When fans are discussing close damage dealers in Outriders, most of the conversation will likely be about the Trickster. And that makes sense because even the game describes the class as a short-ranged damage dealer. The Devastator is often dismissed as a tank, somebody who gets up close and personal just to soak up damage. And they could not be more wrong due to the Vanquisher build.
The Vanquisher is a shotgun-wielding, physical damage dispensing machine. Not only does it have fantastic short-range damage, but, unlike its competition, it can survive a beating and actually thrives when being surrounded. Some classes might say their damage numbers are better, but how well do they do on higher Apocalypse Tiers in Outriders when their plan to stay back and avoid getting hit goes completely out of the window? This is where the Vanquisher shines the brightest and why they can carry a whole team through some of the tougher sequences in the game.
Updated on July 4th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: Many will look at the new endgame content, new weapons, and additional talent trees and already get a sense of how the builds have updated since Worldslayer. But this is only a fraction of the equation. The new foes and bosses employ different moves and tactics. These types of targets should not be a second-hand consideration. This build has been updated to account for the new opponents, giving players the skills and gear that best counters anything Worldslayer has to throw at them.
Class Points
|
Node |
Points |
Effect Per Point |
|
Havoc |
4 |
+8% Weapon Damage |
|
Armorbreaker |
3 |
+10% Armor Piercing |
|
Brawler |
2 |
+15% Damage in close range |
|
Assault Adept |
1 |
+15% Assault Rifle Damage |
|
Champion |
1 |
+45% Weapon Damage for 10 seconds after using a Protection Skill |
|
Bull's Eye |
1 |
+20% Crit Damage |
|
Assault Master |
1 |
+20% Assault Rifle Damage and +20% Assault Rifle drop rate |
|
Dry Them Out |
2 |
+5% Weapon Leech |
|
Bounty Hunter |
1 |
+15% Damage against Elites and -15% Damage against Elites |
|
Bulletstorm |
1 |
-20% Reload time |
|
Ammo Stockpile |
1 |
+50% Magazine Size |
|
Confrontation |
1 |
Enemy attacks reduce their damage by 10% for 5 seconds, the effect is doubled for enemies who the Devastator has attacked |
|
Altered Charge |
1 |
+70% Weapon Damage for 10 seconds after a Kinetic Skill ends |
The difference between this concept being considered one of the best builds in the game instead of one of the worst is all about proper node selection. There is little reason to dip into other trees here because they boost Anomaly Power and tanking. This is a build that focuses on assault rifles and tanks via leech, not skills.
Kinetic skills provide a permanent 70% boost to weapon damage so long as the skills are rotated correctly. A Protection skill will add another 45% in damage for 10 seconds. This one is less consistent since Golem is the only Protection skill that makes sense to use (Reflect Bullets prevents firing), but when it is available it gives the build all the burst it could ever hope for.
Pax Points
|
Node |
Effect |
|
Hunting Season |
Increase weapon damage by 30% and magazine size by 50% |
|
Harvester |
Increase weapon leech by 10% and another 2% for every enemy in close range |
|
Finishing Touch |
Increase weapon damage by the percentage of ammo missing from the magazine, killing shots replenish 35% of the magazine |
|
Armored Division |
Increase armor piercing by 20%, reduce kinetic skill cooldowns by 50% of armor piercing value |
|
Against Devastating Odds |
Damaging at least three enemies with a kinetic skill grants 30% armor piercing for 4 seconds, damaging fewer enemies makes all shots critical for 4 seconds |
The physical damage nodes say all that needs to be said. This skill investment will put the Vanquisher on par with other builds that use rounds-based skills and possibly even allow them to surpass such damage.
The highlight is the Against Devastating Odds final node, which eviscerates groups of enemies when they are clustered together. Yet, against single boss targets, it's arguably even better, turning all shots into critical hits. Gravity Leao as an introduction to combat situations barely gives foes time to fight back.
Ascension Points
- Most important nodes: Weapon Damage, Armor Pierce, Close Range Damage
- Most important category: Brutality
The nature of Ascension points is that every class and build, given the time to farm, can max out every node. So this build only provides an accurate starting point for gamers. After that, the rest of these points have more to do with luxury than necessity.
Unsurprisingly, the Vanquisher should keep it simple by boosting their physical damage. There is just enough leech on this build that dealing damage becomes survivability. Since Worldslayer values survival above timing, this makes the Brutality category an important priority.
Skill Selection
|
Golem |
Reduces incoming damage by 65% for eight seconds. |
|
Gravity Leap |
Leap into the air and hover for a few seconds. Reactivating the skill slams to the ground, dealing damage and interrupting enemies. Can target specific enemies. |
|
Tremor |
Releases explosions in a moderate area around the Devastator. Enemies hit by the skill drain life and siphon it to the player. |
Many amateur Vanquisher builds use Boulderdash instead of Gravity Leap for their Kinetic skill, but that's a mistake. Boulderdash has a longer cooldown than Gravity Leap and is harder to control. This problem can be erased by getting the Deathproof armor set, but doing so forfeits a double damage buff from a superior armor set. Gravity Leap gets players back into close range between battles.
Golem is often sacrificed for Reflect Bullets, but the latter skill must be channeled. Golem reduces damage taken significantly and can be used without interrupting the player's firing sequence.
The Vanquisher will get several free mods for Tremor that come along with the ideal equipment. Tremor's job is to provide a little extra damage and a lot of healing. Taking advantage of this is one reason the Devastator is so easy to solo with.
Weapon & Mods
|
Weapon |
Voodoo Matchmaker |
|
Mod 1 |
Ultimate Damage Link |
|
Mod 2 |
Strings Of Gauss |
|
Mod 3 |
Plate Piercer |
This build is often saddled with a shotgun and that's understandable given the bounty of legendary shotguns to choose from. But there is an extra 5% damage from the nodes in it for players who can make an assault rifle work and there is one, in particular, that flourishes.
Many weapons give boosts to Anomaly damage, but that's not the Vanquisher's style. What does work well is the Ultimate Damage Link mod from the Voodoo Matchmakers, which deals damage to enemies based on their output, making it a better gun at higher difficulties. Feel free to replace that second mod with Strings of Gauss, further making this weapon incredibly effective in groups.
Armor & Mods
|
Head |
Statue’s Head |
|
Mod 1 |
Grand Blast |
|
Mod 2 |
Perseverance |
|
Torso |
Statue’s Torso |
|
Mod 1 |
Power of the Stones |
|
Mod 2 |
Crush Sequence |
|
Legs |
Statue's Legs |
|
Mod 1 |
Golem Squad |
|
Mod 2 |
Stolen Life |
|
Hands |
Statue’s Hands |
|
Mod 1 |
Resistance |
|
Mod 2 |
Human Fortress |
|
Feet |
Statue's Feet |
|
Mod 1 |
Made of Marble |
|
Mod 2 |
Bleeding Impulse |
The feature here is clear. The legendary Statue set doubles the Devastator's firepower during Tremor or Golem. To keep this buff up, rotate using Golem and Tremor and stay in a state of permanent double damage.
Nine of the ten mods that come with the set are for Golem and Tremor. No need to change them out. The one open position is the first mod slot on the hands. For the Statue's Hands, toss in the Resistance mod, which will add some Anomaly damage resistance to the equation.
Outriders was released on April 1, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.