Update: The first major patch for Outriders was not expected to be released until next week, but it was eventually released today, April 9, well ahead of schedule. The patch notes are as follows.

The launch of People Can Fly's loot shooter Outriders was rather like the game itself: by no means a complete goat rodeo, but neither was it smooth. A week after its launch, publisher Square Enix announced plans for the game's near future. They include the first major patch, a fix for the inventory-clearing bug, and a "community appreciation package" to thank players for their patience during the server outage.

All players who log in between March 31 and April 11 will receive a gratitude bundle that includes level-based Legendary weapons, titanium, and a "frustration" emote that is not yet available through other means. ("The irony is unintentional, but fitting," Square Enix said.) Details, including when and how the packages will be distributed, have not yet been detailed.

The bigger issue, as we reported earlier this week, is a fix for a bug that wipes out a player's inventory. Square Enix has stated that the incidence of this bug "should be significantly reduced" with the upcoming patch, so it looks like the problem is not 100% resolved, but the good news is that once the fix is in place, there will also be a "mass restore" event that will recover most of what was lost.

"Items that are disconnected from the game connection before the autosave is complete cannot be restored, as they are not saved in the server's inventory or log. Such an interruption of the autosave can be confirmed by the yellow autosave icon remaining active for an extended period of time," Square Enix notes. Square Enix notes, "Such an autosave interruption can be confirmed by the yellow autosave icon remaining active for an extended period of time."

The developers are also addressing multiplayer connectivity and stability issues, as well as balance changes to reduce loot drops and nerf the Trickster and Technomancer classes. Square Enix stated that the best builds should have an "overpowered feel" but that they want to ensure "build diversity in top-tier builds."

"Since it is unclear whether these changes are too strong or too weak, consider this just a first step. Like you, we hope to see more exciting and crazy combinations of abilities and mods."

A fix for the bug that prevented the GPU from being fully utilized, which caused the DX11/12 performance issues we reported last week, is also in progress.

Patch notes at this time are as follows. Also, be sure to check out our handy list of little tweaks on how to play Outriders more smoothly.

PC and console platforms:

PC-specific: [21]