Outriders is a game of violent contradictions. It is janky yet hypnotic. Its story is laughable, yet its lore is fascinating. Its endgame is repetitive, yet its core combat loop is arguably the most visceral in the genre. So, grab your favorite anomaly-infused sidearm, and let’s dive back into the planet Enoch. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Outriders is not subtle. You wake up as a custom protagonist who has been in cryo-sleep for decades. The moment you step out, you are immediately thrown into a civil war on a hostile alien world, betrayed by your own commander, and accidentally imbued with reality-bending superpowers called "Anomaly abilities."
This creates a rhythm I haven’t felt since Doom (2016) . As a Devastator (the tank class), you’re an immortal boulder rolling downhill. As a Trickster, you’re a teleporting reaper. As a Pyromancer, you’re an area-denial arsonist. And as a Technomancer—well, you get to break the rules with turrets and long-range artillery, but even then, you’re encouraged to stand your ground, not hide. OUTRIDERS
That said, the crafting system saves it. You can pull any mod you’ve ever dismantled and slap it onto any weapon or armor piece. This means your level 50 "God Roll" purple shotgun can be as powerful as any legendary, provided you invest the resources. It’s a democratic system that rewards experimentation over pure RNG luck. If you played Outriders in April 2021, you remember the pain. The servers were a dumpster fire. The "inventory wipe" bug—where you’d log in to find every single piece of gear deleted—was a nightmare. People Can Fly had to literally restore items manually via support tickets. Outriders is a game of violent contradictions
The issue isn’t the quantity—it’s the distinctiveness. Legendary weapons have unique models and set perks, but 90% of the purples and blues look identical. You’ll see the same "Double Gun" skin for twenty hours. The armor is better, with each class having distinct silhouettes, but you’ll still be squinting at stat bars more than admiring your character. Its endgame is repetitive, yet its core combat
Cross-play was broken for months. The endgame "Expeditions" were timed, which forced players into pure DPS builds, invalidating entire support playstyles.
In the tutorial, the game literally tells you that staying behind a wall for more than three seconds will get you killed. Enemies have grenades, flanking AI, and "Breacher" units that rush you with shotguns. The only way to survive is to be aggressive. Use your movement skill (Teleport, Leap, or Gravity Jump) to close the gap. Heal by killing enemies close-range. Chain your abilities like a fighting game combo.
Do not skip the journal entries. The hidden lore about the "Anomaly" and the planet’s indigenous creatures is genuinely Lovecraftian and better written than the main campaign. The Gameplay: Cover is for Cowards (Literally) Here is where Outriders shines. People Can Fly made a deliberate design choice that sets it apart from Gears or The Division : Cover is a trap.