There’s been a storm of Borderlands 2 related news this past 24 hours. Firstly, those that have been playing recently (and for those who aren’t, what are you doing? Check out the Geek Pride review and buy it now!), may be aware that the first piece of DLC since the game’s release last month went live yesterday, a whole week early, priced at £7.99 on Xbox Live and PSN.
Gaige, the game’s fifth playable character, was released yesterday here in Europe as part of the “Premiere Club”. Also included is a selection of Gearbox Golden Guns, A Vault Hunter’s Relic that increases chances of finding rare loot, and arguably most importantly for my fellow Vault Hunters, a Golden Key for the Golden Chest in Sanctuary. Gaige herself is a Mechromancer, who has the ability to summon D374-TP, otherwise known as Deathtrap, a combat mech she can control and buff up. A glance at her skill tree shows she seems to be fairly versatile compared with the other characters, with abilities such as ricocheting bullets, and causing an electrical explosion every time she reloads. She also looks to be more advanced to use, depending on the skills chosen. Particularly, Anarchy or Discord look to be useful, yet difficult to master.
The release has not been smooth, however. There have been reports springing up on the Gearbox Forums of players losing their Badass Rank, characters, and in some cases even entire saves. Additionally, it appears Gearbox have accidentally leaked information about the next planned DLC. After a software patch on the PS3, 3 mysterious trophies have appeared, relating to some future DLC, entitled Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty (oh, grow up). PC Players have since dug around in the game files and come up with some interesting information regarding the DLC;
[quote]”Legends speak of Captain Blade’s Lost Treasure of the Sands. Of a prize so great, that men would turn the sands red in pursuit of it. Of a pirate queen, courageous and deadly, who would stop at nothing to find it. Of a monstrous Leviathan. Of the Vault Hunters who journeyed to the desert town of Oasis, not knowing the horrors that would befall them.”[/quote]
So, it’s been a busy day for Vault Hunters! I’d love to hear your opinions on thes updates. Any of you played as Gaige, yet? What are your opinions so far? Did anyone get anything special in the Golden Chest? And what are your opinions on Scarlett’s Booty?
Hah, booty…
UPDATE; Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty has now been confirmed by Gearbox, who have now slated the DLC to be released October the 16th worldwide- There will be a whole new 7-zone area, a pirate themed desert, with a town called Oasis being the main landmark, ruled by the one-eyed Pirate Queen Captain Scarlett. In an interview with Associated Press, Gearbox President Randy Pitchford said;
[quote]
You can sense the pirate theme across the landscape, even though there’s no water. It’s all dried up. It feels more like Tatooine than an ocean. These bandits have really embraced the pirate lifestyle, and there’s the legend of a treasure. That kicks off this whole adventure that the players can go on.”
[/quote]
Aside from the new area, players will receive a new head for each character, as well as a new vehicle, the Sand Skiff. There will also be a new class of weapons, the Seraph Class, where players will collect crystals and trade them in, similar to Eridium collecting at the moment. This DLC is the first of four that Gearbox has planned; they will be priced at “$9.99 each”, or players can buy a “season pass” for all four, priced at $29.99.