Despite the rocky start with server issues and crossplay, MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus has already put many hours into Outriders . One system of the game that stood out positively to him is the crafting.
How does crafting work? In Outriders, you can find equipment and then dismantle or sell it. When weapons and armor are broken down, you receive materials like iron, leather, or titan.
Additionally, there are special “shards” that can improve a weapon’s attributes – such as maximum health points or weapon strength. Weapons can thus be enhanced and even leveled up.
This way, a favorite weapon can serve as a companion throughout the game. And a small but important detail makes the whole thing even better.
What makes crafting so special? Equipment provides not only resources but also mods when dismantled. A mod enhances one of your class’s abilities or adds special effects to a weapon.
Built mods can then be inserted back into other equipment. This way, your favorite perk never gets lost but can always be transferred to a new, stronger weapon or armor.
Custom top-tier equipment at any time
How does it work? If you find equipment whose mods interest you, you can simply dismantle it. The mod will then be added to your crafting inventory, and you can recognize by the symbol on the equipment whether you already own the mod.
Once you have gained such a perk, you possess it permanently. Unlike other crafting materials, it is not consumed but remains in your inventory. The only downside is that mods cannot be stacked.
If you want to have a mod multiple times in your equipment, a red background marks that you are already using the mod actively in an item and cannot take it again. Additionally, for epic and legendary items, only one of the two mods can be swapped – the other is then “locked”.
Does this work with legendaries as well? Now comes the kicker: even legendary perks (“Rank 3”) can be dismantled from weapons and placed into other weapons. So if you find a legendary that you don’t want to use but has a strong mod, just dismantle the legendary.
You can then use the mod in rare (blue) and epic (purple) weapons and armor. I personally haven’t had any luck with this yet, but many players praise that they can build their own equipment this way (via reddit).
There, the user gotchubro says: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game where you actually care and worry about BLUE items being properly modded … while you’re in single-digit levels …” (via reddit).
I see it similarly. As a tinkerer and builder, I enjoy assembling my weapons and Outriders allows me to do just that, even early in the game. And those who get involved in leveling early have a significant advantage later in endgame.
No more god rolls, I build my weapons myself
This is how Outriders stands out with the system: With the ability to forge your own weapons and armor with the best mods, many more builds are possible. Engaging with the mods early provides the necessary knowledge later on.
If a certain perk is only found on a legendary sniper rifle, but you are playing a devastator? Dismantle the sniper and build the mod into your shotgun or LMG.
What’s particularly good about this crafting feature is that a mod and a playstyle can accompany you from the very beginning. For instance, I devised a build quite early on and have been using the same mods for about ten levels, which I keep re-adding.
If someone now gets lucky and finds a legendary item early in the game, they can use its mod until the end – even in rare and epic weapons. It’s worth it, after all, you spend about 25-40 hours just in the story.
How do other games do it? Normally, loot shooters like Destiny and Division work with so-called “God Rolls.” These are weapons and equipment pieces that have exactly the stats and characteristics that a player wants.
Attributes are randomly distributed when the loot is generated and can thus either be good, bad, or ideal. Outriders partially circumvents this, as at least the special abilities can simply be transferred to any equipment. So only the distribution of stats needs to be correct.
For a good build in Outriders, you only need the right perks and, ideally, epic equipment. Colleague Tarek Zehrer explains in the guide, how to farm epic loot in Outriders – even without fighting.
