Outriders have pulled off a clever trick with their recently released Technomancer class. As anyone who has played online multiplayer games can attest, the "healer" is an essential (but often thankless) role, relegated to a behind-the-scenes job while frontline warriors monopolize the glory. The technomancer, on the other hand, has rifles, turrets, explosives, and elemental effects at his disposal to push through enemy lines. With the push of a button, he can charge through enemy lines while keeping his teammates alive.

I recently went hands-on with People Can Fly's upcoming cooperative online shooter, Outriders, to see how its mysterious "fourth class" plays. Technomancer appears to be a smart complement to Outriders' three previously announced classes. Furthermore, the session reminded us that Outriders itself has the potential to be an exciting addition to the burgeoning "loot shooter" genre, combining tight gameplay with an interesting world and story.

For those unfamiliar with Outriders, it is a multiplayer third-person shooter with RPG elements, similar to games like Destiny, a world that is constantly being updated with enemies, quests, and upgradeable items, and a futuristic freedom You will lead a warrior. Choosing your class, honing your abilities, and finding side quests are just as important as shooting enemies, deploying special skills, and working with teammates.

"Outriders" has attracted a lot of interest because it is one of the first games developed specifically for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. For more information on the general gameplay and storyline of the game, check out our preview of "Outriders" at PAX East.

When I first played "Outriders," the only thing missing was the game's fourth playable class; in the PAX East demo, there were three classes to choose from: "Devastator," "Trickster," and "Pyromancer. "3 Each of the three classes was adept at taking down enemies, but even with a well-balanced party it was tough to recover. The three classes were each good at taking down enemies, but even a balanced party would have a hard time recovering, especially at the end of the game when enemies could take them down in a few blows.

The Technomancer is arguably the most versatile class in Outriders. In the demo, I played with two teammates. Each of us played a Technomancer, and we employed three very different builds and strategies during our three hours together. Not only can a Technomancer complement a Devastator, Trickster, and Pyromancer, but it can also complement other Technomancers.

Technomancers have three main abilities at their disposal: heavy weapons, automatic turrets, and healing. I didn't play around much with the heavy weapons in my build, but I did enjoy showing up from behind cover and firing rockets directly at the enemy and watching the combustion damage deal the rest of the damage.

Instead, I allocated almost all of my available points to survivability and recovery. My technomancer was not exactly a front-line warrior, but he was able to fly between the other two party members, throw down turrets to distract the enemy, and absorb a lot of damage while keeping them alive in the face of overwhelming enemy fire.

What impressed me most about the Technomancer was how easy it was to back up my teammates. To heal a teammate, you simply walk up to them and press a button. There is no need to aim, and the healing burst hits all friendly characters within a fairly large area. You can still move and shoot while healing, and you can use other abilities immediately afterwards.

Basically, the Technomancer removes any pain normally associated with healing in online multiplayer games. Strategy and skill are still required, as heals must be carefully timed and saved for when they are really needed. But you can also go right back to the most exciting thing about Outriders: the run-and-gun.

I also enjoyed the Technomancer's ability to drop automatic turrets. The turrets can also poison or freeze enemies when their abilities are upgraded. There are many things you can do as a technomancer, such as shooting, healing, and placing turrets, so you are never forced to choose between supporting your allies or taking down the bad guys yourself.

The gameplay loop here was similar to what we saw in the previous demo: the three technomancers started in a safe hub area, where they could talk to townspeople, collect quests, upgrade their equipment, and fast travel to other locations. Once they found a quest they liked, they would travel to the appropriate area, kill all the enemies in the vicinity (usually in waves, with easy cannon fodder at first and a deadly boss later in the game), collect some new gear, return to town to buy upgrades, and repeat.

Technomancers were the main focus of the demo, but we saw some other cool features as well, and Outriders continues to have a better story than it should, with interesting allies and villains like the embattled Jakub and the doom-mongering Seth. Side quests often bring important character backstory to the main storyline.

Even the structure of the game is a bit more decentralized. You can't collect a bunch of quests in town, venture into the wilderness, and submit them all at the same time. You will often come across new quests in enemy territory, and you will have to complete them in parallel with the main quest. The way these quests are received and completed feels organic and rewards careful exploration of each new area.

Perhaps the most interesting new feature I have seen, however, is the ability to upgrade the rarity of items. Online multiplayer veterans will be familiar with the "rarity ranked by color" system that has existed from World of Warcraft to Destiny 2. Essentially, weapons and armor are ranked by rarity in the color system, with items with a purple background being better than items with a blue background, for example, and better than items with a green background, and so on.

In Outriders, any piece of equipment can become an "epic" item (in this case, one with a purple background) if you put up enough money and resources. From a practical standpoint, this means that you can use your favorite weapons and armor for much longer. Especially if you gather enough resources to upgrade secondary abilities, such as reaching enemy stats or applying negative status effects. Upgrading rarity makes gear collection in Outriders less chaotic and more customizable.

Outriders is priced at $60 and will be available later this year on a variety of platforms, including PS4, Xbox One, and PC, led by PS5 and Xbox Series X. While many of us have played similar games before, classes like Technomancer help put a new spin on a familiar genre. Tom's Guide will have more on this game when it is released.