6. Alone you are Powerful, Together you are Unstoppable
Outriders wants you to play the game as a team, to feel the rush of working together for survival. It features an effective drop-in/ drop-out multiplayer system so friends can join whenever they choose. This does not, however, mean Outriders is only meant for three players. The game can be played with one or two as you see fit, and the number of enemies and corresponding difficulty will adjust based on player count. The world itself has its own unlockable difficulty setting, allowing for higher settings to unleash more loot. If you feel like having a simple godly romp through the wilds for a bit, drop the difficulty and put it back up later, we won’t judge! It’s also worth noting that there are over 90 minutes of campaign and 2 hours of side quest cut scenes. If you are playing these missions with a friend, your character will always appear as the main character on your own screen and your allies will appear as theirs. Whats-more, your allies will appear in all of their customization as your squad mates in each and every cut scene as well.
7. Guns, Guns, and More Guns
One of the unfortunately extensive criticisms of Anthem was its lack of weaponry to choose from. It seems like there is only 20 or so weapons to use in the lackluster shooter during the end game, however we can expect much more out of Outriders. Not only will you see the full variety of weapon types (handgun, assault rifle, LMG, etc) appearing in the typical rarity color schemes but each higher rarity weapon will be customizable with mods to affect your abilities with more than simple buffs. You’ll have two slots available for equipping weapons with a third slot specifically reserved for small arms fire, however this will have unlimited ammo for desperate situations. You might not think you’ll burn through 600 rounds on an assault rifle very fast but you might be surprised. As you progress through the game the weapons will go from scraped together, rusted tools to pristine, well maintained weapons and eventually evolve into “terrifying and beautiful” forces of destruction. We’ve been teased with some of what late-game gear will look like but it appears to be a blend of bone, monster parts, and eldritch inspiration. It might not be a big change from games like Destiny, but they are sure to surprise us with beautifully twisted weapons – Joshua Rubin even let slip one of his favorite weapons is some sort of magma launcher!
8. Be Who You Want to Be
What good is an RPG without customization? At the beginning of the game you’ll be able to pick your gender, customize their skin tone, hair, markings, the usual identifying markers of a person. As the game progresses you’ll have armor slots for the head, torso, arms, legs, and feet. While we haven’t seen yet what kind of customization can be done to this gear it is safe to assume we will be able to adjust their color schemes to better reflect our styles. Mods will, of course, play a big part in customizing your playstyle with some options completely changing what an ability will do, or offer the basic upgrades of additional health, movement speed, etc. More important than just your appearance is the gameplay itself. Each class of Altered will have an extensive skill tree for you to progress through and unlock new perks and abilities to play the way you want. Experimentation will be the name of the game and what better place to test out your new-found powers than on Enoch?
9. The Truck
How else do you announce your arrival than a customized Outriders truck? While we only briefly saw it in one of the trailers, the truck is – unfortunately – not a vehicle you yourself get to drive. Enoch is a vast place and as such you’ll set down a number of markers as fast travel points in your exploration. Your truck is your mobile base – your home away from home. When venturing out into the world your truck will set up camp at the place you fast traveled and offer a safe place to rest while in the wild. When playing with a squad these trucks will form a caravan and position themselves into a wagon circle. There is even talk of having a small crew for your truck who can provide services such as crafting, healing, or selling gear. The truck is fully customizable for aesthetic purposes including putting the skull of massive trophies on the hood. It’s a great way to show off your progress in the game, and this feature was initially meant to be implemented for the original Destiny before it was scrapped for a simple loading screen.
Hopefully you have a better idea of what Outriders is bringing to the table this holiday season. Have any burning questions about the game? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or the Comments section below. Outriders is slated to release at the end of the year on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. For more information, check the game’s official site.