Simultaneously coming to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 3, "Battleborn" is an exciting new concept in the massive online battle arena genre. It is being developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. This is the same team that brought us "Duke Nukem Forever" and the "Borderlands" series—so it's guaranteed to be funny, action-packed and, most importantly, a well-polished product.
The game has 25 characters that can be leveled up and played across four games modes. Each of the characters belong to a specific faction. Whether or not the game mode will have any effect on what characters players can choose from is not yet known.
Now that "Battleborn" is less than two months from launch, and all the characters have finally been revealed, let's look at characters from two of the factions we'll be able to get our hands on as we approach the launch date in May.
Faction: Eldrid. Observers and scientist, the Eldrid are fighting for the natural preservation of the universe's last star. Once a wide-spread race, there seems to be a strange correlation between the disappearance of stars and the waning of the Eldrid.
Boldur: The axe-wielding brawler of the faction, Boldur is perfect for players that like to be in the middle of the action. Boldur excels in the middle of the fray, where he is free to swing awya. Boldur can also toss his axe at enemies or use his special ability "Runes of Power" to deal damage from a distance. His "Boldurdash" ability allows him to dash into a close quarters fight, or, get out quickly if he's in trouble.
Kelvin: An ice golem with a temper, Kelvin uses his fists and teeth to deal damage directly to enemies. He can also use his ice fists to pummel the earth and deal area-of-effect damage. When enemies get too close, Kelvin can use his special ability to create an ice wall that will impede enemies' progress for seven seconds.
Mellka: The assassin of the Eldrids, Mellka can sneak up behind enemies, sucker-punch them and go invisible to confuse the enemy while she continues to deal damage with her TX-12 Venom Launcher. Mellka is a great choice for the run-n-gun gamer.
Miko: Perhaps the poster child of the Eldrid, this giant, one-eyed mushroom-woman serves as the support/medic. Miko's primary weapons are her kunai, a type of throwing knives. Her ultimate healing ability is activated when she tosses a large mushroom on the ground, creating an area-of-effect healing station for teammates.
Thorn: The sniper of the Eldrid. As such, her speed, power and range are the highest of any character. Thorn's downfall is her health, taking no shield into battle, players must watch their health carefully and know when to use Thorn's healing and knock-back abilities.
Faction: Jennerit Empire. Once the leaders of forming alliances between the factions, the Jennerit Empire now fights in the interest of self-preservation. Under the leadership of warlord Lothar Rendain, the Jennerit Empire is "one of the strongest military forces in Solus," according to Battleborn's official website.
Ambra: The support character of the Jennerit, Ambra uses her staff to inflict melee damage to enemies. Her special abilities are where she shines, though. Dropping a "sunspot" in the fight works as a swing-trap. Enemies in the area-of-effect take damage, whereas allies will be healed. if that weren't powerful enough, Ambra can also summon a meteor to crash onto the fight to deal massive damage to enemies.
Attikus: The brawler of the group, Attikus uses his fists to pummel enemies into the ground. He can also use his special ability, "Hedronic Arc," to electrify his cybernetic arm and deal extra damage. If he needs a little more room to swing his massive arms, Attikus can use his "Pounce" ability to deal massive damage and knock back nearby enemies.
Caldarius: A gladiator in a mech suit, Caldarius performs best out in the open. He can use his flash bang grenade to blind enemies, then fly up into the air and come smashing back down to deal exorbitant amounts of damage to nearby enemies. Caldarius is great for gamers that can managing a more vertical style of play.
Deande: A tricky fighter, Deande can spawn a clone of herself to fight for her for up to eight seconds while Deande becomes invisible. If her clone is defeated, it will explode and damage nearby enemies. after the invisibility has worn off, Deande's special attacks receive a buff of 25 percent for three seconds.
Verod Rath: A bladesmith and an assassin, Rath relies on his three energy blades in battle. Players can link quick horizontal slashes together with the primary attack button or initiate a stronger, slower, downward vertical attack with the secondary attack button. Ranged attacks can be achieved through Rath's "Crossblade" special ability, launching simultaneous waves of energy from his katanas.
Empress Lenore: ? No details have been given yet. However, in gameplay footage, she appears to favor hanging back and throwing blades at enemies. This suggests that she will be another assasin or sniper style character with heavy damage but limited health.
Though these factions have very different motivations, saving the last star in the universe is still a common goal. Will they be able to settle their differences once the common enemy is defeated? Only time will tell.
Stay tuned next week for a look at two more factions and Specifics on game modes in the future, leading up to the release of "Battleborn" on May 3.
