The Outlast Trials cover
The Outlast Trials screenshot
Genre: Adventure, Indie

The Outlast Trials

Update #3 Patch Notes | New Trial, Limited Time Programs, & More!

Reagents,


This latest update delves into a substantial amount of changes, enhancements, and new content, many of which are a result of all the feedback we obtained from players throughout Early Access. Here are some of the new features coming in for this major update:

  • Program 4: Courthouse New Trial.
  • New MK-Challenges in Fun Park, Orphanage, and Police Station.
  • Program Geister Halloween Event: Our second limited time event now with new exclusive rewards running October 27th - November 17th.
  • New Cosmetics and decorations - Play Program Geister to unlock themed cosmetics.
  • Weekly Programs: Play through Murkoff’s new Experimental Therapy every week starting after November 17th.
  • New Sleep Room Minigame - Challenge other reagents in a timeless chess battle.
  • Group Finder changes - Find players for the same Trial, and other options.
  • New Prescriptions and Amps - Continue your progression and unlock new Prescription and Amps.
  • New Conclusion - Where will Murkoff send the reborns?
  • New Legendary Outfits - Available for the reborn.
  • Player Reporting tools - New tool to ensure a great experience for all players.
  • Other additions, improvements, balancing, fixes and much more. More details below...

New Program: Courthouse


Vindicate the Guilty


We cannot allow our innocent institutions to be persecuted for their clear guilt. Sabotage the proceedings, silence the witnesses, and revoke the authority of the judge.



  • Two new storylines added! Complete them by finding the evidence documents scattered inside the Trials.
  • New objective gameplay including the acid bucket retrieval, lockbox puzzle rooms, and the introduction of a new objective enemy: the Scapegoat.
  • Utilize the Tracker to pinpoint the elusive Scapegoat, then employ the Microwave Trigger device to... well, let's just say it's not the most pleasant news for its brain! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled to spot clues in your surroundings for help maneuvering the map.



New MK-Challenges



Introducing 3 new MK-Challenges spread across the different Programs.

Drill the Futterman: People are not toys. Stop Mother Gooseberry from making a human Dr. Futterman. Located in Fun Park featuring Gooseberry


Release the Prisoners: Only Murkoff arbitrates justice; free the convicts falsely imprisoned for their conspicuous guilt. Located in Police Station featuring Coyle


Gather the Children of God: Too much mother-love makes a weak child. Gather the children and bring them to the priest for a more strenuous education. Located in Orphanage featuring Gooseberry



Time-Limited Halloween Event “Program Geister




Program Geister is an experimental and convergent hallucinatory therapy designed to amplify unforeseen side effects of the Trials. Program Geister is a limited-time Halloween event that unlocks October 27th and ends November 17th. Throughout this time you will be able to play through select Trial Programs with new variators:
  • Hallucinations?: You see something! Is it the side effects, trauma or something else?
  • No Player Names: Player names are hidden. Total immersion for everyone!
  • More Imposters: More Imposters will be present in the Trial. Watch your back.
  • Enraged Enemies: Enemies are on high alert! Be careful...

Complete the Program Geister storyline by finding the evidence documents scattered inside the Trials.


Geister Token



Acquire 2 Geister exclusive Legendary Outfits and 15+ Geister exclusive character and cell cosmetics using Geister Tokens

Succeeding in the Geister Program Trials is the only way to obtain the Geister Tokens needed to acquire new exclusive outfits, as well as character and cell customizations. You must play Program Geister to unlock these exclusive customization items during the event and you will be able to acquire the items you unlock using Geister Tokens in their respective menus in your cell. These exclusive Geister customization items will be vaulted and won't be able to be acquired once the event ends. Anything you acquired using your Geister Tokens during the event will remain in your inventory.

Introducing Weekly Programs


  • Introducing Weekly Programs, which revolve around thematic Trials and MK-Challenges, delivering fresh experiences.
  • Some Weekly Programs present challenges; consider customizing your loadout to counter variators.
  • Please note that Weekly Programs will be temporarily halted during the presence of Experimental Programs like Program Geister.
  • The inaugural Weekly Program launches on November 17th.
  • We're excited to share that some Weekly Programs are experimental, and we eagerly welcome player feedback to help us fine-tune and enhance your experience with this new game mode. We will be making a feedback chat for them in our 18+ Discord when the Weekly events launch!

Program X and Conclusion Update



  • Program X has been refreshed for all users with a new set of Trials and MK-Challenges.
  • Reagents who complete the therapy may be released into a new international conflict.
  • 2 new Legendary Outfits have been added for the reborn.


New Sleep Room Minigame: Chess


  • Challenge your fellow Reagents to intense matches of the timeless game of Chess right in the sleep room.
  • Other minigame changes:

    • You can now cheer on your fellow Reagents participating in Arm Wrestling matches.
    • The names of the World's Best Arm Wrestling players are proudly engraved on the table.
    • New rating system to track your performance in Arm Wrestling and Chess matches.
    • Enjoy Arm Wrestling and Chess games in the Cafeteria as well.


New System: Performance XP


  • We've introduced a new system that rewards active participation in Trials, catering to various playstyles, whether you prefer taking your time or you're a newcomer. This system also ensures that players who choose not to engage in the Trial face penalties. The new system doesn't reward actions such as rushing to complete objectives, speedrunning the Trial, or outpacing your teammates.

    • Player will now receive XP for their performance during Trials.
    • Player can earn up to 1000xp based on performance/actions during a Trial.

    • First Time Completion XP have been adjusted:
    • Trials now give 1000xp (was 1500xp)
    • MK-Challenges now give 500xp (was 750xp)

  • This adjustment aims to enhance the experience and address the following scenarios:

    • Earn XP based on your contributions, even if you fail a Trial ("F" grade).
    • Encourage replaying previously completed Trials.
    • Penalize players for non-participation in the Trial.


Solo changes


  • As mentioned in our development update, we previously experimented with unlimited respawns. Although it helped solo players complete Trials, it diminished the intensity of dying and removed some of the trademark tension of playing Outlast. As a result, we're reverting to the original 3 chances per Trial. However, we're introducing a new feature: Respawn Pills. Exclusive to solo mode, these pills grant an additional +1 chance. For struggling solo players, discovering these extra lives is now a way to survive in the most challenging Trials.
  • Solo changes:

    • Respawning now restores 75% (was 100%).
    • Reinstated the previous 3 chances/respawns system.
    • New item: Respawn Pills can now be found in a trial. (In solo only)

      • Respawn Pills are extra chances allowing the player to go beyond the normal 3 respawns.
      • They can be found in some Syringe Boxes and Secret Rooms.


Group Finder changes


  • Following community’s feedback, we are testing a new group finder matchmaking system where players have more control based on their preference. Matchmaking wait time might be impacted based on the selection, region, time of day and other elements.
  • Access the matchmaking options via the Group Finder button in the Terminal:

    • Any Trial: You will be matched with players looking for a group (any Trial). Matchmaking time: Quick.
    • Selected Program: You will be matched with players interested in playing any Trial of the selected Program. Matchmaking time: Moderate.
    • Selected Trial: You will be matched with players interested in playing the selected Trial. Matchmaking time: Long.

  • Please be aware that even after joining a group, the leader still has the option to modify the selection before initiating the Trial.
  • We will monitor this change and keep improving ways to play with your friends and strangers.


Player Reporting


  • Players now have the ability to report players for misconduct, including but not limited to bad behavior, exploits, and hacks.
  • Appropriate measures will be taken as needed:

    1. Voice chat privileges may be temporarily revoked.
    2. Game access may be temporarily restricted.

  • Our commitment to fostering a positive community means we will actively monitor and address instances where players intentionally disrupt the experience for others.


Progression


  • Therapy Level cap raised to 56 (was 40).
  • Added Tier 3 Prescriptions (Rx). 7 new prescriptions to acquire. (Visit Barlow to purchase)
  • Added 6 new Amps. (visit Dorris to purchase)


Prescriptions


  • Barlow the pharmacist has new prescriptions available to help reagents in their therapies.
  • Added Tier 3 Prescriptions (Rx):

    • Stamina Recovery: Accelerated stamina recovery.
    • Deep Breaths: Faster recovery from exhaustion.
    • Advanced Regeneration: Health regeneration initiates faster.
    • Revitalize: Fully restore health when revived through syringes or respawns in solo.
    • Projectile Bait: Throw a projectile at a hiding spot to reveal hidden enemies.
    • Medic: Help up and revive teammates faster.
    • Resistance: Break free faster from traps and grappling enemies.

  • All Tier 2 prescriptions are required to unlock Tier 3 category.

Amps


  • Dorris the shadowy dame has restocked its contraband inventory with new amps.
  • New Amps:

    • Recycle: Consumed medicine bottles will become throwable items.
    • Battery Charger: The Night Vision Battery gradually recharges when not in use.
    • Surplus: Start Trials with a random item in your inventory (medicine, antidote, bottle or brick).
    • Lock Breaker: Throw a brick to break open locked containers.
    • Night Crawler: Gain an edge in darkness. Your crouched walking speed is enhanced, and your night vision battery lasts longer.
    • Last Chance: The last enemy strike reduces your health to 1 HP instead of causing death.(Once every 5 minutes)

  • Reworks:

    • Hide and Heal: Heal 1 bracket if you hide shortly after being damaged. Also start health regeneration immediately.

Rigs



  • Engineer Noakes has recalibrated certain Rigs in his workshop after studying how Reagents were utilizing them.
  • Blind Rig:

    • Increased deploy time to 5s (was 3s)
    • With "Deploy Technique" upgrade: 4s (was 2s)
    • Deployed mine lifetime is now unlimited.
    • Placing a new mine will now disable previously placed mines.

  • Stun Rig:

    • Electric Boost Upgrade: Replenish 50% of Night Vision Battery instead of 100%.
    • Increased stun duration to 5s (was 3s).
    • With "Extended Duration" upgrade: 8s (was 5s)


Enemies/AI



  • The Screamer has undergone significant changes. The stun effect has been eliminated, and players who are subject to the scream will experience a brief period of confusion instead. Additionally, both the detection range and the area of effect range have been decreased and fine-tuned.
  • Enemies will exhibit increased leniency in their pursuit, thereby diminishing the likelihood of them miraculously discovering your whereabouts when you attempt to evade detection by breaking visual contact with them.
  • Slightly diminished the AI's sensitivity to footsteps.
  • Increased time between Pusher and Imposter can spawn from Monster Closets. ‘High Density’ variator is unaffected by this.
  • Other various AI improvements and bug fixes.

Additions/Improvements/Balancing



  • New stamina bar display setting available in settings. (Off by default in the Standard Preset)
  • Rig cooldown timer is now displayed on-screen when trying to use the Rig that is under cooldown.
  • Rig icon now displays remaining time for the last 10s of the cooldown timer.
  • Rig icon now displays a visual feedback when cooldown timer ends and become ready to use.
  • A text feedback is now displayed on-screen when the amp’s effect is activated.
  • A text feedback is now displayed on-screen for some Rig Upgrade effects.
  • Cell decorations: Chandelier renamed to Candelabra. (Thanks to player ‘Ubergeek’)
  • The Program Name and Trial Name are now displayed in the Pause Menu.
  • Player’s Loadout is now displayed in the Pause Menu.
  • Player’s loadout is now displayed permanently in the HUD while in the Sleep Room (not in Trials).

    • Player can instantly reach the Loadout screen with a new hotkey while in the Sleep Room.

  • The Terminal screen now showcases the loadouts of all players.
  • Revamped the Badges menu:

    • Badges moved to its own tab. (Access from terminal)
    • Player must now claim badge rewards once completed.
    • Badges counter now display counter beyond “99” (up to 999).

  • Badge completion will now be displayed as a notification during gameplay.
  • Added new Badges (non repeatable)

    • Complete the Exam of Program 1.
    • Complete the Exam of Program 2.
    • Complete the Exam of Program 3.
    • Complete the Exam of Program 4.
    • Complete the Exam of Program X.

  • Updated milestone of some badges:

    • Gotta Go Fast is now 50 (was 100)
    • Bullseye is now 50 (was 100)
    • Bamboozle is now 50 (was 100)
    • Trigger Happy is now 50 (was 100)
    • Anger Issues is now 50 (was 100)
    • Recharged (previously Boost Me Up) is now 50 (was 100)
    • Downed But Not Dead (previously Step On Me Daddy) is now 50 (was 100)

  • Revamped the Records menu:

    • Removed Badges from the Records menu.
    • Added Trials history (see your last 10 Trials results).

  • Rebalanced price of Release Trophies (acquired after reaching a certain releases milestone).
  • Picking up an Evidence Document now leaves an opened document at the pick-up location.

    • This feature enables players to ping the location of the acquired document to their teammates.

  • Revamped the Evidence Document system: Players will now acquire a randomly selected document from the pool of uncollected documents, rather than drawing from the entire document set at random. This adjustment is designed to enhance players' ability to complete all storylines, making the process more straightforward and manageable.
  • All players can now freely enter any cell in the Sleep Room without any restriction.

    • Previously, players encountered an invisible barrier at the entrance of other player cells.

  • Legendary Outfits are now rewarded after completing the Release Protocol instead of completing Program X.
  • New visual feedback is displayed over NPCs icons in the Sleep Room when they need attention from player.
  • An icon/marker is now displayed on the Sleep Room officer when player has enough Release Tokens.
  • Added Gamepad layout selection screen (more layouts will be added in the future).
  • It is now possible to change the Toggle Run option independantly between mouse/keyboard and gamepad.
  • Players will now keep the benefit of Health/Stamina/Battery Boosters for the duration of the Trial, and not lose the benefit after being killed.
  • Added new text notifications when consuming a Health/Stamina/Battery Booster.
  • Added visual feedback on battery bar when under the effect of the Battery Booster.
  • Added visual feedback on stamina bar when under the effect of the Stamina Booster.
  • Quest items (keys, tickets, etc.) are now displayed next to the player’s name (over the head display).
  • Added a new setting to turn off head bouncing.
  • Added a new “low pass filter on high frequency audio (tinnitus)” setting.
  • Increased amount of batteries and medicines in all Trials.


Fixes


  • Fixed navigation issues/bugs in Trials.
  • Fixed an issue where menu prompts were sometimes not working correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where player could sometimes fall out of the map when exiting the Shuttle.
  • Fixed an issue where player could sometimes get stuck in the Pause Menu.
  • Fixed an issue where it was not possible for users to map an action on the middle mouse button.
  • Fixed an issue where it was sometimes difficult to revive a teammate near interactibles objects (ex: doors)
  • Fixed issues with player shadows and player reflexions.
  • Solo: Players will now respawn with activated night vision if the respawn point is in a dark zone.

Developer Update | October 2023 - New Trial Map & Halloween Event

Greeting Reagents! A new update is coming to The Outlast Trials Early Access on Thursday, October 26th that will include a new Trial Map: Courthouse, along with new MK-Challenges and new Weekly Programs! A limited-time Halloween event: Program Geister will also be available in which you can brave the Trials to obtain exclusive Geister Tokens and purchase Halloween themed Cell and Character Customizations.

Note that the October 26th update will mark the end of Program Omega for the time being as Experimental Programs such as Geister and the Weekly Programs are being implemented into Trials.

New Trial Map - Courthouse




Now is your chance to vindicate the guilty in Courthouse! This new Trial Program brings along new objectives as our Reagents sabotage the proceedings of the courtroom, silence witnesses, and revoke the authority of the judge. You can complete new storylines by finding the evidence documents scattered inside the Trials to discover more behind the goings on of Murkoff's Sinyala Facilities and its Denizens.


Reagents will come face to face with the new objective enemy, our Scapegoat for this Trial: the Witness. You must use the devices provided by Murkoff during the Trial to locate and silence these Witnesses.



You may also run in to our New Big Grunt enemy skins in Courthouse as well as throughout all the Program Trials.



New Halloween Event - Program Geister





Program Geister is our limited-time Halloween event that unlocks October 27th and will end on November 17th. Throughout this time you will be able to play through select Trial Programs with new variators:
  • Hallucinations?: You see something! Is it the side effects, trauma or something else?
  • No Player Names: Player names are hidden. Total immersion for everyone!
  • More Imposters: More Imposters will be present in the Trial. Watch your back.
  • Enraged Enemies: Enemies are on high alert! Be careful...

Succeeding in the Geister Program Trials is the only way to obtain the Geister Tokens needed to acquire new exclusive outfits, as well as character and cell customizations. You must play Program Geister to unlock these exclusive customization items during the event and you will be able to acquire the items you unlock using Geister Tokens in their respective menus in your cell. These exclusive Geister customization items will be vaulted and won't be able to be acquired once the event ends. Anything you acquired using your Geister Tokens during the event will remain in your inventory keep.

New MK-Challenges


Introducing 3 new MK-Challenges spread across the different Programs.

  • Drill the Futterman: People are not toys. Stop Mother Gooseberry from making a human Dr. Futterman. Located in Fun Park featuring Gooseberry

  • Release the Prisoners: Only Murkoff arbitrates justice; free the convicts falsely imprisoned for their conspicuous guilt. Located in Police Station featuring Coyle

  • Gather the Children of God: Too much mother-love makes a weak child. Gather the children and bring them to the priest for a more strenuous education. Located in Fun Park featuring Gooseberry


New Weekly Programs




Weekly Programs are a mix of Trials, MK-Challenges, and Variators revolving around one theme. The Weekly Programs will change every Friday and is available for one week only. Be ready to be surprised by what's coming in the following months! The inaugural Weekly Program will begin right after the Geister special event, on November 17th.

Weekly Programs present challenges that will push you to consider customizing your loadout to counter the variators at play. Note that we have new Amps and Prescriptions to beef up your Reagent and help ensure you are at peak performance. Since the Weekly Programs are experimental, your feedback will be invaluable in helping us fine-tune and enhance the experience. We will be making a feedback chat for them in our 18+ Discord when the Weekly events launch!

Making of The Outlast Trials Documentary Available Now


Through the years of making The Outlast Trials, we have documented parts of our development process. Check out our Documentary, Outlast: The Challenges of Trials, to get a slice of the thrilling ups and downs as we navigated the challenges of creating our first multiplayer horror game. Deciding to dive into creating a co-op multiplayer experience and taking the Outlast franchise into a new direction was a hard feat but it was one that we met with determination.

The player feedback that we received during Closed Beta and since Early Access launch has helped us tremendously. Through our surveys, game metrics, and socials, we've been able to gauge our player sentiment and plan for the future of The Outlast Trial's features and content. Thank you all for being such an integral part of our journey!


Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!

Join the community on our 18+ Discord server and let us know if you encounter any issues in-game through our ticketing system, give your feedback on the Trials, and even find fellow Reagents to complete Trials with!

Our full patch notes will be out before the update on October 26th.

See you in the Sleep Room!
- The Red Barrels Team

State of Early Access & What's to Come | Developer Update

Hello Reagents!



I'm Alex, one of the Red Barrels team members and Game Director on The Outlast Trials. The success of The Outlast Trials Early Access has been remarkable! Being that we are indie developers that are self-funded and self-published meant that we had to make sure to take time to adapt our workflow to ensure the game's quality and longevity going forward. Since Early Access launch, we have had new members join our team, and with the help of the player feedback we’ve gotten thus far, we have been able to adjust our targets and work towards the full release of The Outlast Trials.

Red Barrels is intensely focused on production. Despite our silence, we want you all to know that we keep a close eye on our community engagement and value your discussions because at the end of the day being an Early Access title means that you are all part of the development process with us. We've gathered over 60,000 responses through The Outlast Trials Early Access Survey, we read and monitor our official Outlast Discord, the Outlast subreddit, watch streamers and videos of playthroughs, as well as monitor other platforms daily to get a full grasp on the experience our players have, and what they like about The Outlast Trials. Rosie, our Community Manager, keeps track of community sentiment and conversations to relay the community concerns to our team. Your opinion matters and impacts our everyday decisions. After you've played, you are welcome to contribute more feedback via the Spontaneous Feedback form. I personally review each comment submitted so all extra feedback is greatly appreciated!

Today, I want to shed some light on various key topics in our internal roadmap.

CONSOLES


We are currently actively working on fulfilling a major request: bringing the game to consoles. This means launching on PS5, Xbox S/X, and older gen (PS4/XboxOne), While enabling crossplay with PC. Our aim is to ensure that the unique social experience of The Outlast Trials can be shared across platforms, despite the technical complexity it requires. Our progress is promising, but we can't provide a console release date or guarantee universal crossplay just yet. Originally targeting 2023, we are now eyeing an early 2024 console release due to the challenges faced by our small team.

MATCHMAKING


Our matchmaking system philosophy involves players grouping up and deciding on Trials together, rather than having separate matchmaking for each Trial. This decision might seem unusual, but there are reasons behind it:

  1. Matchmaking per Trial would divide players among many pools (25+).
  2. Players don't evenly play all Trials; some are more popular due to player progression.
  3. This approach significantly increases matchmaking queue times.
  4. Players might not find matches for certain Trials, leading to frustration.
  5. This approach could potentially harm the game experience.
While we prefer group selection in the Sleep Room due to its more immersive nature (group setup, loadout selection, cell visits, social interactions, arm wrestling), we're aware of the player concerns. We're not planning any major backend changes right now regarding this, but we're improving how Trials are selected to involve the group instead of just the leader (via suggestions or other ways we are currently exploring). Coop play is vital to The Outlast Trials, and we are constantly monitoring how players group up together and will continue to make improvements if needed.

THE FUTURE...


We are working on a public roadmap, but in the meantime we have this:

NEXT MAJOR UPDATE - HALLOWEEN



  • Introduction of Program 4
  • New Trial
  • New MK-Challenges
  • Program X refresh
  • Program Halloween (limited event with special rewards)
  • New Amps
  • New Variators
  • New Prescriptions
  • New Cosmetics
  • New Cell Items
  • New Sleep Room Minigame
  • Tons of other improvements, balance, tweaks and quality of life.
  • And much more!

ON THE RADAR


In addition to the topics mentioned above, we are also addressing the following issues:

Reward efforts even in the event of failing a Trial


Murkoff acknowledges success, yet we recognize the harsh consequences of Trial failure. In the upcoming update, we are implementing an XP system centered around Performance. This means substantial XP rewards for player actions (in addition to First Time Completion and Grade Bonus payouts). This approach aims to facilitate continuous leveling and enable acquiring upgrades, rigs, and amps for reattempting Trials.

Penalize group players not participating in Trials


Enabling players to follow their preferred playstyle has always been a central principle for our team. Whether teaming up with less experienced or more apprehensive players who prefer to join for the experience rather than objectives, we support it entirely. Yet, we've observed a minority exploiting this approach, leading to team frustration. With the new Performance XP system, deliberate lack of effort will significantly hinder progression compared to active participation in Trials. Additionally, we have plans for a comprehensive reporting system in the future.

Improve the Trial selection process as a group


As previously stated, we're improving how groups decide on Trials together. Initially, this will involve a suggestion system (with the leader maintaining the final decision). If Trial selection remains challenging, we're open to exploring alternative methods.

Keep improving the solo experience


Outlast Trials offers a unique cooperative experience and we've always ensured a fully immersive solo option for those who prefer it. Feedback from solo players highlighted the game's increased difficulty after the tutorial. To address this, we're making slight adjustments to the difficulty while preserving the trademark tension of Outlast.

In the previous patch, we experimented with unlimited respawns. Although it helped solo players complete Trials, it diminished the intensity of dying. As a result, we're reverting to the original 3 chances per Trial. However, we're introducing a new feature: Respawn Pills. Exclusive to solo mode, these pills grant an additional +1 chance. For struggling solo players, discovering these extra lives is now a way to survive in the most challenging Trials.

Keep improving the AI behavior in some edge case situations


Enemy AI remains a continuous focus for us. While we're content with our current AI's overall performance, player feedback has revealed some odd behavior in certain situations. In response, we're implementing significant updates: improving awareness, enhancing decision-making, and adjusting the Screamer in particular. Expect more details on AI enhancements in the future!

CONCLUSION


A heartfelt thank you to our players for engaging with The Outlast Trials and fueling its success through your invaluable feedback. The game's triumph is a momentous occasion for our team at Red Barrels. Your input steers our path, and we remain committed to attentive listening. Your patience as we transform this project into a long-lasting experience is deeply valued. Rest assured, we are dedicated to delivering the ultimate, spine-chilling cooperative gaming experience ever crafted!

-Alex
Game Director

Save 15% on The Outlast Trials during Steam's Summer Sale!



There is no better time than NOW to test your resilience in The Outlast Trials! Snag a copy for you and your friends at 15% off during the Steam Summer Sale starting today and ending July 13th at 10am PST.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304930/The_Outlast_Trials/

Join our official 18+ Discord server here and meet other Reagents to jump into the Trials with!

The Outlast Trials is an Early Access title and our team has been receiving tons of great feedback from all our players in the long form survey. We also made a short survey (linked below) for when players have spontaneous feedback to give to our team about their playthroughs of Trials. We all want to get better together, and your feedback has helped inform our in-game balancing changes, and given us insight into what you want to see us bring to the game in the future in the form of new cosmetics, variators and more. So please keep sharing your thoughts as we continue our development process through Early Access!

✍️ The Outlast Trials: Full Early Access Survey
💡 The Outlast Trials: Spontaneous Feedback

As stated on our Steam page, the price of The Outlast Trials will not change during Early Access (except for sales like this one), however, we intend to increase the price at full launch. Those who purchase the game in Early Access will be upgraded to the full launch version of the game when it is out!

Hoping to see you all in the Sinyala Facility 💉

- The Red Barrels Team

Hotfix Patch Notes 06/16/2023

Greetings Reagents!

We have implemented a fix in this small hotfix patch for a crash that some players were experiencing when skipping videos, most notably for the Reagent release video.

If you experience any issues in-game feel free to join our 18+ server Discord and create a ModMail ticket for further assistance.

Send your feedback to our team through our Survey.

Catch you all in the Sleep Room...

Update #2

Greetings Reagents!
This update brings bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and balance changes based on player feedback.

This update also introduces a new experimental Special Event: Program Omega Ω.
We continue to improve the game experience for solo players as well as the first-time user experience in the early game.

Special Event: Program Ω


We are introducing our first special event: Program Omega Ω. This is an experimental program for Reagents looking for the ultimate coop challenge!
  • Program Omega details:
    • Unlocks at the same time as Program X.
    • Group is required (2-4 players).
    • Therapy Level 20+ is recommended.
    • New Variator: Stay Together

  • Please be advised:
    • This is an experimental special event.
    • Participating in this program is completely optional and not required to progress.
    • Exceptionally, this program is coop exclusive.
    • It will only be limited for a few weeks until it is vaulted.

  • We are curious to hear your feedback about this first special event!

New Variator: Stay Together



  • Stay Together is applied to all Trials of Program Omega.
  • Stay close to your friends or you will take damage.
  • Voice chat range is limited, so stay close.

Solo Play

Dev comment: Solo play is an important element of The Outlast Trials. Given the feedback we received, we realize that we may have been a bit too brutal on those playing alone. We’ve decided to revisit some mechanics to ensure solo players have a good time and that they can make continuous progress without being overly punished.
  • Players now has unlimited respawns in solo, but will get a grade penalty for each respawn.
  • Respawns (in solo) now restore 100% health (previously 50%).
  • Enemies and Prime Assets won’t linger around objectives as much.
  • General tweaks and rebalancing to AI behaviour when playing solo and cooperative in early game.
  • We will observe and continue to gather player feedback and make improvements on solo play.

Arm Wrestling
  • You can now challenge other players while sitting at the table.
  • Point at a player and press the interact button to challenge them.

Prescriptions

Dev comment: These actions are now available from the start instead of being locked behind upgrades. Purchasing these prescriptions will now improve their base actions.

Redesigned some Actions/Prescriptions (Rx):
  • “KICK TO HELP” is now “HARD KICK”:

    • Players can now help teammates grasped by enemies without needing to acquire an upgrade.
    • However, helping teammates now exhausts the player.
    • Purchasing “HARD KICK” prescription greatly reduces the stamina cost of helping teammates.
  • “LIFE SAVER” is now “STAY OF EXECUTION”:
    • Players can now save teammates being executed by enemies without needing to acquire an upgrade.
    • Saving teammates now exhausts the player.
    • Purchasing this prescription greatly reduces the stamina cost when performing this action.

  • Players who acquired the previous prescriptions will automatically receive the newer version and it will be equipped. New players will have to acquire them as usual.

Rigs
Healing Rig:

  • “Poison” upgrade:

    • Affected enemies slowdown effect has been increased.
    • Affected enemies slowdown duration has been decreased.
    • Fixed missing reaction animation on some enemies.
    • Dev Comment: The poison upgrade wasn’t perceptible enough, so we increased its effect but reduced the duration. We also fixed an issue where poison wasn’t triggering the reaction animation on some enemies.
Blind Rig:
  • Base Rig:
    • Increased base deploy time to 3s (was 2s).
    • “Deploy Technique” upgrade:
    • Increased upgraded deploy time to 2s (was 1.5s).
X-Ray Rig:
  • Fixed an issue where X-Ray wouldn’t work properly if 2 players would use the rig at the same time.


Balancing and improvements

  • All players in a group can now navigate the Programs menu.
  • Completed Trials via Coop play are now replayable even if requirements are not met.
    • Previously, players would still have to complete requirements in order to replay a Trial that was previously completed via Coop (selected by a leader who had access to this Trial).
  • Stamina consumption while running decreased by 20% - you can now run for longer duration.
  • Exhaustion time decreased by 20% - exhaustion now recovers faster.
  • Recovering from bleed-out now restores 25% health (was 50%).
  • Exit Trial objective marker is now displayed from further distance.
  • Completing a Trial that wasn’t unlocked will now make it available for replay, instead of having it locked until the unlock conditions are met.
  • “Slippers” amp now only works when walking on glass. Running will still trigger a sound disturbance.
  • Walking on glass while having the “Slippers” amp equipped won’t register as a score penalty anymore.
  • Added a new GAMEPLAY category in the Settings screen:
    • Toggle run (define the run input behavior).
    • Hide item after delay (auto hide the equipped item after a short delay to clear the field of view).
  • “Toggle Run” setting now works correctly on gamepads.
  • Increased the sound made by Pouncers in hiding spots.
  • Added new voice announcements during the Exit Trial countdown to help players understand the remaining time.
  • Added border art around Player Icons in all menus where player icons are displayed.
  • Visual tweaks of the Settings menu.

Fixes

  • Fixed a memory leak introduced in the previous update.
  • Fixed and updated some text, typos, and grammatical errors.
  • Fixed an issue where the global handwritten Murkoff comment was not correct to the situation.
  • Fixed an issue where Vouchers or Release Tokens were sometimes not correctly rewarded to players.
  • Grades of Trials completed in Coop will now display correctly
  • Fixed an issue where walking on glass with the Amp “Slippers” was still incrementing as “Triggered Sound Traps” in the Results screen.
  • Fixed navigation issues and bugs in all Trials.
  • Fixed some issues for grab animations that would occur in some instances.
  • Fixed an issue where the equipped item would sometimes disappear when used while in Psychosis.
  • Fixed an issue where sliding got players stuck and unable to move.
  • Fixed an issue where enemies wouldn’t get stunned by thrown items in some situations.
  • Fixed an issue where players could survive the Exit Trial post-countdown using the Healing rig.


On the radar
As we continue to gain feedback from all our players through our Survey we are looking at these key areas to work on in the future:
  • Reward efforts even in the event of failing a Trial.
  • Penalize group players not participating to Trials.
  • Improve the Trial selection process as a group.
  • Keep improving the solo experience.
  • Keep improving the AI behavior in some edge case situations.

Update #1

PATCH NOTES

Greetings Reagents!
We released a hotfix to resolve some issues and improve game stability.
We are still assessing all the feedback and data from the launch week, and will provide more details soon. Your feedback is critical for us, thank you for playing The Outlast Trials and for taking the time to respond to our survey!

Group Finder
We are improving the Group Finder to queue players of similar Therapy Level together. This change should improve the player experience when playing with strangers. We will be monitoring this change and keep improving it server-side. Although the system tries to find players of similar Therapy Level, it is still possible that players end up in a group with a larger level difference.

General

  • Group Finder will now look for players of similar level in priority. If the matchmaking time takes too long, the system will expand to more levels in order to find a team.
  • Group Finder will avoid matchmaking with the same players twice in a row.
  • Quest items dropping on the ground due to players leaving Trial or disconnecting will now display an icon across the map to help other players locate it (Keys and Tickets).

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where players could remain stuck inside a hide spot.
  • Fixed an issue where players could fall out of the map when exiting the shuttle.
  • Fixed an issue where Pusher NPC wouldn’t grab the player correctly during Mansion Tutorial.
  • Fixed an issue where some menus wouldn’t open correctly and players would get stuck.
  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in the Graphics tab in the Settings screen.
  • Fixed an issue where the equipped cosmetic would change at the start of a Trial.
  • Fixed an issue where NPCs could get stuck in a pass over after opening a door.
  • Fixed an issue where players couldn’t instant use items given by other players.
  • Fixed an issue where slide could make the players stuck on location.
  • Fixed various other bugs to improve the general stability of the game.

Graphics and performance

  • Fixed crash when trying to use FSR2 with certain older graphics cards.
  • Fixed crash when certain VR devices were connected.
  • Fixed recommended driver version when using older DX11 cards.

Hotfix #1

PATCH NOTES

Greetings Reagents!
We released a hotfix to resolve some issues and improve game stability.
We are still assessing all the feedback and data from the launch week, and will provide more details soon. Your feedback is critical for us, thank you for playing The Outlast Trials and for taking the time to respond to our survey!

Group Finder
We are improving the Group Finder to queue players of similar Therapy Level together. This change should improve the player experience when playing with strangers. We will be monitoring this change and keep improving it server-side. Although the system tries to find players of similar Therapy Level, it is still possible that players end up in a group with a larger level difference.

General

  • Group Finder will now look for players of similar level in priority. If the matchmaking time takes too long, the system will expand to more levels in order to find a team.
  • Group Finder will avoid matchmaking with the same players twice in a row.
  • Quest items dropping on the ground due to players leaving Trial or disconnecting will now display an icon across the map to help other players locate it (Keys and Tickets).

Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where players could remain stuck inside a hide spot.
  • Fixed an issue where players could fall out of the map when exiting the shuttle.
  • Fixed an issue where Pusher NPC wouldn’t grab the player correctly during Mansion Tutorial.
  • Fixed an issue where some menus wouldn’t open correctly and players would get stuck.
  • Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in the Graphics tab in the Settings screen.
  • Fixed an issue where the equipped cosmetic would change at the start of a Trial.
  • Fixed an issue where NPCs could get stuck in a pass over after opening a door.
  • Fixed an issue where players couldn’t instant use items given by other players.
  • Fixed an issue where slide could make the players stuck on location.
  • Fixed various other bugs to improve the general stability of the game.

Graphics and performance

  • Fixed crash when trying to use FSR2 with certain older graphics cards.
  • Fixed crash when certain VR devices were connected.
  • Fixed recommended driver version when using older DX11 cards.

The Outlast Trials is Steam Deck Verified!



Break yourself, rebuild yourself and fight for salvation wherever you roam! The Outlast Trials is fully optimized for the Steam Deck so you can survive Murkoff's experiments alone or with friends wherever you go.

Early Access Out Now!

Murkoff's experimental program is waiting for you! Reagents will be pushed to their limits in new environments, new Trials, several Challenges including variators to enhance the experience and difficulty, as well as the elusive seasonal Program X. You will be able to customize your character and cell and experience full character progression with a narrative introduction and a surprising conclusion for each Reagent released, and more to come gradually throughout Early Access. The Outlast Trials is a complex experience, Early Access means we will be able to reiterate the game with your feedback to help us refine and balance the game. More about the Trials...

SLEEP ROOM & DENIZENS
The Denizens populating the Sleep Room are now active. They live in Murkoff’s Sinyala facility and are there to help you with your therapy. You will meet:

  • Noakes, the Engineer, will assist you with Experimental Special Operations Platforms, also known as Rigs.
  • Barlow, the Pharmacist will help you enhance your physical and mental abilities with Prescriptions.
  • Dorris, the Shadowy Dame, will provide you with Amps to strengthen you for the Trials.
There are other surprises in the Sleep Room for you to discover…

PROGRAMS
One of the biggest changes we introduced in Early Access is the concept of Murkoff Programs. Your rebirth is a journey, separated into clusters of Trials called Programs.
  • A Program is a list of Trials and Mk-Challenges that you must complete to earn rewards and make progress in order to unlock the following Programs.
    • You will receive “First Completion Rewards” for completing each Trial of a given Program, which can only be earned once.
    • Replaying completed Trials will still provide experience and Murkoff Dollars based on your performance.
    • You will get a special bonus for completing a Trial with an A+ grade.
Programs is a platform that will be populated with new content and experiences over time.

  • Access the Programs screen via the Terminal in the Sleep Room.
  • Program 1 takes place in the Police Station.
    • Coyle is the Prime Asset of Program 1.
    • The Trial “Kill the Snitch” has been revisited an improved since Closed Beta.
  • Program 2 takes place in the Fun Park.
    • Gooseberry is the Prime Asset of Program 2.
  • Program 3 takes place in the Orphanage.

    • Gooseberry is the Prime Asset of Program 3.
Each Program introduces a new set of Trials and Mk-Challenges.

PROGRAM X
Once you finish all Programs, you will be able to access Program X.

  • Program X is a seasonal stack of Trials and MK-Challenges. Our team will renew it occasionally.
  • Complete Program X to attempt and earn your freedom.

REAGENT RELEASE: JOIN THE REBORN
Murkoff has prepared one final Trial for you to complete once you have completed all Programs.

  • Complete it to earn your freedom… But be advised, once a Reagent has earned their freedom, somebody new must take their place.

TRIALS & MK-CHALLENGES

  • Trials are immersive story-driven therapies that take a certain time to complete.
  • Mk-Challenges are shorter therapies occurring in modified or redesigned sections of existing maps.

TRIAL VARIATORS
  • Trial Variators alter aspects of a Trial when you revisit them as part of a Program. Variators are also meant to enhance the difficulty of your Trial and is an alternative to the traditional difficulties we’ve seen in previous Outlast games (Easy, Normal, Nightmare, Insane).

    • The list of Variators will show when selecting a Trial in a Program.
    • You can also see the list of Variators when opening the Menu (ESC) while in a Trial.

ENEMIES, AI & DIFFICULTY
Improvements were made to enemy AI since Closed Beta.
  • They are now more brutal, deadly, and relentless so make sure to use your stealth, items in the map, and your rig to evade them.
  • Difficulty selection has been removed from the game and instead, the challenge increases as you make progress through the Programs, and Trial Variators increase test your limits.

RECORD & THERAPY LEVELS
  • Look through your Records to view your Reagent Therapy Level

    • Therapy Levels are our progression system where you must complete Trials to acquire experience and increase your Reagent level.
    • The maximum level for Early Access is 40.
  • Therapy Levels will provide rewards:

    • Vouchers - a currency used to purchase Rigs, Upgrades, Prescriptions, and Amps
    • Murkoff Dollars - a currency used to purchase character cosmetics and cell decorations.
    • Cosmetics - a random cosmetic will unlock and be available for purchase with Murkoff Dollars for each level-up.
LOADOUT
As you progress in your therapy you will earn currency to unlock Rigs, Prescriptions, and Amps to enhance your Reagent.

  • Use the Loadout to organize and activate your ideal Regimen.
  • You can also see the list of purchased Rig Upgrades, Amps, and Prescriptions from the Loadout screen.
  • Try to synergize your loadout with your teammates, or equip the best loadout for each Trial.
  • Setup your Loadout from the Terminal in the Sleep Room or by opening your menu (TAB)
RIGS
Rigs are experimental, reusable tools designed to help with your therapy.

  • See Noakes in the Sleep Room to acquire new Rigs and upgrade them.
  • Rigs have been reworked and rebalanced since Closed Beta.

    • They can now be upgraded with improvements and new features.
    • Rig upgrades must be purchased consecutively.

PRESCRIPTIONS
Prescriptions (Rx) enhance your physical and mental abilities.
  • Purchase Rx from Barlow in the Sleep Room’s Pharmacy.
  • Murkoff chemical therapy is terminal, meaning once purchased, an Rx is active forever.
  • There are 2 tiers of Prescriptions.
    • Prescriptions can be purchased in any order, but Tier 2 only becomes available once all the Tier 1 Prescriptions have been purchased.

AMPS
Amps are powerful contraband that can have a big impact on your therapy.

  • Purchase Amps from Dorris in the cafeteria, when she thinks you are ready.
  • Amps become available later in the game.

CHARACTER COSMETICS
You are unique. Change your appearance to reflect who you really are.

  • Visit the mirror in your private cell to access the appearance customization menu.
  • Cosmetics will be unlocked randomly and available for purchase as you progress through the game.

PRIVATE CELL DECORATIONS
Make your place cozy. Change the look of your personal cell.

  • Visit the bed in your private cell to access the customization menu.
  • More decorations will be unlocked randomly and available to purchase as you progress through the game.
GRADE SYSTEM
The Post-Trial Grade calculation has been revamped.

  • All your actions now influence your Grade.
  • Murkoff’s report with your grade will be visible after each Trial.
  • Grades influence the performance payout you get at the end of each Trial.
BADGES
Badges have been revamped since the Closed Beta.

  • Badges are now long-term accomplishments that provide a reward once completed.
  • A badge milestone can be redone multiple times (although the reward only occurs once).
EVIDENCE
There are illicit Murkoff documents scattered inside the Trials.
  • Find them to uncover the secret history of the Sinyala Facility. Many new documents have been added.
INTERFACE/HUD
The Interface/HUD has been reworked to be simpler and more immersive.

  • Interface elements now appear when needed, then auto-hide.
  • We have added many interface/accessibility options to adjust the interface to your preference.

    • Health Display
    • Sanity Display
    • Noise Indicator Display
    • Darkness Indicator Display
    • Inventory Display
    • Assignment Display
    • Aim Dot Display
    • Group Display
    • Player Names
  • We have also added a new PRESET feature, allowing players to quickly change their interface settings.
    • [STANDARD] Standard and immersive way to play.
    • [ACCESSIBLE] All accessibility options are active.
    • [IMMERSIVE] Most immersive and challenging way to play.
    • [CLASSIC COOP] Focus on teammates with permanent group display.
  • Many menus have been introduced/revamped since the Closed Beta.
    • Terminal and all sub-menus
    • Denizens' screens (Noakes, Barlow, Dorris)
    • Results screen (end of a Trial)
    • Options screen
    • Pause Menu

GROUP FINDER & GROUP
We have introduced a new Group Finder feature.
  • Use this feature to find players before starting a Trial.

    • Select the party size (Duo, Trio, Quad).
  • Access Group Settings from your Menu
    • Change “Group Privacy”: Friends Only, Private, Open To All
    • Toggle “Group Members Can Invite”
    • Toggle “Group Invitation Requests”

AUDIO
Experience the new music and audio effects, and voiceovers for all characters.
LANGUAGES SUPPORT
The Outlast Trials is now playable in 13 different languages.

  • Voice overs only available in English and French
  • New subtitles options.

KNOWN ISSUES
  • When reviving a player who is located on the Police Station snitch cart rails, the player who is helping their downed teammate will be moved sideways
    • This is only a visual bug and should not affect reviving a downed teammate
  • In certain seeds of Police Station one of the posters in the basement cannot be grabbed, as well as some posters in the seeds of the Feed the Children Trials
    • There are always more posters available than required, we are investigating this issue
  • Some subtitles might be cut off if they are too long
  • Some French voice lines may not match their subtitles
  • Some UI and its interactions may be offset on some ultrawide resolutions
  • On rare occasions the Pusher is unable to grab the player in the Mansion Tutorial level therefore stalling the player's progress in that level
    • Players must restart the Tutorial, we are investigating the issue

FIXED ISSUES
  • Fixed NPCs who idle in front of hidespots instead of taking you out.

To report bugs please join our Discord https://discord.gg/outlastofficial and follow the instructions on creating a ModMail ticket to chat with a support agent. Note it is an 18+ server considering our game’s mature content.

If you wish to share your feedback about The Outlast Trials Early Access, you can do so by completing our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OutlastTrialsEarlyAccess

The Red Barrels Dev Team