When Borderlands 3 first revealed Bounty of Blood, its upcoming third DLC, it came with a surprising amount of new features. This includes, but is not limited to, a brand new planet, a brand new vehicle, a story unlike Mad Moxxi's Heist or Guns, Love, and Tentacles, and much more. It's easy for a lot of this to get swept under the rug with as much information as there is, but there's one thing players should keep an eye on.
As aforementioned, this BL3 DLC seems like it'll be different from the others. While it follows the movie genre pattern of DLC thus far, it doesn't seem likely it'll feature a returning Vault Hunter as NPC, instead offering a completely brand new cast of characters to interact with. It doesn't seem to end there, though, as the world-building also seems to be taking a turn.
Borderlands 3 Bounty of Blood: The Town of Vestige
According to the official Borderlands 3 website, players be able to "save the town" where as you complete new story and side missions on Gehenna, your actions will have a tangible and lasting impact on the locals' livelihoods and on the town of Vestige itself." Technically speaking, this doesn't actually confirm the town literally changes on players choice, but it's hard to imagine what else it could mean. The emphasis on story and side missions influencing the town suggests that someone who completes the main story but not the side missions will have a slightly different Vestige than someone who plays all of the content.
Assuming this is indeed the case, then even minor differences go a long way for BL3. After all, despite the franchise being composed of four games now, there hasn't been this type of world building before. New Haven, Sanctuary, and even the Sanctuary III are all static environments that don't really change. However, if Vestige gets or loses residents based on a side mission, obtains or loses a structure because of a main mission, or any change to the smallest degree, it seems like a big step forward for the franchise beginning with the Bounty of Blood DLC.
Of course, based on the Krieg teasers for Borderlands 3, it seems clear that Bounty of Blood is the odd man out of DLC. This could be a simple experiment that doesn't amount to much, but it's something the franchise should consider moving forward. After all, it would be interesting to see Sanctuary 4 in Borderlands 4 - in the distant future - come to life based on player decision.
Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.