The Borderlands games typically feature memorable playable characters that take advantage of the first-person shooter series' excellent RPG mechanics. Detailed backstories and rich personalities go a long way in making characters like Claptrap and Maya iconic. Gearbox carried this trend into Borderlands 3 by designing four playable characters with unique traits both in terms of story and gameplay. Amara the Siren, FL4k the Beastmaster, Moze the Gunner and Zane the Operative round out Borderlands 3's playable cast, though future DLC may add more.
Each character brings their own abilities and gameplay style to Borderlands 3, and these are divided between three to four skill trees. RPG skill trees can be difficult to navigate, let alone when there are up to four different ones. It can be tough to jump into the game and instantly know which of these vibrant characters to play, so here's what you should know about each of Borderlands 3's characters.
Amara fills Borderlands' Siren class. These are basically the magic-users of the series, able to use a wide range of skills that usually are tailored to the character themselves. Previous Sirens Lilith and Maya had unique playstyles, and Amara is no exception. Rather than focusing on stealth or arena control, Amara's Siren abilities manifest as high-damage area-of-effect attacks.
Amara was raised in the slums of Partali, and she quickly learned how to defend herself and others using her Siren abilities. She's described as a "crimefighting hero" in-game, though she can sometimes be a bit too headstrong for her own good. Her Siren powers actually take a lot of inspiration from South Asian mythology, religion and culture, reflecting her heritage.
As a Beastmaster, FL4K combines stealth and summons to create a character that relies on getting behind opponents and swarming them with the wildlife of Pandora. Those with the Designer's Cut DLC can also access another skill tree called "Trapper," which provides unique ways to debuff opponents and buff allies. FL4K fills a support role, though their pets dish out a decent amount of damage to help FL4K stand on his own.
FL4K, as their name may suggest, is a robot who gained self-awareness and a concerning drive for murder. Before the events of Borderlands 3, they served under the command of someone known as the Grand Archivist, though little is now about this figure. Despite their violent self-awakening, FL4K recognizes the gentle minds of animals and is able to form a natural bond with them.
Moze is a classic DPS character who's able to use the abilities of her Gunner class to dish out tons of damage. Moze actually has a fairly unique mechanic, as players have to equip up to two abilities on Moze's mech, Iron Bear. Certain ones can later be upgraded and enhanced, such as her minigun becoming a flamethrower that doesn't overheat or need to reload.
Moze was forced to complete her service for the mech-focused branch of the Vladof army, known as Ursa Corp. Despite going through a brutal series of missions and hardening herself to the horror of war, Moze was only allowed to leave the Ursa Corp after completing a specific quota of missions. If she left early, she would be unable to keep the mech that she had grown very attached to. On one of her final missions, her entire squad was killed, and Moze was presumed dead. This left her to only trust Iron Bear from that point forward.
Zane Flynt is an Operative, a new class introduced in Borderlands 3. The Operative class has a significant focus on battle-control, filling the role of characters like Maya and Zer0 from previous Borderlands games. Zane's abilities include the ability to summon a holographic clone of himself that he can swap places with, a summonable auto-targeting drone, a deployable shield and a powerful shoulder-mounted cannon.
If Zane Flynt's name sounds familiar, it's because other members of the Flynt family have appeared in previous games. Zane's brothers, Baron and Captain Flynt, were both Bandit leaders and bosses that appeared in Borderlands and Borderlands 2, respectively. However, Zane didn't follow the Bandit path, instead choosing to become a notorious mercenary who flees to Pandora to lay low from the many enemies he's made.
0 Comments