The Outlast Trials‘ next major update is coming on April 22, and with it comes the game’s first foray into user-generated content (UGC). The game’s Trial Maker tools will let players create and share their own missions for others to play alone or in co-op. The patch comes as part of Project Relapse, which follows the story update that came on April 8, in which players could take on an attempted escape from the Murkoff Facility with the help of Amelia, a former prisoner who sought to destroy the whole operation. Spoilers: That escape goes awry, and this season is all about the game’s Big Bad, Dr. Easterman, punishing players for their unruly behavior.
With that comes a new major enemy, The Jaeger, which is a remote-controlled human-machine hybrid that darkly resembles Amelia. It seems Easterman has, uh, recycled the fallen hero’s image. On the topic of offensive imagery, The Outlast Trials will now let players blur its depictions of nudity, which some have requested because of how the game’s plentiful genitals can sometimes get content flagged on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.
The Outlast Trials’ endgame is being reimagined, too, with story reasons to make sense of the change. Ending the “Rebirth” protocol that would give player-characters their “freedom,” Easterman has instead begun the Relapse Initiative, a new mechanic available to players who reach the maximum therapy level, which is increasing from 75 to 99 with Season 3. Relapse Initiative is akin to prestiging in Call of Duty. Players who take on the opportunity will reset to level 1 but will choose one of several permanent upgrades and other rewards for doing so.
In the game’s new UGC mode, players can customize missions with their own Trials, MK-Challenges, and Variators, then share them with the community to take on. As ruthless as the game has been so far, something tells me players will be even harsher on each other.
In addition to those new player-made levels, Season 3 also introduces a new map, the Suburbs, which will get a new Trial (main mission) and two shorter missions in the form of MK-Challenges.
All of this comes to the game on April 22 in The Outlast Trials latest free update on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
