For beginners and experienced players alike, this guide lists everything needed to survive the trials of Murkoff’s scientists.
Rigs
Unlike other Outlast games, you won’t be left defenseless against the enemies stalking you. Thus, up to four different rigs can be used during the trials, each assigning its owner a specific role within the team.
Stun Rig
First on the list, the Flash Grenade is a great tool used as a projectile. It can be used to remotely perform the rescue of a player caught or surrounded by enemies, incapacitating them for a few moments. Similar to the mine in principle, the grenade will mainly be used to disable enemies, but the grenade is effective instantly and from a distance. It will mainly be a tool to use in panic situations, when the player comes across a powerful enemy at the turn of a corridor, or to rescue an ally caught by an enemy before the latter can reach him. inflict damage. Excellent offensive and defensive tool, it is quite viable to use the grenade to safely revive an ally (If the stun duration is extended thanks to upgrades)
Blind Rig
The gas mine is an equipment allowing players to take control of the area. Triggered by ennemies, it will generate a thick circular cloud, incapacitating any enemy caught in the smoke. Unlike the stun grenade, the mine’s effect lasts over time, and is able to affect enemies post-triggering the mine, if they are pulled into the area of effect. Any enemy affected by the mine will be immobilized and unable to attack players, even if players come into physical contact with enemies. The Blind Mine, along with its Reactivation (Enhancement) ability and good positioning, is a great tool for the final stages of Trials or MK Challenges, when a lot of enemies are to be expected around a time-consuming task, or to defend the exfiltration point until the shuttle arrives.
Unfortunately, the mine has a downside, namely its activation time. The use is not instantaneous, like other machines that can be used in extremis, and immobilizes the player during the placement of the mine. Its use in a chase is thus risky, the Expop having time to inflict damage on the players before the machine is triggered. In addition, only one mine can be active at a time.
It is also important to note that while the mine can be placed anywhere on the ground, certain locations will prevent the mine from activating (Ex: Too close to the elevators serving as a Popex spawn point).
Medical Rig
The gas canister is a tool with many applications, capable of regenerating the health of players within its range, it is also able to act as an antidote and stun enemies for a brief moment (If upgrades equipped) allowing many applications.
This gear is extremely useful in Trials and Challenges that have difficulty modifiers that reduce the rate of items on the map, and is still a great piece of gear to take on a Trial.
X-Ray Rig
Outcast of the lot, it is quite rare to come across players using X-Rays, because it is not an offensive equipment but informative. X-Rays provide a lot of information to the player, ranging from the position of enemies to the locations of traps and objects, and can even share this information with other players.
Rarely used, X-Rays remain a non-negligible piece of equipment, and quite viable in high difficulty. Beyond the detection of patrolling and hidden enemies, obtaining the position of objects on the map (And those sealed in cabinets) allows the team to amass useful resources without wasting too much time.
Items
During each event, a number of usable objects are distributed on the map. While some can be easily obtained from corpses or the respective “chest”, others, rarer, require special conditions.
Medications
Present in the form of small and large medication, these objects can be found in medicine cabinets. Small drugs are able to regenerate one health segment, and large drugs grant health up to three health segments, allowing full recovery.
Batteries
Presented in the form of small and large batteries, they can be found in tool boxes and blue cabinets. If the small battery allows you to recharge the battery of the night vision goggles by one third, the large battery allows you to recharge all of it. Small batteries can also be obtained by defusing traps attached to doors.
Projectiles
Projectiles include glass bottles and bricks. Scattered around the map, these are objects that can be thrown, and whose use varies according to the object and the situation. Projectiles can be used to destroy gas mines and duck traps.
– Bottles shatter on impact and generate noise, which can be used as a diversion. They can also be used on enemies to stun them for a short time. Bottles will unfortunately be nearly useless against large enemies like the Giant Grunt or Berserker, which will recover much faster from the stun.
– The bricks can be used up to three times before breaking, but do not make noise on impact. However, they have a much greater potential for impact. Additionally, a headshot will knock back normal-sized enemies, incapacitating them for a moment.
The “Strong Arm” contraband perk is able to amplify the effects of projectiles, in addition to doubling the stun time of a brick throw to the head, leaving the Expop staggering for long seconds trying to get away. raise.
Antidote
Found in medicine cabinets, the antidote is a quick-to-use item capable of fully regenerating the player’s mental health, even if the player is suffering from psychosis.
Adrenaline
Found in medicine cabinets, adrenaline allows the player to run without exhaustion for a short period of time, in addition to slightly increasing their running speed. Adrenaline is a great help when players need to move a quest item or push a heavy item.
Charger
Found in toolboxes and blue lockers, rig chargers allow you to instantly reload the equipped gear. However, you will have to wait until the rig has finished being used (Ex: Health gas) to use the charger.
Picking Tool
Scattered on the map, picking tools allow you to unlock the cabinets and toolboxes sealed with a padlock, through a mini-game in the form of a QTE. Stopping the needle on a green area will advance the puzzle to the next stage (Three in all) and red areas will apply a shock to the player which will cause them to lose some health. It is important to note that if the countdown present on the padlock reaches zero, the player will take a discharge of hallucinogenic gas, the intensity of which varies according to the difficulty of the trials.
Stim Shot
Stimshots are objects capable of resuscitating dead players (Death by bleeding or execution), but require a few seconds to be used, in the same way as a resuscitation. They can only be obtained through first aid cabinets, which are only available in co-op, and only contain one charge (Unless the player has the perk to use syringes twice).
Secret Room
In addition to housing a pool of common items, secret rooms also contain uniques and very powerfuls items:
Health Amplifier: The Health Amplifier is able to regenerate all of the player’s health, in addition to adding an extra segment.
Stamina booster: The stamina booster increases the running time without exhaustion of the player who consumed it.
Battery Booster: The Battery Booster recharges and greatly increases the reserve of Night Vision Goggles. The buff will also be visible on the chest of the player who used it.
Master Key: The Master key is a variant of the picking tool, which does not break when used. The master key allows you to instantly open any locked container.
Heart
The hearts are items only found in the amusement park of the second program event, obtained from the cotton candy vats in front of the entrance to the dental canal. Hearts are provided unlimitedly to players, and used as projectiles to obtain the necessary tickets to enter the next area. Hearts do not produce any noise capable of attracting enemies on impact, and cannot stun Expop.
They can, however, be used to destroy explosive mines/ducks, and are enough to disturb passive ennemies and screamers to force them to move.
Ennemies
Primes Assets
Among all the Expop (Experimental Population), the main assets represent the emblematic enemies of the trials, each reigning over their domain (The police station for Leland Coyle, the amusement park and the orphanage for Mother Gooseberry). They do not have a unique ability, except in certain difficulty levels where the slightest blow inflicted will be lethal.
Grunts
The common Expop roaming in the trials, they do not have special abilities, but are able to use windows and narrow passages in order to pursue the players during the hunts, unlike the giant grunts. The giants, although slower during the hunt, however, inflict more damage on players and are able to stun them during their attacks.It is important to note that the giant grunts, if the trial has a high difficulty, can wield two-handed weapons capable of hitting several players at once, as well as destroying doors.
There is also a more passive and immobile group of grunts, often sitting or leaning against walls. These enemies will not chase the player, but will attack them if they gets too close.
Pouncer
Traumatized by the mutilations inflicted by Murkoff, the pouncer is able to occupy a hiding place (Locker, trash can, car trunk, etc.) in order to lay a trap for players approaching too closely. As soon as a player passes near the hideout, the pouncer will immobilize the player to inflict damage until they can free themselves, or another player comes to their aid, following what she will change her hiding spot. The pouncer remains very loud, however, moaning and occasionally emerging from her hiding spot to spy on the surroundings, allowing players to spot her easily. However, it is possible to pass unnoticed by the pouncer if the player moves slowly (and crouched) in the dark.
Pusher
Easily recognizable by his appearance and his laughter, the pusher is never present at the start of the trial, but moves back and forth within the area using the elevators. When a player is caught by the pusher, they will use their hallucinogenic gas to inflict psychosis on them, before leaving the area via an elevator.He is also able to perform zone attacks, which are rarer and capable of hitting several players.
Skinner man
Nightmarish appearance of Doctor Easterman, the skinner man is an entity that will only appear to players when they are under the effects of psychosis. It is impervious to projectiles and rigs, can pass through locked doors, and always knows the player’s position, making any attempt to hide impossible. The skinner man does not have an attack animation, but will deal damage over time when it gets too close to the player. The only way to escape him is to wait out the psychosis, or to consume an antidote. The skinner man can also appear as a “Jumpscare” when the player’s sanity is affected but not at zero, the intensity of the appearances increasing according to the amount of psychological damage suffered.It is important to note that each player has his own hallucination, if several players were to go into psychosis at the same time, each would be pursued by his own monster.
The impostor
Capable of taking on the appearance of a player (respecting cosmetic elements), the impostor is able to display the nickname of the one who imitates him in order to approach and stab his target.
However, imposters can be betrayed by several details, small mistakes are present in the nickname, and no rig will be equipped. Additionally, Imposters begin to breathe noisily when close to their target. If the impostor is injured with a projectile, interrupted during its attack, or repeatedly fails to grab a player, it will run away and exit the area via an elevator.
It’s important to note that impostors possess night vision goggles, just like players, and are thus able to venture into dark areas in search of a careless target.
Screamer
The screamer is the only Expop that does not actively seek to harm players, but stays in its corner, in a semi-vegetative state. Easily detectable thanks to the sounds emitted by the loudspeaker attached to its chest, the screamer can be found in various places on the map, standing, sitting or lying down. It is possible to determine the stress level of the screamer by the sound of his breathing, which will become more and more difficult.Whenever a player performs a loud action around this Expop, it will emit a shrill sound that paralyzes players and pulls surrounding enemies. While paralyzed, players will have a much harder time spinning, but will still be able to use their items and rigs. Players entering the radius of the howl after the paralysis effect (Represented by the visual effect when shouting) will not be affected by the paralysis.
This enemy, although only fulfilling a support role, represents a real danger, leaving players at the mercy of enemies, but can be “defused” using a projectile without causing them to scream.
Berserker
The berserk is a giant, blinded by the experiments carried out on him. Dangerous in both light and dark, the berserk will be attracted by all sources of noise in its surroundings, even footsteps (Standing, not running) when a player is too close. Extremely unpredictable, the berserker will often punch around him in hopes of hitting something, making it very dangerous to get close, even if a player stands still. The bottles are therefore valuable assets in keeping this enemy away from areas of interest.
Night Hunter
The Night Hunter is an Expop with the same night vision as the players, thanks to the goggles screwed on his skull. Patrolling dark areas, the hunter will never venture into bright areas on its own, and is able to ambush players by crouching behind obstacles. However, he remains detectable thanks to his incessant monologues, accompanied by the green glow of his goggles. The best way to escape the hunter is to bring him to a bright area, which will blind and stun him. Importantly, the hunter remains receptive to sound even when their sight is affected by light, and on higher difficulties able to perceive players in bright light, but unable to run.
Game mechanics
Traps
Scattered around the map in order to weaken players, the trials are full of traps meant to complicate the task of players, some capable of inflicting damage, and others of altering the sanity of the players.
Exploding Ducks
Taking the form of the theme park’s mascot, these explosives “charge” when a player gets too close, going so far as to explode, dealing minor damage. In co-op, it’s important to watch out for these traps, as one player can push the explosive to its limit, only for the next player to catch the blast. Explosive ducks will only be found on maps tied to Mother Gooseberry.
Gas mines
Easy to ignore, gas mines are scattered all over the map, and are characterized by their increasingly rapid little beeps as you approach them. The mines only activate on contact, releasing a thick cloud of gas. However, they have a rather small hitbox and can be bypassed without risk.
Trapped Containers
Lockers and toolboxes that are not padlocked may contain trigger traps, activating when opened and spraying the player with gas, the activation speed of which varies according to the difficulty of the event.
Trap Doors
Identifiable by the red glow present on the door frame (left, right or top of the door), the trapped doors are triggered when the door is opened by a player, who will be immobilized by a gas emitting device, which will trigger if the item is removed too late.
Trap doors can be opened without triggering the mechanism if opened slowly, and defused if the player removes the battery from the mechanism, or opens the door while crouching, avoiding the trap. However, defusing and activating the trap generates noise, capable of attracting surrounding enemies.
Electric grids
Randomly distributed on the maps, these grids regularly change state and are accompanied by an audible signal when they are about to start.
Padlock
Padlocks used to lock containers are not considered traps per se, but can emit a gas discharge if the player lets the timer reach zero.
Mental health and psychosis
In addition to his physical health, the player will have to monitor his mental health, represented by 3 segments, the loss of which will cause states of panic and hallucinations.When exposed to hallucinogenic gas, either through the traps or the gasser, sanity will be affected, depending on the difficulty level of the trial.
At the first level, the player will undergo states of panic where his vision and perception of sounds will be altered. Benign in itself, this alteration of the senses can be dangerous during chases, the visual and audio details being more complicated to perceive. It is also possible that the Skinner man will make a few appearances in the distance.
At the second level, the crises will be more frequent and will last longer. The intensity of appearances of the Skinner man will be increased, and he will be able to scare the player trhough “Jumpscares”, without reaching him.
At the last level, the player will fall into psychosis. In addition to sight and hearing impairments, veins will appear along the walls and floor, and the Skinner man hallucination will be strong enough to attack the player. If the player is able to survive the psychosis for a while, his sanity will fully regenerate.
Chases
Chases are an important part of Outlast Trials, it will be difficult for you to complete a trial without being noticed once. Each time the player performs a noisy action perceived by enemies, a particular sound will be played, and when the player is detected, the Expop in question will call out to the player.If players can get exhausted after running too long, this is not the case for enemies, so managing your stamina well is essential. Do not hesitate to cross dark areas (or bright in the case of the night hunter) in order to force the enemies to search the last known location. On high difficulties, they will have no trouble tracking you by sound in the dark, so beware.
Abuse doors, even those without latches, as enemies cannot attack the player during the animation, even going so far as to “push” Expop out of rooms if they are in the doorway. It is also possible to close a door behind you in full sprint without even turning around, if the player interacts with the door at the right time (Just after crossing the threshold).
Police station
The object of this test is to “get rid” of the snitch by bringing it from point A to point B. The chair on which the snitch is attached can be moved using a rail, going around from the police station to the execution room. When left alone, the snitch automatically backs up, until it encounters a checkpoint, placed on the rails, in front of the locked doors.
The main Expop, the cop, will appear in the underground garage, and then not far from the execution room when the snitch has passed the last checkpoint. When performing, it is recommended to use blinding mines, in order to incapacitate enemies long enough to charge the electric chair. Once the objective is completed, players will tend to rush to the garage door located south of the execution room, but it is much easier and safer to go through the corridor of cells in order to exit the police station.
- Garage
After repairing the last generator, parts of the basement will light up, making players visible. This is the case of the area around the garage door, which generates noise and requires a group effort to be opened quickly. In order to avoid being knocked down by the Berserker or the cop, it is recommended that one player opens the door in advance, while the others take care of the last generator, in order to keep the door open when they arrive.
Amusement Park
- Carnival The first part of the trial, namely the fairground, has several maps distributed throughout the park, which will show players the locations of the tickets to be obtained in order to enter the dental canal. Each ticket will require 3 hearts, found in the cotton candy vats in the center of the area, in order to complete the challenges.
Just like the previous event, you will have to push the objective until it is destroyed, however the boat in this trial is much heavier and by extension slower, even when the player uses his stamina. Players will have to remove the barriers by following the cables connected to them and remove the batteries. When the boat reaches the second floor, Mother Gooseberry will close the valves feeding the river, and begin patrolling the third floor. Players will have to follow the pipes to identify the correct valves, otherwise they will take a puff of gas if it is not the correct one.
When the boat gets close to the “Punishment”, Mother Gooseberry will arrive in the area via the nearest elevator, and chase down players trying to crush the boat. During the escape, she will also be found in front of the shuttle.
Orphanage
The orphanage trial is divided into several tasks, corresponding to the various areas of the orphanage (Dormitories, Classrooms and the church). Between each task, the players will have to start the next one by returning to the central hall present in the entrance of the building.
The first task is to set on the “Radio Jesus” frequency all the oscilloscopes present in the dormitories. A map of the floor indicating the rooms concerned is present next to the first oscilloscope of the floor. The accesses to the rooms that can contain the oscilloscopes (In color on the map) cannot be opened on command, and require the passage of mannequins dressed as nuns to open.
Specific doors are present in the classrooms, barring the passage of players trying to pass through them while carrying a reel. It will be necessary to use the pass-throughs in order to bring out the reels and bring them to the classrooms containing the active projectors. The rooms in question can be identified from the outside by listening if the cocaine song is playing through the projector.
The task of the church requires finding keys in order to proceed with the sacrifice of the crucified, and turning on the generators located in the basement of the church.
After the ceremony, Mother GooseBerry will always appear at the entrance of the church, in order to stop players trying to escape.
