Outriders broadcast 3 just gave fans the world over their first official glimpse at the new class, the Technomancer, as People Can Fly and Square Enix have kept this class close to their chests since the game was initially revealed. Game Rant was able to play this class for about two hours in a recent preview, and it's clear now why it was kept secret: it stands apart from others and adds a whole new perspective to Outriders' gameplay.
NOTE: due to COVID-19, this hands-on experience was played via remote streaming and was subject to occasional technical hiccups like lag spikes, screen tearing, resolution drops, and artifacting. The following video has been edited to eliminate as much of this as possible, while also avoiding major story spoilers for Outriders.
For this preview, we were placed roughly 15 hours into the game, given an epic loadout of gear and weapons, and made level 30 with 20 available class skills. The Technomancer has three class trees available: Pestilence, Shaman, and Demolisher. As the Pestilence tree includes raw weapon and damage buffs, it seemed the best choice for testing the combat of Outriders.
The Technomancer has the ability to snap its fingers and manifest everything from mines to rocket launchers and mini-guns to turrets. Its range of abilities allow it to adapt to a variety of scenarios, whether that's hanging back as a sniper with a solid defensive line of tech, an aggressive crowd-controller fighting alongside its machinery, or an adept healer with mechanical support (and more). Every Outriders class is designed with flexibility in mind, but none quite seem to be on the same level as the Technomancer.
This translated to the gameplay as well, even on higher World Tiers. There's an undeniable rush of adrenaline on the higher tiers, as not only are there simply more enemies, but the enemies have improved tactics. An early boss that was easy to melt on Tier 1, for example, was a juggernaut on Tier 5 because of the way it used its skills and abilities. The boss would not only deploy them more, but use them more strategically and even heal itself. This means that players need a real understanding of their class before pushing through Outriders' World Tiers, as the game presents challenge after challenge for players to overcome.
Every Outriders class has 8 key abilities, with Game Rant checking out the Technomancer's Tool of Destruction, Pain Launcher, Cryo Turrets, and Shrapnel. Placing the Shrapnel on narrow areas where enemies had to pass through results in some guaranteed damage, but throwing them out every time the skill re-activated proved to be a waste. In other words, they don't act like the typical run-of-the-mill grenade in a game. The Cryo Turrets are good for dealing damage to wide swathes of enemies and slowing them down, with players able to have a few out at a time. Locking down chokepoints and having multiple turrets out not only helps control the battlefield, but because Technomancer heals as it deals damage, these turrets are a good source of damage, control, and healing.
The Pain Launcher sees a volley of missiles hit tons of enemies in a decent cone, emphasizing the Technomancer's raw power and long-range abilities, while the Tool of Destruction manifests either a minigun or rocket launcher, depending on the player's need. Using the Technomancer's abilities in combat emphasized every element of the class at different times, from sheer power to strong control, and shows how the class stands out from its counterparts.
Alongside the Technomancer, the preview showed off environments like the Wreckage Zone, Deadrock Pass, and Trench Town, showed off crew members like Jakub and Dr. Zahedi, and debuted new quests known as Wanted quests and Hunter missions. The former includes hunting down humanoid characters like the Bloody Baron, while the latter is all about taking on the monsters of Enoch.
Despite a clear showing on what the Technomancer is all about, it only seems we scratched the surface on what the class can really do when finely attuned with preferred weapons and loadouts. Outriders is still on track for a Holiday 2020 release date, meaning players may be able to preemptively decide between the up-close Trickster, the mid-range Pyromancer, the tanky Devastator, and the jack of all trades Technomancer, but it's a hard choice no matter what.
Outriders releases holiday 2020 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, with a Stadia version in development for 2021.