The "Battleborn" Open Beta is already underway on PlayStation 4, with the additional perks of not needing a PlayStation Plus membership and the availability of Toby. Xbox One and PC gamers, however, will have to wait until April 13 to leap into the fray. Unlike PlayStation Beta participants, Xbox Live Silver members will not have access to online matchmaking, limiting them to private story and competitive modes. That may seem unfair to Xbox and PC gamers, but seeing how "Battleborn" has a heavy emphasis on online multiplayer, it's truer to the experience that they can expect from the final version of the game.

Gamers that are testing the full version of the Beta will have access to story missions "Void's Edge" and "The Algorithm." Competitive multiplayer modes include "Incursion" and "Meltdown." When starting the Beta, seven heroes from the 25 character roster will be available instantly: Marquis, Miko, Montana, Orendi, Oscar Mike, Rath and Thorn.

The Story Mode, according to "Battleborn's" official website, "...is a narrative experience that can be played entirely single player, and is even better when it's played cooperatively with friends both split screen and online."

The Algorithm: Players are tasked with finding Isic in the depths of a mining facility. Along the way are several swarms of enemies, mini-bosses and not-so-mini-bosses to take down, including a giant spider bot, before facing off with the AI antagonist. After shutting Isic down, he will become available as a playable character for all game modes.

Multiplayer game modes are set up as five-on-five battles. Circumventing straight-up "deathmatch" style games, "Battleborn" has three objective-based games.

Incursion:Each team must defend their base while trying to destroy their enemies'. To make it more interesting, or difficult, both sides will be assisted by an army of "minions." The first team to destroy the other's base wins.

Capture:This is your basic "domination" mode. Players will attempt to capture and hold objectives on the map while eliminating enemy players. The longer an objective is held by a team, the more points they accumulate. When a team meets the required score, that team wins.

Meltdown:In this mode, heroes must guide their team's minion's to a fiery death. This mode could prove to be the most chaotic as all the action will most likely be concentrated around the incinerator. Players will need to defeat each other while taking out the other team's minions before they can sacrifice themselves to the god of points.

During the Beta, players will earn experience to upgrade the characters that they play with while also earning upgrades for their gamer profile in the same way that they will in the retail version. Character leveling will unlock rewards for the respective hero while profile leveling will grant buffs that can be used on all characters.

For gamers that need instant gratification, "Battleborn" will offer the Helix System. "Battleborn's accelerated character growth system allows players to level-up a character from 1 to 10 and fully experience each hero's unique weapons and powers in a single story mission or multiplayer match," according to the game's website. This sounds like a "try it before you buy it" kind of approach to characters to let players see if a hero is appealing enough to invest the time and effort in that character.

And that's "Battleborn." If you are interested in participating in the Open Beta, move fast; the Beta ends on April 18. One last note: enjoy the experience of leveling up and unlocking characters, when the Beta is gone, so is all of your progress. All players will have to start over when the retail version is released on May 3.