Hi, I'm Anthony Burch. I was the Lead Writer of Borderlands 2, I can grow a full beard in a week, and if we ever meet in person you will probably think I'm angry or bored (that's just my face).

Following the article on the design of Krieg from Lead Designer Paul Hellquist, I'd like to talk a little about how he, Raison Varner (Audio Designer and the Voice / Co-Writer of one of the Psycho enemies in Borderlands 2) and I came up with Krieg's personality.

As a Psycho -- as a version of the enemy sprinkled all throughout both Borderlands games and even adorning our cover art -- we knew players were going to come in with certain specific expectations ...READ MORE

Attention Vault Hunters: Borderlands 2 (PC / Mac) is 66% off on Steam until May 20!

Krieg arrives today! Check out the newest playable Vault Hunter for Borderlands 2, the Psycho Bandit, in the video above as Sir Hammerlock explains all of Krieg's mad and marvelous abilities, skills and powers.

The Psycho Pack add-on for Borderlands 2 is now available on Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Marketplace), PC / Mac (Steam) and PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Store - North America) at 800 Microsoft Points / $9.99 -- look for Krieg to be available in the European PlayStation Store when it updates on May 15.

The Borderlands 2 Season Pass, which bundles four campaign add-ons and the Ultimate Vault Hunter Pack at a discount, does not include additional characters like Gaige the Mechromancer or Krieg the Psycho.

Welcome to Inside the Box, a new feature on GearboxSoftware.com! The goal of Inside the Box is to give you, our fans, cool new content on a regular basis that gives you some insight into what it is like at Gearbox, how we do things, and the behind-the-scenes scoop about a wide variety of topics from game design, writing, art direction and anything else that we (or you!) think might be interesting.

To kick off this new venture I thought, with the upcoming release of Krieg this week, I would go into some depth about the genesis of this new class. But first off, let me introduce myself.

Hi! I'm Paul Hellquist, the Creative Director and Lead Designer on Borderlands 2. I've been in the industry for nearly 15 years and was the Lead Designer on SWAT 4 and the original BioShock before joining Gearbox in 2008. While at Gearbox I worked on an unreleased title ...READ MORE

Prepare for the arrival of Krieg the Psycho -- the new playable character for Borderlands 2, releasing May 14 -- with special in-game events from May 10 through the end of May 13!

The Bandits of Pandora can feel one of their own approaching and have ramped up the production of Bandit gear accordingly, so expect to see an increase in Bandit gear drops when playing Borderlands 2 while connected to the internet. But watch out! Reports suggest an increased population of Badass Psychos in Lynchwood, Thousand Cuts and Eridium Blight.

To learn more about Krieg, check out the hands-on previews at Game Informer, Rev3, DLCentral, NBC News and IGN as well as tune in to the 2K and Gearbox livestream on Monday, May 13 at 3PM CT (What time is that for me?) at twitch.tv/2k

Krieg the Psycho, the sixth playable character for Borderlands 2, will be available as downloadable content beginning May 14! Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ECHOcasts

Check out the exclusive Borderlands 2 customizations you can unlock via SHiFT by completing certain challenges in Poker Night 2 -- out now on PC / Steam and Xbox 360!

Keep an eye out for the PlayStation 3 version of Poker Night 2 on PSN beginning this week in North America!

A new update for Borderlands 2 is rolling out on PC and PlayStation 3 now and Xbox 360 soon, containing bug fixes and support for upcoming content including the character customizations that can be unlocked by playing the upcoming Poker Night 2.

Details on the update for each platform can be found below:

PC Update Information
Xbox 360 Update Information
PlayStation 3 Update Information

For help and support with Borderlands 2, visit support.2k.com or support.gearboxsoftware.com

Today's an exciting day for Borderlands 2 -- the Ultimate Upgrade Pack (which allows characters to gain 11 additional levels, pick up powerful new loot and more) and a new update (containing the new Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, extra storage capacity and a variety of bug fixes) are out now on Xbox 360, Steam and PlayStation 3.

Details on the level cap increase, new mode and update can be found below:

Details on the Level Cap Increase
Introducing Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode
Borderlands 2 Update Notes

Don't forget there's more to come for Borderlands 2: Krieg the Psycho, a new playable character, arrives in May. After that, expect the fourth campaign add-on (included in the Season Pass) by the end of June!

And just in case you need some new gear to help level up, here are some celebratory SHiFT codes...

PC / Mac SHiFT Code for 5 Golden Keys in Borderlands 2:
K3WJT-BFBRW-S5RTT-TBBB3-9XWZ5

Xbox 360 SHiFT Code for 5 Golden Keys in Borderlands 2:
KBWTB-T6XSC-JJHBF-WXBJJ-WRWKF

PlayStation 3 SHiFT Code for 5 Golden Keys in Borderlands 2:
C3KTB-F6ZKB-KC5WJ-ZTKJ3-XC569

These codes will be active for longer than normal, but don't wait too long -- they will expire some day! To redeem, at the Borderlands 2 Main Menu select Extras then SHiFT Code.

For help and assistance with Borderlands 2 and / or SHiFT, visit support.gearboxsoftware.com

A new update for Borderlands 2 will begin rolling out on April 2.

This update contains the new Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode and more storage space along with a variety of bug fixes. These include some changes that were previously available as hot fixes.

Exact details on the update for each platform can be found below:

PC Update Information
Xbox 360 Update Information
PlayStation 3 Update Information

Also available beginning April 2 will be the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack which allows characters to gain 11 additional levels and skill points as well as pick up new Pearlescent-tier weapons and "Ancient" E-Tech relics.

Exactly when the update and Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack will begin rolling out depends on the platform, region and the timing of that particular service.

Among the level cap increase and various other changes coming to Borderlands 2 on April 2, 2013 is a new playthrough -- Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode -- built for challenging high-level play.

Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode differs quite a bit from Normal Mode and True Vault Hunter Mode -- here's a quick rundown of the major changes:

Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode Details

• Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode is unlocked for a character once they have completed the main story missions in True Vault Hunter Mode and reached level 50.
• Unlike other playthroughs, Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode can be replayed multiple times with players able to reset their overall mission progress at any time from the Main Menu.
• No more tutorial missions -- characters in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode begin in Southern Shelf with the "Cleaning Up the Berg" mission.
• While playing in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, enemies and bosses will scale according to the player's current level or, if playing with others, the highest-level player in that party.
• Gameplay changes in UVHM:
  • Enemy health generally increased 4x.
  • Enemies now have a moderate amount of health regeneration.
  • Increased duration of slag damage multiplier effect.
  • Upped the damage that slagged enemies take from 2x to 3x.
  • Weapon swap speed increased to better facilitate slag use.
  • Enemies now more likely to drop ammo.
  • Loot Midgets are now "Legendary Loot Midgets" that can drop Legendary and other top-tier gear.

Check back Monday for details on the various bug fixes in Tuesday's update, and don't forget there's more to come for Borderlands 2: Krieg the Psycho, a new playable character, arrives in May. After that, expect the fourth campaign add-on (included in the Season Pass) by the end of June!

Exciting changes are coming to Borderlands 2 on April 2, 2013!

As you may have heard, the team has been hard at work to raise the level cap -- an effort that required re-balancing, re-tuning and re-testing the entire game -- along with adding a third playthrough, more ammo upgrades, additional backpack slots and more!

Here's what players on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 can expect that day:

Changes in 4/2 Software Update (Free)

• Adds new items to the Black Market:
  • One additional ammo upgrade for each ammo type, at 50 Eridium each.
  • Two more backpack storage space upgrades, at 50 and 100 Eridium respectively.
  • Two more bank storage space upgrades, at 50 and 100 Eridium respectively.
• Increases the maximum amount of Eridium players can hold from 99 to 500.
• Adds a new playthrough balanced for top-tier play: Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode.
• Various bug fixes.

Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack
(Free with Season Pass, $4.99 / 400 Microsoft Points separately)

• Raises level cap to 61, allowing characters to gain 11 additional levels.
• Characters gain a skill point with every level from 51 to 61, for a total of 11 more skill points.
• Powerful new "Ancient" E-Tech relics and rare Pearlescent-grade weapons can be picked up in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode.

Check back soon for a detailed look at the gameplay changes in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UPDATE: find that here) along with details on the various bug fixes in the update, and don't forget there's more to come for Borderlands 2: Krieg the Psycho, a new playable character, arrives in May. After that, expect the fourth campaign add-on (included in the Season Pass) by the end of June!

Members of the Gearbox Software team will be speaking at GDC 2013! Come see us at these lectures:

Postmortem: GPU Accelerated Effects in Borderlands 2 (Presented by NVIDIA)

Dane Johnston | Technical Artist, NVIDIA
James Sanders | Director of Visual FX, Gearbox Software
Thursday, March 28 at 11:30AM PT
Room 2002, West Hall

Borderlands 2 released to critical acclaim on September 18th, 2012 and showcased a wide variety of NVIDIA CUDA®-accelerated GPU effects. This session will dive into the exact effects that were featured and their benefits to the visual fidelity of the gamer experience. Side-by-side examples of how GPU-accelerated effects are changing the gaming landscape will be demonstrated in a gaming session. Further examinations into the production process and effects creation will also be explored.

Designing Humor in Borderlands 2

Anthony Burch | Lead Writer for Borderlands 2, Gearbox Software
Thursday, March 28 at 5:30PM PT
Room 134, North Hall

The lead writer of Borderlands 2 explains how the team attempted to convey humor, not just through dialog and art, but through game mechanics. The lecture will discuss how a quest with no gameplay can actually be funnier than a quest with it, how every mechanic holds the potential for humor, and how even jokes need debugging. There will also be more use of the word fart than you are probably comfortable with.

Igniting the Spark: Building Online Services for Borderlands 2

Jimmy Sieben | Lead Programmer, Gearbox Software
Thursday, March 28 at 5:30PM PT
Room 2004, West Hall

Gearbox built an online services platform named "Spark" for Borderlands 2. This was an entirely new effort for Gearbox, and we learned that building a service is quite different from building a game. Along the way, we shipped two beta releases in the original Borderlands to help us succeed. This talk will discuss the genesis of Spark, key milestones and challenges in its creation, and the postmortem from launch. This talk will help others understand why we created Spark, and what it takes to launch an online service.

Lots of big Borderlands 2 news this past weekend at PAX East!

For starters, we announced that the first level cap increase for Borderlands 2 will be arriving for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on April 2, 2013 as part of the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack!

That same day, a new update for Borderlands 2 will add a third playthrough (Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode) and a variety of other tweaks including more ammo upgrades and backpack storage space.

But wait, there's more -- a new playable character, Krieg the Psycho, is coming to Borderlands 2 in May! Catch your first glimpse of Krieg in this reveal video and keep an eye here on GearboxSoftware.com for more details on all of the above!

New hot fixes for Borderlands 2 are now rolling out on PC / Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3!

Borderlands 2 Hot Fixes
March 26, 2013

• Addressed an issue that could cause sound effects to loop during the "Train to Catch" mission.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Pimon from spawning in Wildlife Exploitation Reserve if players had completed the "Swallowed Whole" side mission.
• Resolved a rare issue where players would sometimes be unable to pick up loot dropped by Terramorphous the Invincible.
• Fixed audio issues for clients using the 'Hide of Terramorphous' shield.
• Prevented exclamation mark from appearing above certain enemies when they are not quest givers.
• Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt DLC: Fixed an issue where Rakkanoth would not always spawn if players were too far away.
• Fixed an issue that could cause Handsome Jack's name to temporarily be in another language for the final boss fight when playing with a user in a different language.

A hot fix is automatically applied at the "Press Start" screen when Borderlands 2 is connected to the internet. In general, hot fixes are used to temporarily address issues between major updates. Hot fixes are not permanent -- they are temporarily stored in memory during the game session and lost upon exiting Borderlands 2.

To ensure that you receive hot fixes, make sure that your system is connected to the internet when Borderlands 2 boots up. A hot fix differs from an update in that an update contains changes that are permanently stored on your system and only needs to be downloaded once.

For more on hot fixes and updates to Borderlands 2, keep an eye on the respective Knowledge Base article for your platform: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3.