Gearbox Software reveals more information on the fifth class to be featured in it’s upcoming RPGFPS Borderlands 2, The Mechromancer.
One of the most unique features that’s to be included in this class that’s slated to release 60 days after Borderlands 2’s initial release date of September 18th is the “Best Friend Forever” skill tree.
The Best Friend Forever skill tree, essentially features an ability that makes it easier for less skilled players to play the game and be more of a valuable asset to their fellow partners on the planet of Pandora. It has been dubbed by numerous Borderlands fans, and even by Borderlands 2 lead designer John Hemmingway, as the “girlfriend mode”. Hemmingway explains in a recent interview with Eurogamer:
The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we’ve ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree. This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is.
This is possible thanks to the ‘Close Enough’ skill – one of the first skills that’s available from the Best Friend Forever skill tree which enables the person playing as the Mechromancer to have their bullets magically hit their target if they so happen to miss them by having those bullets ricochet off of objects and back into the enemy.
You may have read many-a-headlines today regarding Hemmingway’s “girlfriend” remarks. We’ll leave that up for discussion below.
To counteract any negative feedback from more “hardcore” gamers that the Best Friend Forever skill tree might bring, Hemmingway goes on to say that they might make the Mechromancer’s other skill tree consist of a ‘Hardcore mode’ that will enable any one who uses the skill tree get a completely different experience in-game.
When asked about The Mechromancer’s robotic arm, Hemmingway says,
“She’s got this robot arm. It immediately asks a few questions. Why does she have a robot arm? Where did she get it? Does it have special powers? We all love little things that get your mind immediately running. That’s what’s really exciting about the Mechromancer. Even for me, as the guy who’s going to build all the skill trees, I’m like, okay, robot hand, what does that do? Hmm. So you’ll definitely see a few things with the robot hand in her skill trees.”
With the addition of having skills involving her robotic arm, the Mechromancer also has the ability to call in her robotic friend, Deathtrap, who can be summoned into the fray of battle to take care of Pandora’s many enemies and as well as protect the Mechromancer from harms way.
In case you missed the recent Borderlands 2 trailer ‘Come And Get Me’, feel free to view it here.
Borderlands 2 is slated to be released on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms next month. Don’t forget to pre-order Borderlands 2 as well, since doing so nets you a free upgrade to it’s Premium Club, which gives you access to the Mechromancer class free of charge and other goodies.