We recently got to check out Borderlands 3, and in-between our hands-on impressions, we also got an introduction to the game’s homebase - the Sanctuary III starship. The Borderlands 3 Sanctuary Starship Hub is looking pretty cool, and we know a lot about it.
The Sanctuary III Starship plays the same role as the Normandy in Mass Effect, in that it’s a hub area you return to between missions - or in this case, planets. It has all the game’s best characters to talk to, places to stock up, and the ability to travel between worlds. Here’s everything we know about it!
Borderlands 3 Sanctuary Starship Hub - Everything we learned at the reveal event
After a bit of time on Pandora, you eventually get access to the Sanctuary III, your spaceship and hub area as you visit the various worlds of Borderlands 3. It looks a load of fun, and more than a little Mass Effect. Here’s everything we know about it so far:
- Mad Moxxxi has a bar there: Everyone’s favourite Borderlands bartender Moxxxi is back in Borderlands 3, and it was previously revealed that she would have a new bar in the game - but Gearbox was unwilling to say where it was. Well, we now know: it’s on the Sanctuary III. You can visit it at end time, and tip Moxxxi credits - for what reason, we have yet to learn...
- Ellie, Tannis, and Marcus are around to help: The Sanctuary III is packed with familiar faces, and three of those have a specific purpose. Ellie is the mechanic, Tannis is the scientist, and Marcus runs the armory. Tannis had the most interesting introduction, as she’s inside the body of a beast and climbs out, covered in blood, when you meet her. She claims it’s relaxing...
- Lilith is the captain: Lilith, the player-character Siren from the first game, is a major character in Borderlands 3. She’s the head of the Crimson Raiders, and is called ‘Firebird’ by the other gangs, who fear her. She’s also the captain of the Sanctuary III, although you do have certain privileges...
- You can visit different planets in real-time: You can go to the Bridge, choose a planet to visit, and watch as the ship turns, enters hyperspace, and arrives at the planet - which you can all see in real-time. We’re sure it’s a lot of sleight of hand, but it looks so good - arguably better than Mass Effect.
- Crazy Earl is a stowaway with all the best weapons: Crazy Earl is a black market trader from all the previous games, and as usual he has all the best weapons - for the right price. He’s sealed himself off in the bottom level of the Sanctuary, and will only talk to you through the slit in the door. We believe he’s still voiced by Randy Pitchford...
- Claptrap is making a girlfriend: Yes. Just next to Crazy Earl’s hideout is the room belonging to “General” Claptrap, “Slayer of the Destroyer”. If you open up the door you’ll see him working on building a new Claptrap robot - who has a long wig. Yes, he’s building a girlfriend, and will need your help to do it. It’s a side-mission.
- You can customise your personal quarters: You have your own personal room on the ship, and you’ll be able to truly make it your own. Gearbox didn’t show off all the options available, but you can frame your favourite gun and show it off on the wall. And then retrieve it whenever you want.
- Hammerlock mounts the heads of your conquests: Another returning character is Lord Hammerlock, the Victorian-style hunter with the big moustache, and his room will change based on your actions. There are head mounts around the walls that need to be filled, and your biggest conquests will go there. There’s a lot of slots to fill...
- It will change as you play through the game: As you may have noticed in the last two points, the Sanctuary will not remain static throughout all of Borderlands 3. It will change throughout the game, either through customisation, new characters boarding, or older characters having new things to say. It looks a lot of fun.
- It’s totally a funny version of the Normandy: The Sanctuary is best thought of as a cross between Mass Effect’s Normandy and the submarine hub in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. There are characters to talk to, missions to pick up, stories to find out, things to sell, and then you can choose your new destination and head off to excitements new. No word yet on whether you can have sex with every character, Saints Row IV-style, though. Probably not.
</ul>
That’s everything we found out about the Borderlands 3 Sanctuary III spaceship hub at the recent gameplay event we attended. It’s looking tremendously cool, and exactly what a game like this needs - something to bring the whole thing alive, and a place to socialise with all the fun characters in the series.
We’ll have more on Borderlands 3 very soon.
