Tips and tricks for playing Outriders

Getting started in Outriders, our new RPG-shooter from the bullet blasting masters at People Can Fly? Take the fight to the denizens of Enoch with these handy tips.
Por Duncan Heaney
Etiquetas: Outriders

The day has come - Outriders is out and it’s time to start burning, bashing, carpet bombing, and slashing your way across the ruined landscapes of Enoch.

But this planet is a savage and dangerous place. Go in unprepared, and you’re likely to get a shotgun to the face… or worse.

To help you get a leg up on the foes that oppose you, we’ve put together 10 top tips to ensure the fight to survive isn’t as short lived as the enemies you’re about to devastate.

Outriders classes

1. Try all the different classes…

Once you clear the prologue, Outriders presents you with a choice: which class do you want to be?

There are four available, and each comes with their own unique strengths. For example:

  • The Trickster is an ‘assassin’ class, great at disrupting enemies with hit and run attacks.
  • The Pyromancer excels at mid-range, and can envelop mobs of enemies in blazing fire.
  • The Devastator is a tank, great for soaking up hits while smacking down enemies up close and personal.
  • The Technomancer can savage enemies from long and mid-ranges, and support their teammates with their gadgets and gizmos.

It’s important to note that no one class is any ‘better’ than the other - they exist to guide you towards different playstyles. Spend time with each of them and you may find yourself favoring an approach you didn’t expect.

As a personal example, I’m someone who tends to approach combat in games with the subtlety of a brick on a stick, so I assumed the Devastator would be my go-to. But actually, the Pyromancer’s flashy style clicked with me more, leading that class to be my main.

Experiment and see what works for you!

Outriders Trickster Skills

2. …but remember, they’re merely the starting point for your build

All that said, always be mindful that the classes are merely the starting point for your Outrider. The game gives you an extraordinary amount of control over your character build, letting you create the skillset and playstyle that fits you specifically.

If you want to spec out a Devastator to be a sniping savant, you can do that. If you want to make the Pyromancer a flame-flinging tank, the option is there.

So once you’ve got used to the game, don’t let us dictate your approach - as you start building out your character, you can define your own.

Outriders Pyromancer

3. Understand how to heal

Every character in Outriders has a unique way to heal, and to stay alive you’ll need to learn how best to utilize it.

For example, Tricksters and Devastators both heal by killing enemies up close. Pyromancers heal with the demise of every foe marked by their scorching skills. Technomancer leeches health as they deal damage.

While the methods of healing are different, they all have one thing in common - they force you to play aggressively. Make sure you lean into this healing ability early on because it’ll keep you alive - for example, if you’re a Devastator, try to get in people’s faces, and in you’re a Pyromancer make sure you’re using powers as often as possible.

Remember: there’s no such thing as too aggressive in Outriders - cover is for the enemies.

Outriders screenshot

4. Don’t stay still for too long

Speaking of cover, if you’re struggling in combat, here’s a pro tip: always keep moving. While cover is useful - particularly in boss fights - enemies aren’t going to let you hide there for long. They’ll try to flank you, force you out and generally make your life quite stressful. Keep on the move to find new angles of attack to stop yourself from getting overwhelmed.

What’s more, while you’re cowering in cover, you’re likely not taking advantage of your unique heals (see tip 3). Always consider this mantra: A mobile Outrider is a breathing Outrider.

Outriders co-op screenshot

5. Don’t neglect your melee attack

With all the skills and guns at your disposal, it can be easy to forget you have melee attacks that can be extremely useful.

Classes have two attacks each - one stationary and one while sprinting. For example, the Trickster’s standing melee deals damage and slow to enemies, while the sprinting variant does a wider AOE attack.

Regardless of your class, these attacks are typically fast and deal good damage, so use them!

Outriders Altered

6. Interrupt the Altered

Sooner or later (probably sooner), you’re going to go up against an Altered. Like you, these powerful foes have been affected by the Anomaly, but sadly, they don’t share your sense of friendly comraderie.

These battles can be tough - Altered have tons of health, fight intelligently, and have taken the game’s ‘play aggressive’ mantra to heart. The key to success is to disrupt their attacks as much as possible.

When you see a yellow bar filling on an enemy, they’re about to use a powerful ability. Stop their cast with skills that can Interrupt - this will be clearly marked in the Skills menu. Oh, and those melee attacks we discussed earlier? Perfect for disrupting Altered attacks.

Be aware that Altered will become increasingly resistant to your powers the more you use them, so mix them up as much as possible.

Outriders environment screenshot

7. Exploration is rewarded

It’s quite tempting to focus on the story of Outriders, and let yourself get swept along to see what crazy thing will happen next. But while you’re running around Enoch, take some time to explore for an even more rewarding experience.

This unspoken rule of video games applies - if the objective marker is sending you one way, go the other direction to see if there’s something worth picking up.

There are chests stashed away all over the place, and a little time poking around the corners of this ruined world can reward you with some glorious goodies.

Outriders combat screenshot

8. Dismantle loot for powerful mods

You’ll likely find weapons and armor with unique mods that make them a joy to wear and wield. But sooner or later, you’ll find something more powerful and the time will come to replace them. Such is the nature of the loot game.

However, if you do have a piece of gear with a particularly useful mod, don’t sell it. Instead, dismantle it - when deconstructed, you’ll be able to craft that mod onto other gear.

Speaking of which…

Outriders Technomancer

9. Craft gear that supports your playstyle

As you collect and dismantle equipment in Outriders, you’ll amass an impressive arsenal of attributes that you can equip when you make your own gear.

Crafting adds another layer of customization on top of the impressively flexible upgrade system. You can strengthen specific powers if you have a preferred loadout, buff your character to flourish amid the mob and even add powers that aren’t typically available with that class.

Crafting costs resources, but they’re abundant within the world of Outriders - you’ll have enough to play around and experiment and I urge you to do so.

Not only will it make you stronger in the short term, but getting comfortable with crafting and mods will pay dividends during the brutal endgame Expeditions content, where the makeup of your gear can mean the difference between rousing success, and blood-soaked failure.

Outriders World Tiers

10. Remember that you can change World Tiers

As you gain strength and progress through the game, the World Tier will increase. As it does so, enemies will become stronger and drop increasingly better loot.

Although moving tiers happens automatically, don’t forget that you can manually change your World Tier at almost any time.

For example, if you’re butting heads against a particularly troublesome boss, there’s no shame in dropping down a World Tier to give yourself the edge. Alternatively, if you’re after a more intense ride - or chasing the best loot in the endgame - you can bump up the World Tier again.

Play around with the World Tiers to create the type of experience you enjoy the most. After all, that’s the whole reason it’s in the game to start with - to help you have fun.


I hope those tips help you get off to a running start in Outriders. The game is out today for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Steam, Epic Games Store, NVIDIA GeForce NOW and Stadia.

To see news and updates about the game - or share your own tips - follow the Outriders team on social media:

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