Shoot and loot your way across Pandora.
It's here! Years of not-so-patient waiting have led to this moment, and it was certainly worth it. Gearbox has officially unveiled Borderlands 3 at PAX East 2019 with its first trailer that looks like everything we've wanted and so much more. From new Vault Hunters to new enemies, here's what we know so far about Borderlands 3.
- What's new with Borderlands 3?
- The story so far
- Your new playable Vault Hunters
- Loot, gear, and guns for everyone
- Journeying across multiple planets
- Borderlands 3 timeline
- PS4 Pro enhancements
- Borderlands 3 releases on September 13
Welcome back
Borderlands 3
Prepare for the fight of the galaxy
Borderlands 3 looks to be releasing sooner than a lot of us expected. Pick your new favorite Vault Hunter and get ready to save the worlds. No pressure or anything. Oh, and watch out for the wildlife.
What's new with Borderlands 3?
As Gearbox releases more details regarding the upcoming shooter looter, we'll continually update this to keep you informed on all things Borderlands 3 leading up to its launch. So check back often if you want to stay up to date.
June 10, 2019 — New trailer shown at E3
Gearbox revealed a new trailer for Borderlands 3 that hints at some interesting aspects in the upcoming game. With Lilith introducing herself, she states that she's a former Siren. We don't know what happened, but this may be a large plot thread in Borderlands 3. And of course the trailer also gave us new gameplay footage of our four new Vault Hunters.
A 10-minute extended gameplay demo was also showcased at E3 giving us a better look at the playable character Moze and her abilities. It's unclear where in the story this gameplay section takes place at, but the enemies are around level 25 through 27 and it appears to be a new area we've never seen before.
May 6, 2019 — Gearbox showcases gameplay demo
Gearbox and 2K invited us to the Borderlands 3 gameplay event in Los Angeles where we went hands-on with the game and interviewed a couple of its developers. In our preview we discuss some of the changes being made to keep the game fresh yet familiar to longtime series fans.
During this event we got a good look at the new loot system, which is now instanced and levels to the player, two of the Vault Hunters, Sanctuary III, new weapons, and the world of Promethea.
April 3, 2019 — Release date revealed alongside pre-orders
Borderlands 3 is releasing a lot sooner than anyone may have expected. You can pre-order the game starting today to prepare for its September 13, 2019 launch. Gearbox also confirmed the names our our new four Vault Hunters: Moze, Amara, Zane, and FL4K.
In the announcement, it was also revealed that players will now have the option to have their own loot streams, meaning you don't need to share the goods with your friends. Of course, the option to use the classic shared-loot method is available to you.
It was also confirmed that we will be visiting multiple planets other than Pandora, though none were specifically named. Let's cross our fingers for Promethea.
The story so far
If you're already familiar with the series and don't need a primer on the events that have led up to Borderlands 3, you can go ahead and skip "The story so far" section. For new fans, you may want to read through to get yourselves caught up on the action.
So what the hell has been going on before Borderlands 3 takes place? Buckle up, because it's a long ride—which I'll condense to save your sanity.
Borderlands
Borderlands is a role-playing shooter (RPS) that released in 2009. On the fictional planet of Pandora, what appears in some spots to be a post-apocalyptic wasteland, four characters known as Vault Hunters journey to loot the riches of a rumored ancient alien vault and happen to get caught up in a corporate takeover of the planet along the way. Through the use of previously-uncovered Eridian technology—the alien tech sealed within vaults across the universe—the Atlas Corporation attempted to stop the Vault Hunters from finding the vault in order to take its contents for themselves. Atlas loses, of course, and it turns out that the vault actually housed a giant monster that was sealed inside for centuries to prevent the destruction of the universe.
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 picks up several years after Borderlands ends, and stars a new set of Vault Hunters. While out on a job they are betrayed by a man called Handsome Jack, the leader of the Hyperion Corporation. A woman known as the Guardian Angel then appears and tells them to find the city of Sanctuary and join its local resistance group that opposes Hyperion. With the help of the four original Vault Hunters from the first game who make appearances as NPCs, we come to discover that Handsome Jack intends to open a new vault and unleash The Warrior, a powerful monster who he will then be able to command to do his bidding. As is usually the case, our heroes end up defeating Handsome Jack, but not before The Warrior is released and taken care of.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Much of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a spin-off title that released after both games, takes place chronologically in between the two main entries, hence the name, but the beginning and ending give us a taste of what went on after Borderlands 2. It begins with the former assassin Athena recounting the events of Handsome Jack's (simply known as Jack at the time) rise to power on Pandora's moon Elpis. You can think of this as a bit of an origin story for Handsome Jack, even if he originally wasn't a playable character. What's interesting is that after Athena finishes recounting her story, an Eridian alien appears at Sanctuary and warns everyone of an imminent war in which they will need "all the Vault Hunters they can get."
Tales from the Borderlands
Telltale also got their hands on the series at one point and released a 5-episode narrative adventure called Tales from the Borderlands. Taking place after Borderlands 2, this series follows a Hyperion employee and a con artist who get caught up in a struggle on Pandora to find another vault. This time, however, instead of a monster awaiting them at the end of their journey, a simple glowing chest—no doubt Eridian in nature—greeted them upon entry, and once they opened it, they vanished. Their whereabouts and what happened after are currently unknown.
Who are its new Vault Hunters?
There are four new Vault Hunters for players to choose from in Borderlands 3. Unlike previous games, Gearbox has suggested that it may not add additional Vault Hunters as DLC. Each Vault Hunter now has three action skills that can be used.
Fully interactive skill trees for each Vault Hunter are available right now.
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FL4K – Class: Beastmaster. FL4K is a wandering robot, and their three action skills are two-pronged. Along with being able to send out pets like a Skag, Spiderant, or Jabber, they also have skills like Gamma Burst, that can teleport irradiated pets; Rakk Attack, that sends forth dive-bombing Rakks; and Fade Away, which allows FL4K to turn invisible for a short period of time.
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Zane – Class: Operative. Zane is a semi-retired hitman and the brother of Baron Flynt and Captain Flynt. He can call forth a SNTNL drone that attacks enemies, deploy a Barrier shield, and use a Digi-Clone to distract enemies. He can have two action skills equipped at once in lieu of a grenade.
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Amara – Class: Siren. Amara is a renowned brawler gifted with Siren abilities. Her action skills are Phaseslam, a powerful attack where she jumps into the air and slams to the ground, affecting all nearby enemies; Phasecast, which allows Amara to send forth an astral projection that deals damage to everything in its path, and Phasegrasp, a giant ethereal fist summoned from the ground that locks an enemy in place, similar to Maya's ability in Borderlands 2.
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Moze – Class: Gunner. Moze is a former Vladof soldier who specializes in mechanized combat with her bi-pedal tank, Iron Bear, which she can climb into and pilot herself. Her three actions skills augment Iron Bear's ammunition. The Railgun fires high-velocity electrified rounds dealing shock damage; the Minigun can sustain rapid fire; and the V-35 Grenade Launcher likes speaks for itself. Two of these can be equipped on Iron Bear at once so you can mix and match.
Who else is in it?
It looks like nearly everyone. No, really. Both the trailer and studio CEO Randy Pitchford made it clear that a ton of characters would be returning from previous games—from the original Vault Hunters to NPCs—and even Rhys and Vaughn from Tales from the Borderlands will be in it. Except for Handsome Jack. He's dead. Like Dead with a capital "D." His AI that's fused with Rhys, however.... that may be another story.
As for new characters, the bad guys this time around are a pair called the Calypso Twins. Don't underestimate them though, as they have a whole cult of fanatical followers at their beck and call.
One billion guns
It wouldn't be a Borderlands game without a ton of guns, and this one appears to have over one billion. Though that number may seem like an over-exaggeration, there's good reason to believe it's actually possible. Borderlands 2 contained nearly 18 million guns alone when accounting for stat variations. It's within reason that Gearbox has been able to drastically increase that number over the years with improvements in technology and the power of current-gen consoles.
There's even a gun with legs! Seriously, a gun with robotic legs is seen running and shooting. In its release date announcement, the company also noted that "Atlas now offers guns that fire tracker tags and Smart Bullets; DAHL weapons feature alternate fire modes; and the Maliwan range now incorporates firearms that can toggle between two elements and deal guaranteed elemental damage."
You want rifles that spawn fire-spewing volcanoes? Why the hell not. Certain guns will now allow you to toggle their firing modes, changing up what kind of bullets and projectiles will launch out, or even switch the elemental effect of the weapon. The game will not, however, feature modular gun customization. You won't be able to find your own magazines and scopes to attach to your weapons, though you will be able to upgrade your weapon's capabilities through your skill trees.
There are 9 confirmed weapons manufactures in Borderlands 3, though there is speculation that either Eridian or S&S Munitions will make a return as a 10th manufacturer.
- Vladof
- Maliwan
- Atlas
- Hyperion
- Children of the Vault (COV)
- Jakobs
- Tediore
- Torgue
- DAHL
Where does it take place?
Players will get to visit their favorite dusty planet of Pandora, but they won't be limited to it this time. That's right. We'll be exploring other worlds! Gearbox stated that there will be a handful of other planets too, but as of right now we only know of three, aside from Pandora:
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Promethea - Home to the Atlas corporation and the planet where Eridian tech was first discovered and reverse engineered. A bustling metropolis now under siege by Maliwan.
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Eden-6 - A backwater swampland home to the Jakobs family.
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Athenas - A tranquil planet and the home of a sect of monks known as the Order of the Impending Storm. The Siren Maya is from Athenas.
And to visit all of these? Sanctuary III has been turned into a spaceship that allows for fast travel across the universe. Because of this expansive universe, it also looks like we'll be looking for more than one Vault.
When does it pick up after Borderlands 2?
Borderlands 3 takes place in real time since Borderlands 2 came out, so it's been roughly 7 years in-game since the ending of its predecessor. Rhys is now head of the Atlas Corporation and Tina Tiny looks to be all grown up.
Borderlands 3 PS4 Pro enhancements
Players can choose between "favor resolution" and "favor performance" options on the PS4 Pro through a new setting called Graphics Preference. Favor resolution targets the highest possible resolution (4K) and caps the frame-rate at 30FPS. Favor performance caps the frame-rate at 60FPS and only renders at 1080p resolution. If you're playing on a TV that only supports 1080p resolution and wish to use the favor resolution option, the game will supersample to provide a sharper image.
When can I play it?
Borderlands 3 is set to release on September 13, 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Its PC storefront is expected to be the Epic Games Store. You can pre-order it today starting at $60 for the Standard Edition (below), $80 for the Deluxe Edition, and $100 for the Super Deluxe Edition.
And if that's not enough for you? Well Gearbox is also offering a Diamond Loot Chest Collector's Edition for a whopping $250.
Welcome back
Borderlands 3
Prepare for the fight of the galaxy
Borderlands 3 looks to be releasing sooner than a lot of us expected. Pick your new favorite Vault Hunter and get ready to save the worlds. No pressure or anything. Oh, and watch out for the wildlife.
Updated August 2019: We've added a link to the interactive skill trees that players can use for each Vault Hunter before the game comes out.
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