Nearly eight years after its last original title, Gears of War: Judgment, People Can Fly is nearing the launch date of its next major franchise, Outriders. This action-RPG takes players to an alien planet known as Enoch where humanity is searching for a mysterious signal to may prove to be its salvation, but instead find a massive energy storm called The Anomaly. The expedition team sent in to investigate is soon discover that the storm grants them superpowers, along with Enoch’s inhabitants, some of which threaten the colonists now trapped on the dangerous planet.
Originally scheduled to launch alongside the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S next-generation consoles, Outriders has been pushed back multiple times since. The latest delay saw the game move from its recent February 2 launch date in favor of April 1, 2021. While that two month window may be disappointing, People Can Fly also announced that a playable demo would arrive on February 25, letting those who are curious about the experience try out the first few hours in both single player and co-op.
While People Can Fly has already gone on record by confirming that Outriders isn’t a live service game like some of its peers such as Destiny 2, comparisons are still being made thanks to features like loot and power progression. Outriders also has four fully distinct classes that players can customize through abilities, gear, and skill trees which will be on full display this February inside the demo.
The first Outriders class revealed in full by People Can Fly, the Trickster appears to be an interesting mix between tank and rogue. Their abilities allow them to control space and time, meaning they’re adept at getting in for big damage and then quickly escaping if need be. Using an ability like Borrowed Time can create a clone in the spot where the power was activated allowing them to use the ability again to teleport back to that location. Hunt The Prey allows the Trickster to teleport right behind the enemy, slow them, and open them up to a high damage strike like Temporal Slice.
In addition to hitting hard, the Trickster also a number of abilities that better allow them to control the battlefield by shutting down certain enemies. For example, Slow Trap drops a bullet time bubble where enemies who walk through it are instantly slowed and make for easy prey. This is especially helpful for fast moving enemies or larger groups, giving the team an easy way to finish them off or allowing the Trickster to regain health much easier than normal. Getting in close is perfect as kills at close range heal the Trickster.
If the Trickster is more akin to a rogue, then the Pyromancer is the mage class of the bunch. As its name suggests, the Pyromancer is all about fire and is especially good at dealing with large groups of enemies from medium range. Many of their spells feature area of effect damage, setting enemies up to either suffer burn damage or explode. Better yet, anytime a class ability is used on an enemy marks them with a green icon. If the enemy is killed with this mark, the Pyromancer heals regardless of where the final blow came from.
Heatwave may be the bread and butter skill for the Pyromancer, sending a flame wall shooting out at enemies and igniting anything caught in its path. It’s a great skill for not only burning enemies but marking them as well. While marked, Pyromancers then have numerous options on how to proceed such as using Thermal Bomb. While it only targets one enemy, if they’re killed, they’ll rise into the air and explode potentially causing a messy chain reaction to enemies that may be standing too close.
This is the “tank” of the pack, perfect for players who want to get in close to dish out heaps of damage while going toe to toe with enemies. Devastators have abilities based around earth and gravity while also being able to interrupt enemies and protect teammates. Part of that can be seen in the Reflect Bullets ability which activates a kinetic shield that not only protects teammates standing behind it, but it catches and shoots back ammunition caught in the shield.
Devastators have plenty of offensive abilities to pick from as well, which should help them heal since killing at close range is the way to do it. Gravity Leap has the player jump into the air and slam the ground in front of them doing immense damage to the enemies caught in the blast. Impale summons a rock spike up through the ground damaging enemies or impaling those at low health. Impaled enemies also provide an armor bonus and health regeneration, which makes it incredibly useful as well.
While the Technomancer is known as the support class in Outriders, players who pick this option will find a very versatile and powerful character at their disposal. Good in both groups and for those who would rather solo, the Technomancer is a unique mix of offense and support. Its defining trait is the ability to animating constructs such as a rocket launcher or minigun. They can also turrets to barrage enemies with missiles or toxic bullets. Dealing damage is critical for the Technomancer as this class also leeches life from the enemy based on a percentage of damage dealt.
While capable of dealing large amounts of damage either through its constructs or sniper rifle focus, the Technomancer also has a few essential support skills which can mean the difference between life and death. Fixing Wave is the classic healing ability, restoring health to the player, teammates, or the various constructs that can be made. In addition, Cold Snap is a great skill for controlling the battlefield. As the name suggests, the move freezes a group of enemies trapped inside of the large area impacted by the ability. Great for when players need to stop rushing groups of attackers or grouping enemies together for easy health regenerating kills.
Outriders launches April 1 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, with a Stadia version also in development.
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