How to avoid dying in Outlast

Some tips and tactics to survive Outlast.

How to avoid bad situations

This guide contains some spoilers! These tips work on normal mode. I’m not absolutely sure if they all work on other modes too (but mostly, they should). I’ve written down everything I can remember about surviving in Outlast. I have learned most of the tricks from Youtubers and by experimenting myself; I just decided to compile a list here.

First off, here are a few tips on how to prevent yourself from getting into a bad situation. There’s no health (you'll die after three hits on normal if regeneration hasn't happened) or sanity system to worry about. Only batteries.

1) Use your camera wisely
Enabling night vision drains your battery pretty quickly, in a minute or two. So use the night vision when absolutely necessary. Without night vision, the battery does not drain. This is very important because the camera is essential to your survival and there are pitch-black areas in the game. The enemies won’t spot you any more easily if you have your camera in use but they can see and hear you even in the dark. If you run out of batteries, it’s better to kill yourself. When you spawn, you’ll have one full battery. The game does not punish you for dying in any way except for you restarting from a checkpoint, which are generously given.

2) Avoid every living being
Don't go near anyone. Simple. Some people might look harmless but will attack you if you come too close. Sometimes it’s an unavoidable and frustrating insta-death. Some NPCs might seem non-hostile at first but after triggering a certain event, they will suddenly be on your tail. So watch your back and know your potential enemy's location to avoid unpleasant surprises. More often than not this won't happen, but it's better to be overly careful. You don't have to worry about people lying on the ground or on the bed though, they won't jump at you but their noisiness can attract the real enemies. There are also a few of story-related characters (like the Pyromaniac) that might look intimidating but mean no harm.

3) Have a good idea of your whereabouts
Keep in mind your escape routes, hiding places, objectives, and sense of direction. There are practically no maps in Outlast with only a few exceptions, but you don't need them; linearity makes the navigation quite simple, although you need to be capable of fast thinking. Know where you’re going and slowly approach it. It’s better to be stealthy rather than run around like a fool. You have the ”peeking” buttons (Q/E by default) in the game so use them. Some sections require you to complete a task by turning, for example, two valves located on opposite sides of the area, and the game doesn’t autosave in between so you really should avoid dying.

Enemies

Enemy behavior
The enemies' main behavior consists of three stages: they are unaware of you and roam the area, they are aware of your presence and search for you, they see you and chase you. There are chase sequences and stealth sections in Outlast but the whole game can be completed without stealth if you know your stuff. The main character runs as fast as any enemy so speed is not a problem.

On normal mode, enemies will break the door after six hits and search the room probably checking one or to lockers, beds etc. They patrol around the area in certain patterns and it’s quite easy to predict this. They go from point A to point B and if nothing distracts them, they will do the same thing over and over again. One great tip is to hide whenever you grab a key item because the enemies appear usually after making progress. If an enemy spots you and starts chasing you, I recommend that you go into a room with a few hiding spots, close the door behind you and hide. The AI is programmed to usually open the locker/check the bed next to you so you should be fine.

By the way, I know from personal experience that on hard mode the enemies might block your escape route and wait for you to come out if they know you are in the room. This happened to me once and I don't know if it was a bug or not... But you don't have to worry about that if you are on the normal.

None of the enemies can get into the air vent so you are safe in there. The same goes with narrow openings and holes on the ground due to their restricted animations. So if you are running away from a bat-wielding maniac, jumping over a gap provides safety. But. The only exception to this rule is the Walrider, since it can squeeze into confined spaces. But even the Walrider cannot fit into the air vent despite the game making you assume so.

In big, open and dark areas, it is advised to stay near the corners. This tactic usually works if you are slow and stealthy because the enemies have no reason to check the corners unless they know you're there. They roam the central parts of the area like the fat guy (Chris Walker) in the sewers. Just don't make my mistake and run in the water - you'll make too much noise despite the liquid causing him to deviate from his path. So dark corners can be surprisingly safe if you stay still or move quietly.

I suppose that sometimes the enemies pick the hiding spots randomly, like the doctor in Male Ward. He chooses to check two beds at random but then he keeps checking those same spots or walks in circles until the player moves.


Patients
At least half of the enemies are crazy patients of Mount Massive Asylum. They are scattered everywhere in the game, majority of whom mean no harm but the rest are even more aggressive. They often carry bats or similar weapons and are of the same models with disfigured faces and weird dialogues. There's really nothing to say about them.


Chris Walker
You will meet this fat guy quite often. The first indicator of his approach are the sound of chains attached to his ankles and wrists, his heavy breathing and an even heavier soundtrack which are helpful in detecting him. This guy will literally rip your head off with bare arms but he still damages you as much as anyone else.


Richard Trager
The doctor appears for a short time but it's a good time. He carries those large scissors (I don't what they are called) and will pierce you like a toast if you aren't careful. This guy is very memorable in terms of his appearance and speech as he will babble on about all kind of nonsense.


The Twins
The Twins are not very dangerous and won’t start chasing you despite their threats but they will kill you if you get too close. You can basically ignore them but keep your distance. And remember; there are two of them. If you see one, the other is somewhere nearby.


The Walrider
I’d say Walrider is the most dangerous enemy since it’s very persistent and fast. Once it starts chasing you, it always knows where you are so don’t hide. I made this mistake and it just dragged me out without leaving me any chances to escape. Run, run and run. You are fast enough to get away as long as there's enough distance between you two. The tactics I told you about before won't work with the Walrider (with the exception of the door trick). But this creature can fit through any crevice without needing to open the door so the door you close stays closed. I’ve realized that this thing can catch you in the air too; I was doing the toilet cubicle trick and failed. It’s very hard to pinpoint the Walrider because it only takes its ”human” form when close enough. When your screen becomes dark and blurry, you know it’s closing in. The only places it can’t enter are the gas chambers and air vents.

Basically, everyone else besides these last two enemy types are as ”dangerous”. They can see and hear normally and there’s nothing of importance in their behavior. Of course, on higher difficulties, some enemies deal more damage than others but I’m not here to talk about that. If I have given you incorrect information, please, point that out!

Doors and lockers

Lockers
If you are hiding in a locker and the enemy knows you’re there, he will immediately come to you and open the locker. You have to get out of the locker before this happens! You might be lucky enough to clip through him without taking damage. The enemy gets confused as you run straight through him and needs a second to recover.

Cell doors & Normal doors
The same tactic works with cell doors that are not breakable. This is because the enemy must open the door and the animation takes a couple of seconds, which gives you enough time to slip away (and if you are fast enough, slam the door in his face to slow him down even more). This might not be a fail-safe plan for normal doors because the enemies break through and you usually get hit in the process if you stand right in their way. The cell doors are still not as safe as the normal ones because the enemies open them faster.

Double doors
Go through one door and then close it behind you. Make sure that both of the doors are closed. When the enemy starts breaking the one you just closed behind you, open the other one and run. The enemy is supposed to continue destroying the door (because of the animations) but I’ve experienced that sometimes he can have a change of heart. So this might not always work but at least it can buy you some time.

Dead ends

However, if you find yourself stuck in a dead end with a maniac in front of you, don’t panic:

1) Narrow spaces
In case of not having any hiding places nearby, press ”crouch” button (Ctrl by default) repeatedly so that you crouch and stand up very quickly. By doing this, the AI will get confused and won't know how to respond to your actions. This way you can easily pass the enemy by moving forward and standing up/crouching simultaneously. Yes, it can be a bit tough for your fingers. Just remember to tap quickly enough because stopping even for a short period of time will allow the enemy to hit you. Once you have put some distance between you and the enemy, you can stand up and start running.

For those who are feeling confident, there's also a quicker (and much harder) way to deal with being cornered. You can let the enemy get close to you, wait for him to strike and then (when the striking animation starts) jump back or to the side so you don't get hit. But you have to jump because otherwise your character isn't fast enough to dodge an attack from close distance. After a blow, the enemy needs a second or two to recover so it’s your chance to escape. Though, it’s very hard to get it right, the timing is important. Even the most skilled players sometimes fail to do this so I recommend the first tactic.

2) Rooms with no hiding places
What to do if you are trapped in a room with only one door leading out and an enemy is trying to enter your place? Before the enemy breaks down the door, position yourself right next to the door and wait for the enemy to come in. Then quickly run past him to escape (you usually can't avoid being seen). The enemy jumps forward when entering the room after the final hit leaving you enough space to get away. This works nearly every time but you have to be quick.

This guy shows you how to play like a pro (contains spoilers). He has some other videos too.

Environment is your advantage

Obstacles
You are running through a narrow corridor and you need to change direction but someone is chasing you. If possible, find an obstacle (like a rolled-over bed or table) to jump over and wait on the other side. When the enemy is about to jump over the obstacle, get quickly to the other side. You know, the enemy can't change an animation on the go so use that to your advantage. The timing is important, otherwise you’ll just find yourself stuck between the enemy and the obstacle or get kicked in the face.

Toilets
If you are in a toilet cubicle and you've been detected, the best idea is to climb over the cubicle by pressing ”jump” (space by default) near the wall. The AI will be confused and start opening the doors after you. That’s why closing them will buy you some time to escape. You can also wait inside the cubicle, let the enemy open the door, and when the opening animation is still going on, you can run past/through it and shut the door in its face. It works the same way with the cell doors.

Holes
If you are crawling through a narrow hole and the enemy is breathing down your neck, you can try pressing ”jump” (space by default) to get faster to the other side. Of course, you must have crawled enough to have the space to do so but this might save you from the last few inches. The crawling animation is fairly slow, I’ve got grabbed by my ankle many times.

Water
There's only one water section in the whole game. Your movements slow down considerably when you are in the water and the enemy is faster than you. So if you are detected, you are dead. Normally. You can evade this by constantly pressing ”jump” (space by default) and moving around in the water. This way you'll be as fast as the enemy if not even faster. You will eventually ”outrun” him and he will lose track of you.

Beds
When an AI is chasing you, it can be better to duck under a bed and get out from the other side (or even wait for them to drag you out if you want to pass them and get hit once). The enemy must go around the bed to get you because they can’t climb. Of course, you can hop over the bed too but standing on a bed won’t prevent them from hitting you.

[gant696t04]

Hello's Videos are the best honestly. Especially his Z-Kai zone ones.

[Shiki]

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[clawfan]

thank you