‘Battleborn’ Open Beta Details Revealed By 2K; PS4 Testing Begins April 8

The first details on the Battleborn open beta have been released by 2K, weeks before testing will begin on any platform, and it doesn’t sound like the Battleborn team will be holding much content back when the upcoming multiplayer shooter temporarily opens its doors next month.

PlayStation 4 owners will be the first group of players welcomed into the Battleborn open beta, according to a new post on the game’s website. The PS4 beta will begin on at 1 p.m. EST April 8, and remain exclusive to the platform for a whopping five days. Beginning April 13, PC and Xbox One owners will be given access to the beta, which will continue on all platforms until 10 a.m. on April 18. Fortunately, for those outside the PlayStation ecosystem, there won’t be a similar wait when the game debuts in May.

Seven of the game’s 25 launch heroes will be available as soon as you install the Battleborn beta. The remaining 18 combatants will be unlocked as you level up. Experience can be gathered from the two Story Mode episodes included in the open beta and/or participating in the two competitive multiplayer offerings available during testing. 2K says five additional heroes will be added to the Battleborn roster after the game’s official launch.

The publisher also released released new information on the progressions systems players will encounter in the Battleborn beta. The names used for each are a bit different than we’ve seen in some of the game’s competitors but none of the three progression mechanics should seem all that foreign to experienced MOBA players.

Here’s the breakdown, via 2K:

• 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.

As if all that weren’t enough, 2K published a new Battleborn story trailer this week; a two-minute clip that reminds fans the very universe is at stake in the upcoming shooter. There aren’t any major revelations or new character reveals but the trailer does a pretty great job of setting the stage ahead of next month’s Battleborn open beta.

Battleborn is in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game debuts on May 3.

Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com for more Battleborn coverage throughout 2016 and for however long Gearbox continues to support Battleborn in the months following launch.