Outriders Classes Differences & Abilities Explained

The demo for People Can Fly and Square Enix’s Outriders launched on February 25, preceding its April 1 release date. In just a few short days, the upcoming looter-shooter floated to the top of Steam’s most popular titles thanks to its approach to the genre that franchises like Destiny and Borderlands popularized. Similar to its predecessors, up to three players can work together to defeat computer-controlled enemies as they hunt for new weapons and armor. Outriders lets players select any of its four distinct classes, which each have a unique playstyle and synergies.

Players can create up to six characters, so they have the opportunity to try all the classes in Outriders’ demo. Each archetype has eight abilities and three skill trees that users must steadily unlock as they level up. Newcomers start with a single skill, and the rest must be unlocked by progressing through the Outriders demo’s 12-hour campaign. The game’s four classes can be adapted to fit various playstyles, but each character follows a general archetype.

Anyone playing through the demo should take the early release to try out all of the classes Outriders has to offer. Progression through the demo will carry over to the full game once it launches on April 1, so any demo grinding won’t go to waste. Even Outriders‘ legendary weapons will be transferable. Currently, characters can only reach level seven, allowing players to only unlock up to four different abilities and two skill points. Here’s how each class was intended to be used and the skills they have at their disposal.

Outriders Classes: Devastator

The Devastator is Outriders‘ close-ranged tank, designed to be the front-line of any team and to defend more vulnerable classes. This brawler’s skill trees (Vanquisher, Warden, and Seismic Shifter) offer a wide array of survivability, movement, and area-of-effect damage abilities that users can customize depending on how aggressively or defensively they want to play the class. The Devastator’s class traits and unlockable skills are listed below.

Traits:

• Receive additional 15% maximum health.
• Increase Armor by 30%.
• Every close-range kill heals the Devastator by 24% of their maximum Health.

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.
• Reflect Bullets (Level 6): Creates a barrier that captures all enemy projectiles and accumulates damage. After 10 seconds of triggering the skill, the accumulated damage is reflected back to enemies in front of the Devastator. The barrier also protects against melee attacks by reflecting some damage back.
• Impale (Level 9): Selects a target to Interrupt their skills, inflict Bleed, and deal damage. If the damage is lethal, the enemy will be impaled, creating a zone that grants a powerful bonus to Armor and Health regeneration to all allies in range for 9 seconds.
• Tremor (Level 13): Creates a series of explosions around the Devastator, each dealing damage and draining Health from enemies within a radius.
• Boulderdash (Level 17): Charges forward to Interrupt all enemies in the Devastator’s path and deal damage. At the end of the charge, the Devastator will smash the ground and deal damage to all enemies in a small radius around them.
• Endless Mass (Level 22): Encase a target in stone, inflicting Bleed and pulling enemies within a small radius towards the initial target. The stone will then explode, dealing damage to all enemies within a small radius around the target.

Outriders Classes: Pyromancer

The Pyromancer is Outriders‘ mid-range class. Pyromancers have the ability to douse enemies with fire and regenerate their own health while their foes burn. This class excels when confronted with large groups of enemies, as they can output massive AoE damage while being able to sustain themselves. This combination makes the Pyromancer a formidable solo class that has a solid mix of killing power and survivability. The Pyromancer’s class traits and unlockable skills are listed below.

Traits:

• Receive additional 10% Anomaly Power.
• Skills Mark damaged enemies for 15 seconds. Killing a Marked target heals the Pyromancer by 24% of their maximum Health.

Skills:

• Heatwave (Level 1): Summon a fiery wave that deals damage and inflicts Burn to all enemies in its path.
• Feeding the Flames (Level 3): Pulls an enemy toward the Pyromancer, dealing damage, draining Health, and inflicting Ash.
• Thermal Bomb (Level 4): Select an enemy to Burn, Interrupt and deal damage to. If killed while still afflicted by the skill, the enemy will explode, dealing damage in a large radius.
• Overheat (Level 6): Deals a little damage to all enemies in a large radius and Interrupts their skills. Enemies afflicted with Burn receive additional damage, and the Burn will be consumed.
• Volcanic Rounds (Level 9): Fills the Pyromancer’s current weapon’s magazine with Anomaly-infused bullets that will inflict Burn within a small radius and pierce targets, damaging enemies behind them. The skill lasts until the Pyromancer reloads or switches weapons.
• Ash Blast (Level 13): Creates an Anomaly blast to inflict Ash on all enemies in a large radius around the Pyromancer.
• F.A.S.E.R Beam (Level 17): Fire an energy beam that deals damage that benefits from 125% of Status Power, inflicting Burn and causing Interrupt.
• Eruption (Level 22): Create a volcanic eruption beneath the selected enemy, dealing damage to them and all enemies within a small radius around the target.

Outriders Classes: Technomancer

The Technomancer is Outriders‘ long-range support class and touts the most powerful healing abilities of all character classes. This hybrid healer has a grab bag of equipment they can deploy in the heat of combat to assist their teammates and distract enemies. This is another excellent solo class because of their damage-dealing items and the ability to keep a distance from opponents. The Technomancer’s class traits and unlockable skills are listed below.

Traits:

• Increase long-range Weapon Damage by 15%.
• Increase Skill Leech by 15%.
• Increase Weapon Leech by 15%.

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.
• Blighted Rounds (Level 6): Fills the Technomancer’s current weapon’s magazine with decay-infused bullets that inflict Toxic onto enemies. Enemies within a small radius of the main target also receive Toxic and 50% of the damage. The skill lasts until the Technomancer reloads or switch weapons.
• Tool of Destruction (Level 9): Conjures a Rocket Launcher that can Interrupt enemies or a Minigun that deals damage per shot. The skill will remain active until all ammo is depleted or until the Technomancer switches weapons.
• Fixing Wave (Level 13): Releases the Technomancer’s energy to restore 33% of Health to all players and 50% of Health to the Technomancer’s turrets, regardless of distance.
• Cold Snap (Level 17): Drops a gadget to inflict Freeze onto all enemies within a large radius around the Technomancer.
• Blighted Turret (Level 22): Places an automated turret that deals damage and inflicts Toxic onto enemies. The turret’s health depletes slowly over time and when it takes damage.

Outriders Classes: Trickster

The Trickster is Outriders’ short-range assassin class, with the ability to bend the laws of space and time. They rely on teleportation and putting their enemies in stasis to gain the upper hand in combat with their hit-and-run playstyle. This character is all about timing when to go in for the kill based on their ability cooldowns, as they’re very vulnerable with no skills available to them. The Trickster’s class traits and unlockable skills are listed below.

Traits: 

• Receive additional 5% maximum Health.
• Active Shield grants 5% damage mitigation.
• Every close-range kill heals the Trickster by 20% of their maximum Health and grants 12% Shield.

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.
• Twisted Rounds (Level 6): Fills the Trickster’s weapon’s magazine with Anomaly-infused bullets that deal significantly more damage to enemies. The skill lasts until the Trickster reload or switches weapons.
• Cyclone Slice (Level 9): Creates a whirlwind of Anomaly blades that deal damage and Interrupt enemies within a small radius of the Trickster with every hit.
• Borrowed Time (Level 13): Receives a shield and marks the Trickster’s location for 28 seconds. Triggering the skill again will bend spacetime and teleport the Trickster back to the marked spot.
• Venator’s Knife (Level 17): Throws a temporal knife at an enemy. The blade will ricochet between a maximum of 5 enemies within a small radius, dealing damage and marking them. All marked targets will be inflicted with Slow, and for 10 seconds, the first damage dealt by the Trickster will be doubled.
• Time Rift (Level 22): Creates a shockwave that suspends enemies in the air, leaving them unable to fight for 3.5 seconds and inflicts Weakness.

Currently, players are only able to unlock half of each Outriders class’ skills, but that will change once the game releases in full. Players who have already picked up the February Outriders demo should take the remaining months until release to see which class they enjoy most and commit to bringing that character to maximum level once April comes around.

Outriders is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on April 1, 2021.