New Class Idea for Borderlands 3: Lucky (RNG Manipulation)

Gearbox News and Articles Gearbox Talk
#1

This is my first post so I apologize if it’s not filed in the right category for these kinds of things. After 3 previous Borderlands releases, I feel that it might be hard for Gearbox to come up with some entirely fresh ideas for new classes in Borderlands 3. However, I thought of a type of character that really hasn’t been done before: a lucky class:

SOME SKILL TREE IDEAS

So in addition to just the action skill, all classes have some side perks that complement their skills. Being a luck based character, investing in certain skill points could increase just about anything in terms of game RNG. For instance, one skill tree could focus on loot, like finding more money, or better weapons. Some of the last skills in that tree could even increase the chances of finding orange gear (even if by 1%) or increase the chance of tubby spawning.

Another tree could focus on damage, where each bullet has a small chance to deal extra damage. Also in this tree, there could be a perk that gives each non-critical hit a small chance to become a critical. Inversely, some skills might give a small chance to negate or even deflect damage taken.

THE ACTION SKILL: FORCE LEVELING

So here’s where the action skill comes in: a force leveling system. When you choose to use it on a target, it increases their level and rank by one. (i.e. using this skill on a super-badass will immediately turn him into an ultimate-badass). This will make the enemy more challenging to kill, but will also obviously increase your chances of finding rarer gear. To prevent from exploiting, each enemy would only be allowed to level up once (unless possibly a skill allows for 2 level-ups). There could either be a cooldown time, or otherwise the action can’t be used until the previously leveled enemy is killed.

In addition to leveling only enemies, the action skill could also be used on a teammate, giving them increased damage and resistance for a short amount of time.

SUMMARY

Basically this class focuses on slightly increasing game mechanics and RNG, both for looting and offensive reasons. With well rounded calculations, this character could be good for players of all skill levels, by giving beginners a little more boost to offense (similar to Gaige’s close enough skill), but can also provide more experienced players with extra tweaks to suit a certain play style, as well as a better chance of finding gear with all the perfect parts. It can also provide more of a challenge to players who want it, leveling up any enemies they see.

2 Likes
#3

Welcome to the forums! :dukehappy:

1 Like
#4

People have trusting loot rarity increaser skills.

I was thinking that the “level up a badguy” skill could be triggered via melee. Similar to the slag ball that Maya can throw in BL2. It would probably be a gamechanger skill point so you don’t have to opt in. And a modifier you could later add to it would be that any badguy you’ve leveled up would be “honor bound” or “persistent” or something.

The bad guy you leveled up would walk up to you and pick you up if you needed a second wind. “Get up, I’m not done fighting you!”

My idea for this stems from being annoyed at pet style classes and NPCs that never try to pick you up if you fall. Closest I can think of is the Jack class in TPS. Leadership skill. But they don’t actually walk up to you and res you. They just manage to trigger a kill for your second wind.

Not to mention how all the NPC dudes in BL2 never try to help you back up and often steal kills instead of helping you back up. THanks a lot Roland, Lilith, Mordy and Brick!

1 Like
#5

I like this.

1 Like
#6

Ever since Krieg I have wanted to play as more kinds of Bandit type Vault Hunters. Like a Rat, or a Nomad, or maybe even a Midget. Tell me what you think, if it’ll work or not.

1 Like
#7

I don’t think playing as other bandits is a bad thing, as long as Gearbox doesn’t fall into the whole problem of recycling older classes. When I first tried playing as Krieg, I thought that he would just be a copy of Brick from BL1, but they made enough changes that it still seemed fresh (and fun). I’m not opposed to someone like a Nomad, but I do want the character to be a unique enough that I don’t constantly feel like I’m playing as say, another soldier or mechromancer.

1 Like
#8

Completely understandable. I wouldn’t want the same thing over and over cause then it would become a stale product like COD, The Almighty Robot Policeman forbid that. Gearbox is good at giving new and fresh ideas to their games though, so that seems very unlikely. Krieg was an amazing character with interesting gameplay so I’d like to think they’d make a Rat work with say having an action skill or capstone skill of becoming a lab rat for a certain duration. Being a Nomad with an action skill of recruiting nearby midgets or gaining an impenetrable shield. Playing as a Goliath and taking your helmet off for a rage (even though it’s very close to being a Brick copy). Or being a midget and riding skags like the ones in BL1, or Bullymongs, or becoming a Bad-Ass Shotgun midget. And thanks for getting back to me, it means a lot! :smile:

1 Like
#9

While the loot based skill tree is an interesting idea it sounds like it could be really broken when put into practice. Also the fact that it would be a mostly passive skill tree doesn’t sound very interesting. Rather than that maybe more skills like Handsome Jack’s money skill that take into account what loot you have in order to power you up.

An example I though of would be a skill that increases the chances of finding loot one rarity high than the one the your wearing and increasing the damage you do/take depending on how high the rarity of your gear is.

The forced leveling is action skill is cool but again an entirely loot based skill tree doesn’t really seem very fun to me. Forced leveling does seem cool though so I can see it being implemented in a consumable or even just making it so that if you don’t damage a badass for while that it levels up though I can see that being rather annoying when you don’t want it to happen.

What I’d personally like to see done for the skill tree is:

  1. Leveling Up Capstones: Capstones could have tiers that make them more interesting or cool.

  2. Over-Leveling Skills: One problem that Borderlands has is when they just throw you skill points. More skill points is cool at first but over time it just breaks build sets and makes it so that everyone is using the same skill set. Giving us the option to over level skills past the limit using the skill points you already have or a completely separate set of over-level skill points. This system would not only allow players to min/max the way they want but also keep play styles unique.

  3. Specializations: After a certain level the player has the option of specializing how they play a character. This can either be done by unlocking a new 4th skill tree that is picked from a pool of choices to be your fourth or by making it so that 1 of the existing 3 skill trees you are given at the start can gain addition branching paths.

1 Like
#10

One type of character id like to see is an eridian playable character, main selection or a DLC character. with possible skills that can focus on a individual elements, well a skill tree that the user can spec for a specific element of their choosing. or effecting the using of E-Techs(If e-tech will apart of BL3)

for a action skill, in borderlands there was eridian that had various abilities, one shot out a laser like beam, why not an action skill based on that, with a skill tree about effecting the size or elements of that stream.

another idea or weapons would be more dual element SMG’s

1 Like
#11

or a skill tree based around augmenting the eridan action skill so it can effects, BL 1 had a laser like beam as i mentioned, as well as an artillery strike like skill as seen in BL 1 also.

another idea is in the pre sequal, you seen twice that an eridian stopped bullets, maybe a skill tree about defensive skills to make it more tanky

1 Like
#12

As a rat you would have to stash your gear before you die or you will drop it. A loot frenzy count down. Everytime you pick up gear resets the timer.

#13

A playable eridian guardian would be cool

#14

If some enemies were like Pokemon and only show up in one characters play through. But not in others

#15

I like the idea of randomness just like Clappy from the Pre-Sequel. So, you want to Manipulate your enemies with your action-skill? How about this:
While You have an opponent under your reticle, You Roll a six-sided dice and the effect depends on the result:
1: Your opponent levels up by 1 and raises its Tier by one (normal becomes Badass/Badass becomes Super-Badass a.s.o., Ultimate-Badass levels up by 5 levels
2: Your target stays unaffected and your action-skill ends
3: Your target shrinks to a midget. Midgets loose half of their health
4: Your action-skill ends and the cooldown is Reset
5: you regain 50% of your health and your target gets debuffed (equivalent of cryo/Slag)
If your target dies, it explodes in a “debuff-element”-nova, debuffing enemies around it.
6: your target becomes an Ultimate Badass and turns against his companions.

Every lasting effect lasts for 40secs, except Debuffs, which last for their normal duration.
Cooldown: 20 seconds

The gamechangers should alter the effects and increase the rolled numbers.
Something like: with a chance of 33%, the result of your roll gets increased by 3. The max result of your dice-roll can’t be higher than 6.
Other skills should compensate for bad dice-rolls. Something like: You get a bonus to weapon-damage, increasing with a low result of your dice-rolls.
General Weapon-damage-bonus: 25% plus additional 5% per number under 6 for 20 seconds. This would make a total of 50% Weapon-damage if you rolled a 1. A good five-pointer

#16

Random creatures spawn in duel arenas in waves like skags then badass skags then legendary skag. Enemies types can change per the location duel is played. Entire location for duels to be played . More options for duels max/min kills,max/minimum deaths, player handicap /buff,max/min health,max/ no, shield

#17

Coop or team duel

#18

More duel challenges and possibly a legendary obtained by completing so many duels or kills in duel.