FL4K The Hunter is one of the most mysterious characters in Borderlands 3, but it seems like the origin of their multiverse counterpart will be less hidden away. The official Twitter account for Borderlands 3 has posted a major bit of lore regarding the Multiverse Final Form version of FL4K, and his backstory is different to say the least.
FL4K’s special Final Form skin will be arriving as part of Borderlands 3's Designer’s Cut next week, joining three multiverse variants of the other Vault Hunters. The skin pack sees wildly different versions of each playable Borderlands 3 character, rewriting their backstories and completely changing their designs. FL4K’s new head and body see the character transformed into a Grand Archivist, and the story reason is as extreme as the visuals.
While FL4K’s origin is a huge Borderlands mystery, the arrival of the Grand Archivist comes with a full explanation for the new look. After “awakening to their sentience, FL4K turns their gifts to the pursuit of knowledge” instead of becoming a hunter. This version of FL4K “remains in their mysterious library” to fend off invaders, giving The Grand Archivist a special origin story.
It is likely that Gearbox will continue to post origin stories for the other Vault Hunters leading up to the release of the Multiverse Final Form skin pack. The new outfits will be accompanied by brand new skill trees for each of the four Vault Hunters, with FL4K’s new tree bringing an extra pet along with it. A miniature loader bot that wields a shock sniper rifle will accompany the Vault Hunter, with a new action skill that traps enemies by lifting them into the sky.
Both the new skill tree and Grand Archivist skin will be usable in the DLC mode that arrives with the Director’s Cut expansion: Arms Race. The game mode will see the grand return of Axton and Salvador, Borderlands 2 Vault Hunters that have yet to appear in the sequel. The mode itself is a mix of a Roguelike and battle royale game, featuring a shrinking storm and PvE gameplay that strips players of their weapons and abilities. It seems like the Grand Archivist will need to make use of all its knowledge if it wants to survive in the Arms Race.
While this bit of extra backstory on FL4K’s alternate universe self is not necessary to appreciate the skin’s design, it is good fan service for the players invested in the Borderlands universe. With the start of Borderlands 3’s second season pass arriving in only a week, it will not be long before FL4K fans can don the guise of a Grand Archivist.
Borderlands 3 is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions to launch alongside the respective consoles.