Leland Coyle isn't just a boss. He's a nightmare in a blue uniform, pacing the halls of the Snitch into the Courthouse with a cattle prod that smells like ozone and burnt hair. If you’re trying to teach the police officer Outlast Trials players a lesson—or more accurately, just survive his patrol—you’ve gotta stop playing like it’s a standard horror game. This isn't Resident Evil. You aren't meant to fight. You're meant to humiliate him through sheer efficiency.
Coyle represents the "Prime Asset" of the early game, and honestly, he’s a massive jerk. He shouts obscenities, he cackles when he shocks you, and he has this annoying habit of showing up exactly when you’re trying to push a heavy cart through a pitch-black corridor. You've probably felt that surge of panic. The red glow of his baton. The sound of his heavy boots. It’s a lot.
But here’s the thing: Coyle is predictable. He’s a programmed set of behaviors wrapped in a terrifying skin. To beat him, you have to understand the map layout of the Police Station and the Courthouse better than he does. You have to use the environment as a weapon.
Why Leland Coyle Is the Toughest Early Hurdle
Most players struggle with Coyle because he’s faster than the standard "Grifters" or "Big Grunts." He has range. That cattle prod can reach you across a desk if you aren't careful. When you're trying to teach the police officer Outlast Trials tactics, you have to account for his verticality too. He can climb. He can vault. He will follow you into the basement of the courthouse and laugh while he does it.
The first time you encounter him in "Kill the Snitch," the game wants you to be scared. It puts you in a wide-open area with limited hiding spots. But look closer. Notice the bricks? The bottles? Those aren't just clutter. They are your primary method of "teaching" him to stay away. A well-timed brick to the back of his head won't kill him—nothing kills the Prime Assets—but it buys you the precious five seconds needed to jump through a hole in the wall.
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Honestly, the hardest part is the audio. Red Barrels, the developers, did a phenomenal job making his voice carry. You’ll hear him shouting about the law from three rooms away. The trick is learning the difference between his "searching" voice and his "spotted you" voice. If he’s just mumbling about "guilty parties," you’re safe. If he screams, run. Don't look back. Just run.
Managing the Shock: The Mechanics of Survival
When Coyle hits you, it’s not just health damage. It’s a stun. Your screen gets fuzzy, your movement slows, and you become a sitting duck for a second hit. This is why "teaching" him involves never letting him get into melee range.
Use the Rig system. If you’re playing solo, the Stun Rig is your best friend. It’s basically a localized EMP that knocks him flat on his butt. While he’s twitching on the floor, you can finish your objective. If you're in a group, someone should be running the Blind Rig. There is nothing more satisfying than watching Coyle charge into a smoke cloud and lose his mind because he can’t see the "criminals" he’s chasing.
Map Knowledge Is Power
The Courthouse map is a circle. Most of the Trials in the game are designed with loops. If Coyle is chasing you through the lobby, don’t run into a dead-end room. Lead him through a vault point, circle back through the side office, and you’ll find yourself right back where you started, but with him far behind.
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- The Basement: Tight corridors. Bad for you. If you hear the hum of his baton, get to a crawlspace immediately.
- The Second Floor: Lots of balconies. You can bait him into climbing up, then jump down. He has to take the stairs or vault, giving you a massive head start.
- The Evidence Room: Great for hiding, but death if you get cornered. Always have an exit strategy.
Advanced Strategies for "Teaching" the Law
You want to really mess with him? Use the environment. The "Police Officer" is susceptible to the same traps you are. If you see a landmine or a hanging noise-maker, you can actually lead him into it. It feels great. You’re the one being hunted, but you’re the one setting the pace.
Another thing: the dark is your ally. Coyle doesn't have night vision goggles. You do (sorta). Keep your battery charged. If you can stay in the shadows and move slowly, he will walk right past you. I’ve had moments where he was close enough for me to smell the digital sweat, but because I stayed crouched behind a desk in a dark corner, he moved on.
Don't Get Greedy
The biggest mistake players make when trying to teach the police officer Outlast Trials lessons is staying at an objective too long. If you’re cranking a valve or pushing the Snitch’s chair, and you hear that heartbeat sound effect get faster? Stop. Drop the objective. Hide.
The progress you made doesn't disappear instantly. It’s better to lose five seconds of progress than to lose a life and have to restart the entire sequence from the last checkpoint. This is especially true on higher difficulties like Program Ultra or during Weekly Challenges where one shock can end your run.
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Rig Upgrades You Actually Need
Forget the X-Ray rig for this. It’s cool to see through walls, but it doesn't stop a 250-pound cop from tasering your kidneys.
- Stun Rig (Expanded Radius): Makes it so you don't have to be precise. Just throw it near him and he’s down.
- Heal Rig (with Poison Gas): If you're the team medic, the upgrade that adds a slow/stun effect to your healing cloud is a literal lifesaver.
- Blind Rig (Duration Increase): Keeps him coughing and waving his arms around for nearly 10 seconds. That’s enough time to finish almost any interaction.
What Most People Get Wrong About Coyle
People think he’s omniscient. He’s not. He follows "sound pings." If you sprint, you create a ping. If you knock over a can, you create a ping. If you close a door loudly, you guessed it—ping.
To effectively teach the police officer Outlast Trials players how to handle him, you have to teach them the art of the "slow walk." Walking (not sprinting) doesn't trigger his long-distance AI. You can actually be surprisingly loud within a certain radius, but once you cross that invisible line of "noise threshold," he’ll lock onto your position like a heat-seeking missile.
Also, lockers are traps. Do not hide in lockers unless you are 100% sure he didn't see you enter the room. The AI in Outlast Trials is smart enough to check hiding spots if it saw you disappear behind a corner. Use the "Hide Under" spots instead; they often provide better lines of sight so you know when the coast is clear.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Trial
- Prioritize the Battery: Before starting any objective that involves Coyle, ensure your night vision is at least 75%. Nothing kills a run faster than being blind while a Prime Asset is chasing you.
- The "Two-Brick" Rule: Always carry at least one brick. If you find a second one, remember its location. Use the first to stun him, and if he catches up again before you reach a safe zone, lead him back to the second brick.
- Crouch-Walk Through Glass: The Courthouse is littered with broken glass. If you’re being hunted, do not walk over it standing up. Crouch-walking over glass is silent. Standing or sprinting over it is a dinner bell for Leland Coyle.
- Clear the Traps Early: Before you trigger the main event (like the final push of the Snitch), run the path and disarm any door traps or floor mines. You don't want to be fleeing Coyle only to get hit by a gas trap that stops you dead in your tracks.
- Focus on the Screaming: Coyle’s dialogue is a gameplay mechanic. If he says "I see you, you little s***!", he has line-of-sight. If he says "Where'd you go?", he's lost you and is searching the last known area. Use these cues to decide whether to keep running or to dive under a desk.