You've probably been there. You are staring at a 98% completion rate on your character, wondering why that final trophy hasn't popped. It’s frustrating. Borderlands 2 is a masterpiece of loot and carnage, but its achievement system has a nasty habit of hiding the finish line just when you think you’ve crossed it. If you are hunting for the platinum or just want that 100% checkmark, understanding the Borderlands 2 Challenge Accepted achievement is basically a rite of passage for any Vault Hunter.
It sounds simple enough on paper. The description says you just need to "complete level 1 of all non-level-specific challenges with a single character." Easy, right? Wrong. This is the single most misunderstood trophy in the game because Gearbox decided to play a little trick on us. There are hidden challenges that don't even appear in your log until you've basically finished other ones. It’s a grind, honestly. But it’s a manageable grind if you know where the landmines are buried.
The "Hidden" Challenges Most People Miss
The biggest hurdle for Borderlands 2 Challenge Accepted isn't the difficulty of the tasks. It’s the fact that two specific challenges are invisible at the start of the game. You could spend eighty hours killing loaders and bandits, wondering why the achievement hasn't triggered, only to realize you haven't even unlocked the requirements yet.
Basically, you have to max out two specific weapon challenges to Level 5 before their "hidden" Level 1 cousins show up. These are the real gatekeepers.
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First, you’ve got the Shotgun tree. You need to reach Level 5 in "Open Wide!" which requires 750 point-blank kills with a shotgun. Once you hit that fifth tier, a new challenge called "Shotgun Surgeon" suddenly appears. You only need Level 1 of that new one, but you can't see it until you've done the heavy lifting.
Then there is the Shield tree. You have to get "Splish Splash" to Level 5. That involves 200 kills with rocket launcher splash damage. People hate this one. Rockets are expensive and, frankly, kind of clunky in the late game. But once you hit Level 5, the "Catch-a-Rocket" challenge reveals itself. Without these two, your trophy progress is effectively dead in the water.
Navigating the Non-Level-Specific Rule
A lot of players get overwhelmed because the challenge list in the menu is massive. It lists every single map, every single boss, and every weird little environmental interaction. Here is the good news: you can ignore about 60% of that list.
The Borderlands 2 Challenge Accepted requirement only cares about "non-level-specific" challenges. If the challenge is tied to a specific map—like "find the hidden symbols in Sanctuary" or "jump off the tower in Thousand Cuts"—it doesn't count toward the achievement. You are looking for the global categories. We’re talking about things like:
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- Elemental Damage: Corrosive, Slag, Shock, and Fire. You need Level 1 in all of them.
- Weapon Proficiency: Kills with ARs, SMGs, Snipers, and Pistols.
- Enemy Types: Killing specific amounts of Skags, Bullymongs, or Loaders.
- General Combat: Critical hits, melee kills, and second winds.
- Trading and Economy: Buying from Zed, selling items, and picking up cash.
It’s worth noting that DLC challenges do not count. If you are playing the Tiny Tina or Mr. Torgue expansions, those challenges are fun for Badass Rank, but they won't help you get this specific trophy. Stick to the base game categories.
Jimmy Jenkins and the RNG Nightmare
If there is a name that strikes fear into the heart of a Borderlands completionist, it’s Jimmy Jenkins. He’s a tiny, rare loader that pops out of boxes. Honestly? Finding him is purely a matter of luck, and he is required for the "Shorty" challenge.
Most people find him in Opportunity or the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve. If you have the "Doctor's Orders" quest active and you haven't picked up the ECHO logs, the boxes in the room near the Creature Slaughter Dome have a much higher spawn rate for midgets. If Jimmy doesn't pop, you just save, quit, and run it again. It’s tedious. It’s boring. But it’s the most reliable way to tick that box.
Some players claim they found him randomly during the main story. Lucky them. For the rest of us, it’s about twenty runs of opening cardboard boxes while questioning our life choices.
The Grind for "Open Wide!" and Point-Blank Kills
Let’s talk strategy for that shotgun challenge because 750 kills is a lot. The best way to do this is to head back to a low-level area like Southern Shelf or Three Horns - Divide when you are high level. You want to be a god among insects.
Equip a shotgun with a wide spread. Run right up into the face of a bandit or a skag. The game defines "point-blank" as being basically close enough to smell them. If you are too far away, the kill counts toward general shotgun kills but not "Open Wide!" It’s a grind, but if you do it in a low-level area, you can one-shot everything and clear the whole map in minutes.
The same logic applies to the rocket launcher splash damage. Find a group of low-level enemies, aim at their feet, and let the explosion do the work. Don't waste your time trying to do this in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode unless you hate yourself.
Common Pitfalls and Glitched Challenges
Sometimes, a challenge might look like it’s done, but the game is being finicky. A common one is the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Assault Rifle" challenge. People forget they actually have to be crouching. It sounds stupid, but when you are in the heat of a firefight, you naturally want to move and jump.
Another weird one involves the "Trade" challenge. You actually need to trade with another player. If you're a solo player, this can be a hurdle. You don't even have to give them anything good; just trade a single piece of junk or a dollar. If you don't have friends online, you can always use a second controller and a guest profile to get it done in split-screen.
There’s also a persistent rumor that some challenges are glitched and won't track. Usually, this is just a case of the player not realizing there is a hidden tier or a specific requirement they missed. Check your log carefully. If a category doesn't have a checkmark next to it, you aren't done.
Actionable Steps to Finishing the List
Don't just run around aimlessly. If you want Borderlands 2 Challenge Accepted, you need a checklist.
- Check your Shotgun and Rocket Launcher progress first. If you aren't near Level 5 on "Open Wide!" or "Splish Splash," start there. Everything else is secondary until those hidden challenges are revealed.
- Farm the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve. Use the "Doctor's Orders" trick to find Jimmy Jenkins early so you aren't stuck hunting him at the very end.
- Go Elemental. Use a Slag weapon until you get the Level 1 challenge, then swap to Fire, then Shock. Most players naturally get these just by playing, but Slag can sometimes lag behind if you're playing on Normal difficulty where it isn't as necessary.
- Ignore the Maps. Scroll past any challenge that is grouped under a specific location name. Focus entirely on the categories like "Loot," "Combat," and "Miscellaneous."
- Use Split-Screen for Trading. If you're missing the "No-one Left Behind" or "Trade" challenges, plug in a second controller. It takes thirty seconds and saves you the hassle of finding a co-op partner.
- Clean up in Normal Mode. Once you're Level 50 or higher, go back to the starting areas. You can sprint through the map, ignore damage, and focus purely on the specific kill types you need.
Completing this achievement is essentially a test of patience. It’s not about skill—you’ve already proven you can kill Handsome Jack. It’s about proving you have the dedication to hunt down every last midget and fire every last rocket. Once that notification finally pops, you can finally put the game down... or, more likely, start a new character and do it all over again. That's just how Borderlands works.