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Borderlands 3 has evolved its gun manufacturers in every possible way, and Atlas guns are no different. Veterans of the franchise will recall that, though absent in Borderlands 2, Atlas Legendary weapons were very coveted in the first Borderlands. There, the company produced pinnacle firearms that hit harder, reloaded faster, and performed better than their competition. Things have changed since! Instead of doing the same thing as others, just better, Atlas now produces gimmicky target-tracking weapons. We mean that in a good way, mind. Their guns are entirely unique, and here, we'll show you why that's the case!
What makes Atlas unique in Borderlands 3 is the fact that all of their weapons fire homing bullets. None of the other manufacturers have access to that technology. Not many will use Atlas weapons as loadout staples, but we'd like to show you what makes these guns worth your time. Previously, we've covered Dahl, Maliwan, and Jakobs, and we recommend you check out those overviews, too.
If all this got you thinking about getting Borderlands 3, keep in mind that there's still time to join the annual Bloody Harvest! It's a veritable content bonanza nowadays.
READ MORE: Borderlands 3 Handsome Jackpot Legendary Weapons Guide
Why Borderlands 3 Atlas Guns are worth your time
In Borderlands 3, weapons are a very niche set of tools. They're competent when it comes to pure damage output, but other manufacturers can usually outpace them. What no gun other than Atlas can do, however, is fire homing trackers. The way it works is that alt-fire shoots a tracker that all primary-fire bullets home in on. In practice, this means you can tag a very powerful enemy with your tracker, and then sit in cover and chip away at its health from safety! Quite a game-changer, isn't it?
It's also a total 180 from Borderlands 1's Atlas, and it reflects their fall from grace and subsequent rebound. In fact, the company is one of the key players in Borderlands 3, so if you intend to play it, you've got plenty of lore to look forward to.
Back to the matter at hand - using an Atlas weapon properly means almost completely changing your playstyle. Of course, you can still run-and-gun while plinking away with homing bullets, but that sort of misses the point. Atlas affords you safety while still keeping your DPS up. This alone makes their guns reliable if you're low on health, running out of ammo for other guns, or just want to have some fun. Atlas does it all!
Does this mean Borderlands 3 Atlas Legendary Weapons are a must-have?
If regular Borderlands 3 weapons are unique, Atlas Legendary guns are in a class all of their own. If you're lucky enough to come across a Carrier Assault Rifle or the Freeman Rocket Launcher, you'll have access to some seriously awesome firepower. The Carrier fires tracker rounds that split when they hit enemies, and then home-in on other targets nearby. Freeman, on the other hand, fires mini-rockets that follow the weapon's laser pointer. If that reminds of you of a certain weapon from a certain game, then the reference hasn't gone over your head!
Then there are things like the Rebel Yell Assault Rifle, which always generates with Shock ammo, and which may prove invaluable for dealing with overpowered shield-bearing bosses. It's a personal favorite of ours, even!
As it stands, Atlas produces very few weapon types. Expect to come across the following:
- Wrist-mounted "Pistols" (Blasters)
- Assault Rifles
- Shoulder-mounted Rocket Launchers
Dare we imagine a homing shotgun in the future? Or a sniper rifle? Goodness, we hope Gearbox has manufacturer expansions in mind, because the potential for incredible firearms is practically infinite! We bet it would be hellish to balance, though. Perhaps it's best we keep our expectations in check.
Why are Atlas weapons so different in Borderlands 3?
We won't lie: we do miss Borderlands 1's silvery Atlas monstrosities. Sleek and incredibly powerful, these weapons used to be the be-all, end-all in some cases, and getting one was amazing. As per the events of Tales from the Borderlands, the company was turned upside-down, and there was no going back for them.
Their current CEO, Rhys Strongfork, used this opportunity to start creating weapons that are less straightforward than their competition. Instead, their current selection is unique and serves a narrow niche, but that's what makes their guns as interesting as they are. Would we be happy to wield an old-fashioned platinum-colored Atlas weapon? Hell yes! That said, we must praise Gearbox for taking these firearms in a direction as weird as they did.
After all, Borderlands 3 is a sci-fi shooter, and it's good to see that we're finally moving away from traditional gun archetypes, even if only slowly. Who knows what's in store for us in the future! Don't forget that there's a huge Season Pass ahead still.
Are you, too, excited to see what the next step is? In any case, tune in next week, when we'll be checking out how Hyperion evolved since Borderlands 2!
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