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Battleborn Open Beta thread: April 8 (PS4)/ April 13 (PC/XB1) - April 18

I don't know why they couldn't just name it Borderlands: Battleborn so it's not completely DOA.

I feel like this was originally intended to be a competitive PVP testbed for a Next Gen Borderlands kinde like GT Prologue for GT that somehow spiraled out of control.

Gameplaywise for me there's too much stuff going on on the screen, I normally don't care for that stuff but it is really extreme here.

This started out as Furious 4 Montana was even in the Furious 4 trailer.
 

The End

Member
Played a little bit on PS4 over the weekend, mostly story mode.

After being underwhelmed by competitive pvp in the first test I was honestly very, very surprised with how much i enjoyed the story mode content.

I'll certainly wait for reviews, but it's seriously challenging overwatch for my big may game.
 

Pop

Member
Still enjoying the game after a couple of days of playtime. Glad they fixed the performance from the alpha. That was just unplayable then.
 

24hr

Member
With this and OverWatch on the horizon - are they both the 'same' kind of game? This looks really fun but I have my mind set on OverWatch.
 
With this and OverWatch on the horizon - are they both the 'same' kind of game? This looks really fun but I have my mind set on OverWatch.

Honestly the biggest similarity is that they are both character-based action games. From a gameplay perspective, they are pretty different. Overwatch brings multiple characters to a TF2-esque PvP formula, while Battleborn is a slightly faster paced, FPS MOBA in some respects, that also has PvE co-op content to play.
 

Razzorn34

Member
Man. Phoebe is fun as hell. I do pretty well with her already, but I feel I'm definitely being held back by console controls/FOV/framerate. I get lost in what is going on too often because I can barely see anything.

I can already see it would have to be PC, or nothing.
 

The End

Member
Yeah, if you put this, Paragon, and Overwatch on a spectrum

Paragon - Moba-ass MOBA played from a 3rd person perspective with full z-axis movement.

Battleborn - Some MOBA elements but a lot of DNA from borderlands and other co-op shooters

Overwatch - borrows some small elements from MOBA games (characters with distinct kits, mostly) and slaps them on top of the Team Fortress formula
 

Mossybrew

Member
Its too messy specially if you are playing a melee character and you have to get in close to get kills

Shayne & Aurox was the worst for this, once you engage at melee range and those arms start flapping around you can't see shit, opponents probably laughing after they jump out of the way and I flail about like a blind man.

Had more fun playing as Miko just healing folks - though of course half the time I'm chasing them all over as they don't even seem to notice they're being healed - I guess with so much going on sometimes I can't blame them. Got a decent amount of kills too just due to good survivability with the self-healing.
 
Field of vision is WAY too small for melee. I got juggled and killed by almost-dead Isic 4 times in story mode with Phoebe because her damn skirt took up most of the screen-_-
 

Prologue

Member
I just discovered this game yesterday from a commercial. I never got to play borderlands either. I'm guessing this is like The division? PVE/group play focus with some MP sprinkles?
 

patchday

Member
I just discovered this game yesterday from a commercial. I never got to play borderlands either. I'm guessing this is like The division? PVE/group play focus with some MP sprinkles?

No, yes this game has story mode content and matchmaking but all similarities pretty much end
 
Shayne & Aurox was the worst for this, once you engage at melee range and those arms start flapping around you can't see shit, opponents probably laughing after they jump out of the way and I flail about like a blind man.

Had more fun playing as Miko just healing folks - though of course half the time I'm chasing them all over as they don't even seem to notice they're being healed - I guess with so much going on sometimes I can't blame them. Got a decent amount of kills too just due to good survivability with the self-healing.

i played a few games yesterday as miko and yeah I imagine they can't see shit.

When I would use the l1 self heal theres just effects and numbers all over the place and couldn't see anything.

the FOV is seriously a problem and I dont think I ever noticed it as one in any game before. the first thing my wife said while watching me play was "why is everything so cramped on your screen"

Even if they fix that, the game just kinda sucks. Most of the character designs are terrible, and I hate the gear system.

I haven't really liked what I had seen about the game before hand, so I went into the beta with low/no expectations and they didn't even meet that. This is the easiest hard pass for me
 

The End

Member
Field of vision is WAY too small for melee. I got juggled and killed by almost-dead Isic 4 times in story mode with Phoebe because her damn skirt took up most of the screen-_-

Hmm.. may try the PC beta and see if there's an easy way to increase that there

could push me to PC even with all of the PS4 bonuses
 
I think that, reading what he's put, the problem isn't so much the gear itself, but that acquiring the gear is random with no "fixing" to get things you want for builds.

Oh. Well, I can agree with the random factor.


I'm just wondering if the gear itself has a big impact on gameplay. I'm still waiting on the PC beta.
 

patchday

Member
Oh. Well, I can agree with the random factor.


I'm just wondering if the gear itself has a big impact on gameplay. I'm still waiting on the PC beta.

I wish I could say I dont think it will. But I unlocked some epics and they are way better than normal loot cause you get superior stats plus no downsides. Normal loot have negatives

It's a shame such a good game (*cough*) is burdened by random loot with no way to trade or craft the item you need for pvp. It really pisses me off game devs do this in this modern day and age.

I guess they were not confident the game would be fun on its own without loot grinds.

[edit] To be fair they do seem to hand out loot like candy. So Idk how final game will be which is also part of the problem. It's just frustrating there is no way to get the exact item you need for pvp
 

Steel

Banned
I wish I could say I dont think it will. But I unlocked some epics and they are way better than normal loot cause you get superior stats plus no downsides. Normal loot have negatives

It's a shame such a good game (*cough*) is burdened by random loot with no way to trade or craft the item you need for pvp. It really pisses me off game devs do this in this modern day and age.

I guess they were not confident the game would be fun on its own without loot grinds.

[edit] To be fair they do seem to hand out loot like candy. So Idk how final game will be which is also part of the problem. It's just frustrating there is no way to get the exact item you need for pvp

Actually, the way it works is pretty balanced. Like, from what I've seen, if there's white loot with both a positive and a negative it costs no shards to activate. If there's a piece of white loot without a negative it costs like 300+ shards to activate. Green works the same way, but +100 or so shards to both ends of the spectrum. Then blue gear generally doesn't have negatives, but the cheapest piece of blue gear costs 600 shards to activate, up to 900. Then purple gear is like 850-1200 to activate.

So, having a gear loadout with white-green gear can be useful if you want to focus on using your shards for turrets, and it gives you a buff earlier in the game. This also helps you character's stats, because buying buildings gives your character a reasonable amount of exp.

On the other hand, people with blue/purple gear will take until mid-late game to have all of their gear activated. However, while their gear is better, they'll have less experience than the early-boosted white/green accessory users, who will both have an advantage in kills because they have a stat advantage in early game, and will have an advantage in buildables.
 

patchday

Member
Actually, the way it works is pretty balanced. Like, from what I've seen, if there's white loot with both a positive and a negative it costs no shards to activate. If there's a piece of white loot without a negative it costs like 300+ shards to activate. Green works the same way, but +100 or so shards to both ends of the spectrum. Then blue gear generally doesn't have negatives, but the cheapest piece of blue gear costs 600 shards to activate, up to 900. Then purple gear is like 850-1200 to activate.

So, having a gear loadout with white-green gear can be useful if you want to focus on using your shards for turrets, and it gives you a buff earlier in the game. This also helps you character's stats, because buying buildings gives your character a reasonable amount of exp.

On the other hand, people with blue/purple gear will take until mid-late game to have all of their gear activated. However, while their gear is better, they'll have less experience than the early-boosted white/green accessory users, who will both have an advantage in kills because they have a stat advantage in early game, and will have an advantage in buildables.

Thank you!!! This was my biggest issue with the game

Maybe I will wait on reviews but I will keep game on my radar. I'm already getting Overwatch but maybe I'll have some time for this too.

Excellent post my fellow gaffer. I appreciate it
 

Menome

Member
As my favourite; Phoebe; was locked behind a progression-wall this time around, I've taken much more time with the other characters.

Most of them have been fun to play as once you lock into what their role should be. The only character I'm not really gelling with is Toby. He doesn't do enough damage to push forward the line of attack and he can't take enough to tank out and hold the line either, even with the forcefield.
 

Steel

Banned
As my favourite; Phoebe; was locked behind a progression-wall this time around, I've taken much more time with the other characters.

Most of them have been fun to play as once you lock into what their role should be. The only character I'm not really gelling with is Toby. He doesn't do enough damage to push forward the line of attack and he can't take enough to tank out and hold the line either, even with the forcefield.

Yeah, I was thinking I'd like Toby, but... He's a sniper. That's got a huge hit box. And whose sniper rifle only has decent bullet velocity if it's shot through the forcefield. It just doesn't work.

Thank you!!! This was my biggest issue with the game

Maybe I will wait on reviews but I will keep game on my radar. I'm already getting Overwatch but maybe I'll have some time for this too.

Excellent post my fellow gaffer. I appreciate it

Not a problem. I'm not sure which one I'm leaning toward myself, either. I'm thinking I'll wait till overwatch has its beta before making a decision, personally.
 

Kill3r7

Member
For anyone who might be interested in picking up the game, Battleborn + Season Pass + $10 Reward Points for $63 from Best Buy for GCU members.
 

patchday

Member
Not a problem. I'm not sure which one I'm leaning toward myself, either. I'm thinking I'll wait till overwatch has its beta before making a decision, personally.

Oh I'm 100% getting Overwatch its' a lock. I'm just not sure if I'm getting Battleborn because not sure if I will have any time to play it since I'll probably be swamped trying to level up in Overwatch once it releases
 
When I played the alpha, I didnt get it too much, but now I had tons of fun in both story and PVP.

Good game, will be reading reviews and user opinions to see if its worth full price.

I liked it, but sadly it launches in a busy month with Uncharted 4 and DooM
 

Special C

Member
Yeah, if you put this, Paragon, and Overwatch on a spectrum

Paragon - Moba-ass MOBA played from a 3rd person perspective with full z-axis movement.

Battleborn - Some MOBA elements but a lot of DNA from borderlands and other co-op shooters

Overwatch - borrows some small elements from MOBA games (characters with distinct kits, mostly) and slaps them on top of the Team Fortress formula

Now add Paladins to the mix.
 

Xevren

Member
Benedict is my favorite character ever. He has Lindsay's chicken dance from arrested development and just the way he talks in general is the best.

His gameplay is pretty cool too.
 

Papercuts

fired zero bullets in the orphanage.
Me and my friend have been rolling Galilea and Ambra and holy shit they are both insane. Just crushed a team even though we were 4v5.
 

Caim

Member
I hope Deande gets some sort of buff. She feels really slow and it's really easy to die during her ultimate because startup is slow (about 5 seconds) and you still take damage during the animation even though her physical body isn't there.
 

J_Viper

Member
Despite how messy and chaotic it is, I'm surprised at how much I'm emjoying the PvP.

Still bummed at how terrible the PvE content is, but I may still grab this.
 

patchday

Member
Story content could be better. Would be nice if we could learn more about the current universe somehow or see lore about the Factions

PvP is pretty good as long they don't do asnything crazy like that map voting crap again. That was awful. Was Incursion 24/7. Bloody bizarre never seen a dev pull that stunt
 
My god, I just got the Radiant Halbert mutagen for Ambra, which turns my heat spending attack from a melee to shooting fireballs. She's so broken. That plus the legendary gear that slowly restore heat is amazing.
 

patchday

Member
My god, I just got the Radiant Halbert mutagen for Ambra, which turns my heat spending attack from a melee to shooting fireballs. She's so broken. That plus the legendary gear that slowly restore heat is amazing.

nooo.. don't talk bout gear you got randomly. You will send me back into a rant about how RNG has no place in competitve play lol.

I want to at least hit L12 to unlock Galiea before beta is over then my curiosity will be quenched
 
nooo.. don't talk bout gear you got randomly. You will send me back into a rant about how RNG has no place in competitve play lol.

I want to at least hit L12 to unlock Galiea before beta is over then my curiosity will be quenched

To be fair, it does cost 1800 to activate which is a huge cost compared to the green/blues. But I think i'm getting them through completing challenges, because the only 2 pieces of legendary gear I have are for the two characters I've used a few times in PVP and the story. And none were from opening a loot pack.
 
Actually, the way it works is pretty balanced. Like, from what I've seen, if there's white loot with both a positive and a negative it costs no shards to activate. If there's a piece of white loot without a negative it costs like 300+ shards to activate. Green works the same way, but +100 or so shards to both ends of the spectrum. Then blue gear generally doesn't have negatives, but the cheapest piece of blue gear costs 600 shards to activate, up to 900. Then purple gear is like 850-1200 to activate.

So, having a gear loadout with white-green gear can be useful if you want to focus on using your shards for turrets, and it gives you a buff earlier in the game. This also helps you character's stats, because buying buildings gives your character a reasonable amount of exp.

On the other hand, people with blue/purple gear will take until mid-late game to have all of their gear activated. However, while their gear is better, they'll have less experience than the early-boosted white/green accessory users, who will both have an advantage in kills because they have a stat advantage in early game, and will have an advantage in buildables.

Interesting, so gear in Battleborn works like items in regular MOBAs, only in Battleborn, you come already equipped with the items, you just need to pay a fee using shards to "unlock" them during a battle, therefore reaping the item's benefits?

Very interesting indeed, I like the concept of that. The big question will be how much of an impact stuff like blue and purple gear would have on play. I'll have to wait and see.
 

patchday

Member
To be fair, it does cost 1800 to activate which is a huge cost compared to the green/blues. But I think i'm getting them through completing challenges, because the only 2 pieces of legendary gear I have are for the two characters I've used a few times in PVP and the story. And none were from opening a loot pack.

oh right that makes perfect sense. Ya I got an epic for getting Thorn up to a high level thats very useful
 

Steel

Banned
Interesting, so gear in Battleborn works like items in regular MOBAs, only in Battleborn, you come already equipped with the items, you just need to pay a fee using shards to "unlock" them during a battle, therefore reaping the item's benefits?

Very interesting indeed, I like the concept of that. The big question will be how much of an impact stuff like blue and purple gear would have on play. I'll have to wait and see.

It's like this:

My attack speed white gear gives +9.41% attack speed. Costs 400 shards.

My attack speed green gear gives 7.36% Attack Speed and a conditional +5.26% crit hit damage that only procs for 60 seconds after killing a player or major enemy. Costs 536 shards to activate

My attack speed blue gear gives +9.38 attack speed and a conditional +5.36% for 3 seconds after taking health damage. 884 shards.

I don't have a purple for this, but the one purple I do have gives + to two stats without having a condition to activate either one. Costs 1k shards

Basically, without the conditions proccing, the white gear actually does the most, but the blue gear's condition isn't difficult to activate, while the green gear's is. Purple gear would probably do about the same amount of attack speed, but have an additional stat that's always active, but have the disadvantage of being extremely costly in terms of shards.

Another example:

I have white gear that straight up increases my max health by 279. 418 shards.

I have blue gear that increases my health by 257, however if I survive for 180 seconds(possible, but much easier said then done) I get another 192. 846 shards.
 
Despite my negative first impression from before, I'm actually enjoying the game now. It's rather fun.

Only problem I'm experiencing is that the game consistently gives me a headache if I play for more than an hour or so. I guess it's all the colour and effects. I will try and mess with contrast and such on my TV, see if I can tone it down.

Does anyone know how many maps and modes will be in the full game? I might pick it up.
 

Menome

Member
COMPETITION TIME

I'm currently creating the Battleborn OT, but I don't have a catchy title.

Due to an order mix-up, I will also have a spare Steam key from cdkeys.com.

Post your suggestions for an OT title and the best ones will go into a draw, with the winner having their title being used and a free copy of Battleborn for the PC!

Closing date: 30th April
 
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