Outriders -

Do not skip the journal entries. The hidden lore about the "Anomaly" and the planet’s indigenous creatures is genuinely Lovecraftian and better written than the main campaign. The Gameplay: Cover is for Cowards (Literally) Here is where Outriders shines. People Can Fly made a deliberate design choice that sets it apart from Gears or The Division : Cover is a trap.

To the developer’s credit, they fixed almost all of it. The 2022 "Worldslayer" expansion overhauled the endgame, removed timers from most expeditions, added a roguelite "Trial" mode, and introduced the PAX skill trees (which are bonkers powerful). Today, Outriders is a stable, complete experience. But first impressions matter, and that launch tainted the game’s reputation forever. Short answer: Yes, especially with friends. OUTRIDERS

Outriders is a game of violent contradictions. It is janky yet hypnotic. Its story is laughable, yet its lore is fascinating. Its endgame is repetitive, yet its core combat loop is arguably the most visceral in the genre. So, grab your favorite anomaly-infused sidearm, and let’s dive back into the planet Enoch. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Outriders is not subtle. You wake up as a custom protagonist who has been in cryo-sleep for decades. The moment you step out, you are immediately thrown into a civil war on a hostile alien world, betrayed by your own commander, and accidentally imbued with reality-bending superpowers called "Anomaly abilities." Do not skip the journal entries

Cross-play was broken for months. The endgame "Expeditions" were timed, which forced players into pure DPS builds, invalidating entire support playstyles. People Can Fly made a deliberate design choice

This creates a rhythm I haven’t felt since Doom (2016) . As a Devastator (the tank class), you’re an immortal boulder rolling downhill. As a Trickster, you’re a teleporting reaper. As a Pyromancer, you’re an area-denial arsonist. And as a Technomancer—well, you get to break the rules with turrets and long-range artillery, but even then, you’re encouraged to stand your ground, not hide.

Outriders showers you in guns. Blue, purple, and eventually legendary (gold) drops happen constantly. You will spend a significant portion of your playtime in the menus, comparing stats, dismantling duplicates, and applying mods. For loot gremlins, this is heaven. For everyone else, it’s exhausting.

But now, looking back with clear eyes and countless patched updates, I think we were too harsh. And at the same time, maybe not harsh enough.