Overwatch and Battleborn have been compared since both games were first shown. It is true that both are arena shooters that feature unique characters that each have their own weapon and abilities. It is true that both games offer multiplayer modes that involve completing objectives. That's where the similarities end.

Yes, they look similar on the surface and when you see their marketing, but there are some key differences that you notice after going back and forth between playing them both.

Game Modes

Overwatch

Overwatch has 3 different game modes, payload, king of the hill, and capture. Your objective changes depending on whether you are on the attacking or defending team.

The modes are set by the maps and are not something you can choose to search for when playing games. Each one is objective based, but they all require you to stand or travel to a certain area.

You can also play multiples of the same character and switch out as many times as you want during a match.

Battleborn

Battleborn has 3 different game modes as well, capture, incursion, and meltdown. These game modes, besides capture, require more than just going to a point or escorting something.

Like Overwatch, the maps are tied to the game mode. The difference in Battleborn is that you select which game mode you want to play and you don't in Overwatch.

Games tend to take much longer in Battleborn, and the Time to Kill (TTK) is equally longer than in Overwatch.

You cannot switch out your character during the match, nor pick more than 1 of the same character per team.

Battleborn also has a story mode with multiple difficulties to choose from. Your progress on your character in story also carries over to the versus modes.

Characters and Customization

Overwatch

Each character is unique with their own set of weapons and abilities. Their voice lines in the game are more suited to catchphrases and memorable quotes. You don't change how their skills work or gear in anyway, but you can equip different skins that change the way the character looks. Some are simple recolors. Each character is also divided into 1 of 4 categories, such as offense or support.

Battleborn

All the characters are unique like in Overwatch, but they have that Borderlands humor that Gearbox is so well known for. There is plenty of good dialogue between the characters, and some of my favorite voice actors voice some characters, but they aren't the 1-liners you hear in Overwatch.

In my opinion, the quotes in Overwatch are more memorable and people are more likely to say them over some of the Battleborn ones. This doesn't necessarily mean they are better, just different.

The skins in Battleborn are only different colored versions, so when it comes to looks, Overwatch has more. You also have to unlock many characters in Battleborn, but you start with everyone unlocked on Overwatch.

Battleborn, however, has a Helix skill system that lets you modify your skills. You also level up during each match, up to level 10, to access these and it resets every match. You choose between 2 options each level. Each character also has 5 different mutations that gives them 3 choices instead of 2 for certain levels.

There are Gear loadouts as well that you can equip that gives your character extra benefits. When it comes to character customization, Battleborn has more when it comes to playing your character, just not how they look.

Gameplay and TTK (Time To Kill)

Overwatch

Matches are faster in Overwatch and take less time to find from my experience. This game focuses solely on the pvp experience and is more closely related to an arena shooter--but with specific characters and classes. The time to kill (TTK) is usually fast depending on the character you play. You will die often and the respawn times aren't that long. 

Battleborn

Matches usually take longer, especially if you play Incursion or Meltdown. This game focuses on mixing elements from multiple genres and the versus modes have a pve/pvp mix. This is more closely related to a MOBA such as League of Legends.

You can gain shards while in the game and use these to activate gear in your loadouts, build and upgrade things such as turrets, or summon stronger minions to help your team out.

The main focus is usually assisting minions and taking care of the objectives rather than killing enemy players.

Its FPS gameplay is very similar to Borderlands and has a longer TTK as a result.

Price

Overwatch

Overwatch is $40 unless you get the Origins edition for $60. It is important to note that the Origins edition is the only one available for consoles. There are currently no micro-transactions, and all future content is going to be free for the time being.

Battleborn

Battleborn is $60 with the option to get a season pass for $20. All new heroes, game modes, and maps will be free. The season pass gives players new story mode content and the ability to instantly unlock the new heroes. There are currently no micro-transactions for this game besides the story mode content that will come later.

The Result?

These are very different games, and it isn't clear until you see or play both of them. There is much more customization and general options in Battleborn and the game plays more like a MOBA in FPS form.

Overwatch is a faster paced, more pvp focused game that is much more beginner and casual friendly.

These game are not, I repeat are NOT similar other than the fact that they are shooters with specialized hero characters. They have very different styles and could appeal to different types of gamers.

Battleborn is a hilarious arena shooter made by Gearbox Software, the developers behind Borderlands. If you are unfamiliar with the Borderlands series, it is a first-person shooter (FPS) with some roleplaying game (RPG) elements. Battleborn still has a story, in addition to the multiplayer versus mode, but it goes by levels instead of the open-world of Borderlands.

What Gave Me Joy

Battleborn has a great blend of story and versus modes. That isn't a new thing by any means, but this is a different type of game. Battleborn is a character-based arena shooter where all the characters have unique weapons, abilities, and they level up during each match. This is like multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, such as League of Legends, DOTA, and Heroes of the Storm.

Games like that usually don't have story modes, so it was a nice addition. I also really enjoyed the fact that the story was decently long and supported up to 5 players.

I could spend hours just going through the different taunts and character interactions, that's how funny this game gets.

Then after that, you still have the 3 different versus modes to play. These modes could use more maps -- there are 2 for each game mode right now, but there are sure to be more added over time.

The best thing about Battleborn is the humor. The dialogue and voice actors make the game absolutely hilarious and what I look forward to the most from a Gearbox game. I could spend hours just going through the different taunts and character interactions, that's how funny this game gets.

Many of the character designs are also outrageous. And this game does not take itself seriously most of the time, which is good and refreshing. 

It is also a complete game that doesn't let you buy characters or skins, which I appreciate. You unlock them by working on it in the game.

Character Customization and Progression

The system they have for character progression and customization is great. Each character has their own rank, and as you level, you unlock skins, taunts, and skills.

The Helix system allows you to select between 2 different skill augments every time you level in a match. This resets every match, so you can change things based on your preference, how the match is going, and who you're playing against.

All those mixed together gives you plenty of options with the multiple characters currently available.

What Made Me Angry

Although I enjoyed the story, I really disliked the defend missions. The missions themselves weren't terrible, but the consequences of failing were the worst. If whatever you defend gets destroyed, it is an immediate game over and you have to redo the entire mission. Considering each mission can take a while, you could waste 30+ minutes after failing a mission.

The fact that you have extra lives makes it even worse. One time we had 7 extra lives, but failed the mission once the point we were defending got destroyed. Just going back to the last checkpoint and using up lives for the whole team would have been great.

The other thing that upset me, which also relates to the defend missions, is the matchmaking system. If someone leaves a game, they have to either wait until the game they left is finished or rejoin.

Sounds great on the surface, but it does not work. This makes it so that if someone leaves your game, you won't get any new people. Punishing players for leaving is great, but this isn't working.

If someone leaves in the middle of a story mission, well, good luck trying to finish it because the mission is still set to the highest number of players that was in the game. It also works the same way in versus matches, so things can get pretty ugly.

The Verdict

Overall, Battleborn is an incredible experience that fans of Borderlands and newcomers alike will enjoy. The story, multiplayer modes, and characters are all memorable. There are a few issues, but the biggest ones can be fixed over time with feedback. Gearbox has already shown that they care a great deal by patching and responding to players in a timely fashion.

There will also be new heroes, story missions, maps, and more added as free content, so there is plenty to keep you busy for a while.

Battleborn is the latest game from Gearbox Software, the developers of Borderlands, and it has the same great humor from that series. Besides the 5-player co-op story, Battleborn has multiple MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) modes.

Although both Battleborn and Overwatch have similar gameplay and people compare them a lot, the games are quite different. Battleborn feels like a Borderlands game, but with MOBA elements. I'm going to go over everything you need to know about Battleborn when getting started.

Note: This is from Open Beta so things could change on release. If anything does, I'll update this article accordingly.

This guide will go over everything you need to get started in Battleborn including:

• Basic Info and Gameplay - Info on the game and how to play the game.
• Muiltiplayer Info - Info on the different multiplayer modes in the game.
• Player and Character Progression - How you can progress your account and characters.
• Gear Loadouts - What gear does and how to get it.

Basic Info and Gameplay

There is a co-op campaign that you can play with up to 4 other players and multiplayer versus modes. You select one of the heroes you have unlocked and can unlock several more through different ways.

Only 1 person per team can pick a certain character, so you'll have to play as someone else if teammate picks your character before you do.

Each character has a weapon, primary attack, secondary attack, 2 main skills, and 1 ultimate skill. You start at level 1 each match and level up during the game to a max of 10. You unlock your ultimate ability at level 4. On some characters, the secondary attack is a zoom and on others it is an actual attack.

Multiplayer Info

There are 3 different multiplayer modes, not including the story. In these game modes, you have ally and enemy minions that help each team. Sometimes they are required for you to win the game, so try to keep them alive and kill the enemy minions.

• Incursion - This game mode requires you to destroy enemy sentries to win.
• They deal a lot of damage and have shields, so stay behind your minions to not die.
• Meltdown - This game mode requires you to sacrifice minions at specific locations.
• You need to destroy any enemy minions to make a path for your own.
• Capture Maps - This game mode requires you to capture enemy collectors and protect your own collectors at the same time.

Player and Character Progression

As you play matches, your Command (Overall) rank increases. The character that you play during that time also ranks up separately, so you'll have to level up different characters individually. Higher command ranks grant access to more characters and features. Higher character ranks grant access to more skins, taunts, and mutations in the Helix upgrade.

Helix Upgrade

This is how you upgrade your character each match. Every level you gain during a match gives you access to 2 upgrade choices. These upgrades affect how your skills and weapons work or grant stat increases such as extra damage or shield strength.

You can view every character's Helix by selecting Command from the main menu, picking the character you want, and moving over to the Helix tab. You can even view it on characters that you don't have unlocked yet. This is helpful for getting an idea on how the character works and planning ahead before battle.

Mutations unlock when the character reaches levels 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12. These will add a 3rd Helix upgrade option at various points in the level process. You will still only be able to select 1.

Lore

Each character has specific challenges you can complete to unlock Lore. This gives you some background to the character as well as character-specific gear or cosmetic options.

Gear Loadouts

Once you reach Command Level 3, you can start using Gear Loadouts. Each loadout can hold 3 pieces of gear which can provide various bonuses to stats. Some gear is character specific and can increase stats or affect skills only for that character.

You get gear by opening gear packs, which you can get from playing the game or spending in-game funds to buy them from the shop. As you level up, you unlock more loadouts, or you can buy additional ones.

That's it for my Battleborn Beginner Tips and Tricks. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!