The Designer’s Cut is the fifth major add-on for Borderlands 3. It officially released on November 10, 2020, and is part of Season Pass 2.
Table of contents
About
The Designer’s Cut enhances Borderlands 3 by adding a fourth Skill Tree to each Vault Hunter and providing a stand-alone game mode called Arms Race.
New Skill Trees
All the Vault Hunters are getting 1 additional skill tree each with Borderlands 3 The Designer’s Cut. These purple-colored skill trees provide new ways to play the game and fill up play style gaps that the Vault Hunters were missing.
Amara
Amara’s new Skill Tree is called Enlightened Force and comes with the new Phaseflare Action Skill.
The Skill Tree adds the Cryo element to Amara’s aresnal and compliment her new Action Skill.
Phaseflare summons an elemental Orb that you position by punching it around the battlefield. While Amara’s other Action Skills are ‘One-and-Done’ attacks, Phaseflare let’s you control a wrecking ball that deals constant damage. The harder you punch it around, the more devastating the Orb becomes.
FL4K
FL4K’s new Skill Tree is called Trapper and comes with the Gravity Snare Action Skill and a Loader Bot companion.
The Skill Tree provides more survivability allowing for stronger pet builds and negating FL4K’s glasscannon characteristics.
The Gravity Snare Action Skill provides FL4K with a crowd control ability that knocks enemies in the area up in the air.
Moze
Moze’s new Skill Tree is called Bear Mother and comes with the Iron Cub Action Skill.
The Skill Tree focuses on dealing elemental damage which will feed into boosts for you and your Action Skill.
The Iron Cub Action Skills summons a mini-Iron Bear onto the field and acts like a companion that fights alongside you. You can’t jump into Iron Bear Mech when using the new Iron Cub Action Skill. Iron Cub consumes the 1st Hard Point and therefore will double up on the weapon selected into the 2nd Hard Point.
Zane
Zane’s new Skill Tree is called The Professional and comes with the MNTS Cannon Action Skill.
The Professional skill tree is focused on critical hit damage and reducing your action skill cooldown.
The MNTS Cannon Action Skill is a shoulder-mounted cannon and unlike Zane’s other Action Skills, the MNTS Cannon is a brief but quickly repeatable ability. This opens up the ‘On Action Skill End’ Anointments to his arsenal.
New Game Mode: Arms Race
Arms Race is a Battle Royale meets Extraction-inspired game mode for Borderlands 3. This One-Life challenge drops you into a new map without any gear or skills. Try to survive as you gather new items, however, be quick about it because an incoming storm will make the terrain unbearable.
New Legendary Loot and Class Mods for the 4th Skill Tree can be found in Arms Race and needs to be successfully extracted before you can use it outside the new game mode.
Check out my Arms Race Review to find out about my opinion of the new Game Mode.
MentalMars
Screenshots
Key Features
- New Skill Trees that provide new ways to play.
- New Game Mode
- Arms Race Legendary Gear
- 12 Legendary Weapons
- 4 Legendary Shields
- 1 Legendary Grenade
- 4 Legendary Class Mods (1 for each Vault Hunter)
- 3 Legendary Artifacts
- The Designer’s Cut Cosmetic Items
- 2 Echoskin
- 1 Weapon Trinket
Notes
- The Designer’s Cut level requirement: This DLC begins at LVL 13 but enemies will scale to your character’s level moving upwards.
