Genre: Shooter, Real Time Strategy (RTS), Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Battleborn
ALANI EARLY ACCESS & THE 27TH BATTLEBORN!
Part of our promise to all you Battleborn fans: we’ll keep delivering awesome, free content after launch. Well, today marks the beginning of early access to the first of five free new heroes coming to Battleborn – Alani, the water-bending warrior monk – and the start of a week-long celebration leading up to her official release next week on May 31! That’s right, Alani is available to play early on all platforms starting today for Digital Deluxe and Season Pass holders, and folks that played in the PlayStation 4 Open Beta. All you need to do is log-in to the game and unlock her using that shiny new hero key of yours. What’s a hero key and how do they work, you ask? Read all about it here.
Now’s the time to tell your friends to jump into Battleborn – before the Varelsi send this deal into the void with the rest of the universe.
Keep reading to learn all about Battleborn’s newest healer – and get a quick tease of the 27th Battleborn hero we’re working on right now: Pendles. And remember, today’s the last day to earn DOUBLE XP for both your Command and Character Rank!
ALANI GAMEPLAY REVEAL
Alani is the last vestige of an Eldrid monastic warrior enclave on the freshwater ocean planet, Akopos. Raised with a deep reverence for water, Alani learned to embody and manipulate low-viscosity fluids with the use – er – rather, the warranty-breaking misuse of a water-soluble nanotech. This technology and her training allows her to manipulate water all around and even within her own body, healing injury and ailments.
The order’s peaceful existence was abruptly interrupted as Rendain attempted to claim what he believed to be an uninhabited planet for the Jennerit Imperium. Alani’s people struck back quickly but were cut down as the Jennerit turned their weapons against them. Alani fought back, but not before she was witness to her own order’s destruction.
As a warrior from a planet with vast seas, Alani’s attacks and abilities revolve around her power to control water to dish out pain, or heal her fellow Battleborn. Read about each of her attacks and abilities below.
TORRENT: Through years of training in Ket, her order’s martial art, Alani has honed her ability to control water, hurling water bolts to damage enemies.
WELLSPRING: Channeling her focus and strength, Alani heals herself for a small amount or envelopes an ally in water to heal them.
RIPTIDE: Alani sends forth a wave of water that deals damage to enemies, pushes them away, and leaves a trail hastening allies’ movement speed.
GEYSER: Calling upon the power of the oceans, a groundswell erupts, knocking enemies into the air, damaging and binding them.
EMERGENCE: Alani summons a water dragon that deals damage to everything caught in its wake.
(Passive) OSMOSIS: Alani’s healing abilities swell and recede like the tide. Successfully landing hits with Torrent grants up to three stacks to temporarily increase the healing power of Wellspring.
INTRODUCING PENDLES! Hailing from the water world of Akopos, and pals with Alani, Pendles is a cold-blooded killer. No, literally. This anthropomorphized reptile will ssssneak up on you, poison you, perforate you with dual kamas then – poof – disappear without leaving a trace. Oh, yeah, and he wears a dope pair of sneakers. Get it? “Ssssneaky”?!? Wears sneakers?!? (Fine…fine.) This Rogue’s rogue may be a cold-blooded assassin-for-hire, but Ghalt felt was safer to have him on the team, than not.
Pendles will be coming in the next couple months as the 27th Battleborn and will be free for everyone with 47,500 credits earned in-game. He can also be unlocked instantly using a (1) hero key, which are included in the season pass, saving you the time it takes to earn the credits to otherwise unlock him. We’ll have more info on Pendles, including his abilities and release date as, we get closer to his release.
Battleborn Battleplan
In this week’s Battleborn Battleplan, we have a lot to talk about. Our first double XP event is incoming, as is a new character. Oh, and don’t forget about those Hot Fixes!
This is going to be a big week. Among other things, tomorrow (Friday, May 20th) will see the beginning of our first Battleborn Double XP Event! That’s right; make sure to hop in and take advantage of double XP on both Command and Character Rank. Double XP Weekend will run from 8am PT (11am ET) tomorrow (Friday, May 20th) through 8am PT (11am ET) Wednesday, May 25th, so don’t miss out!
This week’s Hot Fixes were focused around minor performance improvements and bug fixes. That said, we did want to make sure and add something bigger into the mix for you all, so how about Advanced Story Mode?
Added Advanced Story Mode to allow players to publicly match in and tackle story missions on Advanced Difficulty
Fixed a bug that would allow Kleese to become invulnerable
Various performance fixes in the Story Mode missions The Void’s Edge, The Renegade, and The Heliophage
Continued adjustments to improve the quality of matchmaking
This week’s Community Spotlight is shining on cosplayer Kaytea Rhea. Kaytea is well known in the Gearbox cosplay community for her awesome cosplay looks, including a pretty stellar Phoebe cosplay. Head over to the Gearbox forums and check out our Community Badass thread featuring Kaytea!
As you may know, a while back we announced that Battleborn would be receiving five FREE characters post-launch, bringing the total number of playable Battleborn to a whopping thirty. Well, the time has come for us to unleash the first, Alani, onto the Solus System! Alani, a member of the Eldrid faction, uses the power of water to help exterminate her foes (and heal her friends). If this sounds like fun to you, then we’ve got good news: Alani will be released on May 31st! On top of that, if you own the Season Pass, Battleborn Digital Deluxe Edition, or you played the Open Beta on Playstation 4, you’ll get to play Alani a full week early starting on May 24th.
You can purchase Alani for 47,500 in-game credits, or you can instantly unlock her using a Hero Key. Find out more about Alani and Hero Keys, including what they are and how they work, in this blog post.
ALANI RELEASE DATE, DOUBLE XP EVENT, AND MORE!
It’s only been a couple weeks since Battleborn was unleashed on the world and already new heroes are joining the fight to save the last star! The first of five new free playable characters - Alani, the warrior-monk healer – releases on Tuesday, May 31st for all platforms and can be unlocked for 47,500 credits earned in-game. Can’t wait that long? Digital Deluxe and Season Pass holders will not only be able to instantly unlock Alani using a Hero Key (more on these keys below), they will also be able to play Alani early starting on Tuesday, May 24th!
Alani Early Access: May 24th starting at 9am PDT for all regions
Alani Official Release: May 31st starting at 9am PDT for all regions
A member of the Eldrid faction who was raised as a healer, but forced to be a warrior, Alani is all that remains of her order after Rendain’s Jennerit Imperium stole the oceans from her world. As a warrior from a planet with vast seas, Alani’s attacks and abilities revolve around her power to control water to dish out pain, or heal her fellow Battleborn. Check back on May 24th for her full reveal and in the meantime, here’s a first-look at Alani fully rendered in-game.
Hero Keys
Want to unlock Ghalt before getting to Command Rank 40? Then you’re in luck! Starting with the release of Alani, Digital Deluxe and Season Pass holders will receive one Hero Key to instantly unlock ANY hero in the game with each new hero release. To use a key, just head to the Battleborn Character screen in the Command Center and choose the character you want to unlock. You can also use these keys to instantly unlock newly released heroes like Alani, saving you the time it would otherwise take to earn enough credits to do that.
Here’s even more good news: Hero Keys are reusable! If you complete the challenge objective or reach the required Command Rank at any time after unlocking a hero using a Hero Key, then that Hero Key will be returned to you and you can then use that Hero Key to unlock another hero.
PlayStation 4 Open Beta Bonus
As a thank you to PS4 players who participated in the Open Beta, they will receive a Hero Key to instantly unlock Alani on May 24th or another hero of their choice, as well as the first Battleborn DLC Pack Story Operation upon release. For those PS4 Open Beta players who also purchased a Season Pass or Digital Deluxe Edition, they will receive an additional Hero Key (bringing the grand total to six throughout the release of Season Pass content).
As you can see, we’re gearing up for a summer of awesome new content. The release of Alani is just the beginning of many free updates we’re planning. You can see what else we have in store for future content in this post. And this weekend? It’s time to double-up on your XP!
Double XP Event
Join us for a Double XP event in Battleborn! From Friday until Wednesday, you can reap the rewards of earning double Command Rank and Character Rank experience in all Story Mode missions and Competitive Multiplayer matches. This event is global and available to all platforms. All you need to do is jump into battle and bask in double XP glory.
START: Friday, May 20 at 8am PDT
END: Wednesday, May 25th at 8am PDT
BATTLEBORN IS AVAILABLE NOW!
Unleash your inner badass!
As the universe is about to blink out of existence, it’s up to you and this motley crew of Battleborn to save it. Some interdimensional jackholes and a traitorous scumbag have been taking stars. Whole stars. And have left us to fight over the scraps. It’s time to take up arms and defend Solus, the very last star in the universe.
POST-LAUNCH CONTENT As we mentioned above, you can expect plenty of new content coming your way after launch. Now that we’re done creating and launching Battleborn, we’ll be able to focus on developing post-launch content.
You can expect five more heroes hitting after launch – completely FREE – for all platforms, bringing the total roster to 30! In addition, competitive multiplayer modes, maps, balance updates, and community features will also be free.
The first of five new heroes will be the water-wielding, healer-turned-warrior, Alani. Below is some concept art of Alani as well as some hints to the other four characters. These characters are only just entering development and may change before their arrival in the Solus System.
Battleborn has a vast universe and we’re happy to say that we’ll keep expanding on it through five new add-on packs. Each pack will contain a PvE Story Operation, skins and taunts. These packs will be available individually, as well as bundled in the Season Pass and as part of the Battleborn Digital Deluxe Edition.
Season Pass: $19.99 USD including 5 DLC Packs, each with a Story Operation, hero skins, and taunts
Digital Deluxe Edition: $74.99 USD including Battleborn the game, the Season Pass, plus more digital goodies
[B][I]BATTLEBORN TAP[/I][/B]
Also available today is Battleborn Tap, an all-new free mobile game for iOS and Android that allows you to experience the Battleborn universe on the go. Upgrade your heroes, earn loot, and defeat waves of enemies as you command your Battleborn in the fight to save the last star. For full details about Battleborn Tap, check out this post.
REVIEWS Here’s what people are saying about their experience playing Battleborn:
“Glorious.” – Huffington Post UK
“Genuinely funny.” – IGN
“It’s fantastic and truly unique in many ways.” – TotalBiscuit
“Co-op has never been so much fun and really, no one does co-op games quite like Gearbox Software.” – Examiner
“Battleborn’s one of the funnest games I’ve ever played in my life!” – TheHaleyBaby
“…with 25 characters, dozens of gear items, and hundreds of challenges, there's a plethora of rewards to be had.” – GameSpot
“An all-around fantastic time!” – Force Gaming
“One of my most anticipated titles.” – Jed Whitaker, Destructoid
“The best testament I can give is this: I played this title in a marathon session and I wasn’t ready to be done when the time allotted was over. Even I as type this, I just want to jump back in and play more. Considering my short attention span for multiplayer, this title will end social lives for gamers with preexisting predilections for this type of thing.” – HardcoreGamer
Pre-load Now Available!
Buckle up, Badass.
We are one day away from Battleborn launching on May 3 and we want to get you mentally – and physically – prepared for the Varelsi onslaught heading your way.
PRE-LOAD AVAILABLE NOW! First off, Battleborn is now available to pre-load on Steam. Pre-order your copy digitally through Steam then pre-load the game and get your gaming setup ready!
LAUNCH TIMES Battleborn launch times will begin rolling out around the world starting at midnight, May 3rd for Auckland, New Zealand. Check the list below to see when Battleborn launches in major cities around the world.
REVIEWS If you’re waiting on Battleborn reviews to make your decision, you can expect reviews to start hitting as of 10AM PDT on Monday, May 2 when folks in Australia, New Zealand and Asia begin their campaign to save the last star. Battleborn’s an online co-operative and competitive game and it’s understandable that critics will want to test server infrastructure and play Battleborn in the same environment as everyone else before weighing in with a review score. So as such, you can expect to start seeing reviews-in-progress pop-up online starting May 2 and continue for a while until critics determine they’ve had a fair chance to pass judgement on the game.
FREE HEROES, MAPS AND MODES COMING! You know how we’ve been telling you that Battleborn has 25 playable heroes? We’ve got more coming to help and there are no strings attached. That’s right, if you hadn’t already heard, five more heroes hit after launch – completely FREE – for all platforms, bringing the total roster to 30! In addition, competitive multiplayer modes, maps, balance updates, and community features will also be free.
TIME TO PRE-ORDER IS RUNNING OUT! Don’t forget, pre-ordering means you also get a gang of bonus golden skins with the badass Firstborn Pack.
You have until Monday, May 2 at 8:59PM PT / 11:59PM ET to pre-order Battleborn. After that, the Firstborn Pack goes the way of the rest of the universe – into the Void.
DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION AND SEASON PASS Maximize your launch day hero skins collection with the Digital Deluxe Edition! This edition includes Battleborn the game, the Season Pass with all five DLC packs, five additional “Cyber” skins, keys to instantly access heroes 26-30 upon their release, as well as more digital goodies. Check out everything that is included in the Season Pass and Digital Deluxe Edition in this post.
Season Pass: $19.99 USD including 5 DLC Packs, each with a Story Operation, hero skins, and taunts
Digital Deluxe Edition: $74.99 USD including Battleborn the game, the Season Pass, plus more digital goodies
Battleborn Open Beta Now Available!
Badasses, unite! The Battleborn Open Beta is AVAILABLE NOW on PC!
Dive solo into Battleborn’s Story Mode or bring some friends for up to 5-player co-op in two full episodes, “The Algorithm,” and “Void’s Edge.” Then challenge other players to duke it out in two Competitive Multiplayer Modes: Incursion and Meltdown.
In the Open Beta, you’ll start with 7 unlocked heroes and you’ll unlock more as you rank up and complete objectives. Experience the natural progression of the game as you unlock heroes, skins, taunts, titles, and more. Test out Battleborn’s multiple progression systems where playing either Story Mode or Competitive Multiplayer Modes will earn you XP towards temporary Helix augmentations as well as persistent Command Rank and Character Rank levels.
Find out Everything You Need to Know about the Battleborn Open Beta HERE. Open Beta concludes on April 18 at 7am PT (2pm UTC)
Experience, character unlocks, and other items earned in-game during Open Beta will not carry over to the retail version.
Open Beta - Everything You Need to Know
Calling all Badasses:
To get yourself ready for the Battleborn Open Beta, wrap your mind around what’s at stake. Set in the distant future, you’re fighting to save the last star in the universe. You have 25 heroes – each with wildly different personalities, powers, and play styles – at your disposal as you dip into the action-packed Story Mode or go 5 v 5 in Competitive Multiplayer matches. Experience the natural progression of the game as you rank up and unlock new heroes, skins, taunts, Helix mutations, and more during the Battleborn Open Beta.
The Basics:
WHEN IS IT? April 13 to April 18!
April 13th at 10am PST (5pm UTC)
Open Beta ends April 18th at 7am PST (2pm UTC)
PRE-LOAD DATE: Rev up those computers: pre-load begins for all platforms on April 6th.
PC – 10 am PST (5pm UTC)
APPROXIMATE DOWNLOAD SIZE:
PC: 12GB
WHERE TO DOWNLOAD: The Battleborn Open beta will be available through Steam. The Open Beta will be available to download straight from the store, no sign-up or code required.
AVAILABLE REGIONS: The Battleborn Open Beta will be available worldwide!
FEEDBACK AND BUG REPORTS: Feedback and bug reports are an essential part of the Battleborn Open Beta. Log into the Gearbox Open Beta Forums and send us your feedback!
The Content:
During the Open Beta, you’ll be able to experience the natural progression of Battleborn; including two Story Mode episodes, two Competitive Multiplayer Modes, 25 heroes (some instantly available, some will unlock as you progress), and as you play, you’ll rank up on three different progression systems.
STORY MODE: Go in solo or co-op with up to 5 players in two full Story Mode episodes: The Algorithm and Void’s Edge.
The Algorithm: Take on The Algorithm mission to debug and unlock the rogue Magnus AI, ISIC. If you played in the Closed Technical Test last year, you’ll notice Geoff, the Spider King, has made a few changes to his lair.
Void’s Edge: Bring a jacket, ‘cause the ice-planet, Bliss, is mighty cold. A Varelsi portal has opened and it’s up to you to fight your way through the invasion and deliver the payload.
COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER MODES: Challenge other players to duke it out in two Competitive Multiplayer modes: Incursion and Meltdown.
Incursion: (Overgrowth map) Destroy the enemy’s two Spider Sentry Drones before they get to yours.
Meltdown: (Paradise map) Send waves of minions to their death and score points for every minion who throws themselves into the incinerator. The team with the most scrap metal wins!
BATTLEBORN HEROES: Battleborn has a large starting roster of 25 playable heroes, which will continue growing with five additional, free heroes after launch. In the Open Beta, you’ll start with 7 unlocked heroes and others will be unlocked as you rank up and complete objectives. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of the main character types: Attackers, Defenders, and Support.
Attackers: Charge into the fight with a variety of offensive Battleborn heroes. Throw punches, slice ‘em up, blast ‘em down, or break out the big guns with Rath, Deande, Phoebe, Whiskey Foxtrot, Mellka, Thorn, Marquis, Oscar Mike, Benedict, Caldarius, El Dragón, Orendi, Shayne & Aurox, and Ghalt.
Defenders: Take a hit for the team (or two, or three) with the likes of Attikus, Galilea, Kelvin, Boldur, ISIC, Toby, and Montana.
Support: Shields, heals, and still more firepower – Miko, Reyna, Kleese, and Ambra can help the team in the fight.
Other Information:
Open Beta - Everything You Need to Know
Calling all Badasses:
To get yourself ready for the Battleborn Open Beta, wrap your mind around what’s at stake. Set in the distant future, you’re fighting to save the last star in the universe. You have 25 heroes – each with wildly different personalities, powers, and play styles – at your disposal as you dip into the action-packed Story Mode or go 5 v 5 in Competitive Multiplayer matches. Experience the natural progression of the game as you rank up and unlock new heroes, skins, taunts, Helix mutations, and more during the Battleborn Open Beta.
The Basics:
WHEN IS IT? April 13 to April 18!
April 13th at 10am PST (5pm UTC)
Open Beta ends April 18th at 7am PST (2pm UTC)
PRE-LOAD DATE: Rev up those computers: pre-load begins for all platforms on April 6th.
PC – 10 am PST (5pm UTC)
APPROXIMATE DOWNLOAD SIZE:
PC: 12GB
WHERE TO DOWNLOAD: The Battleborn Open beta will be available through Steam. The Open Beta will be available to download straight from the store, no sign-up or code required.
AVAILABLE REGIONS: The Battleborn Open Beta will be available worldwide!
FEEDBACK AND BUG REPORTS: Feedback and bug reports are an essential part of the Battleborn Open Beta. Log into the Gearbox Open Beta Forums and send us your feedback!
The Content:
During the Open Beta, you’ll be able to experience the natural progression of Battleborn; including two Story Mode episodes, two Competitive Multiplayer Modes, 25 heroes (some instantly available, some will unlock as you progress), and as you play, you’ll rank up on three different progression systems.
STORY MODE: Go in solo or co-op with up to 5 players in two full Story Mode episodes: The Algorithm and Void’s Edge.
The Algorithm: Take on The Algorithm mission to debug and unlock the rogue Magnus AI, ISIC. If you played in the Closed Technical Test last year, you’ll notice Geoff, the Spider King, has made a few changes to his lair.
Void’s Edge: Bring a jacket, ‘cause the ice-planet, Bliss, is mighty cold. A Varelsi portal has opened and it’s up to you to fight your way through the invasion and deliver the payload.
COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER MODES: Challenge other players to duke it out in two Competitive Multiplayer modes: Incursion and Meltdown.
Incursion: (Overgrowth map) Destroy the enemy’s two Spider Sentry Drones before they get to yours.
Meltdown: (Paradise map) Send waves of minions to their death and score points for every minion who throws themselves into the incinerator. The team with the most scrap metal wins!
BATTLEBORN HEROES: Battleborn has a large starting roster of 25 playable heroes, which will continue growing with five additional, free heroes after launch. In the Open Beta, you’ll start with 7 unlocked heroes and others will be unlocked as you rank up and complete objectives. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of the main character types: Attackers, Defenders, and Support.
Attackers: Charge into the fight with a variety of offensive Battleborn heroes. Throw punches, slice ‘em up, blast ‘em down, or break out the big guns with Rath, Deande, Phoebe, Whiskey Foxtrot, Mellka, Thorn, Marquis, Oscar Mike, Benedict, Caldarius, El Dragón, Orendi, Shayne & Aurox, and Ghalt.
Defenders: Take a hit for the team (or two, or three) with the likes of Attikus, Galilea, Kelvin, Boldur, ISIC, Toby, and Montana.
Support: Shields, heals, and still more firepower – Miko, Reyna, Kleese, and Ambra can help the team in the fight.
Other Information:
The Detritus Ring: Hideout of the Rogues
Life inside the Detritus Ring
There’s no better place in the universe – even a shrinking universe – for someone to hide than The Detritus Ring.
Before every remaining being alive flocked to the Solus system, the belt was good for avoiding unwanted attention save for a few ore miners. These days, the Detritus Ring is as densely populated with derelict spacecraft and debris as it is with asteroids. With more places to hide, it’s become the perfect home base for the Rogues.
One could say that the Detritus Ring is a wretched hive of renegades, criminals, and survivalists. Just don’t quote us on that.
The Perfect Hiding Spot
What happens when the remaining beings in the universe cluster around one star? Besides interstellar overcrowding, everyone’s refuse has to go somewhere – and in this case, the Detritus Ring became a safe dumping ground.
Everything from massive dead capitol ships and moonbase-sized colony ships now float among the near-moon-sized asteroids throughout the ring. Along with miners hunting for mineral deposits and salvagers making a tidy profit off the spacecraft graveyard, it quickly became the perfect hiding spot for outcasts from the universe’s remaining civilizations.
A Nation of Individuals
The best way to describe the Rogues is a loose confederation of like-minded miscreants. As such the miners, salvagers, thieves, and hermits formed an uneasy alliance simply so that they can be left alone to do what they please.
While there are hundreds of small, terraformed micro-moons within the Detritus Ring, there are a few larger Rogue settlements and hangouts of note:
Chunk Braxon III is a major mining base on one of the larger chunks. They produce some semi-rare ore used in manufacturing of robots that gives Minion Robotics (and therefor the LLC) a stake in protecting the colony. Enough wealth flows through this colony that many notable Rogues frequent here as a mainstay of embezzling, theft, and other dips into the LLC cash flow.
The Fortune’s Favor is a massive capital ship that serves Reyna as the head of the Rogue fleet, when it needs one. Formerly a dreadaught of the U.P.R. fleet, this ship has been repaired and retrofitted and often lurks in the dark corners of the Ring.
The Happy Lorrian is a bar / black market on Chunk Sanford LV settled principally by members of the orange-skinned and multi-limbed Lorrian race. “The Happy Lorrian,” and other establishments on the chunk, are known as the best place in the system to get hard-to-acquire items and meet…how does one say it?…obtainers of rare antiquities.
Battleborn Report on New Heroes: Whiskey Foxtrot, Kelvin, and Shayne & Aurox
Former Peacekeeper engineering chief, Ghalt sent out a call for survivors to help stop the interdimensional jackholes from taking stars – whole stars – and leaving everyone else to fight over the last table scraps of the universe. Now, as the leader of the hastily-formed Battleborn and as the fight to save the last star in the universe becomes more desperate, Ghalt welcomes more battle-hardened warriors join the fight to save the last star.
INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION OF TREVOR GHALT, COMMANDER OF THE BATTLEBORN
People (and some things I’m not quite sure how to classify) are coming out of the woodwork now that I’ve sent the call. This is great, but I need to take better stock of who – and what – we’re dealing with here. After all, a good solider knows all of the weapons at one’s disposal. So, with that in mind, I want to compare notes with you and see what you think of these new potential recruits.
Notes are as follows:
WHISKEY FOXTROT
I know he was introduced to me as one of the early groups of “Mike” clones, but there is something really – I think “off” is the word I’m looking for here – with Whiskey Foxtrot. The only item that I’ve been able to find out about him is a number that keeps coming up in the system: RDC-WF02-1221. I suspect that he has ties to some off-shoot Peacekeeper unit, but all of Whiskey’s gear seems cobbled together, scavenged or, in some cases, reverse engineered Peacekeeper tech.
MAIN WEAPON: Homemade UPR-SL3 tactical rifle
His tactical assault rifle delivers a ton of punch behind three tightly-grouped shots.
STICKY BOMB
These grenades of his are just wrong. Toss a grenade and it sticks to anything, then detonates after three seconds. On second thought, I’d love to borrow a couple of these for the next time I run into Rendain.
SCRAP CANON
I definitely don’t want to be on the receiving end of the shrapnel-spewing attachment strapped to the bottom of Whiskey’s tactical rifle.
OVERDRIVE
I don’t know how he pulled this off, but Whiskey jerry-rigged some kind of experimental tech into his tactical rifle. When powered up, he can load in an overstuffed clip that can be fired fully automatically.
COMBAT RHYTHM
The few times I’ve seen him in action, I’ve noticed something: After killing an enemy, Whiskey gets a boost to his attack damage.
KELVIN
Miko has to keep reminding me that Kelvin isn’t just some big, lumbering Ice Golem – but, I mean, c’mon, this thing is huge! But it’s also really small. I still have trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that Kelvin is actually an entire, sentient microorganism civilization taking shape as this huge, hulking Golem. Mental note: Kelvin thrives in the extreme cold of space. Bring a jacket.
MAIN WEAPON: Ice Fists
The sheer force of the golem’s blows are brutal and when Kelvin leans in, it can pound the ground and cause area of effect damage. Good to have when you need a strong front line.
SUBLIMATE
When you have a sub-atomic civilization that thrives in the cold, being able to sublimate for just comes with the territory, I guess. Kelvin can go from golem to gaseous for a couple seconds, speed along and chill anything that gets in its way.
CHOMP
This is a particularly nasty attack where Kelvin bites an enemy and uses a foe’s health against it. If Kelvin kills by biting, he also gets a permanent increase to his health – something about absorbing the enemy’s energy into the civilization.
ICE WALL
Being able to manipulate the cold will be a huge asset for us. When Kelvin has enough power stored up, it can create an impassable wall that will also stun nearby enemies.
PERMAFROST
As Kelvin activates any of his abilities he gains a temporary shield boost.
INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION OF REYNA VALERIA, ROGUE COMMANDER
// ENCRYPTED; SOURCE: REYNA VALERIA / OUTGOING //
// TO: trevor.ghalt@unknown
// FROM: Reyna@Roguenet
|| DATE: y.19958, d.27
Ghalt, I’ve got a little project for you – but I’m sure that you’re up for the challenge.
SHAYNE & AUROX
Shayne is pretty much what you expect from an angsty teenage girl staring down the end of the universe: She’s a punk. Hanging around the Detritus Ring in Rogue territory, Shayne’s survived by scavenging, picking up work where possible and grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down. What I can’t figure out is how she’s somehow bonded with a &^@#(-ing creature and is still alive! These things hover in space and eat energy like you’d slurp a bowl of cereal – and she’s got this monster tethered to her torso! Well, whatever the case, she’s got lots of potential as a scrapper, but a moody kid with that much power? She could be trouble. Useful, but trouble.… I’ll let you handle her.
MAIN WEAPON: Aurox
Shayne’s companion, Aurox, is her melee weapon. And shield. And intimidating pet you don’t want to turn your back on. In combat, Aurox can utterly demolish enemies that get too close.
BOOMERANG
Whether scavenging for loot among the Detritus Ring, or taking out Varelsi, Shayne relies on her trusty boomerang to pick off enemies from a distance.
STEALTH STRIKE
When you see Shayne cloak, this isn’t a game of hide-and-seek – you have a five-second headstart to get the HELL away from where you think Shayne and Aurox will resurface and pummel you with damage.
FETCH
I love it when pets play with you – you know, bring you back a thrown ball or something. But when that pet is all razer-sharp claws, grafted to you, and hauls in your prey… well, that’s a whole other story.
TAG TEAM
If you see Shayne telling Aurox where to go, it's important to NOT be there. Aurox teleports to Shayne's target and unleashes his rage before knocking everybody around and disappearing.
Watch the character reveal videos from GhostRobo, PlayStation Access, and Battleborn Creative Director, Randy Varnell.
