When Outriders first launched back in April, much of the game’s positives were overshadowed by a myriad of bugs and connectivity issues. It was a shame since the title did manage to deliver some solid fast-paced combat, though even that was weighed down by a lackluster story and similarly dull characters (though the lack of microtransactions deserves a round of applause.) Within the first month, 3.5 million people gave it a try, and Square Enix was thrilled with their decision to release the title for Xbox Game Pass subscribers at launch. Now, the free New Horizon update is here, and people are asking one question: should I reinstall?
The answer is yes, at least to give credit where credit is due. People Can Fly understood the assignment, apologized in a new broadcast for the number of technical difficulties at launch, and clearly care about all that player feedback–even if the new addition isn’t perfect. The big draw for New Horizons is a largely-improved endgame, with players gaining four new Expeditions to run with their buddies into previously unexplored areas. To reduce pressure and simply improve the fun factor, these Exhibitions are no longer timed, and the loot system has also been overhauled in turn. Legendary drop rates have been boosted, and players won’t get as many of the same items on their runs. Long Exhibitions will also grant better rewards.
Some quality-of-life features have also been thrown in for good measure, including an excellent transmog system that features no microtransactions or currency at all. A number of abilities have been buffed or balanced as need be, and cross-play has also been improved. Some bugs are still present, but the team seems dedicated to addressing them. It might be worthwhile to give Outriders one more chance.
Outriders is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia. The title is online-only, and the Xbox version is available at no additional cost to Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
