Borderlands 3 Is Getting Endgame Content Called Proving Grounds

During the Opening Night Live event at Gamescom 2019, Gearbox announced what the endgame content for Borderlands 3 would look like. Though some of it is what fans have come to expect from a Borderlands title, there is some brand-new content that's never been seen in one the loot shooter games before.

Fans are most likely familiar with Circle of Slaughter, a horde-like mode where you and your friends have to defeat waves of enemies in difficult challenges. Borderlands 3 is adding a new mode called the Proving Grounds. To activate the Proving Grounds, you'll need to discover Eridian Writings scattered throughout the galaxy. These writings will point you towards coordinates on certain planets where you can begin missions that put you up against tougher threats but reward you with high-tier loot. It sounds like a good way to upgrade your loadout if you're struggling with any late-game missions.

"Proving Grounds are races against the clock, tasking you with blitzing your way through three areas filled with baddies and beating a boss in 30 minutes or less," Gearbox wrote in a blog post. "If you complete your chosen Trial quickly and efficiently you'll earn better bounties, and for even greater rewards you can complete bonus objectives like beating the Proving Grounds without dying, completing it with a certain amount of time remaining, or managing to find and eliminate an elusive Fallen Guardian who roams the area. The chest that awaits at the end of the Proving Grounds always contains valuable loot, but you'll need to display true mastery if you want the best rewards."

During the latest Borderlands 3 preview event, we discovered strange purple-colored symbols behind a waterfall on the planet Eden-6. We can't be sure, as Gearbox wouldn't tell us at the time what they were, but these could be the Eridian Writings you have to discover to begin Proving Grounds missions. Eridian is purple after all. We'll have to wait and see, though.

At the preview event, we had the opportunity to try out FL4K, one of the four playable Vault Hunters in Borderlands 3. Having now played as Zane, Moze, Amara, and FL4K, we've seen how each of the four Hunters evolves based off of their three distinct skill trees. For the first time in the franchise, the playable Vault Hunters seems to have skill trees that are built in a way to allow for better customization in how your character evolves. At the very least, Borderlands 3 feels better suited for those who want to play solo than any previous Borderlands game before it.

Borderlands 3 is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on September 13. The game will be a day one title for Google Stadia as well, which is scheduled to launch in November 2019.