New Tales From the Borderlands is releasing in just a few months, and when it does, it will be bringing a fresh cast of characters along with it. For those hoping to see Fiona and Sasha’s story continued, they will need to wait a while longer, as Gearbox has confirmed that they will not be featured in the game. Fortunately, New Tales From the Borderlands is not gambling everything on its fresh cast, as a few popular side characters have already been teased.
These teasers come in the form of two brief moments in the New Tales From the Borderlands trailer that debuted at Gamescom, and both have very different implications for the story and how the characters will be used. Based on this footage, one character is a lot more likely to have a prominent role than another, though fans of Zane and Rhys both have a reason to be excited about the narrative-focused spin-off.
Zane’s New Tales From the Borderlands Appearance Could Be Brief
During the New Tales From the Borderlands trailer, players get a brief glimpse at Zane, one of the playable Vault Hunters from Borderlands 3. The Operative will seemingly have a very minor role in the overall story, though, as they only appear as a miniature figure instead of a proper living character. These figurines are tied to a new mini-game called Vaultlanders and can be found as players explore the various areas in New Tales from The Borderlands. With some health bars seen above Zane’s figure, this mini-game could turn out to be surprisingly complex.
While it is possible that this figure is just a stand-in for Zane, and he will also have a proper role in the game, this seems unlikely, with Zane's role as a toy probably being the extent of his appearance. Perhaps the figure will include some voice lines, though this is purely speculation. Even if Zane’s cameo is limited to a role as this figure, it is fun to see one of Borderlands 3’s standout characters getting a bit of love. Through Vaultlanders, players may be in store for several similar cameos.
Rhys Could Have a Proper Role in New Tales from the Borderlands
During an even briefer scene, Rhys is seen screaming in his office. An extra bit of confirmation that New Tales From the Borderlands takes place after Borderlands 3, the Atlas CEO is seen sporting a mustache and wearing his most recent attire. Considering that Tediore is invading Promethea, his company’s planet, it can be assumed that Rhys will be invested in stopping the attack and helping the new characters fight their enemies.
With Rhys and Tales from the Borderlands’ new characters likely having a mutual interest in getting rid of Tediore, the protagonist of the original Tales from the Borderlands could serve as a strong supporting character throughout the story. He may use his money and resources to not only provide the three new protagonists with an arsenal of Atlas gear, but he could even send his business associate Zer0 out to help in the fight. Given how close Zer0 and Rhys are, it would not be too surprising to see the mysterious robot at some point in the story.
Perhaps Gearbox could even surprise the Borderlands community with a post credits teaser featuring Rhys. With Randy Pitchford confirming that Gearbox has plans for Fiona and Sasha, teasing what exactly those plans are with a bonus scene after the story has wrapped up could be a great way to build hype. Either coming after the credits or right before them, a cinematic where Zer0 tells Rhys he has found Fiona could spark fan theories and discussions until the next Borderlands game is released. At the very least, since Rhys was featured in the very first trailer, it can be assumed that his role will be more than just a brief cameo.
New Tales from the Borderlands launches October 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
