Borderlands: The Presequel is a first-person shooter with RPG elements, adopting the basic gameplay from the first two games. The game has four brand new playable characters, who were all NPCs from previous games. Other than the same gameplay, it will also incorporate new features that changes the basic elements.
General Gameplay
Borderlands offers players the chance to explore an open world environment, using one of four different playable characters from a first-person perspective. The game uses a mission-based system for progression, with there being both main story missions and side missions throughout the game's world.
Guns & More Guns
Being a first-person shooter, the player has access to many different types of guns, including pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers and sniper rifles. However, there are different manufacturers of these weapons, with each one offering a different perk for those weapons. For example, weapons made by Vladof have a higher rate of fire than other ones. The Pre-Sequel also introduces laser weapons, which are a new type.
In addition to different manufacturers, there are also elements that come into play, which adds a further layer to guns. The elements from Borderlands 2 return, with the exception of Slag, but a new one will also be introduced, called Cryo. This one allows enemies hit with it to be slowed down and even frozen solid, with an explosion strong enough instantly killing that enemy.
All weapons are randomly generated from the moment they drop, with a few exceptions, including the element, weapon type, its stats and many more things. There are unique and legendary weapons, which usually have predetermined stats (amounts may vary) and other things. Weapons also have a rarity, with 8 known ones, which affect the potency of the gun and how often that rarity drops. They are as follows:
- White - Most common
- Green
- Blue
- Purple
- Yellow
- Orange
- Dark Orange
- Pearlescent - The most powerful and rarest
Gravity & Oxygen
With the game taking place on Elpis, Pandora's moon, there will be low gravity throughout the outside areas, meaning players will be able to jump high and far. This also means that players will be forced to having oxygen as a game mechanic.
There is an oxygen meter located underneath your health and shield and it will gradually decrease whenever you are in an airless environment. It can be refilled by killing enemies (who drop some oxygen sometimes), as well as from oxygen vents on the ground and from activated pylons that create a dome of air.
Oxygen also allows you to use it similar to a jetpack, where you can slow your descent while in the air. Also, while you are in the air, pressing the Crouch button will push you to the ground and do a slam attack. Note that when in a vehicle, oxygen doesn't deplete.
Classes
As with every Borderlands game released thus far, the player gets to choose from four different playable characters at the beginning of the game. Each character is unique, in that, they each represent a different class and have their own skill trees. As a character levels up, they will earn skill points that they can use to acquire skills in said trees.
However, unlike the previous games where players got their first skill point at level 5, this has been lowered to level 3. Players will have to get that character's Action Skill first, which is an ability that is unique to each character. Once they get that, the player is free to choose how to spend their skill points. The max level out of the box is 50 and it's possible to get the final skill in two skill trees (note this isn't all skills in a tree).
Badass Rank & Challenges
Introduced in Borderlands 1, Challenges are basically in-game achievements for doing the basic things, like killing a certain number of enemies or dealing a certain amount of elemental damage. This was further enhanced in Borderlands 2 with the introduction of Badass Ranks.
Basically, completing the many Challenges in the game will give you Badass Ranks and once they reach a certain point, you will get a Badass Token. On the Challenges screen, you are able to spend a Badass Token to increase a certain stat, like Gun Damage or Maximum Health (you get a random selection of five each time you spend a Badass Token). Every stat starts off with a 1% increase, then slowly diminishes each time you choose to boost it.
