Borderlands 3: New Moze And Zane 4th Skill Tree Abilities Revealed (2024)

By Alessandro Fillari on October 22, 2020 at 9:00AM PDT

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Borderlands 3 will see the beginning of its second year of content with the Designer's Cut update on November 10. The release of this new update will also coincide with the launch of the Xbox Series X|S, and the next-gen version of Gearbox Software's looter-shooter will also be available as a launch title. In addition to the new Arms Race mode, another big highlight for the upcoming content drop are the new skill trees for each of the vault hunters, which will add new twists to their existing playstyles.

GameSpot recently got hands-on time with a pre-release build of the Designer's Cut, and we spent some time experimenting with the new loadouts for the vault hunters. In addition to that, we also got some hands-on time with Mayhem level 11, the new level for the end-game content that removes the bonus modifiers at the cost of lower drop rates. Previously, we showed off the new skill with Amara and Fl4k. For the former, she wields the new Phaseflare skill that summons a giant orb of elemental energy, while the later gets a new gravity trap and pet loader bot.

Now, we're finally ready to show off some gameplay for Zane and Moze. We took the time to dive into their new skill-trees and action abilities, so here's a quick rundown of some of their unique skills and how things are different with both characters.

Moze's 4th Skill Tree: Bear Mother

New Action-Skill: Iron Cub -- Moze summons Iron Cub in place of Iron Bear, miniature version of her mech suit that follows her around and attacks enemies. While not as durable as Iron Bear, Iron Cub is more mobile and can target enemies on their own, using dual-wielding one of the same weapon loadouts.

Noteworth Skills:

• Fuel For The Fire: Whenever Moze or Iron Cub inflicts a Status effect on an enemy, Iron Cub's armor is restored.
• Baby Nukes: Whever Iron Cub is deployed or destroyed, it triggers a nuclear explosion, dealing massive Radiation Damage.
• My Little Friend: Iron Cub spawns with an Incendiary Vladof Assault Rifle in addition to Iron Cub's other weapons.
• Efficiency Engine: Moze Gains increased Gun Damage. The longer Iron Cub has been active, the greater the bonus.

Moze's action-skill is one of the more unique abilities in the game, in that it allows players to control a secondary character to unleash large amounts of damage against foes. However, Moze's 4th skill-tree switches things up by making Iron Bear into a separate ally on the field. Iron Cub can come in handy when dealing with large groups of enemies by taking the divide and conquer approach. Moze's mech in its miniature form is also much more mobile, and it can move pretty quickly to unleash its firepower on enemies.

Zane's 4th Skill Tree: The Professional

Zane's New Abilities

New Action-Skill: MNTIS Shoulder Cannon -- A shoulder cannon that deals concussive damage, can be fired quickly when aiming at his crosshairs and consumes one charge (starts with 3 but can be upgraded).

• Colder Shoulder: Converts Zane's MNTIS Shoulder Cannon damage to cryo, but deals reduced damage. Additionally, Zane gains increased cryo freeze rate.
• Brain Drain: Whenever Zane kills an enemy with a critical hit from his shoulder cannon, two charges are instantly returned.
• Wet Work: Whenever Zane kills an enemy with his shoulder cannon, that enemy explodes into an elemental puddle.
• No Way Out: Whenever Zane damages an enemy with his shoulder cannon, that enemy is pulled to him and takes increased damage for a short time. Additionally, Zane's MNTIS Shoulder Cannon cooldown is increased.
• Proliferation: Zane's MNTIS Shoulder Cannon gains additional charges and deals increased damage based on the number of charges remaining.

Zane is one of the more flexible vault hunters in Borderlands 3. Unlike other characters, he can equip two different action-skills at once (losing his usable grenade), making him great for clearing out waves of enemies on his own. His new action-skill, the MNTIS Shoulder Cannon, is another excellent addition to his particular set of skills. Essentially, it gives Zane something of a combat style that's akin to the Predator, the central antagonist from the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action film. With the shoulder cannon, you can deal quick and massive damage to single target enemies. Initially, it can take some getting used to, as you'll need to have precise aim with your cannon's blasts since it offers little to no splash damage. Meaning it can be very easy to miss a shot. But if you can land a well-timed hit, then it can either deal with significant damage. If the enemy is vulnerable, a clean shot from the cannon can blow up them into bloody chunks. If you add in the cryo modifier and invest out Zane's skill points effectively, then the cannon is also capable of flash freezing enemies. There are different ways to utilize the shoulder cannon, and it can be really satisfying landing to use in battle.

There's still more to come with GameSpot's rundown on Borderlands 3's Designer's Cut content. Be sure to check back with on November 5, where we'll reveal more of the upcoming Arms Race, which echoes that of a battle royale game, but is really something else entirely.

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