Outriders is the latest looter-shooter to release in this ever-growing genre. Developed by People Can Fly, this action RPG places you in the shoes of a cryogenically frozen soldier who has gained enhanced abilities thanks to a mysterious storm called the Anomaly. With four classes available upon release, players can bend time, ignite enemies on fire, summon powerful constructs, and shake the very planet. However, to upgrade your Outrider you’ll need to earn Class Points. These are used to unlock the various passive bonuses throughout each of the different classes’ skill trees. With three disciplines per class, there’s a lot of ways you can craft your Outriders’ specific playstyle.
How to Earn Class Points
To earn Class Points you will need to level up your Outrider. This is done by gaining experience and filling in the blue experience bar above your World Tier. Almost every time you level up you will earn a Class Point which can be put into a skill in your Outriders’ class tree. At the time of writing this, you can earn a total of 20 Class Points, one for each level not tied to one of your 8 core skills. With a base level cap of 30, players will need to experiment and really focus on a specific path to maximize their character’s killing potential.
Experience is gained by killing enemies and completing quests. Your World Tier will not determine how much experience you earn, this only revolves around the amount and quality of loot acquired. Keep in mind, experience isn’t handed out until after you complete an encounter. Meaning if you die mid-battle you will lose all your experience. The amount you’ll earn is displayed by the slightly lighter blue bar expanding out from your current XP.
In the class tree, you will start on the left and can begin expanding into one of the three disciplines. These paths help hone your Outrider into a specific playstyle. For example, a Technomancer specing into Pestilence will largely focus on poison damage and spreading disease among foes. You aren’t locked into a specific perk once you acquire it, as players can reset their Class Points at any time. Just go to the Class menu and then select the icon in the bottom left corner to reset your skill trees and earn all your points back. There are no penalties for respecing, so feel free to mix and experiment with different skills.
Given how difficult the higher World Tiers are, you’ll definitely want to not lock yourself into a single playstyle for the entirety of Outriders. Maximizing your character’s support and killing potential is key, but you’ll also want to consider the benefits given by your armor and weapons. These can fundamentally alter how you approach engagements, especially when you start getting father into the different skill trees. You should try to compliment your skills based on the various mods you have on your armor. Combining these can radically change how you play, allowing you to decimate hordes of enemies.
