Outriders: a close-up look at the Trickster class
What is a Trickster and what can they do? We reveal how playing this class can turn you into a space and time-defying assassin.Did you watch the Outriders Broadcast? It featured hours of new information about the upcoming RPG shooter, including new enemies, the interface, upgrade systems and more.
One of the most fascinating sections was a long look at one of the classes in the game: The Trickster. Having had some hands-on time with these time and space warping warriors, we wanted to share some thoughts of our own.
People Can Fly answer: What is a Trickster?
We asked Bartek Kmita, Game Director for Outriders, for a brief explanation of the Trickster. Here’s what he had to say:
“The Trickster is basically like an assassin. Picking this class will make you a very efficient killer, with access to powers over time and space - you can warp around the battlefield, or put enemies in slow-motion… lots of cool things like that.
One of the key traits of Tricksters is that they’re extremely fast and manoeuvrable. For example, they’re very good at getting in close to an enemy, dealing a lot of damage, and getting out again before their victims can react.
I think the class is a great choice for players who want to prioritise movement over toughness. Or anyone who wants to see limbs fly off in slow-mo of course!”
What can Tricksters do?
As their name implies, the Trickster specialises in attacks that disrupt and devastate unsuspecting enemies.
Here’s just a small slice of what they can do:
Temporal Slicing: A close range swipe that slows and deals damage to the unfortunate recipient. It’s quite the visual spectacular too - your slice will expose your foe’s skeleton and, if the damage is enough to finish them off, make them explode in a vivid display of blood and flying limbs. I cannot find the words to adequately express how satisfying this is.
Slow Trap: You can create a bubble of concentrated time - anything caught inside will move in slow motion. That includes enemies and their bullets - the only thing that keeps moving at normal speed is you. Pro tip: slow enemies down with this, and then hit them with Temporal Slicing - not only is it effective, watching their bodies fall apart in slow-motion is gruesomely gratifying.
Hunt the Prey: With a press of a button, you’ll teleport directly behind a targeted enemy, taking them unawares. Not only that, you’ll get a shield bonus too. It’s an extremely versatile move with lots of utility. For example, you can use it to get close to a foe so you can hit it with a powerful melee attack, get a bit of distance if you’re overwhelmed by a mob, and much more.
Borrowed Time - This ability converts a percentage of your maximum health into a shield that absorbs damage. Even cooler, using the power creates a ‘time clone’ in your location it was activated. If you use Borrowed Time again while the clone is still active, you’ll teleport instantly back to that location. Very handy for getting out of fights in a pinch.
That’s just a small sample of what the Trickster will be able to do in Outriders. Each skill is a powerful tool in its own right, and when you start experimenting with how to combo them together, things get even more interesting - and brutal.
How the Trickster plays
Perhaps more than any other class in Outriders, the Trickster rewards precision. They’re no blunt instruments - they’re scalpels, making carefully targeted cuts to cause massive amounts of damage to the enemy.
Movement is everything for the class. To be effective as a Trickster, you must constantly change position, and use your time-manipulation abilities, weapons and agility to run rings around any aggressors.
Of course, that’s only the case initially - Outriders’ comprehensive upgrade system means you can spec the Trickster to support different playstyles. So if you want to focus more on staying in one place, you can - though you may have to make a few trade-offs in other areas to do so.
Regardless of your setup, you’ll have to utilize all the Trickster’s skills if you want to have a hope of surviving the dark, savage world of Enoch.
Every class in Outriders has their own requirements for restoring health - for example, last week, we talked about how the Pyromancer heals by killing enemies that are on fire.
Tricksters regain vitality by killing foes up close. If you take down an opponent within a certain radius of your character, you’ll be rewarded with a welcome health boost.
This creates a compelling risk / reward scenario. For all their raw power, the Trickster’s not the most resilient class, so getting up close and personal has an element of danger. You’ll quickly realise the value of surprise attacks and hit and run tactics - get in, cause a ruckus, and get out again before things get too dangerous.
If you’re the type of player who likes to get down behind cover and pick off foes from afar, it may not be the best choice for you - but for anyone who enjoys dancing around the battlefield like a space and time-defying ninja, the Trickster represents a wildly entertaining way to play.
So that’s a quick look at the Trickster - one of the most sophisticated classes in Outriders. Join us next week, when we’ll take a look at the Devastator - a super-strong class that treats gravity as more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule.
Outriders releases Holiday 2020 for PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One and Steam - preorder it now from the Square Enix Store:
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