new Vault Hunter C4sh the Rogue rolls in March 26 – PlayStation.Blog
Feeling lucky? Hi everyone, I’m Tommy Westerman, Senior Character Designer on Borderlands 4. Today, I’m thrilled to share insights into the making of C4sh the Rogue, the new playable Vault Hunter coming to Borderlands 4 as part of Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned* on March 26!
I’ve been a character designer at Gearbox since Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, where together with the team I designed Claptrap as the playable Fragtrap class, as well as Jack the Doppelganger (aka Timothy) and Aurelia the Baroness. In Borderlands 3, the team and I designed Amara the Siren and Zane the Operative, followed by the Clawbringer and Spellshot classes for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. That finally brings us to Borderlands 4, where the team and I designed Rafa the Exo-Soldier, Harlowe the Gravitar, and now C4sh the Rogue.
When designing C4sh’s unique Action Skills, Augments, and Passives, the team and I really got to lean into the power fantasy of going for broke as a devil-may-care gambler, bending luck in your favor to overcome any odds. Ever since we designed Claptrap the Fragtrap over a decade ago, I’ve had ideas in my head of things I wanted to fix, change, or tweak. With C4sh the Rogue, I was excited for the opportunity to work with the team on another character class that has some purposely unpredictable playstyles.
C4sh’s skills range from not-very-random to absolutely random, but what’s key is that you’re always able to influence that randomness, preserving the thrill of relying on luck while ensuring it’s on the player’s side.
Beating the odds
When it comes to C4sh’s backstory, he’s a former CasinoBot with a new lease on life. After a long streak of gaming the solar system’s casinos and battlefields with statistical insights, he developed a taste for the unpredictable after winning the magical Deck of Kanansi in a high-stakes game. Now that he’s seeking out more lucrative, dangerous risks, a career in Vault hunting is the perfect way to bet on himself in the biggest way possible.
We know that fans love robot Vault Hunters like Pre-Sequel’s Claptrap and BL3’s FL4K the Beastmaster, so we were eager to bring C4sh to Borderlands 4. When thinking up a Vault Hunter’s origins, our first pillar is to simply make an interesting character, whether they’re flesh and blood or circuits and bolts. We started with the idea of a CasinoBot who’s obsessed with numbers and probability, but the exciting hook for us was C4sh’s desire to seek out eldritch trinkets that completely upend mathematical chances.
As for what C4sh adds thematically to Borderlands 4’s ensemble, most people picture classic rogues as sneak-attacking thieves, but there’s also the gambler who relies on luck and wit. We want C4sh to feel like that latter, rarer archetype: someone who doesn’t pick pockets, but steals your money anyway because he knows how to manipulate the odds.
Heart of the cards (and dice and guns)
C4sh’s penchant for unpredictability is epitomized by his Action Skills and skill trees. Giving C4sh dice (Cleromancy Action Skill / Roll the Bones skill tree) and a deck of cards (Sleight of Hand Action Skill / Luck of the Draw skill tree) seemed perfect for players who love randomness, while his dual revolvers (Cross-Fire / Chaos Walking skill tree) felt right for the promise of a Wild West-style gambler.
No matter the outcome, C4sh’s Action Skills are always powerful, but with luck you can trigger some super powerful effects. His skill trees are unique in that they don’t feature any Capstones, but all three of his trees offer a skill that grants an additional Augment slot. By building across all three skill trees, you can give C4sh’s up to four Augments total. Managing how many Augments you equip gives you more control over the degree of randomness for his Action Skills.
One fun thing we always try to do with Borderlands’ DLC characters is break some rules. BL2’s Gaige introduced stacks and Krieg turned the entire idea of FPS combat on its head; Pre-Sequel’s Aurelia begged to be played in co-op. After Claptrap, even though some of us really liked him, we all kind of looked at each other and said, “Well, let’s never do that again.” C4sh broke that rule, and I love him for it.
You’ll be able to play as C4sh the Rogue across all of Borderlands 4’s story and zones by owning Story Pack 1, which is included in Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition. We can’t wait to see how you come up with builds that make the most of his chance-based abilities, and remember: there’s no telling what the next card draw or dice roll will bring.
*Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned is the first of two post-launch DLC Story Packs coming to Borderlands 4. This content is included with Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition and the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, and is also available for separate purchase. Base game required.
