The Outlast Trials How to Play: Beginner Tips & Setup Guide

Quick Guide

The Outlast Trials is a co-op survival-horror game for 1-4 players set in Murkoff's Cold War experiments
Core loop: complete objectives, manage noise, avoid enemies, and reach extraction alive
Best beginner strategy: prioritize stealth over speed, and split tasks with teammates
Key equipment: Rigs like Stun, Heal, X-Ray, and Barricade define your role in the team
Critical tip: save healing items and Rig charges for the final escape, when pressure peaks

How to Play The Outlast Trials: The Basics

The Outlast Trials drops you into the Murkoff Corporation's Cold War-era experiment program as a Reagent, a test subject forced to complete dangerous trials in hostile environments. You can play solo or with up to three friends in online co-op, and success depends on planning routes, managing noise, using items carefully, and helping downed teammates recover.

Every trial follows the same fundamental structure: enter the environment, complete a sequence of objectives under enemy patrol pressure, and reach the exit. There is no combat in the traditional sense. You cannot kill your pursuers; you can only avoid, distract, or briefly disable them. This makes awareness and preparation more valuable than reflexes.

Video Highlights:

Official 1.0 launch trailer showing the core co-op experience
Look at trial environments, enemies, and the Murkoff facility
Overview of the tone and pressure the game builds around

Start With the Right Mindset

New Reagents often fail because they treat the game like a shooter. Think of every trial as a heist: study the layout, move quietly, and only commit to an objective when the path is clear.

The Trial Loop: Step-by-Step

Each run through a trial follows a repeatable sequence. Master this loop and you will consistently survive even unfamiliar maps.

Choose a Trial and Read the Objective

Select a Trial from the available programs and review the objective before entering. Most Trials require several tasks completed in sequence before the exit opens. Identify the main objective, optional tasks, key rooms, locked doors, and possible escape routes so your team never repeats completed work.

Search for Useful Resources

Explore rooms and side areas for batteries, healing items, antidotes, bottles, bricks, and lockpicks. Inventory space is limited, so carry a mix of defensive, healing, and utility items, and avoid wasting lockpicks and batteries early unless they provide a clear advantage.

Use Stealth to Avoid Chases

Crouch, control your movement, and manage noise. Breaking line of sight and hiding is often safer than outrunning an enemy through unknown territory. Close doors behind you, avoid sprinting except to escape danger, and use lockers, beds, and darkness to break enemy searches.

Complete Objectives as a Team

Divide responsibilities without becoming isolated. One player interacts with an objective while another watches entrances or prepares an escape route. Communicate enemy positions clearly and regroup after each major task before entering a new section.

Reach the Exit and Manage the Escape

After the primary objective is complete, navigate to extraction. Save Rig charges and healing items for this phase, because enemy pressure often increases near the end of a Trial. Confirm everyone knows the exit direction and never stop moving in exposed areas.

Do Not Rush Revives

Reviving a downed teammate in an unsafe area frequently creates a second downed player. Secure the space first, or use a Stun Rig to create a safe revive window.

Stealth Fundamentals and Enemy Avoidance

Enemies in The Outlast Trials are built around avoidance, not confrontation. Each threat type punishes a different mistake, and knowing their patterns is the difference between extraction and failure.

Enemy	Type	Key Behavior	Escape Strategy
Leland Coyle	Prime Asset	Stun baton, close-range, reacts to noise and movement	Break sight around corners, use doors and loops
Mother Gooseberry	Prime Asset	Drill weapon, pressures objective rooms	Use rooms with multiple exits, split when targeted
Franco Barbi	Prime Asset	Powerful close-range attacks in narrow spaces	Keep an exit route, throw distractions early
Pusher	Special Ex-Pop	Gas attack that impairs players	Leave the cloud immediately, use Antidote if needed
Berserker	Special Ex-Pop	Aggressive melee, punishes low stamina	Break line of sight, avoid straight-line sprints
Big Grunt	Heavy Ex-Pop	Strong melee, controls key routes	Use wide loops and doors between you and him
The Skinner Man	Psychological Threat	Hallucination-like pressure that disrupts navigation	Stay calm, maintain your route, do not waste items

Hiding Works, But Not Forever

Enemies search hiding spots near where they lost you. Break line of sight first, then hide, and be ready to move again if the patrol checks your location.

Rigs, Builds, and Team Roles

Rigs are your active support tools and define your role in a team. No single Rig is mandatory for every Trial, so match your choice to what the group needs.

Rig	Role	Best For	Team Value
Stun Rig	Crowd control, emergency escape	Solo, duos, high-pressure objectives	Excellent
Heal Rig	Team recovery, sustained survival	Duos, four-player teams, long Trials	Excellent
X-Ray Rig	Information, route planning	Solo, map learning, objective teams	Very good
Barricade Rig	Area denial, defense	Duos, four-player teams, objective defense	Very good

Silent Infiltrator

Rig: X-Ray
Amps: Noise Reduction, Incognito, Slide
Best for solo stealth and quiet objective work

Emergency Rescuer

Rig: Stun
Amps: Strong Arm, Last Chance, Self Defense
Best for revives and risky rescues in groups

Field Medic

Rig: Heal
Amps: Hide and Heal, Regeneration
Best for team support on Hard to Ultra

Progress Efficiently

The fastest progression comes from completing trial objectives cleanly rather than farming random encounters. Escape alive first; chase optional evidence only when the route is safe.

Co-op Communication and New Player Checklist

Coordination separates successful squads from wiped ones. Use voice chat, call out enemy positions, and agree on who handles which objective before splitting up. Rotate through trials with active bonuses, but keep one familiar Trial as a reliable fallback for practice and steady XP.

Situation	Recommended Response
Enemy patrolling objective room	Wait, watch the patrol pattern, commit when it moves away
Teammate downed	Clear or stun the threat before reviving
Loud interaction required	Position a lookout and identify a hiding spot first
Exit opened	Regroup, confirm direction, move without stopping
Gas attack hitting an ally	Move out of the cloud, then heal or apply Antidote

New Reagent Checklist:

Complete your first Trial on a lower difficulty
Unlock and upgrade one dependable Rig
Learn two maps well enough to plan routes
Practice breaking line of sight and hiding
Finish a full Trial without a single death

Spend Resources Wisely

Do not spend all your Murkoff Dollars on cosmetics early. Invest first in one Rig and a small set of Amps that support your preferred role before expanding into other builds.

FAQ

Q: Can I play The Outlast Trials solo?

Yes. The game fully supports solo play, and builds like the Silent Infiltrator (X-Ray Rig with stealth Amps) are designed for it. Solo runs demand stricter route planning and quieter movement, since no teammate can revive you.

Q: How do I play The Outlast Trials with friends?

Form a group of up to four players through the lobby and matchmaking systems, then select a Trial together. Divide objectives, assign a lookout during loud interactions, and communicate enemy positions constantly. The official Discord is a good place to find teammates.

Q: Can I fight or kill enemies?

No. You cannot kill enemies in The Outlast Trials. Your options are avoidance, distraction with thrown bottles and bricks, barricading doors, and briefly disabling enemies with the Stun Rig. Every encounter is about escaping, not winning.

Q: What should I unlock first as a new player?

Focus your Therapy Tokens on one dependable Rig, preferably Stun for solo players or Heal for team players, plus a small group of Amps supporting a single playstyle. A focused build is easier to learn than several partially upgraded ones.