One of the great joys of Outriders is ripping through hordes of enemies using your weapons, modded powers, and wits. While combat is fun solo, that pales in comparison to a full squad; multiplayer scaling has a direct and significant impact on difficulty, in more ways than one.
Mowing down baddies with friends, each of you an unstoppable, anomaly-fueled killing machine is pure bliss, but it can be difficult because of how multiplayer scaling works. Luckily, we've put together this handy guide to help you understand the Outriders MP difficulty curves.
Multiplayer Level Ladder Explained
The first thing to understand about Outriders multiplayer difficulty is that enemy level is determined exclusively by the host. World level (explained in detail here) sets the level of the enemy relative to the level of the host, regardless of the other two party members.
A large level disparity between the party leader and the other players will do one of two things.
Outriders start removing the player's level advantage after two levels, preventing enemies from being too easy. It's a one-way street, however, as there's no limit to enemies' level advantage. Put your next level buddy as party leader at your own risk.
Number of enemies based on number of players
When playing the main game, adding more party members increases the number of enemies that spawn, the amount of health enemies have, and the amount of damage your enemies deal.
A party of two will take on more tougher enemies, and a party of three will take on the toughest and toughest baddies. It seems like there are about 3x more enemies in a XNUMX-way combat encounter than in a solo encounter.
Scaling shipments
Expeditions are the final content of Outriders. They are unlocked after completing the campaign. Multiplayer scaling is slightly different here.
Larger teams still affect the health and damage potential of enemies you will face. However, since these encounters are designed to be high-level challenges, Expeditions are always locked at the maximum enemy party size.
A party of just one will face the same number of enemies as a full party of three. Soloing is possible, but not recommended.
Friends with (potentially limited) benefits
There are also loot implications in multiplayer. The loot level will still be defined by the world level (for the main game) and the challenge level (for the end game), depending on the level of the party leader.
Playing as a super-powered bodyguard with your rookie friend as a party leader can be fun, but it won't do much to upgrade your own gear.
There is also a cap to the max rank of gear you can receive based on world tier and your individual tier. Don't expect you to be able to hide behind the bushes while your max level squad showers you with riches.
Tip the scales
Outriders multiplayer scaling is significant, but not overly complicated. Level differences between party members, number of enemies, and enemy strength are all variable, but predictable. Be sure to read the rest of our Outriders tips and tricks to get the most out of your gameplay. And remember, the apocalypse is always more fun with friends.
