It looks like Borderlands 3 developer Gearbox Software continues to leak new information about the first-person shooter in the build-up to its May 1 gameplay unveiling. The latest confirmed detail stems from a Borderlands 3 advertisement featuring newly seen Borderlands 3 gameplay. During one moment in the advertisement as "MAYHEM" flashes on-screen, players can see a UI element showing the player's Maliwan shotgun and its element type. That element type, Radiation, will be a brand new addition in Borderlands 3.

Elemental types in the Borderlands franchise are denoted by their effects rather than their source, which is why the new element goes by Radiation rather than Nuclear. Radiation's bright yellow trefoil is a well known international symbol representing a warning of radiation and stands out in the UI as a quick way to recognize what a weapon's damage type is.

Exactly what Radiation's in-game effect will be remains a mystery. For example, the Fire element does damage over time, Shock does extra damage to shields and can crowd control an enemy, Corrosive burns through armor faster, and Explosive damage has a blase radius. Radiation will likely complement these other damage types, or perhaps replace one in a unique way.

The confirmation of a Radiation element may not come as much of a surprise to some. A Borderlands 3 leak prior to the game's announcement that has proven to be increasingly accurate correctly predicted the inclusion of a "Nuclear" element. That same leak also purported that multiple new elements would be coming in Borderlands 3. However, beyond Radiation, the others remain a surprise.

With every day the picture of just what Borderlands 3 is becomes clearer. This recent wave of advertisements, each featuring several short gameplay clips, is teasing a number of feature additions coming in the sequel. Yesterday it was a 3D minimap for Borderlands 3, today it's the Radiation weapon element. The more that gets shown, the more apparent it is that Borderlands 3 is very much similar to its predecessor, Borderlands 2, with small additions to freshen up the experience.

Perhaps Gearbox is saving a major feature announcement for Borderlands 3 for the coming weeks. But if Borderlands 3 turns out to be a rather straightforward iteration on Borderlands 2, 7 years later, some fans could be perfectly happy. After all, there are not too many other titles on the market like Borderlands.

Borderlands 3 releases September 13, 2019 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: SupMatto - YouTube