Developer Gearbox seems to be only slightly changing the Loot Shooter formula, which is understandable. The loyal, but merciless fanbase is likely to react extremely sensitive to big changes. Despite balancing and new skills and weapons, the post-apocalyptic action game plays exactly as always. A giant step for the franchise, on the other hand, is the game world: Even though it's not clear yet, how big the game will really be, the overdue optical enhancements are worth the trip. Having played Borderlands 3 PC for five hours now, we can rate it with some relief: The game doesn't seem to be making mistakes - at least not yet. The short gameplay we could experience was simply wonderful and reminded us of the classic Borderlands again. Only bigger, wackier and even more explosive. Exactly what we were looking for in the sequel!

It contains almost every improvement we could have wished for and keeps away from modern trends like Open or Shared World, which a Borderland game simply doesn't need.

The overdue optical refresh is worth the trip and the Sanctuary hub feels similar to the one in Wolfenstein 2 - The new Colossus. Frankly, I wasn't sure if Gearbox still had it in them, as Borderlands 2 released 7 years ago. The studio didn't release a real hit since then and Colonial Marines was simply awful. Borderlands 3 deals have quickly made up my mind though! It plays exactly how it should. From the whacky weapons to the more in-depth classes, it contains almost every improvement I had wished for. It's the refresh I have hoped for and the Borderlands 3 price on GameGator made for a pretty easy decision. It will be interesting to see, whether Gearbox can maintain this level and, above all, whether Borderlands 3 can tell a similarly exciting story compared to its predecessor. I left the first event with high hopes and can only recommend it to everyone. Watch out for a good Borderlands 3 discount!

Even after completing the Borderlands 3 campaign, you get the opportunity to further improve your character through the Guardian Rank. This is based on the Badass rank of the predecessor, but has some new features. You can unlock step-by-step improvements to individual values that apply to all characters. Instead of small bonuses for certain attributes, you can expect some powerful buffs. A Guardian Rank bar, displayed above the normal EP bar in-game, provides you with a glimpse of your progress. For each bar you fill, you will receive a Guardian Tag that unlocks bonus values in three different skill trees: Enforcer, Survivor and Hunter. In addition to unique outfits, you can further unlock passive buffs that will increase any damage, make you more resilient, or give you extra ammo. It's great to hear that the game will be available for pre-load in the Epic Games Store. I'm ready!