Everything You Need to Know About Outriders’ Biggest Patch Yet

Square Enix has recently posted the patch notes for an update to Outriders, and they claim that this is the biggest patch that the game has received as of yet. Many players were hoping that these Outriders patch notes would shed some light on – or just fix altogether – the inventory bug that has been wiping out players’ inventories since the launch of the game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s the case as one line (in all caps) states: “Note: This patch does not restore inventories or fix characters encountering the ‘Can’t connect to server’ issue. These restorations/fixes are currently being worked upon.” So, I guess we’re just left to wait until the next news about these issues, but at least we know that it’s being worked on. So what did we learn from these Outriders patch notes? (All of the below changes apply to all platforms unless otherwise stated).

General Changes

• Fixed a large number of crashes throughout the game.
• Resolved an issue that could cause players to get stuck on the “Sign In” screen.
• Fixed several lighting, shadow, and reflection issues within levels and cutscenes.
• General level improvements including fixing collision, textures, LOD, OOW visibility, and grounded various floating assets. Also resolved a number of situations where the player could get stuck in the game world.
• Numerous cover fixes for specific locations, including character alignment, cover-to-cover transition, and blind fire.
• Camera movement has been improved during various cutscenes when smoothing is enabled.
• Improved visibility of the crosshair.
• Improved visibility of tutorial popup notifications.
• Sidequest icons will now no longer persist on the map after completion.
• The crosshair will no longer disappear when looking at allies.
• Fixed edge case progression blockers and objective issues in numerous main and side quests.
• Fixed an edge case issue whereby swapping characters could lead to a loss of the player inventory.
• [REBALANCE] The Over levelling System/Scaling Multipliers have been adjusted
• The system will activate one level later, when your average gear level is a minimum of 3 Levels higher than the enemies you’re facing [Previous: 2]
• Outgoing damage will now be reduced less
• Improvements made to Incoming damage scale, meaning players will feel more powerful without completely eliminating the threat of enemy NPCs
• Conditions that will trigger the system have been cleaned up, which will eliminate unintuitive behaviour such as damage increases when using low level weapons
• [CONSOLES] A UI scale option has been added to the settings.
• [PLAYSTATION] Reduced the sensitivity of the touchpad swipe.
• [PLAYSTATION] Resolved a crash that could occur after the opening cinematic.
• Overall code optimizations made

It’s nice to see that this Outriders patch fixed a good bit of crashes across all platforms, because that’s been a pretty big issue for many people since the game launched.

Multiplayer Changes

• The default background matchmaking setting has been changed to Closed [Previously: Open]. This change can still be reverted manually in your settings.
• Fixed a bug that could prevent clients from joining the host.
• Resolved performance issues that appeared right after loading into a co-op game.
• Improved the loading time for players gear when joining a co-op session.
• Fixed a bug whereby a client could load into a corrupted lobby if the host lost internet connection whilst loading into a game.
• Fixed an issue where the host would be unable to select a story point that other clients had not unlocked.
• A notification will now also be displayed to the host warning them that the clients may not have unlocked that part of the story.
• Clients will now properly receive the “story mismatch prompt” when joining a host.
• Fixed a bug whereby a player with a complete story line was unable to join Expeditions if a story point before the end game had been selected.
• Fixed an issue whereby client characters might not properly spawn when retrying Expeditions.
• Fixed a number of bugs that could cause Issues or errors to appear following a host migration.
• Fixed a bug that would cause players attempting to join each other’s session to get stuck on the “Waiting to join session” screen.
• Fixed a bug whereby trucks were no longer visible for clients when joining a host in the Quarry.
• Fixed a bug whereby the boss in the Eye Of The Storm expeditions could appear duplicated for clients during cutscenes.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the client’s map to fail to update after joining a map where the Host was standing near a flag.
• Fixed a bug in the Dying Wish sidequest where the host could get stuck in the quest area if the client disconnected.
• Fixed an issue where audio can disappear if host migration occurs during a cutscene.
• [XBOX] Fixed a bug that could cause the game to lose functionality after signing out of a currently active account or suspending the internet connection during loading.
• [XBOX] Fixed a bug that could cause the “Join Random Team” functionality to not behave properly.
• [XBOX] Fixed a bug that could cause the authentication process to fail due to a “Internet Connection Error”
• [XBOX] Fixed a rare crash that occurred for clients when a host initiated a fast travel from the Desolate Fort.

Gear, Skills, & Mod Changes

• Crafting
  • [REBALANCE] Cost of improving Rare to Epic and levelling up Epic gear from levels 1 to 30 have been lowered.
  • This will make improving items cheaper in the early game
  • Fixed a bug where a skill damage improvement mod on gear with a higher level than the player would actually reduce damage when used at lower World Tiers.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the UI to display a 0 in the preview when upgrading the Hell’s Rangers weapons.
• Trickster
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Trickster’s “Hunt the Prey” skill to not teleport but still go into cooldown
  • Resolved instances where Hunt The Prey could be used to teleport to unintended locations
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Trickster’s “Venator’s Knife” mark to vanish after casting Hunt The Prey skill on the marked enemy
  • Fixed a bug whereby the Move Groove mod’s Anomaly and Firepower buff icons did not appear correctly on the HUD.
• Pyromancer
  • Fixed a bug that was preventing the Pyromancer’s Feed The Flame skill from applying the Ash status effect to Screechers.
  • Fixed a bug whereby the Pyromancer’s Phoenix Nestling skill occasionally granted the player the incorrect HP in multiplayer. It now grants the correct 50% HP.
  • Fixed a bug that was causing Pyromancers to exit cover after using the Thermal Bomb skill.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the Pyromancers Boots of the Lava Lich Legendary gear item to not include the appropriate mods
• Devastator
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Perseverance Shield mod’s damage reduction buff to not correctly end after the Golem effect wore off.
  • Fixed a bug with the Devastators Extra Quake mod, which sometimes provided more than 1 extra skill activation at the end of fights.
  • Fixed a bug that caused Lurkers affected by the Endless Mass skill to reappear on top of the player if you walked under them.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur if you Boulderdashed into a wall.
  • Fixed instances of Gravity Leap causing players to get stuck in unintended places.
  • Resolved instances where Boulderdash could be used to reach unintended locations
  • [PLAYSTATION] Improved the VFX of the Reflect Bullets skill to make it is more visible.
• Technomancer
  • [REBALANCE] The Minigun mod “Massacre”, which was changed in the previous patch has had its duration reverted to its original value, but will now only stack up to 6 times.
  • Fixed a bug whereby the Toxic Lead armour mod was not triggering properly if an enemy was killed via a skill.
  • Fixed a bug where Technomancers would be stuck on their main weapon if they used Tools of Destruction and Pain Launcher at the same time.
  • Fixed a bug with Tools of Destruction where melee or further skill use was prevented if the skill was interrupted by using the mouse wheel.
  • Fixed a bug whereby The Perpetuum Mobile weapon mod was also replenishing the Technomancer’s Tools of Destruction Minigun ammo.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed the Technomancer’s Turrets to be placed on vertical surfaces.
  • Fixed a bug that could cause the AI to ignore Technomancers if a turret had been spawned before the AI spawned.
  • [XBOX] Deployed Technomancer turrets now correctly display their health bars.
  • [PLAYSTATION] Fixed an issue that caused the Technomancer’s Scrapnel skill to break the sprint animation.
  • Fixed the set description of the Borealis Monarch set [English Language].
• Skills can now be properly cast when using the targeting feature after changing the keybinding.
• Improved the visual indicator for throwables.

I was worried that this Outriders patch was going to nerf even more classes into the ground, but it looks like it mostly just fixed existing issues with them.

• Gear & Mods
  • Fixed a bug that was causing the certain mods to not properly trigger their On Shot/On Critical Shot effects if said shot was a killing shot
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Emergency Stance mod’s damage reduction buff to not correctly end.
  • Fixed a mod that caused the Anomaly Surge Tier 1 mod to not proc as expected
  • Fixed a bug that caused Legendary set bonuses to not show correct items being active in the armour details.
  • Fixed a bug that caused bright lights to appear on the screen when using the Storm whip mod.
  • [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that could cause the Legacy of Enoch achievement to not properly unlock.
  • Minor visual fixes to female gloves.

Enemy, Boss, and NPC Changes

• [REBALANCE] AI snipers now give players more time to dodge their shots.
• [REBALANCE] Reduced the amount of knockback from creatures in the Stargrave expedition.
• There is now also a greater delay between spawns and a reduced number of the offending creatures.
• Molten Acari
  • Fixed a bug whereby The Molten Acari’s jump attack was still damaging players who successfully dodged its AOE. Players successfully dodging the AoE will now no longer be damaged.
  • Fixed a bug that allowed Devastators to permanently stun the Molten Acari by using the Endless Mass skill without any cooldown.
  • Fixed a bug that caused the Molten Acari boss fight to pause for around 1-2 minutes if one of the clients disconnected right before dealing the finishing blow on stage 1 and transitioning to stage 2.
  • [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that could cause the Spiderlings to freeze during the third phase of the Molten Acari boss fight.
• Chrysaloid
  • Debuff icons applied to the Chrysaloid boss will now remain in between phases.
  • Fixed an issue where the Chrysaloid boss fight does not progress if the player kills the boss during the black screen between phases.
• Yagak
  • Fixed a bug that could give Devastators unlimited healing when using the Impale Skill during the Yagak fight.
  • [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that caused Yagak’s tentacle ability to damage players before it actually landed
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the Brood Mother from dealing damage to the player with melee attacks while standing on an elevated platform located on the left side on the encounter area at the Outpost Gate area in the Quarry.
• Fixed a bug whereby the Crawler ranged attack was damaging players beyond the attack range indicated by the UI.
• Strix are now better able to cope with players standing too close to a wall.
• Fixes to AI, including berserker pathing optimisation, skill usage, as well as reacting to and properly attacking players.
• Health bars for enemy skills such as Anomaly Rifts are now correctly hidden if the Enemy Health Bar Mode is set to “Hide” in options.
• Animations for enemies have been fixed in certain situations, particularly when in cover and recovering from knockdowns.
• Fixed a bug that caused the VFX for the Weightlessness Mod to now work as intended with Crawlers.
• Resolved issues that caused the game to become unresponsive when interacting with NPCs, particularly when using skills or changing input methods.
• [PC] Fixed a crash that could occur during the enemy spawn in the first arena of the Chem Plant expedition.
• [PC] Fixed a rare bug whereby players were unable to properly sell items to the vendors.
• [PC] Fixed an issue whereby the cursor would turn invisible during dialogue with NPCs.
• [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that could cause Zahedi’s tent to disappear from the camp.
• Fixed NPCs T-posing in certain situations.

Quest & Expedition Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused the stash to lock if the player died in the Bad Day side quest.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Bigjaw monster hunt sidequest from being completed if the player died during it.
• The navigation line during the Relics main quest has been fixed.
• Fixed a bug that made the Historian quest in Deadrock Pass inaccessible if players initiated combat after triggering the exit prompt.
• Fixed a bug in the Sacrifice main quest that prevented progress by not updating the objective correctly.
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to charge the obelisk before the appropriate cutscene had been completed.
• [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that could cause the key to the Radio Tower to falls through the floor in Eagle Peaks.
• [PC] Fixed a bug that could cause Story achievements to not unlock correctly when their criteria was met.

Audio & Dialogue Changes

• Miscellaneous subtitle fixes to bring them in line with the VO in terms of content and synchronisation.
• Fixed Audio clipping that occurred in some cutscenes.
• The SFX volume for Yagak’s abilities have been adjusted.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the battle music track to not end after combat.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the battle music to be active for players who were nowhere near combat.
• Menu music now stops when viewing the credits.
• Credits music no longer plays if music volume is set to 0 in the audio settings.
• Fixed an issue whereby a Male character would have female VO in the forest when playing in Polish.
• [XBOX] Fixed a bug that could caused the audio to desynchronise when connecting or disconnecting a headset.
• Other audio fixes and improvements

I like that this Outriders patch fixed a lot of audio issues, but I would still love it if they could turn down the launch music as soon as you start the game.

Other Changes

• Added protection for when claiming items from the inbox when the stash and inventory are full.
• A Co-op exploit where multiple Legendary rewards could be obtained from the Historian / Bounty / Monster Hunt questlines has been fixed.
• Fixed a bug that could prevent the player from claiming the World Tier 10 weapon reward.
• Fixed a bug that caused the HUD to appear when players were only 80% loaded into levels.
• Increased the framerate of the video clips on the class selection screen.
• Text corrections in the Journal and tutorial screens, as well miscellaneous localisation issues.
• Fixed a bug that was causing incorrect colour schemes to appear for the banner and truck customisation
• Fixed a bug that could prevent movement after exiting dialogue sequences.
• Fixed a bug that could prevent the inventory from opening if the Inventory Button was spammed
• [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that caused the main menu to not play the proper music track.
• [PLAYSTATION] Fixed a bug that prevented players from using the Analog stick to select dialogue options when in conversation with NPCs
• [PLAYSTATION] Fixed an issue that could prevent the English language download to not trigger properly and prevent the player from changing their language to English. 
• Additional backend fixes.

PC-Specific Changes

• The available FOV for configuration has been increased from 90 to 130.
• Fixed an issue whereby old crash dumps were not being properly cleared from the player’s system.
  • Note: These are the 300MB files that were previously left behind.
• Added support for rebinding the Fn; Delete; End; PageDown; Insert Home; PageUp; Print Screen; Scroll Lock; CapsLock; keys
• Remapped buttons should now display correctly in menus and dialogues.
• Fixed an issue that could cause the game to lock the player to 60FPS until the player opened the menu.
• Fixed a bug whereby cutscenes would lock to 60FPS, even if the player had selected a higher framerate.
• Added support for the Steam Controller.
• Other improvements to FPS
• Fixed an issue whereby the intro cutscene would stutter when Ansel was enabled.
• Fixed a stuttering issue with the intro cutscene when the game was launched on a secondary monitor that has a lower resolution than the primary monitor.
• Fixed a crash that could occur if Razer Synapse is installed on the system
• Fixed an issue that was causing the Razer Chroma Cinematic Ambient Awareness to not work after switching monitors.
• Improved functionality of Razer Chroma effects.
• Fixed a bug that would cause players to get locked in the Emotes UI if the controls for the Emotes wheel is assigned to the mouse buttons.
• Fixed an issue that caused the HUD to disappear after capturing the area during the Prologue.
• Fixed an issue whereby the controller layout screen was not displaying the correct connected controller.
• Fixed an issue that caused multiple web browser tabs to open when logging into the Epic Games Store.

Well, Square Enix definitely wasn’t kidding. This update is huge and involves quite a few changes, fixes, and just overall improvements to the game. If you’d like to check out the Outriders patch notes directly from Square Enix themselves, you can do so here, although I’m not entirely sure why you would want to do so, considering you just read through them here, but hey, who am I to judge? What did you think of this Outriders patch?