'Borderlands 3' Gameplay Reveal: New Abilites, Locations, Guns And More

Following the official announcement in March, Gearbox has officially offered up the first gameplay details for "Borderlands 3."

Gearbox finally pulled back the curtain Wednesday, offering fans the first look of proper gameplay from their marquee looter shooter due out in September. The first look came courtesy of a special event hosted by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford and creative director Paul Sage.

Players were immediately introduced to one of the four new playable vault hunters, the siren Amara. It was also in this moment that one small but major change to player movement was shown, mantling and sprint-sliding.

The demo continued as Amara and her guide, Claptrap, come into conflict with Shiv and his chapter of the Children of the Vault. The Children of the Vault is the new enemy faction led by the game’s primary antagonists, the Calypso Twins. Amara has to fight her way to Claptrap, who is captured by the Children, before finally taking down Shiv and rescuing the little robot.

Along the way, Randy and Paul took the opportunity to show off some of the changes and additions coming to "Borderlands 3."

Some of the most notable changes come to the “bajillion” guns that “Borderlands” is known for. More weapons are going to come equipped with an alt-fire mode, such as a pistol that can switch between semi-auto and firing “micro-missiles” or an elemental gun that can change elements.

Weapons will also come equipped with a score now, making it easier to identify more powerful weapons than your current arsenal.

The updated loot system was further shown off when the demo opened up to highlight co-op. “Borderlands 3” will feature drop-in/drop-out co-op with loot instancing and level scaling. While level scaling to ensure a challenge is common in RPG-type games, loot instancing ensures each player gets their own unique loot. However, both can be turned off, along with loot sharing, if players wish.

Then there are the three skill trees, which will offer unique action ability tied to each one. But while three of the playable vault hunters can only use one at a time, “the operative” Zane can equip two abilities if a player does not equip a grenade.

And players won’t just be exploring the lawless planet of Pandora this time around. Players will be able to jump planet to planet from the new hub locations, the Sanctuary 3, to fight the Children of the Vault and hunt for more hidden vaults. One of the planets that were shown off was Promethea, a futuristic metropolis that stands in contrast to the frontiers of Pandora.

The Sanctuary 3 will also play home to many familiar franchise faces, including arms dealer Marcus, the siren Lilith, and gentlemanly hunter Sir Hammerlock.

But for anyone worried about the possibilities of micro-transactions, Pitchford eased those fears. While “Borderlands 3” will feature a traditional season pass for campaign DLC, there won’t be any micro-transactions hidden in the game.

“Borderlands 3” will also be on display at upcoming events, including E3 in June, Gamescom, PAX, and more in the coming months.

“Borderlands 3” will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on Sept. 13.