During the Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal last night, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford excitedly proclaimed the game “won’t have microtransactions”. The problem is that’s not quite right. While the game won’t have microtransactions that would be considered pay to win, Borderlands 3 will see the return of cosmetic heads an skins that players can purchase to further customise their characters.
There won’t be any purchasable loot boxes, nor will there be any microtransaction coins or other currency to purchase with real money. However, Creative director Paul Sage confirmed that skins, heads, and other “auxiliary equipment” will be available for purchase, although none of these will give any gameplay advantage over those who choose not to purchase the content. By “auxiliary equipment” we assume they mean things like the weapons, mods, XP boosters, and Loot Box drop boosters that are appearing in the game’s Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions.
The latter might seem like it does offer a gameplay advantage, though. A 2K Spokesperson confirmed to PC Gamer exactly what these meant:
While Borderlands 3 is not a competitive game, where boosts could lead to direct player advantages and be considered a competitive concern, we still take balance of the progression and loot systems in the game very seriously. We are still fine-tuning these systems in Borderlands 3, and the benefits the boosts in the Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Collector’s Edition will provide, but at this stage we can confirm that the Loot and XP boosts will both be level capped and tied to specific pieces of gear, similar to boosts in past Borderlands games. The intent is to give those players an initial boost, but not something that permeates the entire Borderlands 3 experience indefinitely.
Whether these items are pay-to-win seems to be a bit of a grey area at the moment. If you’re still looking forward to entering the world of Pandora once again, you’ll be able to do so on September 13th.