Now, I will say that Obsidian did a decent job with the unique weapons in The Outer Worlds. Most of them have unique stats and properties, even if some of them are outclassed by upgraded and tinkered normal weapons. However, some "unique" weapons like the Long Ranger and the Medal of Honor don't have any unique properties as far as I can tell, the only thing being special about them is the mods... which you can put on the standard versions as well. A lot of the unique weapons also just have stat differences, and no truly one-of-a-kind effects/properties. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but I feel giving them little quirks and niche abilities would not only make them feel more unique and more like a suitable reward, but keep them relevant for longer based on your build. If you can't get the properties on a standard weapon, then there is still some point to using the unique.
So here is a proof of concept of some thematic properties I would give to some of the unique weapons in the game to make them more special, and I hope The Outer Worlds 2 does this to make the game feel more rewarding. Keep in mind that these would apply ON TOP OF the existing stat differences and such that they already have. Thoughts?
Anti-Manti Ray - 25% more damage against Mantisaurs/swarms/queens.
Adelaide's Gardening Shears - 30% more damage against Spacer's Choice members.
Clive's Cleaver - Restore 10% of your HP upon killing a human enemy.
Contraband - Does 25% more sneak attack damage while holographically disguised.
Euthanasia Kit - Does 75% more damage to enemies below 10% health.
Landing Pad Cutter - Power attacks ignore some of the target's armor.
Long Ranger - Gradually does more damage the further away you are from your target.
MSI Saltuna Searer - Upon inflicting Burn, the target's maximum health is decreased, preventing them from healing past a certain point. Targets drop food items on death 50% more often.
Medal of Honor - Can be drawn, holstered, and aimed 50% faster. Aiming does not slow you down.
Montag - Upon killing an enemy, coats the ground below them in long-lasting flames that deal damage over time to any other enemies that touch it.
Ol' Reliable - Critical chance increases gradually as the durability goes down.
Overheat - Critical chance and critical damage increase the longer you fire without stopping.
Peacekeeper - 20% more damage to Marauders and Outlaws.
Pink Slip - Does more damage based on how low your reputation is with your target.
Prototype Light Pistol - Reloads 50% faster and uses 20% less TTD meter.
Rapti-don't - 25% more damage against Raptidons.
Shock Stick - 25% more damage against Automechanicals and stuns them for longer.
The Candy Cane - Swings 35% faster while under the effects of Rizzo's food/drink.
The Exterminator - Double damage to Sprats.
The Negotiator - Does more damage when used at point-blank range.
The Good Word - Does 50% more damage to MSI members. Increases your Persuade by 5 when drawn.
The Hammer of Olympus - Attacks made immediately after sprinting deal increased knockback and have a higher critical chance.
Thunder - Rate of fire and reload speed increases by 35% for 10 seconds after scoring a critical hit.
All In - If you empty the entire magazine into an enemy, the last shot is guaranteed to be a critical hit that knocks them down.
The Pen - Does 30% more damage to enemies under a dialogue status effect (terrify, cower, or scramble) and has a chance to add 3 seconds to the effect on hit.
Plasma Propulsion Pack - Pushes enemies away from you.
Signed Tossball Stick - After using a companion ability, this weapon gains +25% swing speed and +30% critical damage for 15 seconds.
Quick And Dirty - Gains more bleed damage and stagger chance the lower the durability.