Borderlands 3 E3 2019 Hands-on Preview

Of all the games I got to play at E3 this year, Borderlands 3 is probably my most anticipated.

I have been a long time fan of the series since the first game and I have been eagerly awaiting the next big adventure into the world of Pandora. Luckily, I was able to try out a short demo of the and see some of the new features that the game has to offer from improvements to gameplay to welcomed changes to social aspects of the game.


I also was able to get my hands on Moze, the gunner class who was made available for the first time at E3 2019. When it came time for me to put down my headset and move on, all I could think was how much more I wanted to play now that I got a taste of what was to come.

The newest entry in the Borderlands franchise will not just take place on Pandora, this time there will be at least three different worlds for you to explore, each with their own personal styles and stories. I can already tell that the scale of Borderlands 3 is going to be overwhelming at first and I can not wait to explore it all with my friends.

During my demo I was only able to play through a quick little piece of one of the worlds, though I am not sure which it was. From the get-go, the environments look fantastic, as they always have.

The cell-shaded graphics look amazing, with everything popping out vibrantly, even during a demo that took place at night. The voice acting as always is still great as well, from the weird enemies to the over-the-top characters. Everything feels like a proper sequel to one of the best co-op shooters ever made.

When Borderlands 3 was first revealed, Moze was the character that I had set my sights on, I have always been a fan of gunner class variations in the previous game, so she was right up my alley. One of the coolest new features to Borderlands 3 is that each character no longer just has one class ability, but instead will have multiple, with their skill trees determining just how their class abilities function.

For example, if I wanted to, I could have turned Moze’s mech into a lightning shooting, punching machine equipped with an awesome jackhammer fist, or I could go down the tree that allows me to equip it with a flamethrower and minigun.

Or I can equip it with an extremely powerful railgun that I can use to blow holes throw my enemies from a distance. The customization of your skills feels great and for the first time ever truly does feel like even if your party consists of two of the same character, there will be enough variety that they do not feel identical.

The multiplayer also has some changes that will definitely benefit people like me.If you are the kind of person who may like to talk about the same game as your friends but maybe do not like actually playing multiplayer all the time, then Borderlands 3 has the perfect answer for you with two the simplest additions.

The first is now when you friends sell guns to a vending machine, they will appear in the vending machines in your game, meaning you may have a chance to snag a gun that you your friend picked up in their game. The second is a more direct version of that, you can now mail gear to your friends, even if they are not in your game.

Both of these features are welcomed additions to the game in my opinion, because I’m the kind of person who takes games very slowly while my buddies love to gun and run everything down before I get there. Now I can still participate with my friends in one way or another.

Borderlands 3’s main antagonists were also a major hang up for me before I got a chance to play for myself. The idea that the villains are evil streamers was not something that I thought would work or be entertaining at all. My opinion was completely changed within the first few minutes of the game as I quickly realized just how perfect it all was.

There was something incredibly funny to me about the phrase, “Until next time, remember to like, favorite, comment, and obey” being said over the radio as I was blowing the heads off of angry grunt units with an M1-Garand looking rifle (yes, it makes that satisfying ping sound).

The only thing that was a disappointment was the length of the demo, it was incredibly short, giving me only some time with the game, but that was enough to make me addicted and I know that I am now eagerly awaiting the game’s release later this year.

Borderlands 3 is launching across Windows PC (via the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, Xbox One on September 13th.

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Tyler was a former Niche Gamer contributor.


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