It’s been a long time in between Borderlands games. The last true installment came out back in 2012, and the world was a radically different place back then. That was two Batmen and two Jokers ago. The Rock had just joined the Fast & Furious franchise. There were still a few Blockbusters open, and you couldn’t rent a single Annabelle movie from any of them. If you stepped out of a time machine into September of that year, when Borderlands 2 was released, you’d legitimately need an afternoon to adjust. Or maybe you’re used to the disorientation of the time stream by now. I don’t know. It’s your time machine.
The loot-and-shoot action RPG series from Gearbox Software released a follow-up installment to the massively successful Borderlands 2 in 2014. But Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is more like a gigantic DLC expansion for Borderlands 2 than its own game. Fans have been waiting seven long years for a true sequel, and they finally got one last month with the release of Borderlands 3.
Exact sales figures are notoriously hard to pin down in the video game industry, but Borderlands 3 shipped 5 million units to stores in 5 days, which is twice as many as Borderlands 2 shipped in the same time frame. Basically, that suggests there’s a significant number of players who are jumping into the series for the first time.
The point is, a huge number of new players are joining fans with seven years of rust built up in their controller hand bones to boot up Borderlands 3, and the experience can be daunting for both. It’s like buying a ticket to see Avengers: Endgame when the last Avengers movie you saw was Wonder Boys. The game does a decent job of making sure you don’t necessarily have to know the plot of the previous games to play this one (although most of the game’s dramatic moments are going to lose their impact if you don’t have any idea who the hell these characters are), but there’s still an intergalactic mooseload of things to do, systems to navigate, and abilities to understand and master.
But don’t worry! In the interests of community outreach and a possible future presidential run, I’ve written a helpful list of 10 things you should know when starting Borderlands 3 that is actually a list of 11 things, because Borderlands has a history of cranking it to 11. These are all tips that, after buying three copies of the game (one of which cost $250 and came in a giant plastic box full of collectibles with the combined carbon footprint of a pipeline explosion) and playing for 70+ hours, I wish someone would’ve told me when I started. All I ask is that you share this list with other new players, maybe send me a legendary weapon or two that you don’t want, and submit my name to the Nobel Committee.
Turn on Mantle with Forward
Borderlands 3 includes way more verticality than the previous games, which means you’re going to be doing a lot of climbing. Way more than you’d think. And there is a small quality-of-life change you should do immediately.
Go to Options on the Main Menu and select Accessibility. There are a few options in here worth tinkering with to make the game as user-friendly as you want, but the main one I want to highlight, and the one you should turn on immediately, is Mantle with Forward. Seriously, turn this on right now. Before you finish reading this, or even speak to another human being.
Normally, when you jump to ledges in the game, you have to tap the jump button a second time to actually have your character grab the ledge and pull themselves up. But, if you turn on Mantle with Forward, your character will grab ledges as long as you hold forward on the thumbstick (or keyboard, if that’s how you roll). There’s a surprising amount of platforming in the game, including a regular set of quests wherein you have to solve some intricate platforming puzzles to sabotage enemy radio towers, sort of like the Far Cry series, or that Zelda game where I keep getting struck by lightning. Mantle with Forward will immediately lower your frustration level with these tasks, to the point where you’ll wonder why the setting isn’t just automatically on.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment with Your Skill Trees
Each character in Borderlands 3 has three different skill trees loaded with buffs and abilities, with each tree building towards game-changing cap skills that unlock once you spend enough points. But unlike previous installments, this game also lets you swap between multiple versions of your character’s action skill on the fly, kind of like Diablo 3. It’s a little overwhelming, because there are so many customization options, and the skills you buy are locked in place, but don’t be afraid to experiment. You can respec at any time by going to one of the game’s many Quick Change stations and spending a small percentage of your current cash-on-hand. If experimenting isn’t your thing, you can search online for optimal builds for each character. Borderlands 3 has a huge community of fans who are constantly on the lookout for the best builds and gear loadouts in the game.
Quick Change stations are also where you can swap out new skins and heads for your character, new emotes, and skins and trinkets for your weapons. Basically, anytime you want to make changes to your character, whether they be purely cosmetic or some real under-the-hood tinkering, hit up a Quick Change.
Resist the Urge to Farm Before Level 50
Farming is an understood part of the grind for any RPG, and Borderlands 3 is no different. Whether you’re brand new to the series, or a longtime fan who still has nightmares about strapping on The Bee and making it rain Tediore guns on Terramorphous, you’re going to experience a Faustian temptation to farm the game’s many bosses for powerful high-level loot. But resist the urge! The drop rate in Borderlands 3 is more generous than the previous games (at least, it was at the time of this writing), but it could still take you several runs to get that sweet golden legendary drop. And even then, it might be a class mod for a different character, or a gun you don’t particularly like to use, or an ECHO skin, the game’s equivalent of getting a book of stamps for Christmas.
Plus, as you’re playing through the game on the road to Level 50 (which is the current level cap), you’re going to outgrow your gear, some of it more quickly than others - you might swap your Front Loader shield out immediately, while your Level 16 Hex grenade is still admirably maiming its way through scores of Level 32 enemies. Spending hours trying to farm legendaries before you’ve hit max level isn’t the best use of your playtime. Try to wait until you’ve pinged level 50 before you hop on your tractor and start tilling the loot fields.
Find Some Friends!
Borderlands 3 is best enjoyed as a multiplayer experience. Even if you can’t find three other friends to play with, the game has a decent matchmaking system, so you can quickly jump into a game with randos. The drop rate increases the more players are in your game, so a maxed out party is a great way to get some of those gold drops, as well as increased cash and XP. The difficulty ramps up as well, spawning more enemies and more powerful Badass and Annointed foes that carry pretty deep health bars and deal out serious damage, but the increased chaos is fairly manageable with teammates. The game also scales for each player, so you can roll with teammates that are much higher or much lower level than you and still get challenging fights and level-appropriate loot.
The Social Menu Is Your Friend
The Social sub-menu, which you can access anytime by pausing the game, needs to be checked as often as your Instagram comments. The two most important tabs in there are Mail and Shift Codes. The game’s Mail system is where you’ll find certain quest rewards, for completing Crew Challenges and manufacturer milestones (loot you get for killing multiple enemies with a specific manufacturer’s gear). And make sure you check your mail pretty regularly. Not only do NPCs send righteous loots to your inbox, but also anyone on your friends list can send you gear from their inventory that they either don’t want or can’t use. And you can do the same! Be generous! Nothing seals the bonds of friendship like the gift of a shotgun that can grow tiny gnome legs when thrown at an enemy’s head.
Shift is where can enter special Shift Codes that grant you Gold Keys, which you can use on the giant Gold Chest in Sanctuary. The chest’s contents are random each time you open it, but you’re pretty much guaranteed to get a load of powerful loot, and the chest has a small chance to toss you a legendary item. The official Borderlands and Gearbox Software accounts on Twitter regularly tweet out new Shift codes, so give those a follow. Plus, some light Googling will get you a list of current codes you can use to fill your in-game wallet with some tasty keys.
It’s a good idea to use a Gold Key every 10 levels or so, or whenever you start to notice that your guns aren’t putting out enough damage or that you’re starting to get blown away too often. Basically, whenever you notice your gear getting stale, it’s time to pop a key.
Remember the Lost Loot Machine
If you miss loot in a level, don’t panic! Any blue, purple, or gold loot you leave on the ground will show up in the Lost Loot machine on Sanctuary, whether you want it to or not. The inventory space is pretty small in the beginning, but it can be upgraded at Marcus’ Storage Deck Upgrade (SDU) station for some cash.
Speaking of those SDUs...
Save Up for SDU Upgrades
The primary use for money in Borderlands 3 is buying SDUs to increase your inventory space and the amount of ammo you can carry for each weapon type. Right away, you should buy at least the first two backpack upgrades, because you’re going to be picking up pretty much every weapon that drops for the first few hours you’re playing. Then, once you start figuring out which weapon types you’re favoring, you can buy more ammo space for them accordingly. They start getting pretty expensive (the final upgrade for each category is over $2 million), but you’ll start earning money hand over fist the more levels you gain. And to augment your earnings, make sure to grab anything blue rarity or higher to sell some quick cash. Even if you aren’t going to use it, it’s worth picking up just for the bucks.
Learn the Different Gun Manufacturer Effects and Alternate Fire Modes
Several guns have alternate fire modes. Don’t forget about them! You can swap between the different firing modes on the fly with a press of a button.
Also, every weapon manufacturer imbues its guns with special abilities. Atlas guns have a tracking bullet that locks every subsequent round onto a specific target, like the Bullseye from the Resistance series, or that gun in The Fifth Element. Torgue weapons, known for their explodeyness and their Macho Man Randy Savage hype man CEO, can alternate between rounds that explode on impact or sticky rounds that are more accurate and explode when you trigger a reload.
Hyperion guns are extremely accurate, and project a shield when you aim down the sights to protect your face from gunfire. COV weapons have unlimited magazines, but can break if you overheat them, which triggers a time-consuming animation before the gun can be fired again. Vladof guns shoot crazy face, with the rate of fire increasing the longer you hold down the trigger. Plus, they come with undermounted weapons, like grenade launchers and tasers, that can be fired by selecting the alternate fire mode.
Maliwan weapons can alternate between two different elemental effects, which is incredibly useful when faced with the rock-paper-scissors aspect of matching weaknesses in the game. Dahl weapons can alternate between full-auto, semi-auto, and burst fire modes. Tediore guns turn into grenades, turrets, or even sprout legs and run towards enemies when you reload them. And Jakobs weapons trigger a powerful ricochet on every critical hit, allowing you to do mountains of damage to enemy mobs, provided you’re accurate enough.
Pay Attention to Your Crew Challenges and Side Quests
There’s a lot to do in Borderlands 3. It can be a bit overwhelming when you first start, and it can be tempting to just ignore most of the side quests and crew challenges in favor of beating the story and getting to the robust endgame content. But resist the urge! Some of the game’s best gear is doled out via side quests. And the game’s crew challenges are easy ways to gain stacks of cash and XP. There’s a menu you can access on the map to keep track of how many challenges and side quests you’ve completed in each area of the game, and how may you have left to tackle. It’s like a shopping list for space murder.
You Can Fast Travel from Your Map and into Your Vehicle
Speaking of the map, it’s more useful than it’s ever been in a Borderlands game! (The map in previous installments was about as helpful as the robot scalp map from Westworld.) The game includes Fast Travel stations that you can use to jump to any area of the game you’ve unlocked, but you don’t actually need to walk all the way to the stations to fast travel. You can just open up your map, and the entire Fast Travel system is accessible from there. You can also jump to friendly vehicles anywhere on the map (as long as they’re empty), which is helpful when playing with a big party, as people tend to get separated and the areas can be pretty huge. Being able to Quantum Leap into a buddy’s car to get to a faraway objective is a shortcut you’ll quickly learn to cherish like a fond childhood memory.
Don’t Skip Ahead in the Story
Borderlands 3 is best played with a group of fellow humans, but certain upgrades are tied to specific story missions. More weapon slots, new vehicle types, your class mod, the ability to use artifacts, the ability to harvest eridium, and more are all doled out as rewards for advancing in the game’s story. And if you jump ahead in the story by joining a buddy’s game who is a little further ahead, there’s a chance you won’t be able to go back and complete the missions you skipped. The game gets patched often, so this may not be an issue in the near future, but it’s best to play it safe and only join players who are further behind you in their list of completed story missions.