Outriders: Best Classes & Skills To Choose Early

Gamers got a taste of Outriders‘ four character classes when a demo of the third-person looter-shooter was released on February 25. The game fully launched across consoles and PC on April 1 and became Square Enix’s most successful launch on Steam. More than 100,000 players began exploring the mysterious planet of Enoch in search of powerful weapons and gear. But which Outriders class is best for the game’s solo and co-op campaigns?

Outriders’ campaign is roughly 40 hours long and features a gauntlet of challenging end-game missions, so players will want to start with their best foot forward. Outriders also includes a World Tiers feature that lets players crank up the difficulty for better rewards. That won’t be immediately relevant to newcomers, but it quickly becomes an important facet of the game players will want to be ready for.

Playing Outriders solo compared to teaming up for a co-op playthrough are very different experiences. Solo players will need certain degrees of sustainability and damage output to outclass enemies on their own. Gamers are afforded a bit more freedom when putting together a team of two or three, but they should still try to build a squad that compliments itself. Here are the best Outriders classes and skills to choose from early in the game.

Outriders: Best Solo Classes

Devastator: Outriders’ Devastator class is a close-ranged tank that offers a perfect balance of sustainability, area-of-effect damage, and mobility to take on hordes of enemies solo. By the time players are faced with the game’s first boss, they’ll have reached level 4 and have access to the Devastator’s three core skills:

• Earthquake (Level 1): Releases a shockwave to deal damage and Interrupt all enemies in front of the Devastator.
• Golem (Level 3): Fortifies against 65% of incoming damage for 8 seconds.
• Gravity Leap (Level 4): Leaps into the air and strike targets from above, dealing damage and Interrupting enemies within a small radius of the area the Devastator lands in.

Players will want to use Gravity Leap into a horde of enemies and immediately use Earthquake for a quick burst of damage. Golem should be saved when players are being overwhelmed and need a defensive boost to get away from incoming danger. For Class Skills, Outriders’ Devastators should consider spending their first few class points on the following skills for a damage output boost and survivability:

• Havoc: Increases weapon damage by 8%.
• Colossus: Increases max health by 10%.

Trickster: Outrider‘s Trickster class is a short-ranged assassin that is the most mobile class in the game and can output devastating damage. Its biggest weakness is its reliance on defensive cooldowns that players will want to use sparingly to ensure they always have a way to get out of a sticky situation. Once a Trickster reaches level 4 in Outriders, they’ll have access to the following skills:

• Temporal Blade (Level 1): Paralyzes and slices enemies in front of the Trickster, dealing damage and inflicting Slow and Interrupt to all targets.
• Slow Trap (Level 3): Creates a spacetime Anomaly that inflicts Slow onto enemies and projectiles for 10 seconds.
• Hunt the Prey (Level 4): Selects an enemy and teleports behind them, and receives a shield bonus.

Players will want to avoid engaging big groups of enemies and instead opt for a divide and conquer strategy. Tricksters will want to engage isolated targets with Hunt the Prey and save Temporal Blade and Slow Trap to crowd control the enemies they aren’t focusing on to reduce incoming damage. This Outriders class option heavily relies on shotguns to burst targets and needs a boost of survivability early in the game. For those reasons, players will want to go down the following Class Skill paths:

• Arms Trick: Increase close-range weapon damage by 15%.
• Anomaly Persistence: Increase your max health by 10%.

Outriders: Best Co-Op Classes

Devastator: The Outriders’ tank class is also a core part of any co-op group in Outriders because it provides precious time for more vulnerable damage-dealing classes to reload and recharge their abilities. When Devastators are playing with companions, they should focus less on damage and more on crowd control and survivability.

Earthquake, Golem, and Gravity Leap should still be used the same way, but players might want to consider using Gravity Leap to help allies in need instead of using it aggressively every time. For this more defensive Devastator build, players will want to skill into the Colossus branch and the following skill to improve the damage and crowd-control effects of their abilities:

• Anomaly Reservoir: Increases your Anomaly Power by 6%.

Technomancer: Outriders‘ Technomancer is a long-range support class that offers various utility skills meant to sustain their allies. Players should opt for a back-line battle strategy and let their teammates rush into fights while picking off enemies for afar with rifles and abilities. By the time Outriders‘ first boss comes around, Technomancers will have access to the following skills:

• Scrapnel (Level 1): Throw a proximity device. The explosion deals damage and Interrupts the skills of enemies caught within the blast radius.
• Cryo Turret (Level 3): Place an automated turret that deals damage and inflicts Freeze onto enemies. The turret’s health depletes slowly over time and when it takes damage.
• Pain Launcher (Level 4): Places a missile launcher and bombs the area in front of the Technomancer. Each missile deals damage per hit and Interrupts enemy skills.

Players should start battles by immediately placing a Cryo Turret down and should do so every time it’s off cooldown. Both Scrapnel and Pain Launcher should be used to stop enemies from casting their abilities to keep allies from sustaining lethal damage. Technomancers are vulnerable early in the game and are an integral part of a strong Outriders team, so they’ll want to boost their health and weapon damage with the following Class Skills to hold their own early in the game:

• Br/8 Impact Amplifier: Increases weapon damage by 8%.
• Anomalous Body: Increase max health by 10%.

There are various ways to play every Outriders character, so gamers shouldn’t be afraid of experimenting with any of its classes as they progress through the game. However, the aforementioned classes are the simplest way to get accustomed to the looter-shooter’s gameplay and strategies.