Desires For Borderlands 3

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

While this site hasn’t been received as much as it will be in the future, I prefer the community here more than the over-skeptical and imaginitve-lacking one in the other site. And to keep things simple, since we’ll only be using this site soon enough, why bother making two?

Forgive me if this post gets excessive, but I am one who hopes for the best and expects the worst. While what I recommend or suggest may not ever be received well or looked upon in great measures, I find the moments taken worth the chance that will cost me only a short period of time discussing. I would normally leave this part out of my OP, but with the inability for many to grasp the obvious in other cases, I feel I must leave the abundantly apparent reasoning here like you would find a warning of harmful chemicals on your typical cleaning supplies’ bottles.

So without further ado, I will get to the point. I don’t quite know exactly if this is the best place to discuss what we want for the still long overdue and distant Borderlands 3, but I figure this is as good a place as any.

Ever since the first Borderlands, there has been one particular feature I’ve still been waiting for in subsequent titles. The implementation of prevous Vault Hunters in a future title. For those of us who’ve played multiple Borderlands installments, and for those of us who love this series, we’ve come to enjoy what the array of Vault Hunters have had to offer us in the form of splendid displays of awesome brutality and adrenaline-filled ecstasy. Thus all of us have had to endure the sting of bidding our old Vault Hunters from past titles farewell for badlands mysterious and waiting to be ventured. While I understand fully well that we are more than capable of tossing in our selection of Borderlands games into our platforms of choice, there’s something about leaving our Vault Hunters in the past generations while new ones, although awesome in their own right, stand above them in spotlights shifting from one generation to the next.

The question I ask is, “Why can’t they all share that spotlight?”

How often have we followed Borderlands promotion statements and news articles that never fail to describe the continuously growing capacities of epicness and badass flavor in successive installments? Isn’t that what the game is built on, despite the fact that some adjustments are indeed due for addressing?

Imagine with me, a Borderlands title that encompasses the potential galactic-scale adventure with all of our past Vault Hunters, allowing much more diverse combinations of parties to scour the worlds harboring the existence of other Eridian Vaults. Just think, as far as the story is concerned, the Vault Hunters are uniting and continuing to do so; a force required to explore the mysteries of the Eridian civilization spanning far wider than Pandora. Mordecai, Lilith, Brick, Salvador, Zer0, Axton, Maya, Krieg, Gaige, Athena, and an additional four new Vault Hunters (and additional DLC characters if Gearbox decides to continue) returning under one banner in one massive isntallment to kick some major ass in an even bigger and badder corner of the Borderlands universe.

Furthermore, push the cooperative multiplayer envelope. Why limit the Vault Hunters to groups of four? Gearbox is already, what I tip my hat off to, attempting to exceed the traditional four-player co-op campaign template in Battleborn by upping the team size to five players. Do the same with Borderlands 3. Up the size of teams to six or eight of our iconic Hunters. And while you’re at it, up the scope of immensity that Borderlands 3 should be. Make the battles bigger and more exciting to complement a group of this size. Do what drives the universe of this series. Make it badass, and more so with each new game.

While there was a character development pattern between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, being able to predict, in part, what the new Vault Hunters would be wasn’t so bad for me. Roland’s successor was Axton. Lilith’s successor was Maya. Mordecai’s successor was Zer0. And Brick’s successor was Salvador. I’m not sure if this would remain a template for Gearbox, but I wouldn’t mind it so much. Imagine what the next Siren’s phasing ability would be. What would the next Zerker specialize in; dual-wielding sword rampages, perhaps? What new critical perks would the next sniper bring to the table? Regardless of the fact, have you wondered what would become of our foes when Vault Hunter combinations we had never been able to test joined together in bloody displays of carnage?

As I feared, this post got longer than I anticipated, so I will leave what else I have on this particular subject to discussion. But I do have one other major concern I want to see IGNORED, in fact.

Nerfing whiners.

A few notes for the gamers and developers:

1. Aside from the mini-feature within the size of Borderlands that is dueling, the game is not a competitive multiplayer game.
2. It is either a single-player game and/or cooperative multiplayer game.
3. The game gets hard enough for the larger percentage of the demographic.
4. Borderlands is supposed to be driven by becoming and being a badass, so nerfing gear to the level of ordinary gear in other games defeats the purpose. This isn’t Destiny or COD, people.
5. Taking away the joy of using these powerful items from those of us who prefer them strong is unfair and wrong.
6. Ignoring what I just said above, simply put, destroys your game. Take a look at Borderlands enthusiasts and guides on Youtube. Take a look at those of the most dedicated gamers. What do they do? They’re developing their characters to be the strongest they can be. The STRONGEST. Not the freakin’ weakest, guys and girls. Nerfing gear is stupid. Period.

A few notes for the developers:

1. Nerfing whiners are no true fans of your game. They come and go like bloodsucking parasites. Once they see their “fixes” made in the game, which cripple the enjoyment for those of us who lose the option of keeping strong gear as is and the vision you’ve had for your designs, they disperse and find the next game to complain about. Keep the right demographic in mind here. The long-time fans, those of us who are gonna stick it out for the long run because we’re true fans, should be the prize to satisfy.
2. This could be one of the most important ones pertaining to your business: You needn’t spend any time or money on what doesn’t need to be fixed, so you keep more in your pockets.
3. If people don’t like an item, there are how many items in Borderlands? Gajillions or whatever ridiculous figure we can’t imagine. Here’s a fix: If you don’t like it being strong, and you want to be a wimp, go find the many, many, many other articles of equipment that suck compared to the beast items those of us prefer to utilize to make our Vault Hunters true advocates of badassitude. It’s the easiest, simplest, most basic, quick, man-I’m-running-out-of-terms-to-describe-how-easy-of-a-fix-it-is solution to deal with people who don’t like a particular item.
4. Concerning #3, by doing this, both sides of the line are satisfied. Those of us who like to be powerful forces to be reckoned with get the gear we deserve and keep our choice. And those people who like to be wimps and complain games into becoming typical competitive multiplayer shooters have the simple option of opting out of an item and taking something weak. It’s not fair to take the option away from one group of gamers for the “benefit” of a fake one that’ll ditch your game as soon as the “patch” hits our hard drives. So this solution helps everyone. Including the devs.

Anyway, I’ll stop there, and if my position on nerfing whiners upsets you, I’m not sorry, and frankly I don’t care if I offended your sensibilities. Stop ruining good games and stick to the ordinary games that every other shooter tries to be. If it were me I would have no care to satisfy these ridiculous inputs to “better the game” that I know I would enjoy more if the original vision of the devs was kept pure and true. This game doesn’t belong to chumps. It belongs to us badasses. So get your crap out of our house.

This is long overdue for an update. Bringing the the rest of the desires together:

More dependable late game gear diversity - BL1>BL2; be more aware of plot devices
Expanding on the return of past Vault Hunters; enemies/bosses need to grow in badassery with VHs
Bringing Timothy back as a playable character
If past VHs are brought back, update kits
Take it easy on the racing and timed delivery missions, if you have to have them at all
Pets/creature taming/capture quests
Resetting/reallocating Badass Points
Individual loot streams in cooperative multiplayer
Improve drop rates from bosses and loot from red chests; enemies drop gear in use; nostalgic explosive weapons
Landscapes; weapon aesthetics; decrease grind; resetting playthrough’s quests; large profile bank; and some more
Dialogue and cutscene archive feature
BL1 VH foundations should make their kits in BL3 easier to update; changing difficulty; INSANE mode
Maintain high level cap model; acquire action skill at level 3; improve ability synergy
Make certain campaign aspects more single player friendly
Female psychos added to cast of enemies
Improve multiplayer grouping features; create a master raid party site to make partying up easier
Add the ability to acquire progressively improved melee weapon variants for VHs
More on graded melee gear
Weapon dismantling/crafting
Weapon crafting system detailed
Throwback to chumps mentioned in OP: Add a Wussy Vault Hunter Mode!; upgrade below-level gear to match character level at cost; brand hybrids and more
Difficulty slider
Complement Badass Rank with revamped proficiency systems used in BL1
Elite versions of gear, including Legendaries; using dismantled parts which denote prefix variations to build ideal weapon
Add to end game with raid dungeons/vaults, and not just bosses
Skill and melee damage items separate from class mods
Scavenger hunt competitions
Make a supreme arena challenge modeled after circles of slaughter with the toughest enemies/bosses and best loot
Saving stack counts when saving and quitting
Inventory management - customized sorting options
Reexamine quests requiring you to select one reward or another
Feature stat pages to overview; increase inventory carrying capacity with more buyable upgrades
New VH could be an engineer who dismantles and rebuilds gear
Improve weapon effectiveness, particularly assault rifles; no crit reductions; non-elemental needs to compete with elemental gear in late game
Opening campaign ideas; camp/town built as desired; and more on mod support and instanced matchmaking
Have the option to reset DLC campaigns separately from the vanilla game
Redesign loot system pertaining to drop rates, manufacturers, weapon types, play style, worthy legendaries, and storage
Implement a transitional party screen to keep parties linked up
No DLC specific level caps
More on level cap increasing DLC needing to be purchased
Extension on party lobby; make Seraph and Pearlescent gear more effective; elemental combos; timed ability mechanic should be expanded; bring more balanced blend of close and open quartered locales
Add customization options for host’s party in matchmaking which would manage guests’ quest freedoms, ninja looting, level requirements, etc
Bigger battles; more intriguing, complex boss battles; make all manufacturers relevant
More interesting legendary special effects; balancing boss and VH kits to compete with peers; and more
Sliding vs. O2 packs; stealth and falling/death from above executions; improved flanking mechanics
Improve “pet” action skills to be more effective in long lasting battles; improve generally listed weapon types; add difficult to acquire panic button skill for VHs
Exploding laser swords and explosive kamikaze skag mounts!

[Lips (Chasing my Imago)]

I agree, and I’m no fan of the “nerf this and that” whiners, but the game should have a decent balance before release. In BL1, there were SOOOOOOOO MAAAAAAANYYY great ways to kick ass and be totes badass, but in BL2, by OP8, there were somewhat limited builds and gear selections for maxing it all out. I’m not upset with people for min-maxing and doing what they do, I just feel that GBX should make sure that by endgame difficulty, there is still a good range of gear that will work.

Also, more bosses. And more elemental badassery. And more creatures. And more classes. But less dumb plot line tropes that rely on stupid stereotypes (looking at you Bloodwing gender change so we can have a jilted character development but wait, s/he laid an egg! It’s all good everybody! Like s/he/BW never died right? Because we’ll ignore the first game completely. Do you know how long I spent with that bird? Ugh, this issue has never sat well with me), and more double jumps. They are too fun.

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

I can understand the need to nerf items in a competitive multiplayer heavy game, but Borderlands isn’t that kind of game. But I agree. I remember there being guns in the first game that weren’t even Legendaries that would rip guys a new one (i.e. Mashers and Anarchies for instance), yet the primary outlet for having successful gear in BL2 is a select few oranges and up.

And I’m all for more bosses. Bigger ones even. The game’s badass factor doesn’t only apply to the Vault Hunters and gear, but the enemies as well. I liked the fact that a lot of bosses felt more like raid bosses in BL2, and it gave you that excited sensation of accomplishment for having built your character in such and such way with these particular items at your disposal. I’m not kidding when I say I would like to see party sizes exceed four players in the next Borderlands, and that we should be able to play Vault Hunters from the previous games (I’m with you on the Bloodwing thing; I noticed that too and it bugged me as well. Hey Mordecai has a new companion called Talon; why not carry the same abilities and extra?). That will give us a huge variety. But back to my point, if we have groups of 5+ characters playing at once, the enemies need to get scaled up as well, and especially so for the raid bosses.

Here’s how I see it. Bring the guaranteed characters that were originally playable back, like Mordecai (which was my go-to Hunter in BL1), Lilith, Brick, Salvador (favorite in BL2), Zer0, Maya, Axton, Krieg, and Gaige. They’re all alive and kicking and are united in Sanctuary. Hey after all they’re all playing Bunkers and Badasses while interrogating Hyperion captives and listening to stories. As far as the Pre-Sequel goes, Wilhelm, Jack’s double, and Nisha were enemies to begin with. We killed them in Borderlands 2, and I know people liked them, but from a storytelling perspective, they’re not allies to the Vault Hunters of Sanctuary. Claptrap was an NPC to begin with, and Athena has been spared to align herself with them. Sorry if this spoiled anything for you, but I decided to keep specifics out just in case. And Lady Hammerlock was pulled from I don’t know where.

Adding that to another four new Vault Hunters (plus the additional two DLC character pattern they’ve followed with the last two titles), that puts the selection up to 16 Vault hunters. I never bothered looking into it myself, but I heard speculations that Roland could be alive. If by some chance that was somewhere Gearbox wanted to go, that puts the count up to 17 characters. The diversity is much more immense, and it would be epic.

[Lips (Chasing my Imago)]

I believe the consensus is that we didn’t kill Timothy (the Doppelgänger) in BL2. That was just a worker with a hologram projector, whereas Tim had reconstructive surgery. Personally, I hope Tim comes back, he’s awesome.

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

I haven’t played TPS yet, but have seen my little brother play it. While I still hold to the belief that BL2 is better, some of the classes on TPS did look fun. As far as the story goes, I guess a reconsideration of alliances could affect his alignment, but whatever they decide to do, I definitely want to see at least the Vault Hunters from BL1 and BL2 in Borderlands 3. Not as NPCs like the BL1 characters were in BL2. All of them, playable. That would be awesome, and I sincerely hope Gearbox gives this thread a good look, especially if it’s just for the notes concerning nerfing whiners.

[Lips (Chasing my Imago)]

Gotcha. Yeah, TPS is pretty fun IMO. I think your thoughts are good, and I too hope GBX checks this thread out. A note in Tim (sans spoilers): He is excellently written and voice acted to show that Tim is an individual, only subservient because he has to be.

And I would so love to see as many VH’s as possible to play in BL3 (though using Talon would make me a bit sad), but many feel that a 4 player team is how it should stay. I’d like to see maybe up to 6 or 8, but that could get messy with the current mission system. If they find a way to do it though, I’m down. Even if I mostly play solo.

[Gulfwulf (Cast Iron Chef (R.I.P.))]

Jack’s doppelgänger in Bl 2 turns out to just be a Hyperion Engineer with a holographic pocket watch. And Angel did mention he was just one of many Jack used, so there’s room for Timothy to come back as a playable character.

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

I’ll probably play it eventually. I gotta say Athena looks pretty fun, but I’ll find my character regardless when the day comes. Talon has some big shoes to fill, and as much as it pains me to accept that Bloodwing is gone, the least we can do is remember him well. I remember how bad I wanted Jack to die after that happened. Oh, the satsifaction I felt when I finally blew his head away. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that much bigger in the next game. I must say eight does seem pretty large, but even five or six players going at once would be a sight to see. Imagine the scope of difficulty and size the raid bosses would have to match a group that large.

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

I’m down with more Vault Hunters coming back in the future title. The more the better. I’ve always wondered what the team builds would be with all of the characters to be used at your disposal. That and I don’t want to say goodbye to my past Vault Hunters. They should come with us. Okay, sure we’d have to level them up again, but at least we would be able to play some of those characters we enjoyed so much in the new game as well. There’s no reason they should stop being Vault Hunters when the next generation of heroes comes along. Just make the party bigger.

[Gulfwulf (Cast Iron Chef (R.I.P.))]

I would love to see what an updated Brick could do. Man I miss punching bad guys in the face.

[anon13808724]

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is please, for the love of all that is holy, no more racing or timed delivery missions. To me, those are Borderlands 2’s equivalent of the “water level” from old side scrollers/platformers. Other than that, I really have no “wishlist” for Borderlands 3, I just want a new game with some new stuff that still remains recognizable as a Borderlands game. Well, keeping the Mad Max/Spaghetti Western influences proeminent throughout the game would be a plus for me (I haven’t played TPS yet, but based on what I have seen from it, I find it lacking in that department).

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

I hate those missions as well. So frustrating, and I have to agree that I do like the ambience and setting that makes Pandora so iconic in the Borderlands series. As interested as I am in the other Vaults scattered beyond Pandora, I hope to see that particular theme of setting still a prevalent place to visit.

[AMG_75 (I punch him!)]

Me too man, me too.

[Giuvito (Maining Ms. Phaseswole)]

How did I know you chose Brick in BL1?

ANSWER: SO DID I.

[tannerhicks19]

Hello I’m not really a “hardcore” gamer but I do know a good game when I play them such as halo resident evil and borderlands now iv had many fun and random moments in borderlands it is by far my favorite game yet it still feels as if it’s missing something a few ideas would be to add a way to tame certain enemies and either use them as mounts or pets that help fight and the text that describes the quest when you pick them up or turn them in is a nice humorous bit of gameplay I am asking for some secret side quest that will last a while and have their own storyline bu I know that’s hard to do but it would be amazing and for a choice of new character if you do make new ones would be descendent of tan is and their skill would build some insane machine or would say random thoughts and daze the enemy

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

I’m not the most hardcore gamer either. And even looking strictly at the Borderlands series, I haven’t invested as much time as others have. There are people out there that have all of the available VHs at max level and geared out, and may even have a few alts. As for me, I’m one who finds my favorite character or characters and plays them at my comfortable leisure. I did play BL1 way more than 2, but still, even though I’m a big fan of Borderlands, there are others who’ve immersed themselves far more than me. With that being said, I don’t think my input carries any less significance than those players. Borderlands has become a favorite, despite my inability to show for the investment as others, and it deserves to be the best it can be for all gamers, casual ones included. You’re requests, like all others, are appreciated. The only one I won’t appreciate is the word of a nerf whiner.

[psmales]

been able to reset my badass rank points awards would be nice edition

[hazlettedward (Hazlett34)]

I agreed with everything u say but it should stay at 4-players co-op, ah to hell with it 5-6 players co-op would be AWESOME nothing more.
I gotta say more than 6 players is too much

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

That would be nice. I can think of many times I questioned the effectiveness of my allocation of Badass Points. Being able to reset them like our ability points would be a good addition.

[tlyons8sb8 (SaviorsBlood)]

Haha, I have to admit, 8 players does sound cumbersome. I can only blame that figure on my zeal for BL3 to be far more epic and successful than any of its predecessors have been. But six sounds just right for a fair boost to the adrenaline and ecstasy that is Borderlands.