Gearbox Details Borderlands 3’s New Roguelike Arms Race Mode
Borderlands 3 developer Gearbox Software has unveiled a few details on the upcoming roguelike Arms Race mode for the game. The developer initially teased the new game mode earlier this month, saying that it would put the focus on the game’s myriad of guns and gunplay as well as feature its own environment. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford even went as far to say that it’s a “totally new game.”
Borderlands 3’s new mode is set to be part of the game’s Designer’s Cut add-on, one of the two DLCs that are included in the Borderlands 3 Season Pass 2, which is scheduled to launch on November 10. Apart from the new game mode, the Designer’s Cut add-on will also be adding a set of new skill trees for each of the playable Vault Hunters. As for the second DLC of Season 2, the Director’s Cut, Gearbox has yet to announce any details, but the company did previously announce that players would be getting free next-generation upgrades to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Borderlands 3’s upcoming Arms Race mode was detailed by Gearbox in a new blog post on the game's website. According to Gearbox, Arms Race is a new roguelike game mode that strips players of all their gear, them drops them into a brand new zone called the Stormblind Complex. Players will then have to run around the continually shrinking map and find loot to battle the mode’s AI enemies and the map’s final boss. Players will also have to extract some of the gear they find, either through the map’s random extraction points or after defeating the final boss, if they want to keep the weapons for Borderlands 3’s other modes.
All skill trees are disabled in Arms Race, so players won’t have access to Action Skills or passive abilities while playing, which puts a bigger emphasis on gunplay and gear. Those playing solo may have a more difficult time, as dying will mean the end of the current run, but playing in co-op will allow teammates to revive fallen allies at designated one-time respawn points. Arms Race will feature new gear and class mods (for the DLC's new skill trees) that are only obtainable through this new mode, making extracting gear or finishing runs important. Lastly, fan-favorite Vault Hunters Axton and Salvador will be making a return as the reality show-themed game mode’s commentators.
Arms Race seems like a pretty interesting experiment that combines both battle royale and roguelike gameplay elements. It’ll be interesting to see how players will end up handling Borderlands 3's new game mode with its exclusive gear and extraction mechanics, as some players may likely be only interested in efficiently farming for the gear rather than maximizing and enjoying the game mode.
Borderlands 3 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC.
Source: Gearbox