Welcome, Reagent!

Getting to Level 99 can become a bit of a chore as you progress - once you hit the late 70s, progression can become quite slow. Jumping into the higher difficulties can of course yield greater XP gains, but at what cost? Perhaps you're not quite ready for Psychosurgery just yet?

Well, don't worry!

This method takes advantage of a map that is fairly short and quite easy to run. While the route to the objective may change each run, the objective itself remains in the same place. So before you begin, it's not a bad idea to have a couple of runs of the level first, just to familiarise yourself with the layout and where to find the objective.

The mission in question is SABOTAGE THE LOCKDOWN, which takes place in the Police Station.



The objective for this one is to carry the gasoline to the generator at the other side of the map. The player will encounter locked doors, traps and our all time favourite cop, Coyle. Other than that, the only other enemy you will encounter in this map is the occasional Pusher.

In order to achieve the maximum amount of XP, we first need to understand how XP is awarded in The Outlast Trials so we can establish how to best setup our runs.

There are four main areas that will award XP in this particular farm:

• Trial Completed
  
• Grade
  
• Performance
  
• Secondary Objective Completed

The Trial Completed and Secondary Objective Completed XP reward is fixed, with each one awarding +250 XP.

However, the XP gains from Grade and Performance will vary depending on how well you did during the trial - we want to be aiming for an A+ rank to get the highest possible reward (+300 XP).

Nebula_Bebula made an amazing guide, outlining how the scoring system works to help you understand how to achieve that A+ rank. You can check out their very detailed breakdown of the scoring system, here: https://test1.login.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3599611386
But for the most part, to achieve an A+, you will want to complete the secondary objective, avoid taking any form of damage or setting off any traps. Don't worry if you get hit 2-3 times, or walk into a couple sound traps, it won't immediately drop your rank.

Performance on the other hand, is a little bit different. The XP reward can scale up to a maximum of +2000 XP! Your performance is based on the number of positive actions in the map, minus any negatives - throwing bricks & bottles, headshotting enemies, hiding in lockers, breaking down locked doors, destroying traps, completing the secondary objective, using your rig and the list goes on, these are all positive actions. These can be seen in the Performance Evaluation screen at the end of each mission - actions in Black are positive, while those in Red are negative.

Now that we understand the basics, let's get into it.

You should attempt this mission in Introductory difficulty, this will ensure only one enemy, Coyle, is found in the map with the occasional Pusher spawning every so often so it is a great way to maximise your chances of achieving an A+ Rank and can focus on building up your Performance Bonus without too many distractions.

Before you begin, it's a good idea to equip the X-Ray Rig (optional).



The X-Ray Rig has the shortest cooldown of all the rigs, and can be very useful for finding the Posters for the secondary objective (once you obtain the upgrade to locate intel of course!). The idea is you continue to spam your Rig once it is ready to boost your XP gains. This can be done up to 25 times before scoring no longer increases. You also gain a bonus for every item / poster you collect whilst under the effects of the X-Ray.



Hop into the level and begin transporting the Gasoline towards the objective. Keeping an eye out for Bottles and Bricks along the way (with Bricks being preferred). Throwing bottles to distract or even attack enemies will boost your score, they're also useful for breaking traps too which will net you more points as you progress through the map.



Ideally, try to save one or two bricks towards the end, as you can simply aim at your feet and throw them, pick them back up and keep throwing them to gain extra score while you wait for shuttle to arrive (up to a maximum of 25 times) as bricks won't break unless they hit an enemy, a lock or a trap.



This one's important if you want a nice XP bonus and is almost essential for the A+ Rank. If you are playing solo, you only need to collect three. Whereas if you are playing in a group, you will need to collect five. These are scattered randomly throughout the level and are not always easy to spot. And as above, if you are using the X-Ray Rig with the intel upgrade, you can see these a lot clearer (and through walls!).



If you come across a door with a lock, make sure it is locked then simply bash your way through the door. Each time you do so, you will receive bonus points from the "Bashed Locked Doors" positive action. This can only be done once per door however, as in doing so, the lock is broken away from the door once someone bashes into it.



If you see the little red light on the door, hold down the action button and move towards it to slowly open the door, you can then disarm the battery on the other side for more points.



Keep an eye out for hiding spots too (lockers/desks etc.), you can hop in, then hop out and back in again and repeat (up to 25 times) to gain further score. All this can be done whilst you move towards the objective, and there will be plenty of hiding spots on this difficulty.

After you start the generator, the exit route will open and you can head towards the shuttle. While you wait, there are two lockers nearby you can use to increase your hiding spot score. Or if you held onto a brick or two, as above, throw them at your feet a few times to get the Used Bricks/Bottles score. Wait for Coyle to catch up to you and you can always use those bricks to headshot him for some extra points too!

It may take 2-3 practice runs to get the rhythm going, but once you're set, you can achieve the maximum score with each run taking around ~5 minutes each. Of course, this will vary depending on RNG - you are at the mercy of locked doors, poor poster placement for the secondary objective or Coyle being Coyle at the worst times.

Here is a quick rundown of how to achieve 2,800 XP in ~5 minutes in the SABOTAGE THE LOCKDOWN trial:

• Equip the X-Ray Rig (optional) - fastest recharge, spam it as you run through. It can help with posters too if you have the intel upgrade unlocked.
  
  
• Begin the level, grab the Gasoline and head in the direction of the generator. Make sure to be looking and grabbing posters along the way.
  
  
• Look out for bricks and bottles. Ideally keep a brick or two for the end of the level while you wait for the shuttle to arrive (plus to throw at Coyle for the headshot bonus).
  
  
• Use bottles for distractions, floor traps or throw at NPCs.
  
  
• Hide in lockers a few times, I usually do ~10 to be on the safe side.
  
  
• Look for door traps, disarming them gives XP.
  
  
• MUST do secondary objective for the A+ rank and +250 XP bonus.
  
  
• While you wait for the shuttle, throw bricks at your feet, pick them up and throw again (repeat).
  
  
• Two lockers are outside the shuttle too if you need to get the hiding bonus up.
  
  
• Throw remaining bricks/bottles at Coyle before departing (headshot ideally).
  
  
• Repeat!

Good luck with your runs, I hope this guide was useful and a big thank you to Nebula_Bebula for their in-depth guide on the scoring system.

Feel free to leave any suggestions or general feedback in the comments!