Battleborn Winter update next week – New hero and Story Operation

Anyone who has stuck with Battleborn will be pleased to hear the Winter Update is coming next week.

The update which arrives on 19 January will be “the biggest content drop yet” for the game according to Gearbox. The update includes new training modes, draft mode, a UI overhaul and more.

The major news for this update is the Early Access arrival of the 30th hero to the game Beatrix and the release of the third DLC Story Operation called “Oscar Mike vs. The Battle School”.

Here are all the details, and no, it’s not free to play yet.

Battleborn Winter Update Details

• WHEN: Thursday, January 19 at 2pm PT/5pm ET for all regions

• Beatrix Early Access: January 19 starting at 2pm PT/5pm ET for all regions
• Beatrix Official Release: January 26 starting at 2pm PT/5pmET for all regions

Be advised: Battle School is not for chumps! Fall in line with the Battleborn as Oscar Mike takes you through the ringer in the third Story Operation, “Oscar Mike vs The Battle School.” Dodge traps, complete obstacles, and fight your way through rigorous combat. Get the syllabus and take notes – the Gearbox Devs are taking a look at this Story Operation during this week’s livestream!

• WHEN: Thursday, January 12 at 3pm PT (6pm ET)
• WHERE: www.twitch.tv/gearboxsoftware

Experience these highly replayable Story Operations solo or co-op with up to two buddies. Each time you complete Battle School, you can unlock new lore, skins, titles, and taunts. Not to mention the dialogue, enemies, and objectives change depending on your current playthrough.

Access to the DLC Story Operations are included Season Pass and Digital Deluxe. If you already own Battleborn, snag the Season Pass to get access to the first two DLC Story Operations today, “Attikus and the Thrall Rebellion” and “Toby’s Friendship Raid,” as well as “Oscar Mike vs The Battle School” and the next two Story Operation upon release. If you’re not already on-board for the DLC, each Story Op can be purchased individually for 700 Platinum in the in-game Marketplace

WHAT ELSE IS IN THE WINTER UPDATE?

What, exactly, is so insane about the upcoming Battleborn features? A new, improved player experience loaded with modes that new players will love – and a load of slick refinements that our veteran players can get behind. Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s in store.

NEW PLAYER EXPERIENCE

Whether you’re new to the game or just want to hone your skills for multiplayer, we’ve added several key features.

• All 25 Core Characters Unlocked! 25 badass playable characters, no waiting! You’re eager to find your favorite, so get to it! With this update, the core 25 characters will be unlocked for all players after completing the Prologue.
• What about the character unlock challenges? These challenges now award a brand new skin upon completion! We’ve also adjusted several challenges to be more attainable.
• Main Quests – Story Mode
  • Story Mode missions will have more guides and tools to lead your through various areas of the game. The Credit rewards have also been boosted to help you get an early edge on loot packs
• Two New Training Modes
  • Incursion Tutorial: Build up your PVP skills and learn the key elements of competitive play in Battleborn. Your first play-through is solo, but this practice mode can be repeated with groups of up to three players.
  • Dojo: Take each and every Battleborn hero for a test drive! Learn how to slice, dice, blast, smash, and rocket your way through waves of minions.

RETURNING PLAYER ENHANCEMENTS
We’ve talked to many players who have put hundreds of hours into the game. Whether you’re coming back for the second time or your two hundredth, we are all about replayability. Listening closely to your feedback, we made some big moves to continue keeping the Battleborn experience fresh for you.

• User Interface Changes: Battleborn’s user interface gets a major facelift. Cleaner, more vibrant, and much easier to find the information you need most. You’ll see UI changes throughout Battleborn, from the starting screen, to the Command center, character select, and even some menu changes.
• Draft Mode: This is one of the most exciting new additions! In Draft Mode, teams and players take turns picking and banning characters trying to find the perfect match-ups and counters for what the other team is choosing.
• Introducing Daily Quests: The action doesn’t end when you take down Rendain. Check back daily for new objectives and rewards across both Story Mode and Competitive Multiplayer Mode.
• Command Rank and Character Rank Increase: Keep on growing your Command and Character ranks! We pushed the cap to 150 for Command Rank, and rank 20 for each character, with all-new rewards!
• Updated In-game Economy: We’ve overhauled the Credits system and how loot packs are made available, particularly in Competitive Multiplayer matches. Credits will now accumulate faster in public PVP matches, making it easier to grab more loot packs from the Marketplace. But not for leavers – they are out of luck and will not receive any rewards. You see, nobody likes a quitter.
  • Loot Packs: All loot pack variations will still drop in Story Mode missions, but only one type of loot pack will be available in the Marketplace: The Core Pack. The Core Pack has better odds for higher rarity gear and has a chance to drop any skin or taunt previously available in Faction packs.
  • Boosts: A bigger variety of Boosts will become available for Platinum in the marketplace.