Feeling fortunate? Hello everybody, I’m Tommy Westerman, Senior Character Designer on Borderlands 4. At this time, I’m thrilled to share insights into the making of C4sh the Rogue, the brand new playable Vault Hunter coming to Borderlands 4 as a part of Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned* on March 26!
I’ve been a personality designer at Gearbox since Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the place along with the workforce I designed Claptrap because the playable Fragtrap class, in addition to Jack the Doppelganger (aka Timothy) and Aurelia the Baroness. In Borderlands 3, the workforce and I designed Amara the Siren and Zane the Operative, adopted by the Clawbringer and Spellshot lessons for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. That lastly brings us to Borderlands 4, the place the workforce and I designed Rafa the Exo-Soldier, Harlowe the Gravitar, and now C4sh the Rogue.
When designing C4sh’s distinctive Motion Expertise, Augments, and Passives, the workforce and I actually obtained to lean into the facility fantasy of going for broke as a devil-may-care gambler, bending luck in your favor to beat any odds. Ever since we designed Claptrap the Fragtrap over a decade in the past, I’ve had concepts in my head of issues I wished to repair, change, or tweak. With C4sh the Rogue, I used to be excited for the chance to work with the workforce on one other character class that has some purposely unpredictable playstyles.
C4sh’s abilities vary from not-very-random to utterly random, however what’s secret’s that you just’re at all times in a position to affect that randomness, preserving the fun of counting on luck whereas guaranteeing it’s on the participant’s aspect.
Beating the percentages
In the case of C4sh’s backstory, he’s a former CasinoBot with a brand new lease on life. After a protracted streak of gaming the photo voltaic system’s casinos and battlefields with statistical insights, he developed a style for the unpredictable after successful the magical Deck of Kanansi in a high-stakes recreation. Now that he’s searching for out extra profitable, harmful dangers, a profession in Vault looking is the proper method to guess on himself within the greatest method potential.
We all know that followers love robotic Vault Hunters like Pre-Sequel’s Claptrap and BL3’s FL4K the Beastmaster, so we had been desirous to deliver C4sh to Borderlands 4. When considering up a Vault Hunter’s origins, our first pillar is to easily make an attention-grabbing character, whether or not they’re flesh and blood or circuits and bolts. We began with the concept of a CasinoBot who’s obsessive about numbers and chance, however the thrilling hook for us was C4sh’s want to hunt out eldritch trinkets that utterly upend mathematical possibilities.
As for what C4sh provides thematically to Borderlands 4’s ensemble, most individuals image basic rogues as sneak-attacking thieves, however there’s additionally the gambler who depends on luck and wit. We wish C4sh to really feel like that latter, rarer archetype: somebody who doesn’t choose pockets, however steals your cash anyway as a result of he is aware of the way to manipulate the percentages.
Coronary heart of the playing cards (and cube and weapons)
C4sh’s penchant for unpredictability is epitomized by his Motion Expertise and talent timber. Giving C4sh cube (Cleromancy Motion Talent / Roll the Bones talent tree) and a deck of playing cards (Sleight of Hand Motion Talent / Luck of the Draw talent tree) appeared good for gamers who love randomness, whereas his twin revolvers (Cross-Hearth / Chaos Strolling talent tree) felt proper for the promise of a Wild West-style gambler.
Irrespective of the result, C4sh’s Motion Expertise are at all times highly effective, however with luck you possibly can set off some tremendous highly effective results. His talent timber are distinctive in that they don’t characteristic any Capstones, however all three of his timber provide a talent that grants a further Increase slot. By constructing throughout all three talent timber, you may give C4sh’s as much as 4 Augments whole. Managing what number of Augments you equip offers you extra management over the diploma of randomness for his Motion Expertise.
One enjoyable factor we at all times attempt to do with Borderlands’ DLC characters is break some guidelines. BL2’s Gaige launched stacks and Krieg turned your entire concept of FPS fight on its head; Pre-Sequel’s Aurelia begged to be performed in co-op. After Claptrap, though a few of us actually appreciated him, all of us sort of checked out one another and mentioned, “Effectively, let’s by no means try this once more.” C4sh broke that rule, and I like him for it.
You’ll have the ability to play as C4sh the Rogue throughout all of Borderlands 4’s story and zones by proudly owning Story Pack 1, which is included in Borderlands 4 Tremendous Deluxe Version. We will’t wait to see the way you provide you with builds that profit from his chance-based skills, and keep in mind: there’s no telling what the following card draw or cube roll will deliver.
*Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned is the primary of two post-launch DLC Story Packs coming to Borderlands 4. This content material is included with Borderlands 4 Tremendous Deluxe Version and the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, and can also be accessible for separate buy. Base recreation required.
