Borderlands 3: Android "Mal 3.0"

First: Borderlands 3 is not in production at this time, but I wanted to propose a new playable character.

Mal was a great NPC in Borderlands 2.  It seems a logical step to make him an unlockable PC if there is a Borderlands 3.  Why Mal 3.0?  Why not 2.0?  Well, if you’re going to make a third game, it’s better to be consistent with naming, so use the number 3.  Plus, it opens up options for the original Mal.  Is he a formal villain now, sending hordes of Mal 2.0 bots against you in order to steal your loot?

Just as importantly, what would he say?  Mal is such a strong character; nearly everything he says could be comedy gold.  I’m a huge fan of the Borderlands universe, and would love to see the humor-first writing style continue.  I’ve gone over what I liked in Borderlands 2 in another article. (I’ll edit this part to include a link once it is posted.)

Below is an outline of what a Mal 3.0 skill tree might look like, with many abilities similar to the robots in Borderlands 2.  I did not do any extensive calculations to make sure that the abilities are fair and balanced.  In fact, I left many of the percentages blank because balancing a non-existant class in a game is nearly impossible.  Plus any skill tree created for Borderlands 3 would likely look entirely different.  However, if you notice any blatant problems, feel free to leave a comment, and I will make some corrections.  Thanks, and enjoy.

Disruption: Mal 3.0 shields instantly fill, and he gains 10% speed per level.  At the end of activation (including if ended early), Mal deals damage equal to his grenades as an Electric Shield Nova, and his shields instantly deplete. Activation is ended early either by the user, or if the shields are depleted during Disruption.  Character is unable to jump during Disruption.

Passive: loosing health causes Mal to -%movement speed for a short time equal to half of his missing health %. Fight for your life speed is similar to other characters.

Assault

The Android’s Assaut Tree focuses on maximizing damage with mixed melee and gun combat.

Skill	Tier	Levels	Effect
Augment	1	5	+2% Elemental damage per level +2% of grenade damage as electrical damage per level
Power Share	1	5	Hitting an enemy with melee or grenades during Disruption creates a shield booster, works once on each enemy, up to one enemy per level. (15% shield recharged)
Slam	2	5	Disruption melee override: turns activating Disruption into a dash and melee shield slam with +% damage per level on the first melee attack.
Survival	2	5	Extend fight for your life +% Surviving fight for your life drops a 15% shield booster per level.
Charge	3	5	Melee damage deals +% electrical damage
Steel Gams	3	5	Standing fight for your life: you may move or shoot, but not simultaneously. +% movement per level
Power up	4	5	Kill Skill: Killing an enemy adds a stack for a short duration.  Maximum one stack per level.  Killing another enemy resets timer. +% cool down reduction per stack.
“Luck”	4	5	Every missed or deflected bullet you shoot adds 2% to the next melee attack you make.  Max % = Character Level.
Overload	5	5	During Disruption, bullets deal +% electricity damage but steals % shields.
Programming	5	5	+low% team kill skill duration per level +% electricity damage to melee attacks per level
Barrage	6	1	Reloading fires an electrical laser at the nearest enemy, dealing damage up to your melee attack, based on % of missing ammo in the clip.

Battery

The Android’s Battery Skill Tree focuses on utilizing his power core for upgrades, including shields, critical hits, and rocket launchers.  Beware of rogue robot!

Skill	Tier	Levels	Effect
Boost	1	5	+8% Shield Capacity per level.
Precision	1	5	+6% Weapon Swap Speed and +4% Critical Hit Damage per level.
Hull	2	5	+% chance per level to deflect bullets while shields are full +% chance per level to absorb bullets while shields are depleted
Reflexes	2	5	Kill Skill. Killing an enemy increases your reload speed by % per level for a short time.
Vigor	3	5	Kill Skill: Killing an enemy gives +10% shield recharge rate and -10% recharge delay per level.
Bolt	3	5	The last shot in your magazine deals an additional 12% damage per level and costs 3% of your shield per level.  -% magazine size per level.
Mounting	4	5	+% Rocket Launcher reload speed +% Rocket Launcher ammo capacity +% Rocket Launcher accuracy
Reboot	4	1	After disruption, shield is instantly recharged equal to % the damage dealt with the explosion. AND/OR when an allies shield is depleted, recharge it 30%
Quicken	4	5	Critical hits cause +0.8% health regen for a short time.
Invigorate	5	5	Kill Skill: Killing an enemy grants 1.2% life steal (which may only be applied to the shields) for each level for a short while.
Quicken	5	5	Reloading grants -% recharge delay for a short while.
Power Shot	6	5	When shields are full, +% of gun damage, but –low% of shields (like amp)

Manslaughter

The Android’s Manslaughter Skill Tree has a little defense, a little offense, and a little rock and roll.

Skill	Tier	Levels	Effect
Constitution	1	5	Reduce the duration of fire, electric, and slag.
Perseverance	1	5	Up to +low% health regeneration per level Up to +low% movement per level Based on missing health
Protection	2	5	Using a grenade activates deflection shield for a brief time. +% deflection while active per level +% duration per level
Vengeance	2	5	While shield recharge delay is in effect, Up to +% gun damage per level based on total health
Training	3	5	+% magazine size per level +% fire rate per level
Excitement	3	5	Kill Skill: Killing an enemy gives +% cool down reduction for a short time. A kill with a critical hit doubles the duration.
Resourceful	3	1	Disruption explosion can be thrown like a grenade. (Exploder’s head) Effects match that of your equipped grenades, but still do electrical damage.
Stamina	4	5	Kill Skill: Killing an enemy gains +% ammo regen in magazine per level. If magazine is full, gain +low% health regen per level.
Focus	4	5	+% SMG accuracy per level +% SMG recoil reduction
Rage	5	5	During Disruption, +20% Magazine size per level
Fear	6	1	You may use Disruption during fight for your life. OR taking electricity damage causes -100% shield recharge delay.