[GameSpot] - Outriders Day 1 Guide: Character Classes, Cross-Play Multiplayer, And Everything You Need To Know

[343iBot]

Outriders is now out for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Stadia. The game is available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers as well. If you're just downloading Outriders and you're wondering where to begin, like which class to pick and how to activate cross-play multiplayer, then you're in the right place. Below, we've compiled a series of Outriders guides that should get you on your way to exploring the planet of Enoch.

In Outriders, you play as one of the last members of the titular group, initially tasked with determining whether the planet Enoch is a suitable home for humanity after Earth's destruction. But when a freak storm kills most of your crew, no one can stop the signal misinforming the civilian colonists in your group that it's safe to settle. Although you survive, the storm mutates you, gifting you with extraordinary powers. Now with no choice but to make a home of Enoch, you're tasked with using your abilities to uncover the secrets of the planet and stop the source of the storm.

Outriders is a third-person shooter, and although there is cover in the game, you don't want to spend all your time hiding behind chest-high walls. This game is all about aggression--each character class can only heal by killing or damaging enemies, so putting yourself out there to wreak havoc with a variety of firearms is ideal. To compliment your array of weapons, you can also use several superpowered abilities to devastating effect. The Devastator class, for example, can stop bullets in midair and throw them back at enemies, while the Technomancer can pull together discarded metal to forge rocket launchers and miniguns.

Demo Progress

Developer People Can Fly have said that all progress made in the Outriders pre-release demo will follow you into the main game. Just be sure to download the game to the platform where you played the demo--Outriders has cross-play multiplayer, but not cross-platform progression.

Day 1 Update

Publisher Square Enix has revealed several updates scheduled to go live in the first few weeks of Outriders' release. The first is a Day 1 update, which is planned to go live just prior to Outriders' launch time but may be delayed and come out the day of, requiring an additional download.

The Day 1 update is aimed at addressing bugs and the uncomfortable level of camera shake during cutscenes. Following this, Outriders is scheduled to get a post-launch patch that will add additional options for controller settings, improve loading times on Xbox One and PS4, implement cross-play multiplayer improvements, and more.

Picking A Class

When you first play Outriders, you'll go through an exposition-heavy prologue that also introduces you to the basic controls and shooting mechanics. Following that prologue, your Altered abilities will awaken, allowing you to pick one of four classes. Choose carefully, even if you can adjust your character's appearance throughout the game, you're stuck with your class until you make a new character.

So that raises the question: Which Outriders character class is right for you? If you're looking to fight up close, going for the Devastator or Trickster is probably your speed--the former controls gravity as Outriders' resident tank class, while the latter manipulates space and time as the game's take on a rogue. For a more long-range option, go for the Technomancer, which can create and control advanced machinery in a support or summoner role. The Pyromancer falls in between the other three as a mid-range class, commanding fire as Outriders' mage.

Solo Play

Despite each of Outriders four classes fitting into squad-based roles, you can play Outriders entirely solo (though, as a warning, the game requires you to connect to the internet even if you have no plans of playing with others). All four classes can tackle Outriders' campaign on their own, though we advise you pick the Trickster for solo play. The class' ability to easily teleport in and out of trouble and create a shield for itself relatively easily makes it an ideal choice for playing on your own.

Cross-Play Multiplayer

Outriders supports cross-play multiplayer, so you can party up with your friends regardless of which platforms you each decide to play on. You can team up with up to two other people for a squad of three. That said, you won't be able to jump into multiplayer immediately. There are a few steps you'll have to complete first.

In order to enable cross-play multiplayer, you'll need to complete the prologue--that means becoming fully Altered, picking your class, and reaching Outriders first hub area: Rift Town. Once you've done that, you can turn on multiplayer and team up from the lobby screen or by visiting the matchmaking terminal in Rift Town's garage. That terminal will be packed up and follow you as you explore the world, being set up wherever you make camp.

Farming For Legendary Loot

You'll naturally come across rarer and more powerful gear in Outriders by just playing the game. Chances are you'll stumble upon legendary loot without needing to grind for it. But if you want something cool and shiny to equip before setting out in the campaign, there are a few missions and boss fights in the early hours of Outriders that make for ideal farming locations for legendary loot.

PC Specs

If you're planning on playing Outriders on PC, it's good to know whether your machine can run the game. Developer People Can Fly has outlined the full PC specs, so you know what type of experience you're getting based on your rig. For the recommended experience (1080p resolution and 60fps), the developer advises you to have at least a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or Radeon RX 480 8GB graphics card, an i7-7700 or Ryzen 5 1600 CPU, and 16GB of RAM. To install the game, you'll also need 70GB of available storage space.

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