The Borderlands community is a ravenously passionate fan base. For further evidence, just take a look at the thunderous reaction to the third game's announcement earlier this year. With Borderlands 3's recent release, lovers of the series have been diving into their favorite cartoonish world once again.
With legions of dedicated fans surely comes an abundance of memes and Borderlands players have delivered in full force. The following list will showcase ten hilarious memes pertaining to the third numbered entry. Some of these are recent, while a couple of memes are from before the sequel's release. While a few appear mean-spirited, they are all done with love.
10 Oh Randy
Randy Pitchford is one of the founders of Gearbox Software, the studio responsible for the series' existence. While fans are endlessly thankful for his contribution to the franchise, they've also slapped their foreheads a couple of times over the past several months due to the controversy he brought to the company and franchise.
It's mostly NSFW material, but the main one deals with a lawsuit involving a lost flash drive containing sensitive Borderlands secrets and a risque video. Some also place the blame on him for the game's Epic store exclusivity, although he probably wasn't the only one involved in making that decision, if he even had a say in it at all.
9 Zane & Tyreen
One of the most iconic images from the reveal trailer is the walking gun. In a series known for outlandish weapon concepts, this managed to take it a step beyond what most fans previously imagined.
The final release ultimately fulfilled those ambitions. Not only were there more guns, but they were more varied, too. Those who beat the game know it took more than a walking gun to defeat Tyreen, but the meme still stands as a clever allusion to Thor: Ragnarok.
8 Giving The People What They Want
Some reviews decried the game for being too similar to its predecessors. While this is true in many respects, it is also more than okay for fans who patiently waited several years for it. As an added point, the game expands its scope way more than most other sequels.
Players go to several different planets, each with their unique aesthetic, and the narrative involves an impressively large cast of characters. It does take a little longer for the story to pick up, but it's hard to complain when the path through the story takes between twenty-five and thirty hours to complete.
7 Move Over Little Dogs
While not the first in the genre, Borderlands brought the looter shooter (or shlooter) into the mainstream. Most generally agree on its superiority titles like The Division and Anthem.
To its credit, the former is a beloved series in its own right, but Bioware's recent title severely disappointed fans. The three games differ in several key aspects, mainly pertaining to the two other games' MMO elements, but they all aim to scratch a similar itch.
6 Epic & Steam
Some people refuse to get invested in Epic's ecosystem over Borderlands 3. Instead, they are waiting until the exclusivity period finishes and the popular game heads over to other stores. Fans who already waited more than five years are commendable for their patience.
How many of those will wait for a game of the year addition to pop up on those launchers, though? This ideology may seem hard to understand for console gamers who accept console exclusivity as a fact of life, but PC gaming has a different culture.
5 It's All Chance
While the picture is from a prior entry, the joke still applies to Borderlands 3. The shift codes are occasionally handed out over the internet and gift golden keys for players to open special chests. In these chests, the chances for great loot dramatically increase.
However, the items could still be duds, or maybe they don't fit in with a particular play style. One should be thankful the keys are free; most other games with a looting mechanic would exploit players with loot boxes and microtransactions. Borderlands has literal loot boxes, but Gearbox doesn't nickel and dime players.
4 It's Just Science
Pupil dilation is an indicator of love and affection for someone. Does the same apply for video games, and can it go more than fifty-five percent if it's something someone especially adores? If someone does get this reaction from Borderlands 3, it's best if they play with the brightness all the way down.
Open pupils absorb more light and it could cause irreparable damage to play when one's seeing apparatuses are more pupil than iris. This certainly would lead to some relationships breaking down, too. One party would eventually say "I wish you looked at me like you look at Borderlands 3."
3 The Waiting Is The Hardest Part
The wait is over, but many still remember anxiously anticipating an announcement for the popular franchise's third numbered installment. In between Borderlands 2 and 3, Tales From the Borderlands and The Pre-Sequel helped tide fans over, but it was still nearly five years between the last game and this one.
Most people consider the wait well worth it, but Noah didn't have the chance to experience it as he seemingly forgot to eat and whittled away to a skeletal frame.
2 When Fears Get Real
Remember in childhood when children were convinced a monster was hiding in their closet or under their bed? A parent or guardian would have to reassure them that no boogeymen were lying in wait to steal them away after they drifted to sleep.
Imagine if the parent was wrong and a mythical beast really was in the room. This is what transpired in the above meme. Walking guns would be a truly terrifying invention, good thing they are only in Borderlands and don't exist in the real world. That could change any day, however.
1 Epic Exclusivity
To say some are upset by the timed Epic Store exclusivity would be an understatement. Upon hearing the news, the community vehemently voiced its displeasure with the deal. To many, it goes against the freedom associated with PC gaming.
Fortunately, sign spinning on sidewalks isn't a method of video game advertisement, or else unlucky souls swinging Borderlands 3 ads would get the same reception as the Joker does in the above meme. They weren't the ones to strike the deal, but they would take the brunt of the reaction from angry fans. As for the review bombs, one has to really ask themselves if it is the best way to get their point across in this particular situation.