14 DAY TRIAL // Gearbox Software and 2K Australia have already announced the first Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel downloadable content pack, titled the Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack.
The game's first DLC comes dangerously close to the first-person shooter's release date, the title having been launched merely two weeks ago on Windows PC, Mac OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
In any case, it will also enable long-time Borderlands fans to play as Handsome Jack, allowing them to indulge in what no doubt is a guilty pleasure for many of them.
While you won't be playing as Handsome Jack per se, but instead as one of his body doubles, it's still as close to being a self-absorbed madman as you'll ever get.
Playing as Handsome Jack
The villain of Borderlands 2 has an acute case of paranoia (grounded in the fact that he's a psychopath and a tyrant and many people want him dead) and as such maintains an array of doubles that come in handy as decoys.
You'll be stepping into the shoes of one such clone, and you'll be able to summon multiple Digi-Jacks that will fight on your side, with various special abilities depending on the way you use your skill points to upgrade your skill tree.
The head of Hyperion Corporation has three branches to his skill tree, the left one being The Hero of the Story, buffing grenades, the middle one, Greater Good, bestowing various buffs when Jack is fighting in Fight for Your Life mode, and the rightmost one, Free Enterprise, conferring various buffs to weapons, depending on their manufacturer.
Some of the perks of being Handsome Jack (or one of his body doubles) are being able to shoot stuff using your wrist-mounted laser and getting buffs every time you pick up money.
Handsome Jack and his body doubles also get special upgrades for guns crafted by specific manufacturers, so you might want to keep an eye out for the implements of destruction that best suit your play style.
The fifth playable character
The DLC pack will introduce the first-person shooter's fifth playable character, sitting alongside Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer, and Claptrap the Fragtrap.
The action is set on Elpis, Pandora's moon, and covers Handsome Jack's origin story, showing his rise to power and his descent into insanity.
The new setting translates into a couple of neat and fresh gameplay mechanics, including taking advantage of the low gravity to navigate the map with huge leaps and sending enemies flying into outer space.
Furthermore, lasers are finally part of Borderlands' massive loot system, in a few different flavors, from continuous to pulse and blaster, and there are also weapons that can freeze your opponents in their tracks, and you can smash them into hundreds of pieces.
The upcoming Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack is scheduled to come out on November 11 and is available both standalone and part of the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass.