It's like Christmas came early for Borderlands 2 fans. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford confirmed the early release of Borderlands 2's fifth playable character — Gaige, the Mechromancer.

Originally planned to release on October 16, Gaige is now expected to be available for all platforms "by the end of the day" today.

Gaige, the Mechromancer, is free for those members of the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club (anyone who pre-ordered the game at participating retailers). For those of you who aren't members, the Mechromancer will be available for purchase for 800 Microsoft Points, or $9.99.

Yesterday, Gearbox also released the skill tree calculator for Gaige, giving us the opportunity to plan our build ahead of her release and see how her guardian robot, Deathtrap, can be used in battle.