I. GENERAL INFO/MISCWhat is Borderlands?Borderlands is an open-world four-player online co-op enabled "role playing shooter" developed by Gearbox Software.
"Role-playing shooter?"At heart, the game plays like a shooter in real-time with tight and responsive controls (think Halo/CoD) but it has RPG elements layered on top, like loot-collecting and character-leveling (think Diablo).
So it's like Fallout 3, then...Not really. The biggest difference being that where you point is where you shoot. Gearbox Software has developed many shooters in their past, so they know how to do shooters right. I also repeat: loot. Lots and lots of loot. Loot and randomness. Also repeat: online co-op.
When is the release date?For the Xbox 360 and PS3, it is October 20th in North America and October 23rd in all other territories. For the PC, it is October 26th.
Any pre-order bonuses?Yes. Pre-ordering with GameStop will net a redeem code for a set of guns with an "exclusive motif". More info here:
http://borderlandsguide.com/forum/gamestop-pre-order-bonusWhat's up with the graphics? I heard this game used to be realistic-looking.They used to. Gearbox changed the graphics to make the game feel more fun and unique. And/or, as some say, so it doesn't look so much like Fallout 3 anymore.
What is this game rated?M for Mature. For blood, violence, limbs flying, decapitations, strings of shouted obscenities, and partial nudity.
Is there any DLC planned?DLC is already in the works. It is new content created after development had finished, so it is not anything aleady on the disc. We don't know what the new content is, but Gearbox has hinted at many things like new quests, classes, enemies, skills, and extending the level cap. They have also expressed interest in moving forward based on fan response, adding the features and functionality that fans would like to see.
II. CO-OP/PvP/ONLINECan you tell me more about co-op?Drop-in/drop-out co-op for up to four players online or using system link. As players join, the difficulty/rewards/XP scale up. Likewise, as players leave, difficulty/rewards/XP scale down.
Is there a co-op tether?No.
Does it have splitscreen?Yes, two-player offline splitscreen. Offline only. Not online.
Can I play it single-player?Yes.
Are there bots to fill in empty player slots?No bots. As said, difficulty will scale to the number of human players.
Is my character persistent?Yes. You can play offline, splitscreen, and online with the same character. That character can collect and will retain all the gear and XP you collect along the way.
Can I join a low-level game with a high-level character (or vice-versa)?Yes. However, there may be restrictions on how the XP is distributed to avoid exploiting.
Any player vs. player action?Yes, but limited. At any time you can challenge someone in your party to a duel. Should they accept the challenge, a duel happens right there on the spot. There are also specially designated arenas where the terrain is ideal for team & free-for-all deathmatch. As far as we know, it is still limited to four players max.
How is the loot divided?It isn't. Free-for-all.
Will I be able to trade loot?You can drop items from your inventory for others to pick up (and vice-versa) but there is currently no system in place to secure any transaction.
III. COMBAT GAMEPLAYSo, I hear this game has a million/bazillion guns?Correct, but this number can be misunderstood. While each of the guns is technically unique in that no two guns are exactly alike, many of them will be similar. Think of it as a very wide spectrum with ordinary guns on one end and the craziest guns you can imagine on the other end. Now imagine everything inbetween. It is said that many players will probably only see a couple thousand guns in a typical playthrough.
What kind of guns?All kinds. Divided into eight basic categories: pistols, revolvers, shotguns, submachine guns, combat rifles, sniper rifles, rocket/grenade launchers, and alien weapons (a.k.a. Eridian weapons). Power, accuracy, rate of fire, and magazine capacity will all vary and display themselves on the weapons in-game. More accurate guns will have longer barrels, and higher capacity guns will have larger or longer magazines, etc. Some guns will also have scopes, bayonets, and/or secondary effects such as fire, electricity, and acid. Crazier guns include rocket-loaded pistols and revolver-loading snipers.
Hold on a sec. How did they even make so many guns?Gearbox wrote a program that created the guns for them. They fed it information on parts, basic designs, and materials. The program did the rest and Gearbox tidied it up. They also made some unique, hand-developed guns of their own.
Can I make my own guns?No. That would injure the incentive behind loot-hunting. You don't make your favorite gun; you find it.
Will my guns degrade?No. However, you will need to replenish your ammo, either through buying some, finding some, or using class skills.
OK, anything else besides guns?You can also collect shield mods, grenade mods, class mods, and artifacts.
Shields are similar to the shields from Halo. They absorb damage to save your real health and can recharge. Your shield mod will affect attributes such as capacity, recharge speed, etc.
Grenade mods add special effects to your hand grenades (oh yeah, the game has hand grenades, too), such as giving them elemental properties or creating a cluster grenade.
Class mods are class-specific equips with unique effects on your class, skills, weapons, and your team. Effects like damage, accuracy, rate of fire, and skill boosts.
Artifacts are rare, crazy-good drops. They do crazy-good things, like blow enemies up. Not much else is known about artifacts.
How about melee weapons?Yes and no. Short answer: There aren't many. Each class has a default melee weapon they begin with (more on classes in Section V). The Hunter class carries a sword. Soldier, combat knife. Beserker, metal pipe. The Siren knows space kung-fu. Many guns will also feature a bayonet, blade, or some other nasty attachment. Some guns are simply heavy enough for effective bludgeoning. The game automatically uses your most powerful melee option in combat. However, there are no dedicated melee weapons to be found as loot. It's your gun butt, your attachment, or your default melee weapon.
What about vehicles?Yes, there will be customizable vehicles with a variety of mounted weapons. Vehicles can be spawned and modified at special stations throughout the game world. Many vehicles will have multiple seats for the driver, gunners, and passengers. In some vehicles, the driver and gunner or passenger can swap places without stopping the vehicle.
What am I fighting?At first, mostly bandits and indigenous creatures. Bandits vary in size, shape, shielding, and weaponry. Creatures vary in size, shape, and ability. Some creatures will be many times larger than the player. Later in the game, the player will face more organized enemies in the form of a private military. And more beyond that, which Gearbox probably won't tell us about. In total, there will be around 150 different enemies including all the minor variants. You will also encounter "Badasses" which are extra-tough versions of normal enemies who yield better rewards.
Does the enemy scale to my level?No. Generally, weaker and stronger enemies reside in distinct areas, so you can avoid or engage any level of enemy you wish. As said before, enemies will also scale when players join or leave the game.
How is the death penalty?When you first run out of HP, you go into a "Last Stand"-type mode, on your knees and unable to move. From here, one of two things can happen. If you score enough damage with parting shots, you can revive yourself and regain some health. Or a teammate can manually revive you. If you aren't revived in time through either method, you are revived at the last passed checkpoint and lose some money.
Is there a third-person mode?Only when in vehicles. On foot, it is first-person only.
Can I aim down the sights (ADS)?Yes, presumably with all weapons, scoped or not.
This post was edited by EwokHellKite on Oct 23 2009 09:46am