Day 1 releases on Xbox Game . Since that initial wave of excitement, Outriders went quiet with a series of quality of life improvements meant to set up future updates and expansions. With New Horizon, the fresh content feels poised to recapture the attention of the game's biggest ers.
At its core, Outriders New Horizon is a set of four repeatable Expeditions designed for a range of skill levels. From The Wellspring to The Molten Depths, players will find a challenge that's worth working toward. While the maps are new, the gameplay loop remains, and that's a good thing. While it might take a few moments to the best combination of firearms and powers for any given situation, it's still very enjoyable to warp around the map as a Trickster and shoot opponents apart with a shotgun.
Combat is at the heart of Outriders' gameplay loop, but one change in New Horizon adds some much-needed depth. Previously, Expeditions were all about beating hordes of enemies as quickly as possible, with loot drops getting better as times increased. This is still an option for fans of that system, but most players will be happy to hear that players will now get meaningful rewards for completing the missions at their own pace.
Not only does this allow for more casual sessions of the game with friends, but it also lets players explore the Enoch locales crafted by developer People Can Fly. The new maps were built with this lack of restriction in mind, including a few secrets off the beaten path that could reward players with even better weapons and armor. While it's nothing groundbreaking, these hidden objectives can be unexpected and over the top, something that Outriders really needs if it's going to stay in the conversation with live games that regularly drop in pop culture heroes and skins inspired by memes.
Another change borrowed from other looters is the ability to change the appearance of equipped items via the transmog system. The team at People Can Fly was very upfront that this isn't a system that's limited in any way, and that's evident in the final product. Without paying any currency (both real or in-game), players can utilize the look of any item they've picked up without changing its stats. Turning Outriders into Halo: Combat Evolved by making a lowly starting pistol into a mythical hand cannon is only a button press away.
It's a system with definite trade-offs, as players won't be able to scope out what their partners have equipped without diving into a menu or getting on voice chat. On the other hand, it does make the constant loot drops throughout missions feel a little less overwhelming and give players control of how they look in multiplayer sessions. It was disappointing to note that the system felt clunky to use in the menus, especially since it's something that players will only jump into in the fleeting downtime between Expeditions. Still, considering all the improvements that have already come to the game, it's something that can be fixed going forward.
After spending time running through all the new content in New Horizon, it's hard not to get back in the groove of what Outriders bring to the table. While it would be even better if this free update contained something for fans of the campaign, the four maps and mechanical updates brought to the endgame feels like a great start. Nothing here is going to propel Outriders to its former heights in popularity, but it's good to see that Square Enix and People Can Fly are sticking with the game despite its troubles at launch. Anyone who still checks up on Enoch on the regular will feel satisfied with this new addition and the promise of an even bigger expansion in the months to come.
Outriders is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Stadia. Screen Rant was provided access to the New Horizon update via a virtual review event for the purposes of this preview.
