Many will object to the Harbinger Trickster's existence in Outriders. To say that the community had made this build a laughingstock would be an understatement. Turning a melee damage machine into a tank when there is already a class in the game that tanks perfectly well is a logical objection. But if the community is so concerned about logic, they should get all of their facts straight first.
The bottom line is that while the other two builds for the Trickster class do much more damage, survival on Enoch isn't about big numbers. Glass cannons are, after all, still made of glass. The Harbinger build doesn't worry about what other players think, it focuses on survival through shields. And, because the damage is still better than the Warden Devastator, it makes for an enjoyable tanking experience when soloing missions in Outriders.
Updated on July 7th, 2022 by Hodey Johns: Many will look at the new endgame content, new weapons, and additional talent trees and already get a sense of how the builds have updated since Worldslayer. But this is only a fraction of the equation. The new foes and bosses employ different moves and tactics. These types of targets should not be a second-hand consideration. This build has been updated to account for the new opponents, giving players the skills and gear that best counters anything Worldslayer has to throw at them.
Class Points
Node | Points | Effect Per Point |
Concentration | 4 | +6% Anomaly Power |
Disturbance Coating | 1 | +15% Resistance Piercing |
Anomaly Scything | 1 | Melee attacks increase Anomaly Power by 30% for 5 seconds |
Against The Odds | 1 | Reloading a weapon deals damage and interrupts nearby enemies when surrounded |
Countershield | 1 | Activating a Deception skill increases Anomaly Power by 50% for 5 seconds |
Wither Scything | 1 | Melee attacks apply weakness |
Shield's Timeline | 3 | -30% Shield Degradation |
Shield's Increment | 2 | +10% Shield Gain |
Anomaly Persistence | 2 | +10% Health |
Singularity | 1 | 15% Deception skill cooldown |
Profit Squared | 1 | Ammo pickups heal 5% of max Health |
Dualshield | 1 | 6% Damage Mitigation while Shield is active |
Disruption Shield | 1 | Deceptions skills grant a 20% Shield |
There is a necessary dip into the Reaper tree to gather some Anomaly, Deception, and Melee damage buffs. Considering how higher Apocalypse Tiers work, this can help players do enough damage at the highest tiers of play. This is a good amount of damage, but not what makes the build special.
The key to the Harbinger is all about the Shield, which negates the need for Health, Armor, and Resistance so long as at least some form of shield is up. If it sounds tanky, it is, the Harbinger can absolutely go toe-to-toe with most Devastators and remain alive. With better damage than most Devastators, this makes for an attractive tank in most groups.
Pax Points
Node | Effect |
Triggerman | Damage increased by 15% for every skill on cooldown |
Lies, Deception | Activating a deception skill grants a 15% shield every 1 second for 4 seconds |
Fail-Safe Protocols | When health drops below 30%, get a 50% shield and 20% damage mitigation for 3 seconds, can be triggered every ten seconds |
Goals Beyond Understanding | Damage done to elites tagged with deception skills has a 25% chance to increase by 200% |
Meticulous Schemer | Killing enemies tagged with deception skills does 200% damage to other tagged enemies |
As though the Harbinger needed more survivability, Lies, Deception gives the Harbinger permanent shields every second. Yes, it only occurs after using a deception skill, but those who follow this guide will find that boils down to 100% of the time.
The highlight here isn't just damage mitigation, there are two eye-popping 200% damage boosts as well that deal with deception skills. The build is plenty tanky, yet players may find they need firepower to survive more encounters. This is more than enough to satisfy those needs.
Ascension Points
- Most important nodes: Anomaly Damage, Anomaly Power
- Most important category: Endurance
The nature of Ascension points is that every class and build, given the time to farm, can max out every node. So this build only provides an accurate starting point for gamers. After that, the rest of these points have more to do with luxury than necessity.
Considering this build is supposed to tank, going straight for the Endurance category may seem like a bright idea. It's not the worst thought, but do grab some buffs to Anomaly damage along the way as this will deal not just more damage, but translate to better shields too.
Skill Selection
Venator's Knife | Throw a knife at an enemy that can ricochet up to four additional times (five total enemies hit). The next time any such enemy is hit, they will be slowed and take double damage. |
Time Rift | Release a shockwave that suspends enemies in the air for 3.5 seconds and inflicts Weakness. |
Slow Trap | Inflicts Slow on enemies and projectiles for 10 seconds. |
Worldslayer opens up another world for the Harbinger. Instead of sacrificing the smooth gameplay for bits of weapon damage, it can fully focus on Anomaly damage. Because of its need for shields, it's best to get all three Deception skills for survivability.
By throwing Veneratror's Knife, Harbingers will gain a shield, do damage, and then prime enemy units for a flurry of hits. The Slow status is crippling to enemies who will have a difficult time turning to face the Trickster.
Time Rift is another Deception ability, meaning it will also give a shield to the Trickster. This is perhaps the most potent crowd control move in the game as it leaves enemies Weak and defenseless for a full 3.5 seconds. Any class build, good or bad, will be able to take advantage of such a disable.
Being surrounded by enemies is a risky proposition for the Harbinger Trickster. Slow Trap will keep enemies nearby but prevent them from getting close enough to attack, perfect for being technically surrounded, which gives many boosts to the build.
Weapon & Mods
Weapon | Aerie Master |
Mod 1 | Weightlessness |
Mod 2 | Shield Maiden |
Mod 3 | Ultimate Stiffening |
The Harbinger is the best friend of any damage dealer and this Aerie Master solidifies that. It will hold opponents in the air, disabling them from moving or attacking. Other characters will pile on the damage during these moments when an enemy is stuck in place.
Shield Maiden is an unorthodox level one mod that is easy to acquire. But it adds Shield to every attack and no character can utilize this as well as the Harbinger. Co-op gameplay on the PS5 is a delight with certain games, and with a Harbinger as a pal, it's even better.
Armor & Mods
Head | Trespasser’s Cowl |
Mod 1 | Delivery On Time |
Mod 2 | Long Range |
Torso | Trespasser’s Armor |
Mod 1 | Damage Mitigation |
Mod 2 | Ultimate Big Range |
Legs | Trespasser’s Britches |
Mod 1 | And Another One |
Mod 2 | A Little Bit of Pain |
Hands | Trespasser’s Talons |
Mod 1 | Pain Transfer |
Mod 2 | Double Time |
Feet | Trespasser’s Boots |
Mod 1 | Geiger's Wave |
Mod 2 | Weakening Zone |
The Harbinger gets lucky. The legendary Trespasser set makes the Trickster inside of Slow Trap impervious to death. Beyond that, the mods mostly all boost Time Rift and Slow Trap, two of the three core abilities of the Harbinger.
The one problematic mod is the first slot in the boots, but it is easily replaced. Take it out and put in Geiger's Wave, which also adds the Vulnerable condition to enemies hit by a Time Rift.
Outriders is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.