Anthem vs Outriders: Which Loot Shooter Reigns?

In the crowded world of loot shooters, Anthem and Outriders stand out for different reasons. Anthem dazzled with its visuals and flight mechanics, while Outriders delivered a pulse-pounding loot treadmill meant to reward experimentation and quick progression. The question many players ask is simple: which game offers the better loot loop and why does it matter for your long-term enjoyment?

At their cores, both games trade on cooperative play and the thrill of snagging gear that shifts your build. Anthem invites you to pilot a Javelin with distinct playstyles, each offering a unique way to engage enemies. Outriders, by contrast, throws you into a relentless cadence of drops and upgrades that encourage you to mix and match the four classes—Trickster, Pyromancer, Devastator, and Technomancer—to craft powerful, sometimes surprising, combinations.

“The best loot shooters are the ones that make every drop feel meaningful, not just cosmetic flair,” reads a common verdict among players who stuck with the grind.

What Anthem does well—and where it stumbles

Anthem’s strength lies in its spectacle. Traversal is thrilling, and the Javelins feel responsive and satisfying to pilot. The loot system has that sense of progression—the more you unlock, the more fun the combat becomes. Yet the cadence of new content and loot tiers could feel uneven, especially if you preferred deep, repeatable endgame activities over occasional raids. The result is a game that shines in moments but sometimes lags in sustained, long-tail progression.

Outriders: speed, simplicity, and build diversity

Outriders emphasizes speed and flexibility. Its four classes are designed to let you experiment with different playstyles without getting bogged down in complexity. The loot cadence is brisk: frequent gear drops, meaningful but approachable upgrades, and crafting options that enable you to tune a build on the fly. The World Tier system adds challenge for players who want a more demanding experience, but it remains accessible enough for coalitions of friends to squad up and push through running cycles.

Direct comparison: key factors to weigh

Loot quality and variety: Outriders generally rewards rapid progression with a broader spectrum of builds, while Anthem rewards scale-focused gear tied to Javelin performance and equipment sets.
Endgame design: Outriders emphasizes consistent, repeatable activities and crafting-based optimization; Anthem relied more on spectacular encounters and dynamic combat shifts, with content cadence as a limiting factor.
Co-op and accessibility: Both support multiplayer, but Outriders offers a smoother entry for new players with straightforward progression, whereas Anthem’s systems can feel intimidating to newcomers who aren’t sure where to start with their Javelin choices.
Longevity and community support: Active patches and community-facing updates tend to keep Outriders fresh; Anthem’s post-launch updates were limited by production realities, making ongoing engagement harder to sustain.
Performance and presentation: Anthem’s world-building is lush and cinematic, while Outriders prioritizes snappy combat tempo and consistent loot drops over spectacle alone.

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