Outriders Worldslayer is a sizeable DLC expansion that doesn’t fix what isn’t broken but does add a heap of content for loot-shooter fans.
Outriders was one of 2021’s earliest big releases, and it’d be fair to say it was received fairly well. A loot-driven third-person shooter without the trappings of a live service game, it felt comfortable in what it offered – a gory campaign, a sprinkling of endgame, and great fun with friends.
Enter Outriders Worldslayer, then, the game’s first paid DLC expansion. Not only does it add an additional campaign, but there are also an awful lot of progression-focused tweaks made to the base game, too. If you loved Outriders, it’s an easy pickup, and it has me more invested in the franchise than ever. If People Can Fly’s base game left you cold, though, there’s nothing here that’ll change your outlook.
Outriders Worldslayer key details
- Developer: People Can Fly
- Price: $79.99 / £79.99
- Release date: June 28, 2022
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PS5, PC
Outriders Worldslayer trailer
A whole new world
A large part of Outriders’ core appeal was Enoch, a new planet colonized by humanity before the Anomaly tore them asunder. This new planet offered plenty of terrifying new creatures to kill, and the good news is that Outriders Worldslayer wisely picks up where the base game left off.
There’s not a great deal that’s new biome-wise, but during Worldslayer’s campaign, you’ll learn a lot more about Enoch, its origins, and the Anomaly.
We’d love to say there was some thoughtful dialogue about the repercussions of colonization, but if I’m honest, Worldslayer carries the torch of the base game’s B-movie trappings. Expect lots of overwrought dialogue, a few instances of “wait, what did they just say” and a whole lot of shooting first and asking questions later.
After some games’ stretching a tight concise story over a few hundred hours, though, I was strangely thankful to step back into our Outrider’s shoes to huff and puff my way through dialogue sequences.
Tougher than an old boot
As was evident when I previewed Outriders Worldslayer last month, the game’s core combat is still good, chaotic fun. You’ll mosey into an area conspicuously adorned with waist-high walls, and be prompted to shoot everything that pops up.
Where Worldslayer improves things, though, is by doing more to hide the fact that you’re just pushing through gunfight after gunfight. There’s more dialogue from comrades, and less importance placed on reading lore tidbits (although those still exist).
- Read more: Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes review – Omega Force’s best game in years won’t convert everyone
The campaign is playable in single-player or with up to two friends, and despite its clear inspirations from the likes of Gears of War (in both its blood-spattered battlefields and its one-button cover system), Outriders is still a surprisingly kinetic game. Players are always moving, with each of the four classes rewarding aggressive play with healing, often by closing the gap between your opponent and your Outrider.
We slipped back into our Pyromancer class and it wasn’t long before we were exploding opponents with glee and racking up the legendary loot, but that’s not to say it was ever easy. I spent around nine hours getting through the Outriders campaign, but I’ll readily admit I had to knock the difficulty down a notch when playing solo. Because Worldslayer assumes (rightly or wrongly) that you’re familiar with Outriders’ core systems, you may want a refresher before jumping right in.
A passion for progression
Sadly, there are no new classes included with Worldslayer, but each of the four is more customizable thanks to the new Pax Trees, which add two new skill branches to each class. Players can respec these at will, allowing for more flexibility, but each helps you fine-tune your playstyle.
Take the Pyromancer, for example, which can now build skill trees for Gunblazer and Pyromaniac. These new tools, combined with a whole load of new loot, make the game feel more like a third-person shooting Diablo-style dungeon crawler than ever, pushing players to experiment and constantly evolve their builds.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
As with the original campaign, there are varying degrees of difficulty, letting players decide how challenging, and rewarding, encounters can be. New this time around are Apocalypse Tiers, which improve loot across both the campaign and endgame. It’s a smart way to keep players invested, and while it’s not a sign of Outriders embracing the “games as a service” trend, it does show People Can Fly moving towards rewarding long-term investment.
Nowhere is that more prevalent than with the new Ascension Points system that essentially rewards players for, well, just about anything. You’ll earn XP for slaying enemies and completing missions, and this can be spent on top-level progression that really leans into what Outriders has always been about – the power fantasy and the tangible feeling of getting stronger.
The war to come
As with any endgame mode, The Trial of Tarya Gratar is likely to expand over the coming weeks and months, but we’re impressed by what we’ve experienced so far.
Opening up after you’ve beaten the campaign, the catchily-titled dungeon run features a series of progressively tricky encounters. There are new enemy types here, too, with much more impressive designs than your standard bad guys.
The real draw is loot. You’ll earn it from blasting through enemies, of course, but you’ll also find yourself needing to explore side paths to find additional rewards. Thankfully, there’s no time limit, meaning you can spend as long as you’d like in the new activity, and each of these “Troves” will offer a specific item type so you can farm gear more easily.
Boss fights are the best showcase of the game’s combat yet, with explosions, effects, bullets, and exploding corpses all over the place. There are some mechanics, but things never go quite as deep as they do in Destiny’s raids, and yet each fight rewards a well-organized team.
The Trial of Tarya Gratar is tough and will challenge players to lean into their builds. The best part about Outriders’ weapons, as opposed to a game with PvP like Destiny, is that the game doesn’t need to balance things. That means in our runs through the Trials of Tarya Gratar we were essentially able to create a constant loop of gunfire, flames, and eruptions, and enjoy healing from almost all of the above.
The Trial of Tarya Gratar doesn’t replace the previous “expeditions” endgame, though, so players will be able to jump back into those to test their new abilities. Still, I much prefer being able to target what I was earning, and the dungeon looks unlike anything else in Outriders. Overall, it feels like the most ideal form of endgame here.
8/10
Outriders Worldslayer is the best version of Outriders. It’s full of satisfying shooting and a loot system that feels focused on fun more than on keeping you playing.
Add a really fun endgame mode, and you’ve got plenty of reasons to return.
For more reviews of the latest releases, be sure to check out our other reviews:
Diablo Immortal | V Rising Early Access | Card Shark | Sniper Elite 5
