Via the official Borderlands site, Gearbox and 2K Games have revealed new info on the endgame and post-launch content for the upcoming Borderlands 3.
At the Gearbox Main Theatre Show at PAX West, the devs announced the return of True Vault Hunter Mode, Guardian Rank (which is an evolution of the Badass Rank mechanic introduced in Borderlands 2), and introduced a new Mayhem Mode, which provides gameplay changing randomness to the Borderlands experience.
Beating the story campaign unlocks True Vault Hunter Mode, which is essentially Borderland 3‘s New Game+. Enemies will be tougher and the loot will be better compared to your Normal mode conquests. Your character’s mission progress is unique to Normal or True Vault Hunter playthroughs, but your Vault Hunters’ stats and equipment are shared across both modes.
Beating the campaign also unlocks Guardian Rank. If you’re familiar with previous Borderlands‘ Badass Rank system, the basic idea is the same: you can unlock incremental stat improvements that apply to all your Vault Hunters. But Guardian Rank reinvents this mechanic by providing the opportunity for some powerful buffs atop all the smaller bonuses. The Guardian Rank bar sits above your usual XP bar on all your Vault Hunters and is levelled up via experience points; every bar you fill unlocks a Guardian Token, which you can spend to unlock bonus stats across three distinct trees.
As with the others, beating the main story presents you with a mysterious terminal aboard Sanctuary III that can enable three difficulty levels: Mayhem 1, Mayhem 2, or Mayhem 3. Taking on one of these Mayhem Modes ups the ante on risks and rewards across all worlds: enemies get increased health, shields, and armor, while you get bonus cash, Eridium, experience gains, and chances for better loot. As you might expect, Mayhem Mode is tougher all around. To offset that difficulty, enemies can drop Anointed gear, which grants buffs to your Action Skills. This includes some that are specific to just one Vault Hunter class.
Lastly, for the postlaunch, Gearbox isn’t revealing too much, but did briefly outline what to expect. The first free content update is a Bloody Harvest Event (presumably to hit in October). It sounds like your typical Halloween event, with “spooky activities” and unique rewards. Following that is another free update in Maliwan Takedown, which includes a new map, new enemies and boss. Then you have the first paid DLC, which is included with the Season Pass, and introduces a new campaign add-on.
Borderlands 3 hits PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 13. A Stadia version is also planned.
