Although he doesn’t appear until relatively late into the game, Typhon DeLeon is nonetheless one of the truly standout characters in Borderlands 3. The very first Vault Hunter, players learn about DeLeon’s legendary exploits throughout the game, both through audio points where players can listen to extracts from his autobiography, and via posters, dialogue references, etc. When he finally appears, of course, he might not be exactly what players were imagining.
Now, Borderlands 3 writer Dante Silva has offered fans a look at what DeLeon’s Borderlands 3 skill tree might look like if he were a playable Vault Hunter. Unfortunately, this is very unlikely to ever become a reality; after all, Gearbox have already said that they have no plans to add extra Vault Hunters to the game, as they did for previous Borderlands games. However, it’s still great to get a glimpse at what might have been…
Typhon DeLeon’s Borderlands 3 Skill Tree: CHUTZPAH
The first branch of Dante Silva’s hypothetical Typhon DeLeon skill tree focuses on ‘Chutzpah,’ and the Vault Hunter’s fortitude, teamwork, and guts. The action skill, ‘Chutzpahcolypse,’ unlike the later two, focuses on his general character rather than any particular weapon or tool that he possesses. It’s easy to imagine how this would work in-game, lending DeLeon a party role perhaps somewhat akin to that of Salvador in Borderlands 2.
Action Skill – Chutzpahcolypse; “Typhon gains greatly increased Fire Rate and equips a second gun. While Chutzpahcolypse is active, firing a shot causes Typhon to continuously fire in all directions, dealing Splash Damage around him, until the magazines of both equipped guns are empty. Killing an enemy greatly increases Reload Speed and Weapon Swap Speed. Swapping weapons swaps both of Typhon’s equipped guns.”
Passive Skill – Ya Got Guts, Kid; “When Typhon receives a Second Wind by killing an enemy, he is temporarily Immune to all damage, and is healed for a portion of all damage dealt. This ability is on a cooldown.”
Passive Skill – You Should See the Other Guy; “While Typhon’s shield is broken, each time he takes damage, he gains a stack of You Should See the Other Guy. Each stack of You Should See the Other Guy increases his melee damage. All stacks are consumed after his shield begins recharging, or when he damages an enemy with a melee attack.”
Typhon DeLeon’s Borderlands 3 Skill Tree: MESHUGA
Of course, Typhon DeLeon’s laser whip is easily his most iconic tool, and indeed, one which players get to see plenty of once he makes his appearance in the game. Sadly, players can never get a whip like it for themselves. However, Silva’s second hypothetical skill branch offers a glimpse of what it might have been like to use this iconic weapon. This branch would allow DeLeon to bind enemies to greatly decrease their speed, focusing on debuffing and close-range combat.
Action Skill – Action Hero; “Typhon equips his Laser Whip in his left hand, which has a limited Battery. He can either tap the alternate fire button to perform a quick attack with the Laser Whip or hold it down to Bind an enemy. Performing attacks with the whip drains Battery. Bound enemies have greatly reduced Movement Speed.”
Passive Skill – Oversharing; “Whenever Typhon deals Gun Damage, he gains a stack of Oversharing. For every stack of Oversharing, his Melee Lunge Distance is increased. All stacks are consumed when he damages an enemy with a melee attack.”
Passive Skill – Whip Smarts; “When Typhon performs a Bind attack with his Laser Whip, the enemy is Pulled toward him. For each rank of Whip Smarts, Typhon’s Bind attack can target another enemy simultaneously.”
Typhon DeLeon’s Borderlands 3 Skill Tree: VERCUVIAN BACK HAM
Of course, Silva dedicates an entire branch of Typhon DeLeon’s skill tree to his famed Vercuvian Back Ham. References to this impressive weapon/shield/giant lump of ham appear several times in DeLeon’s autobiography. Unfortunately, he never actually uses a ham in-game. However, this final skill branch does offer a look at what he might have been able to do with one.
Action Skill – Back Ham; “Typhon activates the power of his Back Ham. Damage to his back is greatly reduced. Holding the alternate fire button allows him to Snack on the Back Ham. While Snacking, Typhon’s Movement Speed is reduced, he constantly regenerates health, and he cannot fall below 1 health. Damage that would cause him to fall below 1 health ends Back Ham immediately.”
Passive Skill – Slammin’ Ham; “While Slammin’ Ham is active, Typhon’s Slam Attack can be performed from reduced height. Additionally, his Slam Radius and Slam Damage increase the higher he Slams from.”
Melee Override – Hamarang; “Whenever Typhon receives damage to his back, he gains a stack of Hamarang. Performing a melee attack consumes all Hamarang stacks. When Typhon performs a melee attack, he throws his Back Ham, which homes in on the targeted enemy before returning to Typhon, dealing additional damage for each stack of Hamarang consumed.”
Actual Borderlands 3 DLC and Future Content
Sadly, we probably won’t ever see Typhon DeLeon come to Borderlands 3 as a playable Vault Hunter. According to Gearbox, although past DLC Vault Hunters were popular, relatively few people actually used them; too few for the studio to justify working on ones for Borderlands 3. Instead, the studio is focusing on story DLCs, with three on the way during 2020. The first, Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot, has been available for around a month. In addition, the studio seems to be taking cues from more modern content delivery strategies; adding ‘raid’-style Takedowns, like the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite, for example. They are also likely to stage more in-game events as the year progresses.