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Battleborn’s big winter update unlocks all 25 characters from the start and adds a draft mode

Battleborn Sales Figures

You might have thought Battleborn was dead after seeing it go down to rock-bottom prices not long after its release, but Gearbox aren’t throwing in the towel just yet. They’re currently cooking up a massive update that will overhaul the game, making it a better experience for newcomers and veterans alike. 

Check our list of the best FPS games if you can’t get enough of the shooters.

One of the upcoming update’s headline features is the ability to play as any of the game’s 25-strong roster right off the bat. Instead of trickling them in, you can get right down to figuring out who you’re going to main, while character unlocks are replaced by some lovely skins for your favourites.

Another big change is for veterans. The draft will let players take it in turns picking and banning heroes before the start of each match, MOBA-style, creating the perfect composition and making sure your team has the heroes to counter the enemy.

There will be a stream onThursday, December 8 at 2pm PT (5pm ET), on the Gearbox Twitchchannelto show the update off. That’s probably when we’ll hear about the release date too.

For now, here’s a sample of what’s coming:

  • All 25 Core Characters Unlocked! 25 badass playable characters, no waiting! You’re eager to find your favourite, so get to it! With this update, the core 25 characters will be unlocked for all players after completing the Prologue.
  • What about the character unlock challenges? These challenges now award a brand new skin upon completion! We’ve also adjusted several challenges to be more attainable.
  • Main Quests – Story Mode
    • Story Mode missions will have more guides and tools to lead your through various areas of the game. The Credit rewards have also been boosted to help you get an early edge on loot packs
  • Two New Training Modes
    • Incursion Tutorial: Build up your PVP skills and learn the key elements of competitive play in Battleborn. Your first play-through is solo, but this practice mode can be repeated with groups of up to three players.
    • Dojo: Take each and every Battleborn hero for a test drive! Learn how to slice, dice, blast, smash, and rocket your way through waves of minions. You’ll even be able to practice with each Battleborn hero offline.
  • User Interface Changes: Battleborn’s user interface gets a major facelift. Cleaner, more vibrant, and much easier to find the information you need most. You’ll see UI changes throughout Battleborn, from the starting screen, to the Command center, character select, and even some menu changes.
  • Draft Mode: This is one of the most exciting new additions! In Draft Mode, teams and players take turns picking and banning characters trying to find the perfect match-ups and counters for what the other team is choosing.
  • Introducing Daily Quests: The action doesn’t end when you take down Rendain. Check back daily for new objectives and rewards across both Story Mode and Competitive Multiplayer Mode.
  • Command Rank and Character Rank Increase: Keep on growing your Command and Character ranks! We pushed the cap to 150 for Command Rank, and rank 20 for each character, with all-new rewards!
  • Updated In-game Economy: We’ve overhauled the Credits system and how loot packs are made available, particularly in Competitive Multiplayer matches. Credits will now accumulate faster in public PVP matches, making it easier to grab more loot packs from the Marketplace. But not for leavers – they are out of luck and will not receive any rewards. You see, nobody likes a quitter.
    • Loot Packs: All loot pack variations will still drop in Story Mode missions, but only one type of loot pack will be available in the Marketplace: The Core Pack. The Core Pack has better odds for higher rarity gear and has a chance to drop any skin or taunt previously available in Faction packs.
    • Boosts: A bigger variety of Boosts will become available for Platinum in the marketplace.