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Borderlands 3 will give you an in-game mask for donating to COVID-19 relief

A $5 minimum donation to Direct Relief will earn you a mask you can wear in Borderlands 3

American states may be in the process of ‘re-opening’ following coronavirus social distancing measures, but that doesn’t mean the virus has left – and healthcare workers still face shortages in key pieces of personal protective gear. Borderlands 3 publisher Gearbox today announced a partnership with Direct Relief, a charity dedicated to supporting front-line healthcare and disaster relief workers.

Borderlands 3 players who donate at least $5 USD to Direct Relief through GearboxLoot.com will receive a Shift code they can use in game to unlock a cosmetic mask for your character to wear. It’s a distinctly Borderlands version of the single-use, disposable surgical masks that people have been using to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, although this one is enhanced with gas mask style air filter gaskets and metal piping along the top edge.

“This is an opportunity for us to use our platform for good and help those directly fighting the pandemic,” said Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford. “We’re all inspired every day by the sacrifices that healthcare workers are making. So let’s have their backs while they are helping save lives.”

“While we’re developing new DLC, writing jokes we hope you find funny, and working to create new missions so that you think Borderlands 3 is the best damn video game you’ve ever played, we just ask you to help others as they fight real, honest-to-God battles that have to be won,” Gearbox writes in the mask’s description on the site.

Gearbox says 100% of the proceeds raised from its ‘anti-social mask’ campaign will go to Direct Relief, which has a perfect four-star score from Charity Navigator and a platinum seal of transparency from GuideStar.

Direct Relief was founded by war refugee William Zimdin in 1948, and continues to provide assistance to people directly impacted by poverty, natural disasters, or other emergencies.