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Outriders is set in the 22nd Century, humankind's darkest hour. Humans have developed advanced technology and are capable of long-distance spaceflights. Despite achieving everything, Earth has become an inhospitable wasteland due to earthquakes.
Humanity must now find a future somewhere out among the stars to survive. Thankfully, given how resilient mankind is, they've managed to find other planets to call home. One such potential world is called Enoch. However, a long and grueling interstellar voyage must be undertaken to reach it.
Taking a page straight out of many sci-fi games such as Freelancer, two colony ships, The Caravel and The Flores, are launched to help humanity survive. Unfortunately, the former is damaged upon launch, leaving only The Flores to undertake the perilous journey. Or so it would seem.
After traveling for 83 years, humans manage to reach Enoch. An advanced scouting party is sent planetside to investigate the alien world upon arrival. This is where the player's adventures and troubles begin.
The Outriders story: A new world full of dangers
Once planetside, users assume the role of an "Outrider" and are tasked with scouting the planet. Being an advanced team sent to scout the world, their goal is to gather first-hand information about the ecosystem.
Perhaps taking inspiration from Mass Effect Andromeda's pathfinders, the Outriders are also tasked with recovering probes that contain data. These probes were sent years ahead to collect valuable information and check if the planet can indeed support life.
After recovering the data probe and processing the information, the Outriders discover that something is not right with Enoch. Despite warnings to the ECA, the organization had decided to go ahead with colonizing the planet.
However, barely after establishing a foothold on the planet, the Outriders meet extinction-level events. First is the deadly fungus that kills all who breathe it in, and second is the mysterious anomaly.
This anomaly kills everything in its path, and only a few manage to survive it. However, those who live on are changed by it. They gain near-immortality and power beyond imagination. Unsurprisingly, gamers are the lucky survivors and are put to cryogenic sleep and left for 31 years.
In the meantime, those affected by the anomaly and who manage to survive outside develop all manner of unique powers. Eventually, this leads to a power struggle where different warring factions fight for control. This is the world of Enoch in which the player awakens and has to make sense of it.
The journey and the end
After being cryogenically frozen for 31 years, the Outrider (player) is awoken. The ECA's attempt to colonize the planet has been cut short due to an anomaly. It has destroyed all advanced technology and has trapped the surviving colonists.
With alien wildlife attacking them and resources running low, civil war has been raging for well over a generation. Despite the overwhelming odds, users manage to reunite with Shira, leader of the ECA, and help her fight back against the insurgents.
However, the main goal is to reach the mysterious signal coming from the other side of the anomaly. According to Dr. Zahedi, if the Outriders can find a safe zone outside the anomaly, supplies from The Flores can be called down to rebuild society.
After numerous expeditions, the group manages to push through the anomaly. Unfortunately, the grass is not greener on the other side, as all they find are derelict human installations. To add insult to injury, the humanoid species known as Ferals are violent towards anyone who trespasses their land.
Nevertheless, the group must persevere to find the source of the signal. After pushing further into this barren landscape, they manage to find the wreck of The Caravel, a vessel that supposedly never even managed to leave Earth.
The group then learns that the mercenaries aboard the vessel landed before The Flores and began killing off a native race known as The Pax. They were the ones who kept the anomaly at bay and kept things in order on the planet.
In a desperate attempt to survive, The Pax mutated into Ferals and killed the mercenaries. Thirty-one years ago, in the game's timeline, this fateful genocide was responsible for unleashing the anomaly that set the entirety of events in motion.
After following the signal for a bit longer, the Outriders reach the automated distress beacon of The Caravel. Soon after, the Ferals launch an attack, but the survivors are able to stand their ground and defeat them.
After the fight ends, cargo pods from The Flores begin arriving on Enoch. Here's where the story ends. Nevertheless, while the last of the 'Ferals' have been dealt with, the Outrider is still on the lookout for suitable areas to colonize and call home.
