Battleborn Open Beta Starts in April, TV-Style Story Mode Detailed

If you've been waiting to get your hands on Battleborn, you'll be able to jump in when the open beta starts in April. The beta will give players access to two multiplayer modes and two episodes of its story mode.

2K announced the open beta in a press release, which also detailed Battleborn's story mode. The press release describes the game's story mode as "structured just like some of [developer Gearbox Software's] favourite episodic television shows" as it takes a "TV-style approach" that stars its players. The story mode comes with eight episodes that tell one story throughout, while each individual episode also tells a self-contained story. You can take a look at the story mode in the video above.

On the multiplayer side, players will be able to play the Incursion and Meltdown modes. Incursion tasks players with destroying the opposing team's Spider Sentry Drones before their own gets demolished. Meltdown has players sending waves of minions into an incinerator to collect scrap metal--whoever collects the most wins the match.

In addition to the multiplayer modes and story episodes, the beta also includes 24 playable heroes, loot, gear, and the full progression system. The PS4 beta gets access to an additional hero, Toby, and any progress made won't carry over to the full game.

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You can play Battleborn when the open beta begins on April 8 for PS4 and April 13 for Xbox One and PC. However, pre-loading begins for all platforms on April 6 at the times below:

• PC – 10 AM PT
• PS4 – 5 PM PT
• Xbox One – 5 PM PT

The open beta ends on April 18 for everybody. PS4 players who play the beta will receive the first DLC pack and hero Alani for free when the game releases on May 3.

In other Battleborn-related news, the game's post-launch plans including DLC and microtransactions were recently detailed. You can also read GameSpot's preview of Battleborn, which said its RPG elements hint at a longevity sometimes absent from multiplayer shooters.

If you want to see the game in action, you can watch any of the videos below:

• Battleborn's Incursion Multiplayer - Gameplay
• Battleborn - Kelvin Let's Play
• Could Battleborn Be The Most Flexible And Accessible Team Shooter Out There?