The loot shooter series Borderlands has had many popular DLCs over time. MyMMO author Nikolas Hernes has his favorite DLC in Borderlands 2, which has not been topped even after 11 years.
I love Borderlands 2. I have played very few games as often as this legendary loot shooter. The DLCs in the game, in particular, remain memorable to me because they not only introduce new characters but also significantly influence the game and the meta. In addition to 2 new characters and later released smaller campaigns, there were 4 major campaign DLCs.
- Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty
- Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage
- Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt
- Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep
For me, the best DLC is Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. The DLC is essentially a playable DnD session featuring characters like Brick, Mordecai, and others, with the explosion expert Tiny Tina as the DM.
What makes the DLC so special, I will explain to you in 5 points.
1. Fantasy meets shooting
Since the game is a playable DnD campaign, we see a fantasy influence in the setting, story, and enemies. Instead of fighting robots, we fight against dragons, undead, and wizards.
Fantasy clichés are parodied, and the side quests are also references to classic fantasy tales. The main story revolves around the clichéd rescue of a princess.
I am not a big fantasy fan, but the allusions combined with the familiar shooting provide a good mix that amuses even DnD newbies like me time and again.
2. The game works really well with its DnD campaign
The DnD campaign in the background is not just the premise but is also utilized within the game. For example, Tiny Tina as the DM simply changes the enemies and the scenario right in the middle of the game. The D20 dice are also used as chests that give you random loot.
The comments from well-known characters off-screen provide a good breath of humor, creating surprises and influencing your own behavior. If Brick tells you to hit something, you just hit it.
3. The new items and weapons are really good
Apart from the story, the DLC also has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay. If you look at some of the strongest builds, they often include class mods from this DLC. The buffs on skills you get there lead to incredibly strong builds, especially for Salvador and Zer0.
The weapons in the DLC also have interesting mechanics. I fondly remember the shotgun Swordsplosion
, which shoots exploding swords.
4. The return of one of the best villains
The villain in Assault on Dragon Keep is the Handsome Sorcerer. As the name suggests, it is the fantasy version of Handsome Jack. In the DLC, we can expect conversations from him, where he insults us and questions our competence.
In my opinion, the fight against him is even significantly better than the final boss in the main game because different mechanics are utilized, aside from critical points. The phases of the fight also play out differently.
5. In the end, it gets emotional
Borderlands is known for its almost childish humor. Therefore, I was very surprised at how emotional and comparatively calm the end of the game is. It revolves around Roland, the first Vault Hunter from part 1, who is killed by Handsome Jack in part 2. Tiny Tina becomes emotional here, and it is shown that she has not processed Roland’s death yet.
Throughout the entire DLC campaign, small hints are given that suggest Tina is having problems with it. In the end, this leads to a sad moment where the characters comfort Tina.
A small bonus point is the price of €10. For that, you get an incredible amount of content, a good story in the Borderlands universe, and tons of items and weapons that can influence your builds even outside the DLC. In the latest part of the series, the DLCs are a major criticism for MyMMO author Christos: A bizarre loot shooter could have made Destiny 2 a fantasy game, but the developers let it die
