All The Rumors And Spoilers For Borderlands 3
More than six years have passed since 2K Games released Borderlands 2 to critical acclaim. As of May 2019, the Borderlands franchise had sold over 43 million units worldwide, with Borderlands 2 accounting for 20 million of those units alone. The game continues to deliver the goods, pulling in over one million unique users each month, despite the review bombs that followed Borderland 3's announcement as a six-month Epic Games Store exclusive. Take-Two Interactive, 2K's parent company, hopes to surpass these numbers with the series' third entry, and it seems the developers are pulling out all the stops to hit that goal.
With its Sept. 13, 2019 release date looming on the horizon, Borderlands 3 has become the focus of much excitement, scrutiny, and conjecture. What does Gearbox have in store for its players? How will they build upon the foundation established by the earlier titles? Will it live up to the memory of its beloved predecessor, 2K's most successful title at that time? The growing list of rumors, leaks, and fan theories paints an increasingly vibrant picture of what's to come. From interplanetary exploration to the possible descendants of the first Vault Hunter, here are all the rumors and spoilers for Borderlands 3.
The explosive return of Mr. Torgue
Mr. Torgue High-Five Flexington, the founder, CEO, and face of the Torgue company, one of the weapon manufacturers featured in Borderlands 2, has earned a reputation for his explosive personality. Gearbox expanded on the character in the Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage DLC, with the boisterous businessman and his rippling muscles also featuring in Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. His ALL CAPS dialogue, larger-than-life attitude, and a penchant for loot, pecs, and explosions have since earned him a place in the hearts of many players.
A tweet from Chris Rager, Mr. Torgue's voice actor, implies that he will burst back onto the scene in Borderlands 3. "I would like to announce that #Borderlands3 is a video game and voice acting is a thing... Thank you!" said Rager. A gif of Torgue with the caption "Explosions?" accompanies the tweet, capturing the essence of the character. Though not a direct confirmation, it seems Torgue fans can expect to see more of the shirtless wonder and his impressive guns in the near future.
Cross-platform play
With the rise of multiplayer games, cross-platform play has become a hot topic within the industry. The feature has not made the official Borderlands 3 list; however, statements made by Gearbox and 2K Games imply that players may soon get to assemble their teams unhindered by their choice of platform. "For what it's worth, 2K's decisions aside, myself and the team at Gearbox have a very keen interest in cross-platform play," tweeted Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford on April 1, 2019. "We believe multi-platform support is a pre-requisite and Epic's leadership with cross platform support is helpful to our interests there."
According to GameSpot, cross-play support appeared under the "Capabilities" section of the Borderlands 3 Microsoft Store listing but was later removed. "Cross-play is something we're looking at closely, but we don't have anything to confirm or announce at this time," responded a 2K spokesperson. Based on the listing and the comments from both companies, cross-platform support for Borderlands 3 appears to already be in the works, even if they're not ready to unveil it yet. Cross-platform play may not be available at launch, but there's a strong possibility you'll see it in a future update.
Quality over quantity
Unlike previous titles, it looks like Gearbox does not plan to add new Vault Hunters to Borderlands 3 following launch. "We are focused on the main game for now, but my feelings are that it might be better for us to put our time into expanding what the existing vault hunters can do and how interesting their future growth is instead of adding new ones to start over with," Randy Pitchford said on Twitter. "Data seems to support this."
The decision does not appear set in stone, however; it sounds like the Gearbox will focus on fleshing out the existing line-up of classes and Vault Hunters by releasing new skill trees. This will allow players to expand on their existing build and experience, rather than starting from scratch. Gearbox has already announced four planned campaign DLC packs for Season Pass holders. These will augment the story campaign with new missions and challenges. The developer will also release new cosmetic items such as skins and heads, despite the company's previous statements that the game would not include microtransacations.
To Pandora, Promethea, and beyond
Though the Borderlands franchise has remained rooted on the planet Pandora in the past, Borderlands 3 will open up whole new worlds for you to explore. Based on the translation of an interview with French streamer mistermv, the title will feature five different planets. The first planet, Promethea, was teased via a message assembled by players in Battleborn DLC back in 2017: "Visit Prometea, Children of the Vault, We Are Not on Pandora Anymore, Tannis Is Not What She Seems, Do Not Open the Vaults." Gearbox later confirmed Promethea as one of Borderlands 3's locales in the May 1, 2019 gameplay reveal.
According to YouTuber SupMatto and his "trusted sources", Borderlands 3 will also include the planet Eden-6. During E3 this year, Randy Pitchford also revealed Athenas as a playable planet within the game. Gearbox has shared few details about Athenas beyond the fact it is Maya's home planet, the Siren-class character from Borderlands 2. Footage of Athenas shows Maliwan banners on display, a weapon manufacturer who has sided with the Children of the Vault. Based on this, the planet could end up being a core battle site. Details about the alleged fifth planet are currently unknown.
Not a flamethrower
A tweet from Randy Pitchford back in January 2018 indicates that Borderlands 3 might include Elon Musk's "not a flamethrower" flamethrower, with Musk himself possibly writing the flavor text for the item. "Elon – I'm going to add this to our next Borderlands game. Super serious," said Pitchford. "Let me know if you want to write the flavor text. You may have already done so – we'll just lift it from one of your tweets." Musk responded with a glib "Sure," giving little away about the official nature of the exchange.
An amusing tweet from Musk about the features of the flamethrower prompted Pitchford's response. "But wait, there's more: the flamethrower is sentient, its safe word is 'cryptocurrency' and it comes with a free blockchain," quipped Musk, aka "Daddy DotCom." Sales for the limited-run flamethrower, which went for $500 a piece, have closed, but all may not be lost. If Pitchford's words prove true, you may get a chance to try out the "not a flamethrower," at least in digital format, come September.
The compressing trevonator
According to a series of Reddit threads, Borderlands 3 will include a gun named after Trevor Eastman, a long-time fan of the franchise. After sharing his struggle with stage 4 esophageal, stomach, and liver cancer and that doctors had only given him a year to live last June, Gearbox purportedly allowed him to play Borderlands 3 early in addition to naming and writing the flavor text for his own weapon. Eastman got to spend about four hours with the game and also received a treasure trove of Borderlands-themed swag.
Based on screenshots shared by Eastman, his gun, the compressing trevonator, is a legendary weapon manufactured by Maliwan that includes +28% weapon charge speed and a +75 splash damage radius. It has an item score of 358 and players will need to be level 28 or higher to wield it. It can also switch between the Cryo and Fire damage types. The flavor text reads: "Trev is gunna get you!" The compressing trevonator will set you back $1,497 worth of in-game currency.
Scooter caught his final ride
An Easter egg discovered by Reddit user RedWhite_Weird seems to confirm that beloved mechanic and Catch-A-Ride maintainer Scooter is gone for good. The Redditor allegedly found a mural of a halo-sporting Scooter on a rocket with the words "catch a ride" on the Sanctuary 3 during a Borderlands 3 gameplay video. The Sanctuary 3 serves as the new home base for players in the third installment of the franchise.
Scooter died in Episode 4 of Tales from the Borderlands, and the mural looks like both a memorial and a confirmation that he won't reappear in Borderlands 3. Others fans noted that Ellie appears to have a new tattoo in the reveal trailer of what looks like a skull wearing Scooter's hat and the (alleged) words "catch a ride to heaven." This may also serve as a tribute to Scooter's voice actor, Mikey Neumann, who left Gearbox after suffering a stroke and being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Maybe she's born with it
After much debate among fans, the cosplay guide for Borderlands 3 villain Tyreen revealed that she is, in fact, a siren: "ECHOnet streamer. Cult leader. Siren. For Tyreen Calypso, all the fame and fanatics are but a means to an end: to reach the Vaults and become the most powerful person in the universe."
Despite the cosplay guide, many fans still believe that Tyreen was not born a siren but becomes one by stealing Lilith's powers during the game. Lilith confirms that she has lost her siren powers at the start of the E3 2019 Borderlands 3 trailer, though, she declines to explain how. According to Reddit user Grizznups, holographic images of Tyreen shown in the gameplay reveal stream and announcement trailer show Tyreen without her tattoos, implying that she gains them later. Many fans believe Tyreen can siphon powers from other people, which would enable her to steal Lilith's abilities and transform herself into an artificial siren.
With our powers combined
Fans have noticed that Troy, Tyreen's twin brother, also appears to have siren tattoos. As sirens have traditionally been female, some fans have posed that Tyreen steals Lilith's powers using her own siren abilities and transfers them to Troy. Because the two are twins, Troy can harness the stolen siren powers without being destroyed by them. This may or may not have something to do with the crystals Troy wears around his neck.
Further theories suggest that Troy is sick, and that he relies on his symbiotic link to his sister to stay alive. Tyreen hunts down other sirens and steals their abilities, which she then uses to sustain her brother. Others have proposed that Tyreen was born a siren and Troy leached some of her powers in the womb, effectively sharing the powers of one siren between them. Whether he proves the first male siren, a parasite, or something else entirely, fans seem to agree that Troy is all sorts of bad news.
Honor the Father
As noted by Reddit user brilliantKatabasis, several small details point towards Typhon Deleon, the first Vault Hunter, possibly being Troy and Tyreen Calypso's father. In Greek mythology, Calypso was a nymph of the island of Ogygia. The daughter of the Titan Atlas, she appeared in Homer's Odyssey, dallying with the Greek hero Odysseus for seven years and offering him immortality. Though he refused her and left the island, Calypso bore Odysseus twin sons. Typhon is also the name of a legendary creature from Greek myth who fathered several famous monsters. brilliantKatabasis also points out that the old map used by the twins to find Vaults could have belonged to the first Vault Haunter, who shares similar design elements with Troy.
Other fans have suggested that the Calypso twins are not the true villains of Borderlands 3. Posters spotted in screenshots and trailers advertising the Children of the Vault include the words "Honor the Father." As there is no mention of a Mother, the phrase likely does not refer to Troy. As the first Vault Hunter, Typhon Deleon would make sense as the father figure of the Children of the Vault, perhaps literally in the case of the Calypsos.