With 2019 finally at an end, fans of Borderlands 3 are looking to the future, and it seems that much awaits for them in 2020. Since its release in September, Borderlands 3 has seen many free content updates, balance changes, and its first major DLC in the form of Mad Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot, and by looking closely at the release schedule for these additions of 2019, fans are postulating what the new year will hold for them. Although the developer has been somewhat tight-lipped about what it has in store, there is a lot players can expect from extrapolating what they have already been given.
For those unaware, Borderlands 3 has only been out for around 3 months, and in that short time, players have already experienced many content updates including the game's first story expansion, Mad Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot. This latest expansion was extremely well received by fans, and was praised for its level design, generosity with drop rates, and replayability value. The staff at Gearbox seem dedicated to providing players with something that will entertain them for quite some time, as is evidenced by the numerous free content drops and the great value of the first paid story expansion, and that trend will likely remain through the entirety of 2020.
It seems that Gearbox's goal is to provide players with one big content drop each month, varying from balance and quality of life changes to the introduction of new takedowns to entire story expansions, so each month of 2020 is likely to come packed with much to look forward to. There are some months which already have confirmed events going on, and others which can be guessed at based on what players have seen last year in the Borderlands 3 DLC roadmap. For starters, January could have a seasonal event, similar to the Bloody Harvest Event fans saw last October. This means new challenges, missions, enemies, and rewards.
Looking forward to February, it is highly likely that fans will get another high end takedown mission. In 2019, the first month, October, brought a seasonal event, while the following month brought a new takedown mission. It is likely that this trend will continue in 2020, and that takedowns may also be added in May, August, and November of this year as well. Beyond that, Gearbox has teased its Mayhem 2.0 system a bit now, and promised that it would be available to fans early 2020. It seems likely that this update will drop alongside a new takedown in February, and will bring with it more UI support, new modifiers that change gameplay, Mayhem playlists, better rewards, more levels, and more.
Following the trend set up in 2019, March would reasonably bring about the next full, paid story expansion. As to what this would be is anyone's guess, but there are a few possibilities. The most popular theory at this point supports that the expansion would focus on the less than amicably viewed character Ava. This would be a bold move since Borderlands 3 fans seem to hate Ava, but perhaps a new DLC could redeem her despite her many mistakes, and feature a sort of redemption arc like that of Tiny Tina's in Borderlands 2. It seems likely, though, that this new expansion will be similar to the first one in terms of cost, size, and content.
The rest of the year may continue to follow this pattern somewhat loosely, meaning April would feature another seasonal event, perhaps based on Easter in which the player could find unique rewards in hidden Easter eggs throughout Pandora, May would give players a new takedown, and a third story expansion would be released in June. Most of that is simply speculation, but it does seem to line up well with holidays and give enough space between expansions for players to experience everything. Extrapolating further would result in a July summer seasonal event, another takedown in August, and the third story expansion.
As usual, players can expect some other changes alongside these major content drops. Quality of life improvements like skippable cutscenes and better performance are highly requested and very likely to be added in during the new year. Mad Moxxi's Handsome Jackpot DLC has set some new precedents regarding loot drops as well. Gone are the days of repeatedly farming a story boss for a miniscule chance at receiving a legendary item, as some bosses in the new DLC have as high as a 50% drop rate. So, while it isn't perfect, this makes farming for specific rolls on a legendary far more rewarding and will hopefully permeate into the loot drop system of 2020.
Finally, many fans think Borderlands 3 needs a level cap increase. Although it will not likely come any time soon, it is doubtful that players will not get one before the end of they new year. Borderlands 2 released in September just like Borderlands 3, and its level cap rolled out in April, so it is possible that the same will happen for Borderlands 3 as well. In addition, it seems probable that existing vault hunters will receive upgrades, either in the form of extended skill lines or possibly even new skill lines altogether. Hopefully Gearbox shies away from making the level cap a paid unlock like it did with Borderlands 2, as most other content in Borderlands 3 has been free thus far.
As stated before, most of this is simply speculation. There are a few things here which have been confirmed, but beyond those, it is anyone's guess what Gearbox has planned for the future of Borderlands 3. This sort of schedule seems to work well and would do a great job at keeping players involved and coming back for more, but it could be that the developers decide to mix things up a bit more to throw fans off their guard. Time will tell, as now that 2020 is finally here, developers may be able to loosen those lips a little.
Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.