (September 9, 2020).
405:Carpenter, Nicole (March 31, 2020).
336:Donovan, Imogen (November 5, 2019).
956:Morics, Peter (November 13, 2019).
923:Wald, Heather (November 11, 2019).
857:Hall, Charlie (November 27, 2019).
989:Jackson, Gita (October 22, 2019).
675:from the original on June 25, 2023
484:Hall, Charlie (October 31, 2019).
14:
890:Cryer, Hirun (October 30, 2019).
793:Lee, Patrick (November 4, 2019).
727:Ruppert, Liana (March 11, 2021).
694:Lynn, Lottie (November 1, 2019).
1397:Female characters in video games
1123:Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
663:Henley, Stacey (June 25, 2023).
444:Bell, Alice (October 22, 2019).
1022:Reinke, Eleen (June 17, 2022).
565:Juba, Joe (February 21, 2019).
446:"Wot I Think: The Outer Worlds"
316:depiction dispels that notion.
1417:LGBT characters in video games
1412:Fictional mechanical engineers
1199:South Park: The Stick of Truth
372:Gilliam, Ryan (June 4, 2020).
1:
629:Nerium (October 24, 2019).
171:from the television series
101:is a character in the 2019
1443:
1407:Fictional female engineers
210:Parvati appears in 2019's
41:
31:
76:Chris L'Etoile (concept)
1083:Obsidian Entertainment
155:Obsidian Entertainment
116:Obsidian Entertainment
193:Parvati is voiced by
1427:Video game sidekicks
1366:inXile Entertainment
1162:Mask of the Betrayer
1155:Neverwinter Nights 2
579:on November 15, 2019
229:downloadable content
140:Concept and creation
1107:Pillars of Eternity
904:on October 31, 2019
741:on January 25, 2024
48:Parvati Holcomb in
21:Fictional character
1402:Fictional asexuals
1361:Black Isle Studios
1185:Fallout: New Vegas
450:Rock Paper Shotgun
237:Murder on Eridanos
199:speech synthesizer
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1376:Xbox Game Studios
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1192:Dungeon Siege III
1099:The World of Eora
146:role-playing game
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1298:Leonard Boyarsky
1283:Feargus Urquhart
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1371:Troika Games
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1038:. Retrieved
1027:
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1007:November 21,
1005:. Retrieved
994:
984:
974:November 21,
972:. Retrieved
961:
951:
941:November 17,
939:. Retrieved
928:
918:
908:November 17,
906:. Retrieved
902:the original
895:
885:
875:December 30,
873:. Retrieved
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343:Video Gamer
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267:GamesRadar+
249:Ashly Burch
231:campaigns,
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186:Parvati is
169:Kaylee Frye
120:Ashly Burch
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1276:Current
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864:Polygon
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312:GamePro
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159:Indian
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1091:Games
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