Borderlands 2 to get new DLC and increased level cap

In a panel discussion at this year’s PAX Australia, Gearbox has confirmed that will be raising the level cap in Borderlands 2 up to 72, and a slew of new additional missions and boss fights will be available via forthcoming DLC packs.

The second planned level cap increase is coming via the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2: Digistruct Peak Challenge that will be released for $5.00 (400 MSP) before “the end of October”. The Digistruct Peak Challenge itself is a new map area that allows players to enter an arena of sorts that’s run by the quirky scientist Patricia Tannis, giving gamers the chance to face-off against fearsome bosses to earn epic loot.

The Digistruct Peak Challenge also affords gamers the chance of “over-leveling” the bosses themselves, which in turn creates some increasingly brutal bossfights that offer an impossible challenge for even the heartiest of Vault Hunters.

Up next on Gearbox’s roster is a new series of “Headhunter” packs which unlock new quests and memorable boss fights, the first of which will be T.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest–longtime Vault Hunters might remember from the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC from the first Borderlands release.

No details have been released on the exact number of Headhunter packs that Gearbox is planning for release (there is speculation that there will be at least two, maybe three) nor their pricing or specific release dates have been announced thus far.

Along with the new DLC, Gearbox will also be rolling out a new software update for Borderlands 2 that offers more backpack, ammo and bank slots–which are essential for any seasoned freelance Vault Hunter.

These packs will not be included with the Borderlands 2 Season Pass, which concluded with the recent release of Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon’s Keep DLC pack.

This news also coincides with the claims made by Randy Pitchford in a podcast interview with the Nerdist, wherein the Gearbox exec revealed that the team was planning big things for Borderlands 2 including various new DLC’s, updates, in-game customizable heads and even an “original new IP for the next generation”:

“We are building an original IP for the next generation that we’ll announce sometime later.

“Obviously we have Borderlands, we’ve got Brothers in Arms, we’ve got Duke Nukem and we acquired Homeworld recently. So we have all of those great brands, but we’re actually creating some new things that we’ll announce.

So that will be something to look forward to.”

We may hear more about Gearbox’s current and future plans of the Borderlands series as well as a few hints at their next-gen IP during this year’s official Gearbox Community Day, which celebrates the anniversary of Borderlands 2. The Community Day will be broadcasted live across the web on September 14.

It will definitely be interesting to see what future updates and content that Gearbox has up their sleeve, and that the team is serious about their commitment with Borderlands 2. It’s refreshing to see developers who continually release content for their game rather than sticking to the strict 3-4 DLC model, offering a variety of DLC packs to choose from.

When more concrete information is announced regarding these upcoming add-ons we’ll be sure to inform you, but for now we’ll have to wait until the Community Day in September.

Via IGN