Getting the right balance for a proper loot system is a fine line that games have been trying to toe since all the way back to early PC games like Diablo. Recently, People Can Fly has given its own version of the constant grind needs to both act as a rewarding motive to keep playing in the developer's Looter Shooter Outriders.
There are a few ways that Outriders has implemented improvements that elevates the looting system in a way that is rewarding both in the endgame content, as well as during the initial run through the story. The most important mechanic is the crafting system that allows players to make the most out of the loot they find, even if it doesn't initially have the best rolls available.
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Between the many versions of the Looter genres, from Shooters to Diablo-like dungeon crawlers, there are often issues when it comes to keeping the experience rewarding from beginning to end. In the early game, the issue starts with players feeling stuck between either feeling weak as they level out of their preferred equipment or switch to stronger weapons and armor with worse perks. It can lead to players worrying about being too squishy when up against stronger enemies or not having enough power to break through damage sponges, something Outriders is already struggling with.
For players that stay dedicated to these games long enough to begin the process of farming through the endgame to get their characters as strong as possible, Looter systems start to create a brand new set of issues. While the problem of constantly having to replace gear quickly dissipates once players have hit the max level, they are then pushed up against RNG and all the frustrations that come with it. The endless search for god rolls in games like Outriders can extend the viability of the endgame for countless hours of disappointment for some, and an underwhelmingly quick grind for others.
It isn't exactly a new innovation on the many Looter genres to introduce a crafting system in order to give players a chance to create new gear in an attempt to direct some rolls. In the case of Outriders' crafting system, the key change that People Can Fly has implemented is that instead of being given the opportunity at a random roll, players can sacrifice gear to upgrade what they already have. This means that a perk only really has to roll once for players to have access to it on any weapon or piece of armor, though it does require them to destroy the gear it dropped on.
This does naturally require quite a few materials in order for players to consistently upgrade and enhance their gear, though there are multiple ways to farm up Outriders' iron, leather, and titanium. So, while the crafting system does take out some of the more frustrating aspects of randomness that comes hand-in-hand with RNG, there is still a grind involved in consistently upgrading equipment. However, even though the crafting system doesn't allow for limitless upgrading and retooling, it can still have a huge effect on even the lower levels of the gameplay loop.
The key aspect of Looters that can deter players in the earlier levels is the way that the consistent gameplay loop is generally built around forcing players to swap out their weapons for whatever new drops they run into. This is where the twist of the crafting system comes in, allowing players to destroy the stronger gear and bank some of those materials into their preferred gear in order to keep the relevant weapon types and perks they want. It can make rerolling in Outriders' early game much less frustrating, since players can commit to their early mods and continue upgrading their favorite weapons all the way through the story.
As a result of this ability to keep a favorite weapon from start to finish, players are given less incentive to experiment with new weapons, but also aren't forced to play with a type of weapon they don't want. Even better for the fashion conscious players, this also allows players to maintain the best looking armor in Outriders without having to mix and match whatever strange armor combos random chance gives them. Considering the way that the game wants to make players look and feel like an alien-powered superhero during cutscenes and when showing off to other players, being able to maintain a consistent look can be a huge part of the game.
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For everything that the crafting system does for the earlier hours of the game, it's able to enhance the endgame even further by giving new incentives to grind up loot. While there is still RNG involved in finding Outriders' best mod combos, once they've been found for the first time, the player has access to them indefinitely. Players don't have to rely solely on rolls in order to get the perfect weapon or armor set, since the best builds can be crafted over time as each piece builds up one by one.
The utility of crafting materials also makes getting "bad" rolls continue to be worth the effort, as the materials dropped from breaking down duplicates can be used to upgrade and retool other equipment. Plenty of other Looters, like Destiny as one example, have similar systems, but the acquired materials and numerous mods don't have the same impact. However, in the case of Outriders' crafting materials, players are given enough control to make even farming up the materials themselves a worthwhile endeavor.
While this level of customization has tons of merits, there are still ways that Outriders' crafting system can improve, especially when it comes to balancing the availability of upgrade materials. It's a tough line to maintain for developers like People Can Fly, since gaining these materials and getting quality rolls needs to have enough rarity to keep the player coming back for more, while also frequent enough to keep the effort rewarding. This is most notable in the earlier hours of the games, when players don't have enough materials to consistently keep their gear in line with their current level.
Then, as players approach the endgame and are solely on the hunt for Outriders' legendary weapons and armor, the lack of materials becomes so little a problem that burning through them is more formality than actual restriction. This is a regular part of these types of crafting systems that utilize some sort of material or currency in order to apply upgrades. However, just because it's a common problem, doesn't mean that it isn't worth taking another look at to make sure that the endgame grind stays compelling and rewarding.
Outriders is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.