What Fans Should Expect From Gearbox After Their PAX Reveal Event

Gearbox had a great PAX event with psychos and skags a plenty, but with DLC 4 out in Borderlands 3, what should fans expect next for the franchise? Should fans have high hopes or is the game all used up? We like to believe that the best has yet to come.

What Fans Should Expect From Gearbox After Their PAX Reveal Event

From the return of Bunkers & Badasses to the reveal of the 4th skill tree for Fl4k, Gearbox released a lootsplosion’s worth of information about upcoming merch, DLC, and games for Borderlands 3. The all-digital event went off with little glitches here and there, but what is more important is the mention of upcoming DLC. Released alongside it are new skill trees for each one of the vault hunters. There are little rumors about what each skill will be along with the effect they will have on combat. I am here to speculate what Gearbox could do to keep players interested in the game for another year. 

Skill Trees

The reveal event showed off a good portion of Fl4k’s new skill tree which comes with a new Loader Bot pet. This new Loader Bot comes with three new ways to enhance gameplay. It can be used as an ION Loader, BUL Loader, or WAR Loader. Each one offers different ways to play for anyone’s playstyle. Fl4k also gains access to the Gravity Snare action skill which throws out a gravity device that picks up enemies and slams them to the ground. This tree also has a heavy focus on survivability for Fl4k and his pet. Gearbox stated on their website that “Putting skill points into the Trapper Skill Tree will greatly increase shields and survivability for both FL4K and their pet.” From there, we can only speculate what will come next for the other Vault Hunters. 

Fl4k's new purple skill tree will have a focus on survival.

Fl4k’s new purple skill tree will have a focus on survival.

Zane

Zane for the longest time had to jump through hoops (sometimes literally jumping) to gain the same damage numbers as the other Vault Hunters. Over time this has changed and with the introduction of the new skill tree, things might change even more. It is rumored that his new Action Skill is a Shoulder Cannon that aims to increase his anointment diversity. With an action skill that is instant use, Zane could use all of the anointments. This will be huge for Zane players everywhere who have had to farm for specific anointments. Let’s take it a step further and speculate what his tree will focus on. 

A theorist over at Gamerant.com has an interesting article with the idea that Zane’s new skill tree will be more tech-focused. He states that “Zane’s penchant for technology is something that should be embraced, meaning his new skill tree should go heavier on tech than any other skill tree.” A focus on Zane’s tech is a good start. Joshua also mentions how Zane could augment his suit like “Iron Man,” making more speed-focused builds. I like to think the new tree will focus more on DPS than the rest. With Zane’s new Action Skill being one-time-use, it could be augmented much like Fl4k’s Loaderbot. This means different types of shots that could allow for increased damage and possibly making enemies receive more damage. Think about Iron Bear. Allowing Zane to use different forms of shots like rockets, lasers, and bullets could be a game-changer. 

Gearbox reveals Fl4k's Gravity Snare Action Skill.

Gearbox reveals Fl4k’s Gravity Snare Action Skill.

Moze

Moze came out from the beginning as a rough and tough war veteran who dealt high damage and had an Action Skill that fell short of the other Vault Hunters’. Iron Bear was good up to the endgame and then the damage numbers dropped. Gearbox has since made Iron Bear a viable part of the team again. A little late perhaps? Moze’s new Action Skill is rumored to be called “Iron Cub,” and is mentioned to act like a “Zane Toy” by Paul Tassi over at Forbes. This means Moze will finally gain access to “Action Skill Active” anointments. We can only imagine this will change Moze’s playstyle for the better. But what about her tree?

Some people believe that Moze’s new skill tree should focus on sniper rifles, making her a more distanced fighter. That isn’t what she is lacking though. Moze lacks two things: health regen and elemental damage. Right now, Moze’s health regen almost entirely comes from grenades and her element of choice is fire. Fire helps take health bars down fast, but good luck with armor or shields. Moze can use corrosive damage with her Green Monster Class Mod, but that is rarely used. I speculate that the new tree will focus on a new element, perhaps radiation since Fl4k is currently the only one with radiation skills. This tree should also offer Moze a new form of health regen that acts like other Vault Hunters’. Maybe each enemy damaged by radiation heals her? That would be interesting to add. 

Gearbox reveals Fl4k's Loaderbot companion at PAX event

Gearbox reveals Fl4k’s Loaderbot companion at PAX event.

Amara

Big, bad, and always looking for a fight, Amara came out swinging from the beginning with monstrous damage numbers that put the other characters to shame. There isn’t much information on her new skill tree, but whatever it is, it’s bound to be as incredible as her originals. It is speculated that her new skill is called “Phasetrance.” Don’t know about you, but this gives off some serious Warframe vibes and sounds like the possibility to control enemies and cause pandemonium. What does this mean for augments and skills?

Amara’s biggest downfalls are crowd control and distance. This may sound weird, but hear me out. Phasegrasp can only pick up so many targets and can be improved through different builds, but lacks an AOE effect that can really drive it home. This is what the new Action Skill could take care of. With the though that Amara could put enemies in a trance, she could control the battlefield better than she can already. Adding distance into the mix will allow her to not have to get personal with every enemy she encounters. As for a new element, cryo would probably be best to help with crowd control. We can envision that this trance could be an AOE that effects a couple of enemies and forces them into a frenzy where they choose the closest person as their next target. Augments could include buffs to make the AOE bigger at the cost of duration. 

Future DLC

I can only imagine what the future of Borderlands 3 will hold. With the possibilities ranging from going inside another mind to being transported into other dimensions, there are too many possibilities to state anything specific. But let’s try it anyway. Borderlands 3 DLCs have one thing in common (at least mostly) and that is character focus. Every DLC has set focus on a specific character except for DLC 3. In terms of future content, we can guess that the next DLC will focus on another story from a side character or Vault Hunter (here’s to hoping for origin stories). This could be the time where Salvador and Axton make their return to the vault hunting game. 

With the upcoming release of Bunkers and Badasses, I could see the rise of more adventures through tabletop games. It is doubtful that Tina has given up her love for the game, so this could bring back the old cast in a new and exciting story. I could also see the rise of Mr. Torgue with a new arena based DLC. Nevertheless, since Gearbox has stated that Vault Hunters who haven’t made it into the story will be in DLC, I can definitely assume that Axton and Salvador will make a return, even if it’s only through Echo Logs. 

Other DLC

Gearbox has been working hard to keep fresh content coming to Borderlands 3. They have released Takedowns, Special Events, and paid DLC for fans of the game. It will be no surprise if they continue this trend into the next year. With the announcement of more paid DLC, I can only imagine that there will still be free content coming. I can already state pretty accurately that there will not be new playable characters. Gearbox has stated that it is too much work to implement. However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of more skill trees later down the road. 

There can be no doubt that Gearbox will continue the free DLC trend. Look at Borderlands 2, that game is practically swimming in free content. Rest assured that there will most likely be more Takedowns in the future. There is also the possibility of returning to Headhunter DLCs. There is also a high possibility of Gearbox continuing the trend of event missions. With Thanksgiving on the way, there is a chance to see a new themed event mission since they have already done Halloween. We will know more when the next Borderlands Show arrives in the near future. 

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