It's been almost six months since Borderlands 3 released, and the game is deep in its first year of DLC support that has become a staple for huge multiplayer games these days. Following this pattern of add-on content, Gearbox has released the Spring Content Map for the game's coming updates.
With the new content getting prepped for Borderlands 3, it appears that Gearbox has plenty of new material ready to roll out, but looking back at previous DLC in the series, how will it measure up. While the recently announced Guns, Love, and Tentacles looks like it could be a blast, with just the right level of humor, fan service, and of course guns, the bar for DLC was set pretty high back with Borderlands 2.
Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep was easily the best DLC in Borderlands 2
It's hard to top a DLC like Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, and looking at how it went out of its way to create an entirely new world filled with nonsensical stories and monsters, we can see why. Framing a story around a fictional D&D campaign gave the developers room to push whatever crazy idea they had in the series, from a gun that launches exploding swords, to special "magic spell" grenade mods that may very well be the best in the series. This setup allowed for something that had been otherwise unobtainable when sticking strictly to the world of Borderlands.
Borderlands isn't even the only game series to go crazy with the DLC. Other big games, like Red Dead Redemption and Saints Row have completely thrown away the reality of the world they are set in in order to create some of the most memorable add-on campaigns of all time. Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmares DLC was so popular that when rumors started circulating about a return in Red Dead Redemption 2, fans went until Rockstar finally responded and shut down that speculation.
These huge left turns make players feel less cheated
It isn't news that players have a certain love-hate relationship when it comes to DLC and add-on content. In most cases, it's the add-on content that fits into the story, and sometimes either serves as an epilogue or a lead in to the next in the series, that leaves players with a spoiled taste for their purchase. Take the latest Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC for example, as the content managed to deliver on almost every aspect that veteran players had asked for, but since ReMind's story was mostly used to clear up the base game, some fans still had a negative reaction to it.
As a result, when a DLC campaign takes the player somewhere new and completely irrelevant to the original story, that is when players feel that they aren't being swindled. No one could pretend to argue that Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep is important to the overall arc that the series has followed of vault hunters tracking down vaults across the galaxy. So in that case, charging players to play through the campaign feels less like charging to complete an unfinished story and becomes an opportunity for players to explore something completely unexpected. Even if it were another D&D based campaign, many would still see it as something unexpected in Borderlands 3.
Dungeon's & Dragons is more popular than ever
If Gearbox ever intended to re-explore the concepts from the Bunkers & Badasses tabletop game that they created for Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, now would be the best time to do it. Between pop culture phenomenons like Stranger Things bringing D&D into the mainstream view and web series like Critical Role, tabletop games have gained a heavy resurgence in the past few years. With more players than ever crafting epic characters and heading out on grand adventures than ever, this is almost something that Gearbox can't afford to miss out on.
There's even room to include Critical Role into another one of these tabletop inspired, with voice actors like Laura Bailey having already provided voice work for Borderlands before. Gearbox can even take inspiration from the current Critical Role campaign for how to direct a second adventure into Bunkers & Badasses, especially if they want to make something fresh that doesn't just try to recapture the lightning in a bottle. However, that being said, there are certainly more tabletop games to draw inspiration from, and one impressive game could be an even better dive for the series.
Call of Cthulhu would make for an excellent DLC
While D&D is obviously the powerhouse of tabletop games, some fans of the genre might be interested in seeing Borderlands branch out to other popular titles. Call of Cthulhu stands as another one of those well-known tabletop adventurers, although not quite as popular as D&D it's fame did still earn it a video game title under the same name, and a number of similarly inspired games. Inspired by the Lovecraft Cthulhu Mythos, the game's themes could make for a delightful campaign as the godlike entities attempt to grandly boast about their power before being shot in the face by a vault hunter.
In fact, it would seem that Gearbox isn't too afraid of approaching the Cthulhu Mythos for Borderlands 3 as the Guns, Love, and Tentacles DLC seems to be heavily inspired by a Lovecraftian art style and enemy types. This new campaign may be the closest we get to a full dive into Eldritch horrors while equipped with a shotgun and rocket launcher. However, this could still be the off-the-rails adventure, battling old ones and cosmic horrors, that fans of the genre have been hoping for.
The wacky story has the most heart
So, we've talked for a while about Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep without going to into detail on the story, but now its time to get into spoiler territory. For the most part, the adventure takes the player through an abridged, fantasy version of the main Borderlands 2 campaign, with a few differences for comedic effect and based on Tiny Tina's perspective. However, the turning point comes towards the end, where Tina seems to have trouble accepting the Roland's death at the hands of Handsome Jack.
This provided for one of the most heartfelt moments in the entire series, with Brick, Mordecai, and Lilith all comforting Tina and helping her get over the loss. To a degree, what Tina is going through here is what games like D&D and even Borderlands itself is about, escapism. Many fans have high hopes fro Guns, Love, and Tentacles, and given the series' past, there may be more in this fun little adventure than meets the eye.
Also, spell grenades were awesome.
Borderlands 3 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.