All Articles: Battleborn

Battleborn got a little bit bigger today as Gearbox has made Alani, the game’s 26th playable character, available to download by all players. Alani’s attacks are water-focused, but the character’s main ability is healing:

Alani: Skills Overview

• Torrent: Through years of training in Ket, her order’s martial art, Alani has honed her ability to control water, hurling water bolts to damage enemies.
• Wellspring: Channeling her focus and strength, Alani heals herself for a small amount or envelopes an ally in water to heal them.
• Riptide: Alani sends forth a wave of water that deals damage to enemies, pushes them away, and leaves a trail hastening allies’ movement speed.
• Geyser: Calling upon the power of the oceans, a groundswell erupts, knocking enemies into the air, damaging and binding them.
• Emergence: Alani summons a water dragon that deals damage to everything caught in its wake.
• Osmosis (Passive): Alani’s healing abilities swell and recede like the tide. Successfully landing hits with Torrent grants up to three stacks to temporarily increase the healing power of Wellspring.

Gearbox has also given players a sneak peek at Battleborn’s 27th character, Pendles, on the Battleborn Blog. Pendles is a giant lizard with an even bigger scythe, and he’s not afraid to use it:

Hailing from the water world of Akopos, and pals with Alani, Pendles is a cold-blooded killer. No, literally. This anthropomorphized reptile will ssssneak up on you, poison you, perforate you with dual kamas then – poof – disappear without leaving a trace. Oh, yeah, and he wears a dope pair of sneakers. Get it? “Ssssneaky”?!? Wears sneakers?!? (Fine… fine.) This Rogue’s rogue may be a cold-blooded assassin-for-hire, but Ghalt felt was safer to have him on the team, than not.

And don’t forget… Alani, Pendles, and all of Battleborn’s post-launch characters will be available to download for free.

Gearbox Software is getting ready to release Alani, the first of five free downloadable bonus characters for Battleborn. If you purchased Battleborn’s Digital Deluxe Edition or Season Pass, you’ll be able to play as Alani as early as Tuesday, May 24. Everyone else will be able to download the character a week later, on May 31.

Alani is a Warrior-Monk, who has the ability to heal while also charging into battle like a badass. You can get a look at the character on the game’s official website, and learn more about her backstory right here:

A member of the Eldrid faction who was raised as a healer, but forced to be a warrior, Alani is all that remains of her order after Rendain’s Jennerit Imperium stole the oceans from her world. As a warrior from a planet with vast seas, Alani’s attacks and abilities revolve around her power to control water to dish out pain, or heal her fellow Battleborn.

Gearbox is also introducing “Hero Keys” for Digital Deluxe and Season Pass owners later this month. With a Hero Key, players will be able to instantly unlock any hero in the game, even if they haven’t completed the necessary Challenge Objective or reached the requisite Command Rank. Everyone who participated in the Open Beta on the PS4 will also receive a Hero Key, and access to the first Story DLC Pack.

Finally, Gearbox will host a Double XP Event for Battleborn players all this weekend. The event kicked off a few hours ago and will come to an end on Wednesday, May 25, at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time).

Year after year, the month of May is usually flooded with big new releases, but the taps might be running a little dry in 2016. Sure, there are several intriguing new titles scheduled for the next four weeks, but that is probably all we’re getting.

Which brings us to Gearbox’s Battleborn, the sole new release that’ll be available on store shelves this week. Taking a break from the Borderlands universe, Gearbox developed Battleborn as a “Hero Shooter,” and they plan to offer players the chance to choose from dozens of heroes in both single-player and multiplayer modes. Also, expect to hear the word “Badass” quite a bit.

Battleborn will be available in stores this week on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

We’ll be back later in the week with an update on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

Gearbox Software will fill the badass-sized hole in our hearts this May with their next project, Battleborn. But first, the developer has unveiled a brand new Story Trailer to fill fans in on the backstory of their new universe. They’ve also announced that an Open Beta is on the way for PC, PS4, and Xbox One owners.

Beginning on April 8, PS4 players will gain access to the Open Beta, which will include a ton of content: two Story Mode episodes, two Competitive Multiplayer Modes (Incursion and Meltdown), and 25 playable heroes that you unlock as you progress. PC and Xbox One owners will be able to join the Open Beta a week later, on April 13. Players on all platforms will be able to download the Open Beta on April 6, and it’ll shut down for everybody on April 18.

Gearbox helpfully put together a huge Open Beta FAQ at Battleborn.com.

Battleborn will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 3.