- "Chemical restraints free you from the distractions of your body. Let your mind out the cage!"
- ―The Pusher
The Pusher is one of the antagonists in The Outlast Trials. He is a Specialist Ex-Pops who can be recognized by his gas mask and fumigator, it is also able to be recognized by the sound of the gas tank in dark environments. The Pusher would use his fumigator to shower a Reagent with an incapacitating noxious gas, causing them to enter into a Psychosis state and begin hallucinating the Skinner Man, before rushing out to a nearby exit. To prevent this, the Reagent must find and consume an Antidote to restore all of their remaining sanity.
Background[]
Revealed in Pushers Evidence document, it is uncovered that Pushers were once Murkoff staff that worked at the Sinyala Facility, driven to their state by proximity to the gas used in trials as well as the other Ex-Pop.
Their gas is a mixture of different chemical substances and they are encouraged by Dr. Easterman to make their own 'blend' for the Trials.
Characteristics[]
At random points throughout every Trial, the Pusher emerges from Monster Closet belonging to Murkoff usually near one of the Reagents' location. This is always signaled by a blaring alarm, followed by the Pusher's dialogue. From there, the Pusher will begin looking for nearby Reagents, requiring Reagents to hide from him or flee.
Like normal Ex-Pops, the Pusher can be alerted to a Reagent's presence if he spots them in areas containing bright light or if a Reagent makes too much noise. He has difficulty spotting Reagents in dark areas, making it an option for Reagents to sneak around him. Should the Pusher spot a Reagent, he will begin chasing them at a fast hobbling pace.
Unlike most Ex-Pops, the Pusher under most circumstances cannot harm Reagents with physical attacks. Instead, if a Reagent makes physical contact with him, the Pusher grabs the Reagent and spray them with his noxious gas, draining the Reagent's sanity meter and triggering Psychosis. This can be fatal for Reagents if there are no Antidotes nearby, as the Skinner Man will begin hunting them down.
If the Pusher succeeds in gassing a Reagent, grabs the Reagent but gets kicked by their teammate (unless he does so from the hiding spot), or gives up his search when successfully evaded, he proceeds to run back to the nearest Monster Closet (while ignoring any Reagents he passes by) and temporarily exit the Trial. However, when the unaffected Reagent intercepts his path to the Monster Closet, he will smack them until they move out of his way, similarly to the Screamer and Pouncer when fleeing. When the Pusher decides to head back to the Monster Closet while chasing a Reagent, notices multiple Reagents stick together, or Reagent tries to jump around or vault to avoid his grab, he will instead sprays the gas around him before departing which drains the sanity of any Reagent caught in the radius. Whenever he spins his spray, the first Reagent he was supposed to grab gets triggered in Psychosis regardless of whether they were able to dodge it or not. Once the Pusher has exited the Trial, he will not be present for a period of time before being sent back in by Murkoff.
If the Pusher notices a nearby incapacitated Reagent or had one blocking his path, he performs his own execution on them.
Story[]
The Outlast Trials[]
After a Reagent explores the Mansion for a while, the Pusher bursts through a door and knocks the Reagent over. He grabs the Reagent and gasses them before departing with laughter, introducing the Reagent to the effects of Psychosis and, by extension, the Skinner Man.
In each Trial, the Pusher is periodically dispatched by Murkoff via Monster Closets near one of Reagents' location to impede their progress by means of damaging their minds with his gas, providing a supporting role to the Prime Assets and other Ex-Pops. This leads to them being either a small annoyance or distraction, to a large issue from the gas released that can force players to leave entire areas to avoid the Skinner Man.
At April 11, 1960 - during the Project Countdown, the unconscious Pusher was found without his gas mask.[3] During his interrogation concerning the missing fourth Reagent, he did not provide any relevant information, instead offering nonsensical statements, such as claiming that a "snake's skeleton was made from the bones of a human hand."[2]
Personality[]
The Pusher is a delusional, cackling maniac, pretending to be a doctor or exterminator while pursuing Reagents with his gas. He makes crude references to medicine and recreational drugs as a way to menace the Reagents, and is shown to be recreationally addicted to his gas with offhand comments about chemically induced hallucinations. He also lashes out Reagents when they resist his urge to "cure" them. The Pusher seems to be aware of the mind-altering effects of his gas, yet he takes a sadistic delight in using it to break people's minds, believing a state of intoxication to be a form of "freedom". He also has urged the Reagents "to be cool" upon starting a chase, showing he is both aware of their knowledge to the gas and enjoys tormenting them with it.
Physical description[]
The Pusher is an emaciated man who wears nothing but a gas mask, bloodied and tattered brown overalls and bloodied white underwear. His body is covered in several infected lesions, even having developed tumors on the top of his head and on the back of his legs. He walks with a visible limp, requiring two leg braces to be pierced through his lower legs. The Pusher is always seen carrying his weapon of choice: a pressure sprayer that is connected by tubing to a gas tank he carries on his back. The Pusher's gas comes out of his sprayer in the form of a bright green cloud.
Player death animation[]
While near an incapacitated Reagent, the Pusher will shove the nozzle of his pressure sprayer in the Reagents' face and spray copious amounts of gas down their throat, suffocating them to death.
Balance Changes[]
October 26, 2023 (Early Access Update # 3 / Program Geister)
March 5, 2024 (Full Release)
July 16, 2024 (Season 1 / Project Lupara)
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Trivia[]
- "Pusher" is a colloquial term for drug dealers who "push" people to take drugs for their own profit. This befits the Pusher's habit of trying to force Reagents to consume his gas as if it were a recreational drug.
- He is always switching his views of his equipment being positive or negative, viewed through his dialogue when hit with a throwable object, to which he complains about how heavy the tank is.
- The gas mask used by the Pusher appears to be primarily based on a World War II-era British civilian respirator. However, the eye lenses are larger, the filter element is slightly longer, and the mask is green.
- In one of his dialogues, he stated that his real name is Frank.
- Both Frank the Pusher and Frank Antonio Manera from Outlast Whistleblower not only share a first name, but also the commonality of engaging in recreational drug usage.
- His document indicates that he was deluded by the Skinner Man, yet when he chases the Reagent, he also appears to harbor a fear of the Skinner Man, trying to reassure himself of his non-existence.
- In one of the unused dialogues from the female scientists, she states that the Pusher has a wife and his last name is DeThomas.
- Pusher and Imposters cannot appear in trials with the Prime Time and Franco Barbi variator.
- During the early access, Pusher used to have maniacal laughs whenever he was deployed from the monster closet or successfully drugged the Reagent. These were replaced with newer dialogues after the first Program Geister update.
References[]
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