The Arms Race game mode was added to Borderlands 3 back in November of 2020 alongside the Designer's Cut DLC. Even now, though, some players are still confused about how to get the most out of it.
Arms Race acts much like a battle royale-style game. The Vault Hunters are dropped in from the sky into a large map with multiple pathways and a lot of confusion. Once there, they must traverse the area and find loot to collect and take back with them. The only problem is, they don't have any of their gear. Get ready for a fight to get some gearing worth saving.
Scramble For Starter Gear
To start things off, players drop into a random place in the center of the Arms Race map. Sometimes they will fall next to a chest, while other they will have to go on the hunt. No matter what, a chest or two should be relatively close by for players to gather some starter gear.
This gear will most often be common in terms of rarity. Be careful of enemies that can sometimes spawn in the drop location. If any appear, dodge them, or take them down with the knife.
Hunt For A Red Chest
The next step is to search for some better gear. Better gear can sometimes drop from enemies, but a player's main source of decent gear will come from the red chests. There are red chests sprinkled across the map, which offer a good chance at getting a legendary.
Players will encounter multiple enemies guarding each of these red chests. Some of them even have multiple waves that players will need to contend with before they can get to the good loot. Be sure to quickly maneuver through areas as well, because the clock is ticking — once players drop into the map, the Murdercane will start closing in.
Grab Loot On The Way
Oftentimes, enemies will drop loot as they are defeated. Pick it up and keep on the move; don't stop for too long. The red chests are the main priority and should remain that way. It is okay to open a few white chests found along the way though, to get better gear and prepare for the fight that's ahead.
Hoard all of this loot for use later on, and avoid the vending machines. While the vending machines might seem tempting, the odds are players won't have the moolah to buy anything worthwhile yet.
Check For Airdrops
Airdrops come after a few minutes have passed in the game. They will appear on a player's map, and typically spawn human enemies. Run for these if they are on the path to a red chest that. They usually contain multiple chests and even vending machines.
Be careful, however, because things can get a little dicey when attempting to collect an airdrop. The airdrop will spawn multiple enemies, and if it lands in an area that is already populated, players will have to face off against more enemies than they can handle.
Head For Extraction
By now, players have grabbed the red chests, and maybe a few airdrops as well. That's good, but it'll be better once players can keep their haul. Head over to one of the extraction beacons to get some of the loot that's been collected taken out. Once that is out of the way, it's time to prepare for the boss fight.
Head on over to a vending machine and sell some of the loot that the player has collected. At this point, players should have enough loot to sell to get something worthwhile in return. Perhaps players will be able to get their hands on a shiny new weapon or grenade mod. Make sure to restock on all ammo types and replenish health.
Jump Into The Boss Fight
The boss in Arms Race can be a bit rough depending on the gear that a player has. Make sure to carry items into the fight that are corrosive, shock, and incendiary. This is because the boss has three health bars: one for health, one for shield, and one for armor.
The fight is just like any other boss fight in Borderlands. The boss, Heavyweight Harker, comes into the fight riding atop his pet. Once the player reduces his armor and shield bars, his pet will disappear and he will finish the fight by himself. The boss will also call in allies to aid him during the fight. Make sure to keep an enemy or two during each wave in case a player goes down.
Extract
Now that everything is done, loot has been collected, and the boss has been defeated, it is time to extract. Head out of the boss room and over to the loot extractor. Place any items that are worthy of being kept inside and head on out of the arena.
All of the loot that the player has collected will end up in their bank aboard Sanctuary. Head on over there to collect it.