While some have criticized Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands for being too similar to Borderlands 3, it does have its fair share of differences. Alongside a T rating for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands that impacts its tone and allows for a larger audience, concepts like the Overworld and character creator are entirely new for the series. Further, spells prove to be significantly different from grenades, with players able to craft entire builds around them.
With the game having some unique qualities, it is not that surprising that the approach Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands takes to DLC differs from what is seen in the main Borderlands games. While many are not a fan of the spin-off’s approach, it is worth comparing the two Season Passes to see just how different they really are in terms of content.
Borderlands 3’s Season Pass
While Borderlands 3 received a second Season Pass that featured the Designer’s Cut, Director’s Cut, and some cosmetics, it was the initial Season Pass that provided the bulk of post-launch content. Priced at $50, the Season Pass included four major expansions for the game, with Borderlands 3 following in the footsteps of the original Borderlands and Borderlands 2 when it comes to its expansion count.
The expansions, each priced at $15, provided hours of content for the game. Alongside several new locations and a fresh planet, players got to enjoy some story campaigns and side missions in each expansion that totaled 5-10 hours in length. The DLC for Borderlands 3 was heavily praised by fans, with many believing that expansions like Bounty of Blood were better than the main game’s story. The Season Pass also included some Butt Stallion-themed gear as a bonus.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ Season Pass
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ Season Pass is noticeably cheaper at $30, though this is for good reason. This is because it is comprised of four replayable missions called Mirrors of Mystery (each costing $10) as opposed to four full-on mini campaigns. Each Mirror run takes between 10-30 minutes, with four different versions of the Mirror’s boss in total - making for about two hours of content per DLC at most.
Obviously, Mirrors of Mystery like Coiled Captors providing far less content than proper expansions has proven to be controversial, with many fans upset that there is not much story beyond Vesper’s narration. While the DLC does provide a hub area with a special loot source called the Wheel of Fate, the Mirrors themselves feel too similar to the Chaos Chamber for some players. This is likely intentional, as after players face the boss and see the areas in a Mirror of Mystery, the content will be added to the Chaos Chamber. This is a solid approach, as it sees the Chaos Chamber endgame mode consistently expanding, but the DLCs themselves are a bit lacking to say the least.
Overall, the Borderlands 3 Season Pass provides over a dozen hours more content than the one for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands despite only costing $20 more. While Gearbox was wise to make the spin-off’s Season Pass a fair bit cheaper, fans are still disappointed in how brief the Mirrors of Mystery are. With Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands being the perfect game for proper story expansions due to its Bunkers and Badasses premise, it is a bit of a shame that the Season Pass does not provide any. On the bright side, there is a new class dropping alongside the fourth Mirror of Mystery, sweetening the deal and offering something the original Borderlands 3 Season Pass did not.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox One Series X.