Borderlands 2 is a game slated to return us to the post-apocalyptic world of Pandora, and is set some time after the events of the first Borderlands.
Players take on the roles of four new characters as they traverse their way through the ruins, uncovering secrets and artifacts, and leveling up and arming themselves with a host of weapons and armor while they're at it.
In a new interview, Gearbox's Brian Martel revealed that the story will have a proper narrative this time around with an ending that's said not to disappoint. Martel was candid about how abruptly the first game ended, citing fellow developer Anthony Burch's comment that the ending was filled with "tentacles and disappointment."
"We've approached that problem, and what we've learned from that mistake was that when you're going to have a big boss like that, you can't let it be really easy to defeat," he said. "You have to make sure it's scalable based on the difficulty or where the player is, what their rank is, what weapons they have, that sort of thing. But you also have to reward the player with something that is a compelling reward."
Martel also touched upon the game's newly implemented "Badass Ranking System" which allows you to gain levels outside of your characters—effectively providing players with an incentive to create and play with multiple characters. The system will reward you with a variety of unlocks, including permanent stat bonuses. The system won't be capped, so you're encouraged to play Borderlands 2 for as long as you like.