Borderlands 3 is the newest looter-shooter title from Gearbox Software and 2K Games. It follows up on its predecessors with the same humor and over-the-top world-building that makes these games great, while staying true to the gunplay and looting that keeps players engaged. There is a lot of story content in Borderlands 3, and this game promises to be the biggest and most boisterous title in the series to date.
Borderlands 3 of course boasts a great many Easter-eggs, references, and jokes due to the developer’s penchant for wacky humor. Among these is a fun reference to The Lord of the Rings that rewards players with a unique weapon. Unlike an ordinary Easter-egg that might just be one item stashed in a hidden corner of the world, this reference is a full side-quest that mirrors an entire sequence from the Lord of the Rings films. There are other similar Easter-eggs in Borderlands 3, just waiting to be found.
The Reference
This easter-egg comes in the form a quest called The Demon in the Dark, which pays homage to the infamous Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings. In the movies, there is a scene in which the character Pippin knocks a skull down a well, alerting a horde of enemies to the party’s presence. Later, the characters face a giant flaming monster known as a Balrog. Both of these scenes are mirrored in this quest, and the player is rewarded at the end with the Burning Chomper, a weapon that resembles the Balrog’s whip when fired. This is just one of several similar Easter-eggs, like the Rick and Morty shotgun in Borderlands 3.
The Quest
The quest in which players can find these references can be found on Pandora, in an area called Konrad’s Hold. There will be an exclamation point on the map, which marks the location of the Demon in the Dark quest. Once the quest is accepted, players can pull a lever to open up a large door, granting access to the rest of the mission. This mission involves a lot of combat, so getting a high-level Borderlands 3 character can help a lot.
This area is relatively linear, and players will be led to an NPC robot named Wren who gives exposition on the mines and the reason for the quest. Led by this NPC, players will eventually reach a room where they are prompted to find the source of a beeping sound. The source is another robot, trapped in goop up on top of a nearby platform. After finding this robot, the next door is locked by a puzzle.
There are several large rings floating in the center of the room. When moving around the room, some of the rings will line up, centering the player's view on one of the many green markers on the walls of the room. Shooting the three markers highlighted by the rings will unlock the next area of the mines.
Eventually players will reach another room with some items to loot and a skull sitting on the edge of a well. After some NPC dialogue, players will be prompted to pick up an item, which will knock the skull down the well. This triggers an ambush, much like the scene in The Lord of the Rings movies. After the ambush, players can head to the next locked door.
Behind this door will be a large demon-like boss that will be very reminiscent of the Balrog for players who have watched The Lord of the Rings. This can be a tough fight, so players should remember to take advantage of Borderlands 3's skill system and any other advantages they can get. Fighting and defeating this demon will complete the main goals of the quest, after which players can return to Wren for their reward.
The Rewards
The Balrog-like monster that players fight can sometimes drop some of Borderlands 3's legendary weapons, but the main reward is the Burning Chomper. Players will receive this weapon after talking to Wren again once the boss has been defeated. The rest of the area also contains a great deal of other loot to collect and passages to explore, so players shouldn't hesitate to keep searching the area for some extra rewards.
This game is all about snatching up tons of rewards, so players should always be on the lookout for stashes of valuable loot in Borderlands 3. There are many more areas to explore and Easter-eggs to find in the game, which is part of what makes the Borderlands games so appealing to so many. There will be plenty of fun and interesting weapons like the Burning Chomper to collect along the way.
Borderlands 3 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.