These Vault Hunters Are Finally Returning In Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 has been out for a little over a year now, and the surprises just keep on coming. Gearbox just announced a ton of exciting new content on its way to Borderlands 3 in the upcoming Designer's Cut DLC. Aside from adding a number of cool cosmetics and a wild new gameplay mode, Borderlands fans will soon get to see the return of two classic Vault Hunters.

A new blog post from Gearbox was chockfull of details surrounding the new Arms Race gameplay mode. One of the most exciting details, however, is the fact that Arms Race will feature Axton and Salvador from Borderlands 2. According to Gearbox, "Arms Race is hosted by two fan-favorite former Vault Hunters turned ECHOcast commentators: Axton and Salvador! These Borderlands 2 bros host the galaxy's premier reality murder show and you're their next all-star contestant."

Unlike the controversial Tiny Tina, who popped back up in Borderlands 3 in a supporting role, Axton and Salvador have basically been M.I.A. since the events of Borderlands 2. In case you've forgotten about these two, here's the deal.

Axton the Commando was a member of the Dahl Corporation's private military. After a falling out with commanding officer (who was also his wife), Axton was kicked out of his unit. He fled to the border worlds, becoming a successful bounty hunter with the help of his trusty turret gun. Salvador, also called "the Gunzerker," was known far and wide for being a bit of a troublemaker. After battling a group of Hyperion thugs, Salvador set his sights on finding the mythical Vaults. Salvador was known for his dual-wielding style of gunplay, which made for some super exciting battles, even by Borderlands standards.

Both Axton and Salvador eventually joined the Crimson Raiders after the evil Handsome Jack attempted to have them killed. Together, the team brought down Jack's regime and saved the people of Pandora. It is unclear how they parlayed their experience with saving the universe into a gig hosting the Arms Race broadcasts, but the presence of these characters should make Arms Race even more exciting for longtime fans.

Arms Race is looking to be an interesting new gameplay mode. The basic concept is pretty similar to other battle royale games, complete with a shrinking storm that progressively brings matches to a close. However, in classic Borderlands fashion, there are plenty of odd wrinkles to the classic battle royale formula. First of all, players have all of their unlocked abilities stripped away when entering the arena. That means that Skill Trees are removed, keeping characters from using any passive abilities or devastating Action Skills. According to Gearbox, "The focus here is on gunplay, rewarding your ability to blast attackers while avoiding the Murdercane."

What's the Murdercane, you ask? Why, that's the name of freezing storm that gradually closes in on the players. The goal of Arms Race is to gather as much gear as possible while fighting off your opponents. Get the gear to an extraction point and it can be salvaged before the next match. If you're killed in battle, you can save yourself through a Second Wind (dropping an enemy before the revival timer runs out). You can also revive your teammates at respawn checkpoints in the arena.

Legendary loot is also extremely rare in Arms Race matches, meaning players will mostly have to make do with lower-tier weapons. In other words, strategy is key in Arms Race. Gearbox warns fans, "Arms Race will push your run-and-gun skills to their limits, and though you may die repeatedly, successfully completing a run will make you the stuff of ECHOcast legend."

All of the Designer's Cut content will be included on the upcoming Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition. Releasing on Nov. 10, the Ultimate Edition will also come with the impressive new Multiverse Final Forms character skins, which change the looks of Borderlands 3's main Vault Hunters in surprising ways. As explained by Gearbox, "The Multiverse Final Forms imagine how each character might've turned out in an alternate universe where they never became a Vault Hunter." 

These character skins are definitely outlandish, even compared to the ones that can already be found in the game. It seems like each of the heroic Vault Hunters went down a very different path in these alternate universes. Moze looks like she became a military commander and FL4K resembles Ultron from Marvel Comics. Amara's Siren abilities seem to have progressed to the point where her entire physical form has been altered, transforming her into a beast. Lastly, Zane seems to have become more machine than man, with a blast shield covering his face.

With some old faces returning and familiar faces being drastically altered, it's looking like Borderlands 3 will continue to surprise fans for quite some time.