Looters and shooters are holding their breath for Borderlands 3, which will be released on September 13, 2019.
It’ll be a timed exclusive for six months on Epic Games Store, which caused Steam users to “review bomb” Borderlands to show their frustration.
Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford calls the game a “love letter to fans”, but he’s also accused of psychically assaulting the voice actor behind the beloved character Claptrap. So, let's unpack this love letter and see if it’s the real deal or just a late night “u up?” text.
10. New Planets
More planets, more problems…and side missions.
For the first time ever we are getting off Pandora and traveling to new planets, “each featuring unique environments to explore”. This should come at no surprise, in the final cut scene of Borderlands 2, Lilith declares, “We have to find the vaults before they fall into the wrong hands… and that means leaving Pandora”.
Why we’re excited about this:
- -New types of enemies native to each planet.
- -Seeing the variety of art design; from the high tech city of Promethea, to the Louisiana swamp inspired Eden 6.
- -If you’re getting stuck in one spot, blastoff to another planet with a new style of gameplay.
9. Instance looting
This loot is your loot, this loot is my loot, this loot was made for you and me.
In an interview at the Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal, creative director Paul Sage said, “I want to remove the barriers in (co-op) gaming”. They’ve accomplished a big part of this is by adding instance looting; which scales each players loot depending on their level. Enemy levels will scale as well, so even if you’re at level one you can still hop in a game with your friend who’s level fifteen; and not just be a useless meat shield.
Why we’re excited about this:
- -Being able to pick up a controller and play co-op with a friend instantly.
- -Don’t have to fight over who gets the good loot, everybody gets their own. Wait is this communism?
- -The ability to turn instance looting off, and play in classic mode if you want to gain the system and “power level up” characters.
8. More Distinct Gun Brands
More brand integration than an instagram model.
With “over one billion guns in Borderlands 3” it’s important that each has a unique feel. All of the nine gun manufactures have unique perks for their weapons. Some are continuations from Borderlands 2, but most are new features, like guns sprouting legs to shoot down bandits.
Why we’re excited about this:
- -Playing around with different brands to find our favorites.
- -Intriguing new gadgets like infinite ammo, ricocheting bullets, and weapon mounted shields.
- -Sheer variety in guns makes looting more rewarding.
7. Alternate Firing Modes
Change the firing modes to best match your circumstances.
Most guns will have alternate firing modes. Yea there’s the ability to switch between burst fire and full auto (yawn); what’s more exciting is the imaginative creations like a gun inspired by The Fifth Element.
Why we’re excited about this:
- -Adding depth and variety to the absurd amount of guns.
- -“Fifth Element gun” that first shoots out a tracking dart with each bullet following after that, no matter where you aim.
- -Ability to switch between elemental damage types, dealing the most effective immediately.
6. Revamped FPS Mechanics
Borderlands’ shooting is being brought into the modern age.
Gearbox creative director admits, “We spent a lot of time looking at different shooters”, which is in an effort to bring the FPS elements up to modern standards. They’ve apparently rebuilt the entire system, and from early reports it’s feeling on par with games like Destiny and The Division.
Why we’re excited about this:
- -Little things like able to slide and mount up walls add more life to movement.
- -Feeling the weight and impact of firing a weapon, which has been lacking in Borderlands.
- -We know looting is going to be top notch, if the shooting can match that Borderlands 3 would become the standard in looter shooters once again.
5. Sanctuary 3
Home is where your favorite NPCs are.
Sanctuary is home base where you can trade, get extra side missions, and travel to different planets. Most of the classic NPC’s like Mad Moxxi and Sir Hammerlock will be housed in this spaceship.
Why we’re excited about this:
- - Sanctuary 3 had the most amount of world builders work on it; in order to get the right lived in vibe.
- - Loot that gets left behind will be collected in a “loot lost and found” on the ship.
- -The most streamlined hub in the Borderlands series, so hopefully less pointless travels to get an upgrade from an NPC.
4. More Boss Fights
More boss fights bring new interesting characters into the world.
A whole department of developers was dedicated to creating boss fights in Borderlands 3. Most of these will be mini boss fights throughout the game; designed to reward players more frequently with loot. The idea here is that you shouldn’t have to go turn in a quest to get your reward; it should be immediate right after you’ve won the battle.
Why we’re excited about this
- -More bosses = more chances at legendary loot, it’s simple math.
- -Seeing all the nutty boss characters.
- -Boss fights always tend to be more thought out in gameplay and writing.
3. Revamped Skill Trees
Borderlands is taking leveling up to the next… level.
In Borderlands 3 each character has three available action skills to choose from right away; with Zane being able to use two at once. This is another feature that adds more depth, customization, and replay-ability to the game. There’s still a lot we don’t know about all the variations and augments of skills, but it's already peaking our curiosity.
Why we are excited about this:
- -Action skills can be augmented to fit your play style.
- -Skill trees no longer have weapon bonuses, so we won't get stuck using a sniper rifle the whole game.
- -With three action skills to choose from, each build and play through should feel unique.
2. New Nuclear Radiation Element
Radiation damage makes its first appearance in Borderlands 3.
It looks like radiation will function similar to how slag worked in the previous games, but with a few new features. Overall, it seems the game is going to reward playing with elemental damage, and it’ll be exciting to see how different elements will combine.
Why we are excited about this:
- -Radiation causes enemies to take more damage, great for taking down a badass.
- -Enemies have a chance to explode when they die, which is great for quick crowd control.
- -Lets be honest, slag never worked out right; radiation looks powerful and effective.
1.The World is Feels More Alive
More connection between hero characters and NPCs.
The previous installments of Borderlands have us walking around like a quiet loner, who occasionally receives voicemails from NPCs in the form of echo logs. This time our Hero characters will speak more, interact with NPCs, and the world around them. Hopefully this will give Borderlands 3 that “immersive” quality, and not have us zoning out as we mindlessly mow down bandits.
Why we are excited about this:
- -Being able to connect and care about hero characters.
- -NPCs will be able to revive you, and you’ll have to revive NPCs too.
- -Writers have even added story elements in NPC’s battle dialogue.
Gearbox is bringing Borderlands 3 into the modern era while maintaining the backbone that made it a classic years ago.
The game is completely playable offline, couch co-op is intact, and there are no micro transactions. The only question is can it live up to the hype?
Expect Gearbox to reveal more about planets, features, and heroes in the upcoming month.
