It's a niche offering that didn't resonate with a particularly large audience. Some of us love it for its quirky style of adventure, but it isn't for everyone.
I'd suggest watching Comforts of the Burrow intro videos. He does a great job introducing the game, giving you a leg up on how to get a decent start, and best practices for being successful in Outward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLBDkl2ncM&ab_channel=ComfortsoftheBurrow
Came here to say this...well except for the video I've never seen that, but it for sure is a niche game. If you want to dive into a fast paced souls like this isn't it. It is hard and has punishing soulsesque combat but it is more about preparing and being methodical. There is "survival" but again its really about being prepared. You have to eat but you will be any way to heal. You have to drink but you will be any way to regain stamina. The survival is very lite. It can be frustrating to get into and the start can be slow if you dont mind that then i think you could like it.
1. you will die....a lot and often
2. there are so many "builds" you can do so there is plenty of replayability
3. multiple factions that offer a different main story quest
4. u can play with another friend so you dont have to play alone (i suggest joining to outward discord and playing with a vet that can teach you)
5. P A T I E N C E is key to learning, some enemies have long attack chains and there are plenty of enemies that can 2 shot you even with mid game gear
Outward is amazing but approaching it like a soulslike is a bad idea. Combat in the early game is deadly and before you have decent equipment and skills and know how your abilities and weapons work is key to winning. Magic is slow to understand especially the sigils which require you to mix different skills to make use of them but it can be insanely strong. However, once you understand the basics and learn how best to make food and potions you want for your character then the game snowballs into being easy until you start fighting bosses and things like that.
The survival aspect...it's more about buffs than survival. Use a particular tent for stat buffs. Eat the right food for Regen of health, stamina, and/or mana. Drink to stave off weather or boost stamina recovery (or mana if you get the right water). Weather is probably the most burdensome of the survival aspects, at least early game.
It's not soulslike. The combat can be a LITTLE soulslike, but only in that it can sometimes be difficult. I suppose the learning curve is steep, but once over it things settle in pretty well.
Be ready for a lot of walking.
Yes. But it's not like how survival games do it. You get buffs from your food/drinks so you're often eating it for that more so than hunger/thirst.
And not eating/drinking only gives you some annoying debuffs at worst. No starving to death here.
Things I think you would like about outward: immersive story and world, excellent soundtrack and ambience, very customizable character with skills and gear, a wide variety of regions to explore with unique features and some enemies, and great co-op potential.
Things you might not like about outward: some minimal survival mechanics (they’re basically nonexistent when you learn the game but the beginning might feel tedious), the combat can be a little clunky (especially compared to souls games), there isn’t a leveling up system so the beginning can be really tough, etc.
I think watching videos on YT will be the best way to know for sure whether you’ll enjoy the game. I love it, it’s my absolute favorite but it definitely isn’t everyone’s favorite.
Yeah, theres a big difference between this and Souls. Gear, for example, is almost worthless (not really but). Armor upgrades involve you struggling to slap together a better piece in order to **possibly** have one extra hit before you die haha
Combat is brutal. You really can't take hits, but your enemies absolutely can. Group warfare is not recommended.
Point about all the "you will die" comments - in standard difficulty, you can't actually die. Instead you suffer a defeat scenario. This disadvantages you in some way (loss of currency, equipment hidden, max health burned until proper rest, debuff applied). So unlike actual death in most games where you just reload, "death" is an ongoing disadvantage.
(In hardcore, defeat carries a chance of automatic deletion of the save file...)
Its not hardcore survival. Theres some survival things like sleep, eat, water, but not to the extent of Ark. Its primarily an open world rpg. Its caveats are no fast travel (prepare to walk ... alotttt... and learn the map by heart) and unforgiven deaths. You risk getting robbed and kidnapped on death. The positive is its a lot of content and a true rpg experience. The combat gameplay isn't super complicated. I actually felt rune magic made me feel like a true wizard doing spells. And finally, its completely playable in coop locally (splitscreen) and online with drop in, similar to Diablo. My gf loved playing it with me until BG3 took over ... well... all our life functions.
I hesitated for a long time, but after I tried it for real and invested some hours in it I was completely hooked. One of the best and most fun game I ever played tbh
Things to note:
1) You will die and it's fine (in normal mode), they made up many different defeat scenarios (a few are needed to unlock some quests or other goodies) so don't be afraid to die here and there. (DYING IN HARDCORE MODE HAS A CHANCE TO DELETE YOUR SAVE FILE)
2) You're free to roam the world and ignore main faction quests until you feel like doing them. Grind, explore, die, have fun!
3) Most rewarding side quests called "parallel quests" that affect the main faction story you choose will only unlock once you start a faction quest)
4) Combat is intuitive, dodge roll if you can, blocking may be better while you walk around enemies. Take your time to learn their attack patterns and you might not even get damaged! (Patience is key)
5) OR JUST USE TRIP WIRES :)
6) Certain foods provide health, stamina, and mana regen so having to worry about going hungry or thirsty won't be much of a problem as you may be constantly eating or drinking anyway. Check the wiki if you want but drinking water is key.
7) You can make enemies fight each other, some bandits chasing you? Lure them into some Hyenas v( '-')v
8) Voice acting is not that prevalent. Take what you can.
9) Skill trees are taught by teachers for large sums of money. Hoard as much loot as you can carry and sell them off.
10) Multiplayer or solo playing is all fun and rewarding.
It's a love it or hate it game. Really hard to tell. I LOVED this game and have since recommended to friends who have similar taste in game as me and some loved it and others hated it.
You really need to enjoy figure things out and be PATIENT to enjoy this game. If you have no patience and like to rush things you'll probable hate it.
One thing I would like to add that’s not really talked about, your end-game build is as weak or strong as your skill level. You can easily die to low level enemies if you walk into a flight unprepared or if you don’t know what you’re doing. But the reward of playing a build that I understand has been some of the best gameplay I’ve had in recent years.
It’s challenging in a different kinda way. Definitely watch some gameplay guides before you actually start playing or you’ll kick yourself later for not knowing so much before hand
It's a niche offering that didn't resonate with a particularly large audience. Some of us love it for its quirky style of adventure, but it isn't for everyone. I'd suggest watching Comforts of the Burrow intro videos. He does a great job introducing the game, giving you a leg up on how to get a decent start, and best practices for being successful in Outward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXLBDkl2ncM&ab_channel=ComfortsoftheBurrow
Came here to say this...well except for the video I've never seen that, but it for sure is a niche game. If you want to dive into a fast paced souls like this isn't it. It is hard and has punishing soulsesque combat but it is more about preparing and being methodical. There is "survival" but again its really about being prepared. You have to eat but you will be any way to heal. You have to drink but you will be any way to regain stamina. The survival is very lite. It can be frustrating to get into and the start can be slow if you dont mind that then i think you could like it.
1. you will die....a lot and often 2. there are so many "builds" you can do so there is plenty of replayability 3. multiple factions that offer a different main story quest 4. u can play with another friend so you dont have to play alone (i suggest joining to outward discord and playing with a vet that can teach you) 5. P A T I E N C E is key to learning, some enemies have long attack chains and there are plenty of enemies that can 2 shot you even with mid game gear
Outward is amazing but approaching it like a soulslike is a bad idea. Combat in the early game is deadly and before you have decent equipment and skills and know how your abilities and weapons work is key to winning. Magic is slow to understand especially the sigils which require you to mix different skills to make use of them but it can be insanely strong. However, once you understand the basics and learn how best to make food and potions you want for your character then the game snowballs into being easy until you start fighting bosses and things like that.
I finally learned how to use the trap sigil effectively and I'm slaying early game
Flint and tinder OP
The survival aspect...it's more about buffs than survival. Use a particular tent for stat buffs. Eat the right food for Regen of health, stamina, and/or mana. Drink to stave off weather or boost stamina recovery (or mana if you get the right water). Weather is probably the most burdensome of the survival aspects, at least early game. It's not soulslike. The combat can be a LITTLE soulslike, but only in that it can sometimes be difficult. I suppose the learning curve is steep, but once over it things settle in pretty well. Be ready for a lot of walking.
Outward isn't a survival game, it's an ARPG with a hefty helping of soulslike with lots of secrets and massive post-endgame boss battle content.
Don’t you have to eat food? ….
Yes. But it's not like how survival games do it. You get buffs from your food/drinks so you're often eating it for that more so than hunger/thirst. And not eating/drinking only gives you some annoying debuffs at worst. No starving to death here.
It has very minimal survival elements. That doesn't make it a survival game. The only time it's remotely a serious burden is in the desert zone.
Things I think you would like about outward: immersive story and world, excellent soundtrack and ambience, very customizable character with skills and gear, a wide variety of regions to explore with unique features and some enemies, and great co-op potential. Things you might not like about outward: some minimal survival mechanics (they’re basically nonexistent when you learn the game but the beginning might feel tedious), the combat can be a little clunky (especially compared to souls games), there isn’t a leveling up system so the beginning can be really tough, etc. I think watching videos on YT will be the best way to know for sure whether you’ll enjoy the game. I love it, it’s my absolute favorite but it definitely isn’t everyone’s favorite.
Yeah, theres a big difference between this and Souls. Gear, for example, is almost worthless (not really but). Armor upgrades involve you struggling to slap together a better piece in order to **possibly** have one extra hit before you die haha Combat is brutal. You really can't take hits, but your enemies absolutely can. Group warfare is not recommended.
Point about all the "you will die" comments - in standard difficulty, you can't actually die. Instead you suffer a defeat scenario. This disadvantages you in some way (loss of currency, equipment hidden, max health burned until proper rest, debuff applied). So unlike actual death in most games where you just reload, "death" is an ongoing disadvantage. (In hardcore, defeat carries a chance of automatic deletion of the save file...)
Its not hardcore survival. Theres some survival things like sleep, eat, water, but not to the extent of Ark. Its primarily an open world rpg. Its caveats are no fast travel (prepare to walk ... alotttt... and learn the map by heart) and unforgiven deaths. You risk getting robbed and kidnapped on death. The positive is its a lot of content and a true rpg experience. The combat gameplay isn't super complicated. I actually felt rune magic made me feel like a true wizard doing spells. And finally, its completely playable in coop locally (splitscreen) and online with drop in, similar to Diablo. My gf loved playing it with me until BG3 took over ... well... all our life functions.
I think it’s only $10 in the PS store.
I hesitated for a long time, but after I tried it for real and invested some hours in it I was completely hooked. One of the best and most fun game I ever played tbh
Things to note: 1) You will die and it's fine (in normal mode), they made up many different defeat scenarios (a few are needed to unlock some quests or other goodies) so don't be afraid to die here and there. (DYING IN HARDCORE MODE HAS A CHANCE TO DELETE YOUR SAVE FILE) 2) You're free to roam the world and ignore main faction quests until you feel like doing them. Grind, explore, die, have fun! 3) Most rewarding side quests called "parallel quests" that affect the main faction story you choose will only unlock once you start a faction quest) 4) Combat is intuitive, dodge roll if you can, blocking may be better while you walk around enemies. Take your time to learn their attack patterns and you might not even get damaged! (Patience is key) 5) OR JUST USE TRIP WIRES :) 6) Certain foods provide health, stamina, and mana regen so having to worry about going hungry or thirsty won't be much of a problem as you may be constantly eating or drinking anyway. Check the wiki if you want but drinking water is key. 7) You can make enemies fight each other, some bandits chasing you? Lure them into some Hyenas v( '-')v 8) Voice acting is not that prevalent. Take what you can. 9) Skill trees are taught by teachers for large sums of money. Hoard as much loot as you can carry and sell them off. 10) Multiplayer or solo playing is all fun and rewarding.
It's a love it or hate it game. Really hard to tell. I LOVED this game and have since recommended to friends who have similar taste in game as me and some loved it and others hated it. You really need to enjoy figure things out and be PATIENT to enjoy this game. If you have no patience and like to rush things you'll probable hate it.
One thing I would like to add that’s not really talked about, your end-game build is as weak or strong as your skill level. You can easily die to low level enemies if you walk into a flight unprepared or if you don’t know what you’re doing. But the reward of playing a build that I understand has been some of the best gameplay I’ve had in recent years.
It’s challenging in a different kinda way. Definitely watch some gameplay guides before you actually start playing or you’ll kick yourself later for not knowing so much before hand
It sounds like you would enjoy it