Outriders was a game that hit hard when it first launched, drawing players from across the world into a game that promised fast-paced action for teams. The setting, concept and characters felt fresh and new, with the game hitting at the perfect time to excite buyers of the latest generation of consoles. Since then, the game has lost some of its lustre, especially with the incredible slate of titles that hit in the first few months of 2022, but the team is not laying down, and are here to deliver the latest update, Outriders Worldslayer.
In a remote preview, I got the chance to go hands-on with around an hour of the game, getting a taste of what Worldslayer has to offer when it hits later this year. In a squad, me and a group of other journalists set out to take on the mission that was part of the demo, and immediately it was clear this expansion would bring a lot to the core experience people know from Outriders.
Outriders Worldslayer takes place in a world where the anomaly has continued to evolve and adapt to rise to take on any challenge the Outriders bring to bear. The new area is ravaged by ice and snow, with winds and storms now a new norm for this part of the planet and the climate changing rapidly, making for new environmental challenges unlike any seen before. It is also stunning to look at, with the new areas feeling vibrant and fresh, especially against the greens seen in the base game. The new ice areas of Enoch are striking to behold, especially as weather and winds sweep across the area as you struggle with your mission.
“The new area looked fantastic, offering new challenges to overcome, while showcasing how Worldslayer changes up the look and feel of the enemies and environments.”
Even early on in the season, the new area looked fantastic, offering new challenges to overcome, while showcasing how Outriders Worldslayer changes up the look and feel of the enemies and environments. It was shocking to see how the new aspects made for such compelling and exciting content, so much so that I was quickly lost in the experience as I explored what this new section of Outriders has to offer.
The new enemies also fit the setting well. From strange creatures, to furry behemoths, there looked to be a range of dangerous new monsters needing slaying on your mission to save Enoch. But beyond this, even in the short demo, it was obvious that People Can Fly are listening to their fans and working to make Outriders a game that all lovers of the genre can jump into and find something that is worth experiencing.
While you may already have good equipment from your playthough of the base game, the new challenges of Outriders Worldslayer mean the need for new gear is constant, and there is plenty to experience as you go along with your quest. While sadly, I did not experience it while playing the demo, Worldslayer will bring with it new legendary armour sets and class specific gear that should elevate your game as you work to stop the destruction of all civilization on Enoch. If that were not enough, Worldslayer will also feature Apocalypse tiers and the new Apocalypse gear that should give more reasons to spend time working to get the most destruction armaments possible.
Working through the preview, it was obvious that there was a lot of attention to the new story, and how players would progress through the main game. There were some fantastic moments in the demo, including weather events, along with a boss fight that made sure our squad worked as a team to have any chance to overcome what we faced against. Even a pull away near the mid-section showed the vast wastes of wire and snow along with some truly colossal creatures roaming them, displaying the power of current systems, and the skill of the art team behind Outriders.
I loved how well the new content extended the already expansive story, while offering plenty for top-level players to push their experience where it counts. Like any multiplayer game, it is only worth playing as long as the community stays engaged, and, thankfully, People Can Fly, and Square Enix are putting the time and effort in to keep the game fresh, vibrant and challenging.
Wordslayer will feature a new type of endgame, and while it was not shown in the preview, it makes the game sound very exciting. The story will take players to the ancient city of Tarya Gratar, the cradle of PAX
civilization. Here you will need to face off against the Trial of Tarya Gratar, and while little has been released about this experience, it is said to be a “completely new type of endgame” so things could get interesting.
In the short demo, Outriders Worldslayer feels like the expansion the game needed to keep it fresh, especially in the ultra competitive landscape of gaming right now. There is a lot of new content and challenges to keep players excited. While Destiny took a while to really find its groove, with Worldslayer it feels like Outriders may have finally found its footing to keep players excited well into the future. Time will tell, but if the full game is anything like the preview, players are in for a treat.
