The first Borderlands was fairly barebones with its narrative. Thankfully, the following entries paid more attention to the plot, continually adding to the large cast of characters and establishing compelling relationships between them. Some view the story as the series' weakest aspect, but others go along for the ride to see what happens next in the brutally inane world.

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Borderlands 3's story takes a variety of twists and turns, some of which are happier than others. The following list will detail the ten biggest jaw-dropping moments from the game's main quests. While plenty of shockers occur during side missions, the principle scenario provides more than enough surprises for the next ten entries. Watch out for big spoilers!

10 Lilith Losing Her Powers

borderlands 3 ending lilith firehawk elpis

This is the first big shocker during the campaign, occurring just a couple of hours into the story. Before leaving Pandora, the Children of the Vault ambush the Crimson Raiders and the Calypso twins corner Lilith.

She almost bests the two, but Tyreen gets in close enough to absorb the Siren's powers. The character's Siren markings vanish and she loses her associated abilities. Lilith was always such a powerful character, and seeing her in a more vulnerable state for the rest of the story reveals a new side to her.

9 Meeting Typhon Deleon

Borderlands 3 Typhon deleon

Among the game's collectibles are echo logs, left by the first Vaul Hunter, Typhon Deleon. After defeating Troy Calypso, the missing adventurer contacts the Crimson Raiders and reveals where he has been living in the decades since his disappearance.

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The character was hyped up for so long through his scattered audio logs, and few expected that he'd turn up in this title. At most, he might show up at the tail end as a sequel hook, but he ends up playing a significant part in the story. He is smaller than one might assume, for a legendary vault hunter, but it's the size of one's bravery and courage that really counts.

8 Zero's Betrayal....Sort Of

borderlands 3 rhys and zero

In the middle of the game, Maliwan launches an all-out assault on Atlas's headquarters on Promethea. While the Vault Hunter helps defend Rhys's company, it comes to light that Zero has been slaughtering Atlas soldiers.

Rhys refuses to believe that his buddy would switch sides, but all evidence points to his defection. By the end of the quest, however, Katagawa Jr. reveals that he was the one disguised as Zero killing all the Atlas employees. The moments when Zero's betrayal seemed certain were stressful, considering he was a playable Vault Hunter in Borderlands 2.

7 Troy And Tyreen's Reason For Wanting The Vaults

Because they are called Vaults, one would immediately assume anybody interested in them would be after the vast amount of loot hidden within. The Crimson Raiders initially believe Troy and Tyreen's intentions for opening The Great Vault involved some sort of treasure.

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After the first monster is destroyed on Promethea, Tyreen absorbs its powers, revealing that she doesn't care about the loot, but is instead intent of taking the strength of all the monsters inside. She ultimately wants to merge with the Great Vault's monster and become a god.

6 Kidnapping Tannis

Tannis Borderlands 3

Patricia Tannis has had the player's back since the first Borderlands in 2009. She may not be the best conversationalist, but she always uses her impressive scientific knowledge to solve pressing problems.

After learning of the Twin's wish to absorb the Vault monsters' powers, the scientist concocts a method of completely destroying the monster so the Calypsos cannot steal their abilities. This enrages them to no end, and prompts Troy to Phaselock Patricia and kidnap her.

5 Pain And Terror

Pain and terror borderlands 3 penn and teller

Everybody knows about Randy Pitchford's fascination with magic, which was evidenced by the awkward presentation during Borderlands 3's announcement event. Because of this, famed magician duo Penn and Teller were brought on board for the game. Two characters named Pain And Terror serve as analogs for the two personalities.

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Penn Jillette voices Pain, and Terror never speaks, true to his real-life counterpart's continued silence on stage. Teller does provide a voice for another character in a side quest, however. The two are the sadistic MCs of Carnivora, where Tannis is being prepped for execution before the Vault Hunter comes to the rescue and eliminates the duo.

4 Learning Who The Twins' Parents Are

Tyhphon deleon and tyreen calypso borderlands 3

The villains' lineage seems unimportant at first, but discovering their parents' identities reveals their motivation. Typhon Deleon is the father, and tried to hide them from the rest of the universe because they were Sirens.

The seclusion led them to harbor great resentment towards their father and made them power hungry, kick starting their blood-filled journey towards unlocking The Great Vault. Typhon meant well, but unintentionally put the whole universe in danger.

3 Tannis Reveals Her Siren Abilities

Tannis Sirentologist borderlands 3

After the Calypsos snatch Tannis, she begins to communicate with the player, as Lilith and Angel did. This is the first indication that not all is as it seems with the beloved scientist.

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During the rescue effort, Tannis finally reveals to all that she is a Siren. Lilith was the only person who knew of this, and the two kept it a secret for the character's safety. Her powers came from Angel, after her tragic demise in the second game.

2 Maya's Death

Borderlands 3 Maya's death

Maya was the playable Siren from Borderlands 2. Players first encounter her in Borderlands 3 on Athenas, as she helps protect innocents from the malicious Maliwan corporation. After opening the Vault on Promethea, Troy and Tyreen attack her apprentice, Ava.

While defending the young woman from the evil twins, Troy absorbs her powers, causing her to disintegrate. Ava sees this and is understandably traumatized. Any player who controlled her in the second game probably felt the same.

1 Lilith's Disappearance

Lilith Borderlands 3 ending

After defeating Tyreen once and for all, Lilith regains her powers. However, the Great Vault is still opening and Pandora's existence is at stake. In a grand sacrificial act, Lilith spreads her wings and flies towards the Vault Key, which is also the planet's moon, to prevents its opening.

Afterwards, she mysteriously disappears, leaving the mark of the Firehawk on the lunar surface. She's not necessarily deceased, but nobody is really sure where she is or what state she's in. Perhaps some answers will come in the form of DLC, or maybe fans will have to wait until Borderlands 4 in another seven years.

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