With Outriders, People Can Fly made an anomaly; it was a looter shooter that wasn’t a live-service game like Destiny, The Division, etc. This is why, more than a year after its release, we’re now just getting its first (and possibly sole) expansion with Worldslayer. This new premium DLC brings a new story campaign, new gear, new endgame content and more into the fray. The big question now is: has it been worth the wait? Keep those anomaly powers in check and read on for our Outriders Worldslayer review.

Another Day, Another World Ending Threat

While not the most memorable of campaigns, I did enjoy what Outriders had to offer when it originally launched (read our review here). It was a fun new world that had some great world building behind it, even if it fell to some questionable dialogue, and cliché tropes. I had fun with it, enough to want to see where People Can Fly were heading with the series, wanting more, be that a sequel or in the form of DLC. 

Again, I’m not saying the writing was all there, just that it was entertaining enough to keep me engaged and wanting to play more, and for the most part, Worldslayer shares that same feeling. It starts off right where the original ended, with the anomaly going completely berserk. What once gave you the power of a god is now a world ending threat, and it’s up to you to find a way to stop it before it’s all too late.

• Related Reading: Outriders Worldslayer New Content – Gear, Campaign, PAX Class Trees, Ascension and More Listed & Explained

There’s not much else to that goal, simple enough, though that’s not to say that People Can Fly didn’t use it as an opportunity to introduce new characters, and bosses. I feel like they got creative with the bosses as well, even if the time spent interacting with them is very brief. And the new Altered baddie, Ereshkigal, who is described as the “first” Altered and wields an immense amount of power. I really dug their design, and although they’re massive bullet sponges (an issue I had with the base game,) the fights against them are rather enjoyable.

Sadly, as with them, and any of the other new characters introduced in this DLC, their screen times are pretty short. Perhaps that’s the fault of Outriders not being a live service game, and this DLC trying not to go the route of being a full priced experience, but as cool as each of the characters were in action, I don’t feel like we learned enough about them. At least enough to actually care, or be invested in.

The campaign is really short, four to five hours, maybe even less if you keep it on the lowest difficulty. Most of that time is spent traversing missions themselves, with the in-between broken up with drops of the story. I would have liked to learn more about the antagonist given their overall level of importance to the world itself. I don’t know, I definitely felt there was more to tell with this DLC, as it only got interesting right around the ending. 

Plenty of Loot to Go With Your Overpowered Character

While I was left disappointed by the campaign, the one area that I thought Outriders excelled in was in its stellar combat. Even if it’s been months since I last played, the game still has some fantastic gunplay, with classes that all feel incredibly fun to play with. That same holds true in the Worldslayer DLC, which sees an expanded skill tree for every class. Now it’s not the biggest gamechanger, if I’m honest, some might find it a bit underwhelming, as it mostly focuses on enhancing certain existing abilities. I, and probably many others, would have much rather seen a new class, but still, being a Trickster main I did enjoy having the additional buffs and skills added to my character. 

However, what I love about this update and DLC is that it brings a slew of new unlockable gear. You can read a bit more on that in our Outriders Worldslayer gear breakdown post, but I just love how unique each set looks, as well as the weapons. Easily some of the best in the game thus far, and they’re all so fun to use. There is also something known as “Apocalypse Gear,” which is high-end gear that comes with two customizable mod slots and a third one that is predetermined. It may not seem like much at first, but those extra perks that come with the third slot can truly make a difference. I don’t have a full set yet myself, but the difference compared to my older build is quite noticeable. I think players will find that there are plenty of reasons to want to grind out for these sets.

The Trial of Tarya Gratar

One of the big complaints that many had with the original Outriders release was the rather “lacking” endgame it provided. Known as Expeditions, these endgame activities were basically rinse and repeat, with players undertaking long missions with nothing but hordes of enemies thrown at them. To add to that, they also felt unrewarding with its randomized loot. I recalled having runs where they’ve taken me a considerable amount of time, only to be rewarded gear that was barely an improvement over my current set. It wasn’t fun, at least for me, which was a shame because I really did enjoy playing the story with some friends. 

• Related Reading: Outriders Worldslayer Upcoming Changes to Base Game and Weapon Balancing Changes Revealed

With Worldslayer, People Can Fly is introducing a new endgame activity known as The Trial of Tarya Gratar. It works differently than Expeditions in that it’s set in a large arena/dungeon-like level (pre-determined, so not procedural generated) with different paths that players can freely choose to go on, and multiple stages to proceed through. 

Sure, the core gameplay for the most part is the same, as in you’ll make your way through sections shooting endlessly at hordes of enemies, followed by a boss fight, but structurally it’s different. I would best compare it to an actual raid of sorts as it has a limited number of tries to be completed, with multiple tasks to undertake.

Mind you, it’s not Destiny-tier level of raiding where it involves all kinds of crazy puzzles and perfect coordination amongst teammates, but it does give you a bit of that exhilaration as you progress through the different subsections of the trail, and the difficulty continues to ramp up. It’s definitely an activity intended for three players rather than the solo experience, though I’m sure it can be beaten alone. 

What I like about the trials, however, is how loot works in it. Unlike in the main Worldslayer campaign and base game, the Trial of Tarya Gratar offers areas known as Troves. These are high difficulty sections within the dungeon that reward players with designated gear. Up until this point, loot in Outriders was all based on RNG. If you wanted a stronger piece of equipment, or a different roll, there was no way to really achieve that outside of playing and praying that something you like would drop. These Troves change that, introducing loot farming to the game. If you wanted a better helmet, chest piece, or whatever, you could grind out a specific Trove that rewards that kind of drop. I know to some that may seem like a quick way to make the game feel repetitive (an issue on its own already,) but anyone who has played a looter type of game knows that designated loot is always worth that grind, which Worldslayer certainly seems to provide. 

Verdict

Ultimately, if you were a fan of the original Outriders, then you’ll probably love what Worldslayer has to offer. It’s essentially more of the same, with an endgame that is undoubtedly better than what was offered in the base version. For me, I enjoyed what base Outriders had to offer so the DLC felt worthwhile to play through. But admittedly I know this isn’t going to win any new players, nor does it address much of the issues with the original. It’s fun, but you’ll likely be burnt out on it after the campaign and a few end game runs.

Pros:

• Gameplay is still a highlight
• The loot is well crafted, with farming spots included.
• The Trial of Tarya Gratar felt challenging and close to a raid experience with the focus on co-op play rather than solo.
• Expanded class trees, and new difficulty that grows challenging as you level it. 

Cons:

• Short campaign that doesn’t spend enough exploring its villian.
• Although the Pax tree, and Ascendant perks were a nice addition, a new class would have definitely been preferred. 

Outriders Worldslayer DLC provided by the publisher. Played o PC. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.