Outriders is a big game with lots of ways to play. That being said, when you start cranking up the World Levels and taking on those end game bosses, it can get pretty hard. Everyone has their own playstyle so you should pick what suits you before anything.
This guide won’t tell you what to play, instead it will tell you the best ways to play each class and you can decide what is right for you.
Outriders – Which Class Should You Pick?
Before we get into the Outriders class you should pick, class setups are important and so is understanding the general progression of the game. There are three subclasses per class, meaning you can get to the end of one subclass or split points between a few.
Generally, you want to max out one but strange builds are always welcomed in these sorts of games. There are 30 levels in the game meaning your gear will hit level 30 but upgrading your world tiers will bring that even higher.
At the max world tier of 15, your weapons will go all the way up to 42, that goes even further to 50 with end game content. This is your level ceiling as of right now and what you have to base your class around.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s get to the classes.
Devastator
The Devastator is rather aptly named as they run into areas, demolish bad guys and walk out unscathed – they’re a tank and a very good one. The Devastator is all about picking a position with enemies and thriving in the havoc.
Coming with a health boost, increased armor and a slight heal with every close range kill, it’s clear what they’re designed to do. The top subclass, Vanquisher, is about upping your damage.
If you don’t mind being a slight bit squishier but a lot less deadly, this is your class. It mixes DPS and tank for a middle of the road build with plenty to play around with. Pick up skills like Havoc, Brawler, Shotgun Master and Assault Master for a great class.
This will lead you to pick a shotgun/assault rifle mix but those are great weapons for the Devastator anyway. Moving from here, you’ll find the Warden subclass. This is the tank subclass of the tank class, with a huge focus on HP and defence. If you’re playing with friends and want to take all the heat, this is your class.
Unbroken Vow essentially gives you another life and Outrider Commander increases all healing and shields for you and your team. Finally, the Seismic Shifter is a class with interesting synergy. It’s all about boosting your skills and stacking bleed. If you want to focus on your abilities and have great anomaly power, this is your class.
Protected by the Anomaly increases armor by 40% of your anomaly power and Blood Donation heals you for 25% of bleed damage. Picking your class is a tough choice but there are three distinct paths to take with Devastator. If you want a DPS tank, Vanquisher is your choice.
If you want the heaviest tank, Warden is who you should pick. If you like to play with interesting abilities and combos, Seismic Shifter is great.
Pyromancer
The Pyromancer is a very interesting mid range class. They control fire and their abilities play into that control in fun ways. They are possibly the most unique of the four as they don’t a traditional RPG role, instead feeling like a mix of a few different styles.
If you want to cover the battlefield in flames and chase down enemies you’ve marked, this is your class. Whenever you use skills on an enemy, that enemy is marked. Killing the mark grants a chunk of health to you, incentivising focusing on one enemy at a time.
Or you could spray with flames and mark them all. Ash Breaker is all about upgrading base damage and incentivising killing your marks. If you want to mow down enemies singularly for high damage, this is your class.
With this class, you can increase damage in sniper rifles and assault rifles, showing which weapons you should pick. They have the ability to use long range rifles where their melee and skills can fight up close.
Fire Storm is the more tanky subclass of the three, specialising in health and armor boosts. Magma Golem increases health by 10%, a small but beneficial skill where Fuel for the Embers doubles skill leech when under 30% health – a great way of staying alive longer.
If you feel like rushing in and taking damage, this is what you’re looking for. Finally, Tempest specialises in skills. If you like to combine them together for new or interesting results, this is what you should go for, a combo that does decent weapon damage from mid range but high damage from skills.
Ash breaker is who you want to pick if you want to play into the classes passive abilities, Fire Storm is for those who want a bit more of a tank and Tempest is for those who like active abilities.
Technomancer
The Technomancer was my personal favourite class. Favouring long range weapons and some great little gadgets, they’re one you don’t want to miss. As well as getting bonuses to long range damage and some other minor things, you heal with every bit of damage you do.
This makes the Technomancer a real powerhouse at staying alive. If you like to pick people off from range and also like having companions, this is your class. It’s healing abilities and great gadgets allow Technomancer to be a surprisingly adept class to run and gun with too.
Through sprinting and dropping gadgets, this was the easiest class for me to achieve World Level 15. Pestilence is a bit of evil genius, picking people off slowly with toxins and a sniper. This is for the Outriders player who really likes Tom Clancy games.
If you want to feel like covert sniper picking off your prey, this is a good place to start. Their skills can boost toxic damage and effect whilst keeping your turrets around for longer and dealing a little more sniper damage.
It’s quite specialised but can accommodate a few different playstyles. Tech Shaman is all about gadgets. Through great healing abilities, you can essentially drop gadgets and stay constantly healing if you have placed your stats right.
This is a bit of a lazier class to play due to huge gadget damage but it’s no less fun. If you like to play a summoner, this is your class. It was mine. The Demolisher is who you pick if you don’t really know your playstyle yet.
With boosts to skills, effect, weapons and gadgets, it’s a really solid all-rounder. You can increase parts of all your powers pretty effectively with this subclass but specialising somewhere isn’t really for this class.
If you want to change up your playstyle a lot, this is the class to go for. Pestilence is for those who like to pick off big groups slowly, Tech Shaman is for those who like to have their gadgets do the talking and Demolisher is a jack of all trades
Trickster
The Trickster is one of the most interesting classes to play as. Heavily focusing on melee abilities and up close encounters changes the way you explore the battlefield. Where the previous three classes work off the same knowledge – find cover, learn the high points, pick things off – the Trickster does not.
They can slow down enemies and then slice them up seconds later. If you want to look cool and kill things while you do it, this is your class. Featuring bonuses to health and shields as well as some interesting melee mechanics, this is worth watching.
The Assassin sub class focuses on that run and gun technique. It’s all about boosting weapon damage to slaughter enemies up close. The Trickster comes with a slight heal when killing up close so this only adds to the class. Focusing on reduced cooldown on movement skills and heightened damage on weapons makes this subclass the deadliest it can be.
Harbinger is about making the Trickster a little tankier. It’s all about increasing your health, armor and shields for a more sturdy build. If you like to get up close but want a little more protection, this is a good subclass. It comes with plenty of skills that upgrade armor and health but also a little more damage and some nice melee bonuses.
If the Trickster is all about looking cool, Reaver is the subclass to compliment that. With a focus on Skill damage and health leech, they are designed to float around the battlefield powering up their skills over time. With plenty of anomaly boosts, this is the class for someone who loves to use their skills a lot.
The Assassin is for those who like to run and gun, Harbinger is for those who want a melee tank and Reaver is for those who like the Trickster’s active abilities.
And that’s every class and subclass in Outriders! They are all good in their own way – your class almost working like a personality test. I imagine this selection will only expand with time as new DLC comes out but the wide range on offer on release will give enough for most playstyles. You just have to find what works for you and stick with it.
Related: Outriders Review | Ride or Die
