Vault Hunters, the wait is almost over. E3 2019 has ended and Gearbox fans around the world can rejoice with a plethora of Borderlands 3 news. At the grand showcase, guests from around the world had the opportunity to get their hands on Borderlands 3. Those unable to attend the three-day event are in luck because they can live vicariously through this coverage. At the very bottom of the page, there is a video of gameplay featuring Moze the Gunner.
After a chaotic start to the morning, the time came for us to spend some quality hands-on time with Borderlands 3. Before getting to play the game, there was a video presentation to learn new information about the upcoming release. Early into the presentation, the sound cut out and the presenter was forced to project her voice throughout the booth. After a short time, the air and audio returned but this interruption would raise the question: had the Children of the Vault come to E3 to stop vault hunters from joining the Sanctuary 3 resistance?
During the showcase, Lilith discusses Sanctuary 3’s capability to fly all over the galaxy, Pandora, Eden-6 and wherever the hunt for vaults takes guardians. Borderlands 3 introduces new social aspects to the franchise to create the best possible co-op experience. Level Syncing and instant sync allow players to play wherever they want, however they want.
For those who do not like multiplayer, Gearbox is introducing a way for players to experience multiplayer elements without forcing them into it: players will have the opportunity to buy weapons that their friends have sold in the store. A new bounty board system has also been introduced which provides players with systematically generated missions. Players can also invite their friends to their game through an easy-to-use interface. The same interface allows players to send items to their friends without having to drop them in-game.
Borderlands 3 finally welcomes mantling to the franchise, eliminating the need to grenade jump or climb on your companions. Another new movement mechanic is the ability to slide down hills or into objects.
Radiation has replaced Slag and made combat more efficient. Each skill tree has action skills for each character. Skill augments enable the player to modify the action skills. Borderlands 3 introduces new fire modes and weapon parts to make more customizable guns. Lost and Found is brought into Sanctuary 3 to make sure loot isn’t missed. New to the franchise is a Legendary locator, a key way to identify and find a legendary item after it has dropped. The ammo vendor now has an option to refill all ammo rather than having to buy the ammo individually and vending machines now display what items are for sale without having to open the menu.
Moze the Gunner and her iron bear mech have a variety of options to change combat. The first skill tree we looked at was Demolition Woman; these skills are all about making things go boom, so it comes as no surprise that it would come with a rocket launcher and grenade launcher, with a focus on explosive damage. The tree allows Moze to get more grenades when killing enemies or heal when damaging them with explosions. Splash damage can also decrease skill cooldowns.
Another skill tree shown was the Bottomless Mags tree. It focuses on never running out of ammo, using a minigun and allowing teammates to mount Iron Bear and use a turret. The skill tree focuses predominantly on hitting things as quickly as possible with increased critical hits in between. The other weapon in this skill tree is a flamethrower that does not use fuel canisters but recharges over time. Each weapon in the skill tree has a specialty subclass that improves its effectiveness and damage type.
The next skill tree was Shield of Retribution, which focuses on making Iron Bear and Moze a tank while making the party hit harder. Iron Bear can get a shield bubble and grant armor. When the skill tree is at max rank, Moze will have a shield that replenishes quickly and the ability to hit enemies harder when near death. This class uses a railgun and bear fist when in Iron Bear. The Close the Distance skill for Bear Fist will pull enemies to Iron bear, similar to Blitzcrank’s pull in League of Legends.
Ultimately, the player will be able to mix and match what they want from each skill tree, which could make Moze a nightmare to the Children of the Vault.
The only downside our time with the game was that co-op mode was unavailable during the demo. Players could pick between Zane, Amara, or Moze. With the preview before focusing primarily on Moze, I decided to take the role of the Gunner, use what I learned in the video, and let bullets fly!
Moze was sassy, witty, and when she kills enemies she lets out a quirky line. The loot that dropped changed for each playthrough. The differences between skill trees were evident in that the Shield Retribution version took more time to take down enemies, but took down the boss easier. The level featured environmental effects that had me check where every step.
The Borderlands 3 demo was full of surprises, leaving me often not knowing what to expect. I took the time to explore the terrain and loot as much as I could. New elements to Borderlands 3 make the game seem more like a strategic shooter than the run-and-gun mayhem found in previous titles.
We were also able to capture some of our play session with a video available below. Our demo time certainly has us ready for September.
Borderlands 3 is scheduled to release on September 13th, 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Are you ready for some galactic mayhem?
