A lot has been said about the Calypso twins, the new villains in Borderlands 3. The announcement trailer suggests that a weapons manufacturer will also play a significant role.
Why do weapons manufacturers play such a significant role in Borderlands? In a loot shooter, everything naturally revolves around the available firearms. And Borderlands has a lot of them. Developer Gearbox has always linked the available guns with weapon manufacturers, which also play an important role in the story.
It all started in Borderlands 1:
- The Atlas Corporation plays an important role in Borderlands 1 and serves as a mega-corporation that has subjugated the planet. In the DLC “Secret Armoury of General Knoxx,” this story is prominently brought to the forefront.
- In Borderlands 2, we have to deal with Handsome Jack, the CEO of Hyperion. Throughout the story, we are increasingly attacked by Hyperion soldiers.
- In Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, we also deal with the weapon manufacturer Torgue.
Again and again, the weapon manufacturers are prominently integrated into the story. Borderlands 3 will also be no exception.
These weapons manufacturers could play a significant role in Borderlands 3: It’s already known that the Calypso twins will be the villains of the new installment. Additionally, we know that the twins lead the cult “Children of the Vault,” which is also regarded as a weapons manufacturer.
However, little is known about which other weapons manufacturers will play a larger role. The announcement trailer does at least provide a small hint as to which manufacturer could become important, namely Maliwan.
Why could Maliwan become important in Borderlands 3? In the announcement trailer, players were able to catch at least two brief glimpses of futuristic-looking robots displaying the distinctive Maliwan “M”. The color scheme also matched the weapon design from Borderlands 2.
Maliwan specializes in futuristic elemental weapons, as some design examples for Borderlands 3 show:
But that’s not all. The trailer also showcased a futuristic city that features the characteristic Maliwan aesthetics. Will the game send us against the weapons manufacturer Maliwan and its alleged headquarters?
Or will Maliwan even play a “good” role? Currently, this can only be speculated. However, if Maliwan is our opponent, we can look forward to plenty of elements that will rain down on us.
Although the slag element is removed in Borderlands 3, there are still enough ways to make our lives difficult with corrosion, shock, frost, and fire.
What do you think? What role will Maliwan play in Borderlands 3?
