In the new Director’s Cut of Borderlands 3, there are not only new contents but also a particularly emotional scene that was cut from the game. Players believe that this scene could have really benefited the story.
What kind of scene is it? Borderlands 3 released the “Director’s Cut” in April, after an unusual delay. The DLC includes challenges such as a new raid boss or some story missions involving a murder mystery. Additionally, there are several behind-the-scenes glimpses where you can discover concept art or artworks.
Among them is a voiced artwork of a scene cut from the main game. This scene portrays a particularly emotional moment in the story, which was completely missing from the finished game.
Warning: Spoilers for the Borderlands 3 story follow from here for anyone who still wants to play through the game.
The cut scene could have solved problems
The scene shows: In the scene, we can see how the crew of the Sanctuary copes with the loss of the siren Maya, after she was killed by Troy Calypso. We see how Lilith blames herself, and Ava, Maya’s student, seems to be nearly breaking apart from the loss. Then, it cuts to a funeral scene for Maya.
At a monument for the heroine, Lilith delivers a eulogy while the main supporting characters say goodbye to Maya. Even Krieg, who would later play a significant role in his own DLC, is present. You can watch the scene here on YouTube:
After the burial, we see a personal conversation between Ava and Lilith. Here, the sad Ava talks about how Maya’s death is her fault. She cannot comprehend that Maya gave her life for her student. Then both talk about what Maya saw in Ava – and that she now wants to fulfill her legacy.
Why is this scene so important? The handling of Maya’s death was one of the biggest criticisms players had of the Borderlands 3 story. After all, she was one of the most important characters – yet her death was treated very briefly and with little emotion before moving on to the next planet. Players could also not warm up to Ava, who primarily reacted with anger to the death. From their perspective, Maya’s sacrifice was not properly honored, and Ava did not do justice to it.
The deleted scene would have resolved these issues to a significant extent.
What fans are saying: Looking at the comments on YouTube about the scene, or in the Borderlands subreddit, there is great disbelief regarding the cutting of the scene. Only now, over a year later, is a cutscene in the form of an artwork within a DLC doing justice to this emotional moment.
- “I think if this had been in the game, people would have been less angry,” writes one user (via YouTube).
- “I have no idea why they didn’t do that and instead made Ava such a hated character. In this scene, she seems to regret her actions, but in the actual game, she takes no responsibility and doesn’t seem as emotional as she does here” (via YouTube).
- “This may be the best-written scene in all of BL3, and it didn’t make it into the final game” (via YouTube).
Even if there was some criticism of the story of Borderlands 3, the game still manages to convince with its crazy humor, tons of weapons, and fast-paced gameplay. Especially in co-op, the loot hunt is a lot of fun. It remains one of the best co-op shooters with open world in 2021.
