Late last month some rumors popped up on the internet that Gearbox's shooter with a MOBA twist Battleborn would be going free to play. While the validity of that rumor was quickly denied by company CEO Randy Pitchford, it's been announced that the game will be getting a specific mode that's free to play for players who own the game.
This new mode is called 'Face-Off', and will be a competitive mode that lives alongside the main campaign and other game modes already found in the game. You can read the official blog post right here.
In Face-Off, you will take on other players in teams of 5 as you attempt to steal the enemy team's masks while simultaneously trying to steal masks dropped by your fallen comrades before the enemy team can get their hands on them. These masks are initially obtained by killing the Varelsi, which is a faction that serves as the main antagonist in the full game. Once you've killed a Varelsi and grabbed their mask you have to bring them to a depository in the center of the map. Handing in a mask gets you a few points, and the first team to reach 500 points wins the match. It sounds simple, but because there is only one depository on the map and the enemy team is trying to score points as well, you will have to stay on your toes as you hunt the exceedingly powerful Varelsi NPC's. If you get killed by NPC's or an enemy player before you've turned in your masks, you will drop them and can then be picked up by other players regardless of the team they're on. Masks will also be dropped if you use a teleporter at any point during the game.
Over the duration of the match you will be able to level up your characters and doing so empowers the Varelsi, making them a little tougher each time you level up. Every match also goes through several phases and boss fights that up the difficulty even more.
One more thing to look out for in Face-Off are buildable MX.Headhunter assassins! Tough, fast, and vicious, MX.Headhunters will strike down enemy players and help foil the enemy’s mask collecting progress. Similar to Super Minions, Headhunters are buildables that can be purchased in a match with Shards.The Face-Off mode will be available on October 13. Battleborn's first story DLC (which isn't free) will also be released on the same day, so it's a double whammy of content for Battleborn players.
What do you think of the new game mode? Let us know in the comment section down below!
