At an official gameplay event for Borderlands 3 , our author Leya had the opportunity to talk to the lead boss designer of the game. Matt Cox revealed how the bosses in the game are structured.
This is the background: On May 1st, Gearbox hosted a gameplay event for Borderlands 3. Here, representatives of the media were able to test the loot shooter for the first time, and MeinMMO was on site.
At the event, some developers of the game were present. Among them was Matt Cox, the lead boss designer. Matt is primarily responsible for the “big fights” with the really tough bosses and shared some insights about the boss design in Borderlands 3.
There will be particularly epic fights resembling MMORPG raids
Why are boss fights important in Borderlands 3? At its core, Borderlands 3 is a loot shooter. The game offers an incredible variety of weapons with special effects, and even the weapon manufacturers play an important role in the game.
The hunt for the best weapons is central in Borderlands, and these are mostly dropped by boss enemies. So if you want the best loot, you often have to defeat these bosses. Therefore, it is of immense importance that the boss fights are enjoyable.
When will the raids come to Borderlands 3? Raids will be introduced later in the game. Since there were already raid-like bosses in earlier Borderlands titles, I asked Matt if they wanted to delve deeper into this path in Borderlands 3.
I would say we have boss fights that are more epic than others that also last longer. We will have proper raids throughout the game that will at least feel like a traditional MMORPG raid. These will be present later in the story campaign.
Matt Cox, Lead Boss Designer of Borderlands 3
Matt elaborated further that there would be many more bosses in Borderlands 3 than in the predecessors. This could suggest that we can also expect more proper raids than in older games.
However, the developer wasn’t allowed to reveal any details about the number of bosses at this point. There should be more information towards the end of the year, which would then be shortly before the release of Borderlands 3 in September 2019.
Why do the fights resemble an MMORPG raid? In Borderlands 2, there were already some raids. They are quite similar to boss fights from MMORPGs:
- they are unique encounters in the game
- they feature similar mechanics, where patterns must be recognized
- they are often surrounded by trash mobs
- they are easier to kill in a group
- they are significantly more difficult than other fights
Typically, MMORPG raids have larger player groups. However, in Borderlands, there is a restriction of 4-player instances. Still, the developers and players refer to certain epic boss enemies as raids.
Matt explained that each boss must have enough different behavior patterns that remain fun to learn over time. It’s about the challenge of finding new ways and strategies to defeat a boss multiple times, even if you succeeded the first time.
Each boss will introduce a new mechanic: When developers design a boss, he must possess at least one mechanic or attack that the player has not seen before.
We aim for bosses to always do something that distinguishes them from others. By that, I don’t just mean that they are quirky, but their behavior patterns. When you encounter a boss, something new will always happen. It could be that you see this new pattern later with a regular enemy as well. But with the boss, you saw it first. There will also be things that you haven’t seen in any Borderlands before.
Matt Cox, Lead Boss Designer of Borderlands 3
The main villains in Borderlands 3 are Troy and Tyreen, also known as the Calypso Twins. They could thus become the final bosses of the story campaign . What unique abilities they will bring remains to be seen. Will crazy followers from their stream be involved?
In the video below, you can get a sense of the raid bosses in Borderlands 2. We can probably expect similar things in the third part as well. From what Matt says, it seems that Borderlands 3 will once again raise the bar in this regard.
The bosses are always supposed to provide a unique surprise
Raid bosses are often criticized for being too monotonous. After all, you often fight them to get their best loot. Especially in Borderlands 1, players often referred to the bosses as mere bullet sponges.A
I was curious how Gearbox intends to ensure that it remains enjoyable to fight a boss repeatedly. According to Matt Cox, surprising and unique mechanics are the key.
If a boss has a lot of health, you want to ensure that a lot of different things happen during the fight so that it doesn’t feel repetitive. The fight should give you an adrenaline rush, so you feel like you’re truly dealing with a challenge and that there is a noticeably increased difficulty level, especially in a boss fight. Not every single boss in the game will be super hard. But we have ensured a lot of variety with the bosses.
Matt Cox, Lead Boss Designer of Borderlands 3
Matt explained that each boss must have enough different behavior patterns that remain fun to learn over time. It’s about the challenge of finding new ways and strategies to defeat a boss multiple times, even if you succeeded the first time.
Each boss will introduce a new mechanic: When developers design a boss, he must possess at least one mechanic or attack that the player has not seen before.
We aim for bosses to always do something that distinguishes them from others. By that, I don’t just mean that they are quirky, but their behavior patterns. When you encounter a boss, something new will always happen. It could be that you see this new pattern later with a regular enemy as well. But with the boss, you saw it first. There will also be things that you haven’t seen in any Borderlands before.
Matt Cox, Lead Boss Designer of Borderlands 3
The main villains in Borderlands 3 are Troy and Tyreen, also known as the Calypso Twins. They could thus become the final bosses of the story campaign . What unique abilities they will bring remains to be seen. Will crazy followers from their stream be involved?
