In the 13 years since it launched, the Borderlands franchise has had its fair share of missions, some of which are more memorable than others. Borderlands 2's quest "A Dam Fine Rescue" is one of the better ones as it tasks players with navigating through a bandit-controlled dam as they fight hordes of human and robot enemies. On the other side of the spectrum, a myriad of fetch quests serves as nothing more than padding to increase the playtime of the game.
While the Borderlands series' main missions are generally better than its optional content, there are instances where the side missions shine. Due to the writing, characters, and objectives, all the good side content share one thing in common: they encapsulate what makes Borderlands so unique. Case in point: the Borderlands 2 side mission "Shoot This Guy In The Face."
Just Give Face McShooty What He Wants
"Shoot This Guy In The Face" is given by none other than one Face McShooty in Thousand Cuts, a location found about halfway through Borderlands 2's main campaign. At first glance, Face McShooty looks like one of the many psychos that players have been shooting throughout the game, with the only visible differences being the character's mohawk and his passive nature towards players. Face McShooty has another characteristic that sets him apart from other psychos, and that is his never-ending requests for passersby to shoot him in the face.
Interacting with Face McShooty starts the side quest which gives players a single task: to shoot Face McShooty in the face. Hitting him anywhere else on his body or with something other than a bullet will cause him to yell at players, prompting them to adjust their sight lines and aim for his head with a gun. Shooting Face McShooty in the head will cause him to die, but not before imparting a heartfelt yell of "Thank you!" to his killers. This Borderlands 2 side mission ends soon after and rewards players with money, experience points, and the achievement titled "Well That Was Easy."
A Simple, Yet Satisfying Quest
The simplicity of "Shoot This Guy In The Face" can be found in all its aspects. Everything from the mission name and its objective, all the way to the side character's name and his voice lines are dead set on the singular idea of shooting Face McShooty in the face. Considering the other objective-filled quests players have been doing in Borderlands 2, this particular mission is a breath of fresh air.
The mission also oozes Borderlands' brand of humor, dark and straight to the point. Both the side mission and Face McShooty have a singular mindset with no underlying tones or motivations behind them. Anthony Burch, the lead writer on Borderlands 2, explained in a Reddit AMA that the character of Face McShooty and the mission were inspired by a video on The Onion that showed a fictional video game wherein the sole objectives were to shoot enemies in the face. Considering the macabre tone of the fake game, it seemed fitting to add it in some way to the Borderlands universe.
When players are asked to think of the Borderlands franchise's most memorable missions, chances are "Shoot This Guy In The Face" will be on most of those lists. It is a short, simple, and extremely easy mission, especially when juxtaposed to the other quests that have players jumping through various hoops to complete them. Players' memories of the mission are also compounded by Face McShooty's constant pleas for them to shoot him in the face, something very few people can do with such gusto and ferocity. In a way, the character of Face McShooty encapsulates the Borderlands franchise as a whole: loud, unapologetic, and sometimes a little crazy.
Borderlands 2 is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.