Battleborn’s PS4 open beta kicks off on 8th April

To get yourself ready for the Battleborn open beta, wrap your mind around what’s at stake. Set in the distant future, you’re fighting to save the last star in the universe. You have 25 heroes — each with wildly different personalities, powers, and play styles — at your disposal as you dip into the action-packed Story Mode or go five-on-five in Competitive Multiplayer matches.

Experience the natural progression of the game as you rank up and unlock new heroes, skins, taunts, Helix mutations, and more during the Battleborn Open Beta.

The Basics

• When is it?
  Opens April 8th at 10:00 AM Pacific; closes April 18th at 7:00 AM Pacific
• PS4 beta players
  As a thank you to PS4 players who participate in the open beta, they will receive the first Battleborn DLC Pack 1 and instant access to Alani upon release. In addition, PS4 players will have access to the Battleborn hero, Toby, during the Open Beta.
• Pre-load date
  Rev up your PS4 because pre-load begins on April 6th at 5:00 PM pacific!
• Approximate download size
  8.5 GB
• Where to download
  The Battleborn open beta will be available through PlayStation Store. You just download it straight from the store — no sign-up or code required.
• Available regions
  The Battleborn open beta will be available worldwide!
• PS Plus
  PS Plus is not required to participate in the open beta.
• Feedback and bug reports
  Feedback and bug reports are an essential part of the Battleborn Open Beta. Log into the Gearbox Open Beta Forums and send us your feedback!

The Content

During the open beta you’ll be able to experience the natural progression of Battleborn, including two Story Mode episodes, two Competitive Multiplayer Modes, 25 heroes (some instantly available, some will unlock as you progress), and as you play you’ll rank up on three different progression systems.

• Story Mode
  Go in solo or co-op with up to five players in two full Story Mode episodes: The Algorithm and Void’s Edge.

  The Algorithm: Take on The Algorithm mission to debug and unlock the rogue Magnus AI, ISIC. If you played in the Closed Technical Test last year, you’ll notice Geoff, the Spider King, has made a few changes to his lair.

  Void’s Edge: Bring a jacket, ’cause the ice planet Bliss is mighty cold. A Varelsi portal has opened and it’s up to you to fight your way through the invasion and deliver the payload.

• Competitive multiplayer modes
  Challenge other players to duke it out in two Competitive Multiplayer modes: Incursion and Meltdown.

  Incursion: (Overgrowth map) Destroy the enemy’s two Spider Sentry Drones before they get to yours.

  Meltdown: (Paradise map) Send waves of minions to their death and score points for every minion who throws themselves into the incinerator. The team with the most scrap metal wins!

• Party up with fellow badasses
  Conscript your friends for a truly badass open beta experience! Party up with friends or search for random players to join them in Co-Op Story Mode episodes. Play Split-Screen in either Story Mode or Competitive Multiplayer Modes. Communicate with your teammates through in-game Voice Chat. Create private custom matches with friends to get a handle on controls and practice with new characters as you unlock them.

Battleborn Heroes

Battleborn has a large starting roster of 25 playable heroes, which will continue growing with five additional, free heroes after launch. In the open beta you’ll start with seven unlocked heroes and the rest will be unlocked as you rank up and complete objectives. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of the main character types: Attackers, Defenders, and Support.

• Attackers: charge into the fight with a variety of offensive Battleborn heroes. Throw punches, slice ’em up, blast ’em down, or break out the big guns with Rath, Deande, Phoebe, Whiskey Foxtrot, Mellka, Thorn, Marquis, Oscar Mike, Benedict, Caldarius, El Dragón, Orendi, Shayne & Aurox, and Ghalt.
• Defenders: take a hit for the team (or two, or three) with the likes of Attikus, Galilea, Kelvin, Boldur, ISIC, Toby, and Montana.
• Support: shields, heals, and still more firepower — Miko, Reyna, Kleese, and Ambra can help the team in the fight.

And remember, you’ll have open beta access to the adorable penguin in a mechsuit, Toby!

Progression systems

Experience Battleborn’s multiple progression systems during the open beta. Playing either Story Mode or Competitive Multiplayer Modes will earn you XP towards temporary Helix augmentations as well as persistent Command Rank and Character Rank levels.

• Helix: during a single Competitive match or Story episode, each level you gain activates a new Helix augmentation opportunity — all the way to level 10. Each level has two augmentation choices and a character’s Helix resets at the beginning of a new match or episode, meaning you can tailor your character’s abilities to the situation at hand.
• Character Rank: each character ranks up the more you play them up to rank 15. The Character Rank levels persist across all Modes, and unlike Helix augmentations this experience does not reset at the end of a match or mission. Increasing Character Rank unlocks Mutations, which are extra Augments that become available on the Helix Menu. The higher the Character’s Rank, the more Helix augmentations, taunts, titles, and skins you can unlock for that character.
• Command Rank: Command Rank persists across all Modes and all characters played. Every Competitive match (excluding bots) and Story episode grants XP towards your player Command Rank. Rising through the ranks in open beta will unlock characters, new Gear options, titles, and more up to Command Rank 100.

What to build

On every map and in every Mode you’ll find strategically located, buildable tactical structures. These buildables can purchased — and upgraded — using Shards found throughout each level. Here are a couple samples of what you can build over the course of any given match.

• Automatic Turrets: turrets have different types of offensive armaments and will attack any foe in sight — enemy minions and Battleborn alike.
• Healing Station: the Healing station will regenerate health over time in an area around the station for the team who purchases it.
• Accelerators: accelerators give a speed boost to friendly Battleborn and minions when passing next to them.
• Super Minions: Super Minions can be purchased in the team’s base and are well worth the Shards. Their ability to sustain and deal more damage than other minions adds additional firepower to your team.

Other information

Is there an NDA?
Nope — it’s an open beta which means you can stream, record video, and play Battleborn to your badass heart’s content!

Can I stream or record video of Battleborn?
Hell yes! Tweet at @Battleborn and let us know you’re streaming Battleborn live!

Do I need a Shift account for the open beta?
Nope!

Will there be any kind of maintenance scheduled during the beta?
No, there is no planned downtime or maintenance during the open beta. If sometime comes up and maintenance is necessary, we will let you know via the Battleborn Twitter feed.

Will my progress carry over to the retail game?
No, open beta progress will not carry over to the retail game.

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