2021 kicks off in February with a new shooter: Outriders. It looks quite similar to the already known and popular Destiny 2, but does a lot of things differently – and better, at least according to MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus after the first look at the features.
What is Outriders? The upcoming shooter Outriders from Square Enix was announced back in 2018 and has been under development for some time. Outriders is a third-person shooter focused on PvE and co-op for up to three players in a science fiction setting.
There are various classes that you can choose from, and it appears that gameplay occurs in closed rounds or missions, not in an open world. Outriders mixes elements from many well-known games, such as:
- Anthem
- Diablo
- Remnant: From the Ashes
However, it bears a strong resemblance to Destiny 2 at first glance – a shooter that I played for a while but never truly loved. Destiny 2 is cool, but something was always missing for me. Outriders might have exactly those missing pieces if everything goes as announced so far.
Destiny 2 but better – What are the similarities?
First off: a futuristic loot shooter with classes and RPG elements is already screaming Destiny. But the description fits Outriders as well. The two are practically like siblings.
This is also reflected in the visuals. Outriders is somewhat rougher, unpolished, and more archaic. But roughly speaking, the destroyed worlds, crazy armors, and the overall atmosphere of both games fit together very well.
Moreover, both Destiny 2 and Outriders offer different classes, which come with various abilities and can fulfill different roles accordingly. Just this August, Outriders unveiled its secret fourth class, the Technomancer.
Both games focus on PvE and loot as some of their fundamental elements. Co-op and teamwork are highly emphasized, and collaboration helps against the tougher enemies in the current content. Nevertheless, based on what I’ve seen so far, Outriders seems to have the upper hand.
What does Outriders do better here?
First and foremost, Outriders has no PvP. All content is purely designed for PvE and the story. This has several advantages:
- Weapons and armors don’t need to be “balanced” for PvP; they can just hit hard. I see great fun potential here.
- The PvE is more refined. Since there’s no PvP section, there’s no reason to divide attention during development.
- The story is potentially deeper. Although Destiny 2 has a significant lead time here, Outriders promised to be a complete game upon release. I’m curious to see what’s in store.
In Destiny, the PvE aspect was more important to me than PvP. It is in most games that offer a story and RPG elements. I see Outriders ahead here because there is no PvP faction that gets favored or neglected. Everything that comes is purely for PvE.
Moreover, Outriders will not be a service game with an open world, but has a complete story, similar to Remnant: From the Ashes. I do enjoy service games, but Remnant has already shown me that a role-playing shooter with a complete story works better for me than an open world. There’s still replay value, but more on that later.
The classes are slightly better in Outriders than in Destiny. Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters are cool, and the talent trees offer plenty of variety, but the abilities all feel quite similar. Everyone roughly has a grenade, a movement ability, a special melee attack, and a shield skill. While all are different, they are still somewhat alike.
In Outriders, the classes have a bit more character. The Pyromancer has a whole kit of flame abilities, the Trickster manipulates time and freezes enemies, and the Technomancer carries a whole arsenal of weapons. Together with mods and abilities for weapons, I see much more diversity here.
Not everything about Destiny is bad, but …
Regarding the world – well, that’s a matter of taste. I love dirty, dystopian worlds like Fallout and Cyberpunk. Destiny can do that at times too, but it often feels too sterile for me. Especially the Tower seems a bit like a “heavenly world,” where chaos should actually prevail. But it depends on the mood I’m in for which scenario I’m leaning toward.
Destiny 2 is not a bad game. It just can’t hold my attention in the long run. With the points that Outriders does better, I can certainly imagine losing many hours in it. And that’s not even everything.
Cool features make Outriders really interesting
The highlights of Outriders: In addition to the content that Outriders shares with Destiny, the upcoming shooter has several unique features up its sleeve. Foremost among them are the Expeditions.
Expeditions are basically a feature from Diablo 3 just under a different name. In 15 “Challenge Tiers,” you fight your way higher and slash through the enemies to grab loot. The faster you are and the greater the challenge, the better the loot.
Unlike in Diablo, these are not recycled levels from the campaign but custom-designed levels intended for endgame players post-story. Similar to the endless roguelike mode of Remnant, this is meant to keep players engaged even after the story ends.
Additionally, Outriders offers crafting and mods. Legendary weapons, for example, have unique effects that can be extracted by dismantling them to be used in other weapons. This way, every player can assemble their own build and combine various abilities that complement their playstyle or open up entirely new paths.
When and where does it come out? Initially scheduled for a release date at the end of 2020, Outriders is now set to be released on February 2, 2021 after a delay. It will be available for PC on Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Stadia.
After the troublesome Corona year 2020, Outriders is at least for me a good reason to look forward. I am excited to get to play such a promising shooter so early in the year.
If you want to know what to expect in the new year, check out the releases of MMOs and online games 2021 at a glance on MeinMMO.
