Yesterday was the very anticipated gameplay reveal livestream for Borderlands 3. We were not only given a lot of juicy gameplay, but also a lot of new information that I am going to break down here today. We also got a trailer at the end of the stream. If you wish to watch the either of these, you can do that below.
The livestream kicked off with CEO of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford and Creative Director of Gearbox Software, Paul Sage walking us through the start of the game just after the intro cinematic. We are led to a quick change station where we see new player customization options, such as emotes and Echo Themes. As we steamroll through a cultist base, we are shown new mechanics like sliding, mantling over ledges and cover, (not huge, but new nonetheless) as well as NPC revives. Yes, you can revive NPCs and they can revive you. The demo is fast forwarded to a new area where we get our first glimpse at the new looting and leveling systems for co-op, along with skill trees. As far as I can tell, everyone is given the same loot, but it is scaled to everyone’s individual levels and can only be grabbed by them alone. Enemies are also scaled to your level, so you can level up at a normal rate, but your gun damage is scaled to match that of other players in the lobby, so no one is over/under-powered. The new skill system provides even more options for the player with the addition of 2 new action skills for each character, 1 for each skill tree.
Next we are taken to Sanctuary 3, a spaceship capable of interstellar fast travel and the main hub of the game. Here we are reunited with many characters from the previous games, such as Marcus, Moxxi, Tannis, Ellie and many others. In Sanctuary 3 there is a player quarters that is decorated based on what character you choose to play as. The quarters can also be used to store items that you find in the game. Just outside of the quarters there is a lost and found machine. Loot that is in impossible to reach areas of the game is transported to this machine, that will spit it out when interacted with.
The end of the demo takes us to a planet called Promethea. (That’s right, we aren’t stuck on Pandora anymore) The game is filled with many worlds that all have new and unique areas to explore. Promethea is the Atlas headquarters and is currently under siege by Maliwan. As we fight through Maliwan mercs, we get to see some of the new skills in action, alongside new alt. fire types.
If you are hungry for more gameplay, be sure to head to your favorite Borderlands content creator, as they were most likely invited to play the game at this event. Are you as excited for Borderlands 3 as I am? What do you think of the game after seeing some gameplay? Let me know down in the comments!
