While Borderlands 3's main quest alone offers more content than most other video games, plenty of side quests extend the value even further. Without taking the True Vault Hunter mode and Guardian Tokens into account, doing all the side quests coupled with the story can take upwards of forty hours. That is a healthy serving of game for fans of the series.
However, some quests are better than others. To help shine a light on the cream of the crop, the following list will detail five worthwhile quests and an additional five that stand as some of the best in the whole game, if not the whole series.
10 Should Do: Kill Killavolt
While Moxxi's DLC from the first game was easily the weakest of the bunch, she none the less became a fan favorite. "Kill Killavolt" tasks the Vault Hunter with doing just that, offing her ex-husband who organizes a deadly competition whose grand prize is a night of carnal pleasure with him.
The side quest is worth it for the parody of the battle royale game genre and the fact that it takes place on an entirely different portion of the map. The final boss fight of the quest puts up quite a resistance, however, so be ready for a lengthy bout. Thankfully, players don't have to spend any alone time with the events organizer.
9 Must-Do: Ratch'd Up
What starts off as a quest to find a missing janitor turns into a sweet story of a man doing his best to save his buddy. Terry's friend Glenn was ailing so the Janitor swapped his friend's body out with that of a Ratch.
Upon finding Terry's deceased body, Glenn returns the favor. The story feels like a lost Guillermo del Toro movie, giving a sweet and sentimental touch to a theme typically reserved for bone-chilling terror.
8 Should Do: Let's Get It Vaughn
In "Let's Get It Vaughn," players play wingman to the underwear donning supporting character in his attempts to woo bandit Zahnzi Kall. This task involves playing a game show hosted by his crush. He rigs the trivia contest, allowing the Vault Hunter's victory while also making all the questions flattering towards him.
Like most quests, it ends with a gunfight after the losing party grows upset. Things turn out great for Vaughn, however, as Zahnzi's interest is piqued.
7 Must-Do: Childhood's End
Borrowing its name from the popular Arthur C. Clarke novel, it also shares a small thematic similarity. The quest is about fixing a water purifier, but the main chunk of it involves reliving the traumatic memories of Angel, Handsome Jack's daughter.
Through audio, players learn how her powers were discovered, how she accidentally killed her mother, and how Jack connected her to Hyperion's network, allowing her access to limitless information and explaining her mythic status as Pandora's guardian angel. Like the book detailing human kind's transformation into a hive mind, so does the quest detail Angel's dark journey into near omniscience.
6 Should Do: Malevolent Practice
Hammerlock made some good friends while incarcerated and wants to know how they are fairing since his escape. Sadly, they were all used as guinea pigs for Troy's newfound powers. Some of them died immediately, while a few others transmogrified into Anointed.
As a sad, but merciful, favor, the player puts them out of their misery. The Calypsos do some heinous things throughout the game, but this comes off as especially sadistic.
5 Must-Do: Life Of The Party
Gracey loved Vault Hunters and wished to become one when she grew up. To make her birthday party something special, Mordecai asks the main characters to attend her celebration. When they get there, they learn of her tragic passing at the hands of Varkids.
Her father still insists the people stay to honor her memory. Players go through a handful of minigames and can choose to break Gracey's high scores or leave the records intact to make her grieving dad proud. In a rare, but appropriate case, being honorable still nets a loot reward.
4 Should Do: Maliwannabees
Ziff wants revenge for her family's murder. However, she's not sure if Rax or Max was the one who did it, and both are taking credit for the horrendous act. While investigating the crime scene, both Maliwan soldiers brag about how they did in the innocent people.
The exaggerated dark humor is Borderland's comedy at its finest. It's never clarified who actually killed them, but players can eliminate both characters if they choose. After all, claiming to do something like that with such pride implies they would likely do it for real eventually.
3 Must-Do: Buff Film Buff
This one is for all the cinephiles playing the game. Buff claims to be a true cinematic visionary, and players help get his movie shown on the big screen. Doing the mission rewards players with a screening of the avant-garde nonsense.
The character is an obvious spoof on enigmatic filmmaker Tommy Wiseau, famous for his so bad its good masterpiece, The Room. Special props go to the voice actor who perfectly imitates Tommy's accent and mannerisms.
2 Should Do: Technical NOGout
Quinn is working on an experimental grenade for those pesky NOGs. After finding his test subjects, the player gets to see him perfect his invention on a few of them. The first two tests fail spectacularly, but third time's the charm, and he finally perfects the grenade and gives in to the Vault Hunter to use in the field.
Quinn also makes mention of a NOG fight club, which may be a little ethically questionable, but it's far from the least humane thing people do in the game.
1 Must-Do: Fire In The Sky
Typhon DeLeon left a final message for Grouse and Sparrow, his two trusty robots. Grouse, being the grouch he was designed to be, sees no value in hearing these last words. Upon listening to the echo logs, however, the machine becomes inconsolable.
Typhon's last wish for him is to loosen up a bit and dance, much like his counterpart, Sparrow. He doesn't want him to lose his identity, but he notes that he doesn't have to be cranky one hundred percent of the time. By the end, Grouse listens to the wise words and starts grooving to a song playing in the background.