Gearbox has revealed 3 new heroes for their upcoming MOBA mashup Battleborn, named Whiskey Foxtrot, Kelvin and Shayne and Aurox respectively. This brings the total of announced heroes to 23, with 2 of the game’s roster of 25 yet to be revealed. If you’re unfamiliar with the MOBA/FPS fusion check out the preview we wrote for it to learn more. For those caught up, here is a look at the 3 new playable heroes and their abilities framed in the in-game intel reports:

Whiskey Foxtrot

I know he was introduced to me as one of the early groups of “Mike” clones, but there is something really – I think “off” is the word I’m looking for here – with Whiskey Foxtrot. The only item that I’ve been able to find out about him is a number that keeps coming up in the system: RDC-WF02-1221. I suspect that he has ties to some off-shoot Peacekeeper unit, but all of Whiskey’s gear seems cobbled together, scavenged or, in some cases, reverse engineered Peacekeeper tech.

MAIN WEAPON: Homemade UPR-SL3 Tactical Rifle

• His tactical assault rifle delivers a ton of punch behind three tightly-grouped shots.

 

STICKY BOMB

• These grenades of his are just wrong. Toss a grenade and it sticks to anything, then detonates after three seconds. On second thought, I’d love to borrow a couple of these for the next time I run into Rendain.

 

SCRAP CANON

• I definitely don’t want to be on the receiving end of the shrapnel-spewing attachment strapped to the bottom of Whiskey’s tactical rifle.

 

OVERDRIVE

• I don’t know how he pulled this off, but Whiskey jerry-rigged some kind of experimental tech into his tactical rifle. When powered up, he can load in an overstuffed clip that can be fired fully automatically.

 

COMBAT RHYTHM

• The few times I’ve seen him in action, I’ve noticed something: After killing an enemy, Whiskey gets a boost to his attack damage.

Kelvin

Miko has to keep reminding me that Kelvin isn’t just some big, lumbering Ice Golem – but, I mean, c’mon, this thing is huge! But it’s also really small. I still have trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that Kelvin is actually an entire, sentient microorganism civilization taking shape as this huge, hulking Golem. Mental note: Kelvin thrives in the extreme cold of space. Bring a jacket.

MAIN WEAPON: Ice Fists

• The sheer force of the golem’s blows are brutal and when Kelvin leans in, it can pound the ground and cause area of effect damage. Good to have when you need a strong front line.

 

SUBLIMATE

• When you have a sub-atomic civilization that thrives in the cold, being able to sublimate for just comes with the territory, I guess. Kelvin can go from golem to gaseous for a couple seconds, speed along and chill anything that gets in its way.

 

CHOMP

• This is a particularly nasty attack where Kelvin bites an enemy and uses a foe’s health against it. If Kelvin kills by biting, he also gets a permanent increase to his health – something about absorbing the enemy’s energy into the civilization.

 

ICE WALL

• Being able to manipulate the cold will be a huge asset for us. When Kelvin has enough power stored up, it can create an impassable wall that will also stun nearby enemies.

 

PERMAFROST

• As Kelvin activates any of his abilities he gains a temporary shield boost.

Shayne and Aurox

Shayne is pretty much what you expect from an angsty teenage girl staring down the end of the universe: She’s a punk. Hanging around the Detritus Ring in Rogue territory, Shayne’s survived by scavenging, picking up work where possible and grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down. What I can’t figure out is how she’s somehow bonded with a &^@#(-ing creature and is still alive! These things hover in space and eat energy like you’d slurp a bowl of cereal – and she’s got this monster tethered to her torso! Well, whatever the case, she’s got lots of potential as a scrapper, but a moody kid with that much power? She could be trouble. Useful, but trouble.… I’ll let you handle her.

MAIN WEAPON: Aurox

• Shayne’s companion, Aurox, is her melee weapon. And shield. And intimidating pet you don’t want to turn your back on. In combat, Aurox can utterly demolish enemies that get too close.

 

BOOMERANG

• Whether scavenging for loot among the Detritus Ring, or taking out Varelsi, Shayne relies on her trusty boomerang to pick off enemies from a distance.

 

STEALTH STRIKE

• When you see Shayne cloak, this isn’t a game of hide-and-seek – you have a five-second headstart to get the HELL away from where you think Shayne and Aurox will resurface and pummel you with damage.

 

FETCH

• I love it when pets play with you – you know, bring you back a thrown ball or something. But when that pet is all razor-sharp claws, grafted to you, and hauls in your prey… well, that’s a whole other story.

 

TAG TEAM

• If you see Shayne telling Aurox where to go, it’s important to NOT be there. Aurox teleports to Shayne’s target and unleashes his rage before knocking everybody around and disappearing.

Gearbox has stated that 7 heroes will be available to play right away, and the remainder of the roster will quickly unlock as players progress through the story. The game went into a closed technical test last year, and is schedule to receive an open beta some time this year before it launches in the spring. The game continues to look like a pinata explosion of color and tactics and every new hero announced has appeared unique both gameplay and design wise as well as story depth.

Have a look at their abilities, and take a look at the other heroes available to play when the game drops May 3, 2016 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. We’ll continue to post updates on the game’s development here and on the Battleborn Wiki.

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