You're running through Skywell-27, dodging Maliwan lasers and trying not to fall into the vacuum of space, when you hear it. A static-heavy recording of a guy named Gonner Diggins. He sounds tired. He sounds like someone who has seen too much. If you've played Borderlands 3, you know the Skywell 27 typhon logs aren't just collectibles for the sake of 100% completion. They are visceral. Honestly, they represent some of the most grounded storytelling Gearbox has ever put into a franchise usually known for fart jokes and exploding guns.
Most players sprint past these. They want the loot. I get it. But if you actually stop to listen to what Typhon DeLeon is saying on this specific rock, the game changes. You realize that Skywell-27 isn't just a corporate base; it’s a graveyard of dreams and a testament to how much of a "rough draft" the galaxy really is.
The Reality of the Skywell 27 Typhon Logs
Skywell-27 is an asteroid. It’s a low-gravity, high-lethality chunk of rock that Katagawa Jr. turned into a private playground for Maliwan’s research and development. When you start hunting the Skywell 27 typhon logs, you aren't just getting backstory on the first Vault Hunter. You're getting the history of Gonner Diggins.
Gonner is a tragic figure. He’s the guy who followed Typhon to this barren rock because he believed in the myth. Typhon’s narration during these segments is surprisingly somber. He talks about the isolation. He talks about the sheer boredom and the looming threat of death that comes with living on an asteroid where the oxygen is basically a luxury.
One of the logs details the "discovery" of the site. It wasn't some grand cinematic moment. It was a struggle. Typhon describes the smell of stale air and the sound of silence. In a game that is constantly screaming at you—literally, the psychos never shut up—these logs provide a much-needed breath of cold, vacuum-sealed air.
Why These Logs Hit Different
If you look at the logs on Pandora, they’re almost whimsical. Typhon is a hero. On Promethea, he's a pioneer. But on Skywell? He’s a survivor.
The three specific logs scattered across the map tell a linear story of desperation. You'll find the first one near the landing strip, where the reality of the mission starts to set in. The second is deeper in the maintenance tunnels, where the "adventure" has clearly turned into a slog. The final one is near the laser itself. By that point, the tone has shifted. Typhon knows that the "great discovery" he was looking for is just more hardship.
It’s interesting because Gearbox uses these logs to humanize a character who could have easily been a cartoon. Typhon is short, he’s weirdly proportioned, and he talks about his "back ham" way too much. But the Skywell 27 typhon logs strip that away. They show a man who is responsible for the lives of his crew and who feels the weight of every person who didn't make it back.
Finding the Logs Without Losing Your Mind
Let’s be real: navigating Skywell-27 is a pain. The verticality is confusing. The map overlay in Borderlands 3 is notoriously bad at showing depth. If you're looking for the logs, you need to think about the "layers" of the asteroid rather than just following the diamond on your HUD.
The first log is easy. It’s right near the Maliwan Modular Warehouse. You’ll see it on a rocky outcropping. It's the "welcome to the suck" moment of the zone. Typhon talks about the initial landing and the realization that they might have made a huge mistake.
The second one is the one people usually miss. It’s in the "Tritonium Refinement" area. You have to navigate some service elevators and avoid falling into the pits. It’s tucked away in a corner near some crates. This is where Typhon talks about Gonner Diggins losing his mind. It’s dark. Like, genuinely dark for a Borderlands game.
The third log is near the Laser Control Room. You’ve fought through waves of Maliwan heavies and probably died to a shock floor once or twice. When you find this one, Typhon reflects on the "Vault" they were searching for here. Spoiler: it wasn't what they expected.
The Gonner Diggins Tragedy
You can't talk about the Skywell 27 typhon logs without talking about Gonner. He is the unsung "hero" or perhaps the ultimate victim of Typhon's ambition. Throughout the logs, we hear about Gonner’s descent into space madness.
It’s a classic sci-fi trope, but it works here because of the contrast. You have Typhon, who is eternally optimistic (or at least pretends to be), and Gonner, who is the audience surrogate for how terrifying space actually is. When Typhon mentions that Gonner "wanted to be a hero," it stings. Because we’re playing as Vault Hunters—the ultimate heroes—and here is a guy who tried to do exactly what we’re doing and ended up as a footnote in a voice memo.
Gameplay Impact and the Typhon Dead Drop
Once you grab all three Skywell 27 typhon logs, Tannis will decode the location of the Typhon Dead Drop. On Skywell, this chest is actually worth the effort. Because the zone is so high-level and features so many badass-tier enemies, the loot pool for the dead drop seems to skew toward higher-rarity Maliwan gear.
The Dead Drop is located back near the "Fueling Station" area. You have to backtrack a bit, which is annoying, but the payout is usually a couple of purple-tier weapons or a legendary if the RNG gods are smiling on you.
Pro tip: Don't open the Dead Drop until you've cleared the boss of the area, Katagawa Ball. If you're under-leveled, the gear in that box can be the difference between beating the boss in five minutes or spending an hour hiding behind a pillar while your shields recharge.
Does the Lore Actually Matter?
Some people say lore in looter-shooters is filler. I disagree. Without the Skywell 27 typhon logs, Skywell-27 is just a generic space station. With them, it becomes a site of historical significance in the Borderlands universe. It explains how Typhon eventually made his way to Nekrotafeyo. It bridges the gap between the "myth" of the first Vault Hunter and the "man" we eventually meet.
It also highlights the corporate greed of Maliwan. They didn't build Skywell; they occupied it. They took Typhon's hard-earned progress and built a giant death laser on top of it. That’s a recurring theme in the game—the little guy does the work, and the megacorp puts their logo on it and starts charging for oxygen.
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How to Optimize Your Run
If you’re a completionist, do not try to find these logs during your first combat pass. The enemies on Skywell-27 respawn fast. If you stop to listen to a log while Maliwan troopers are flanking you, you're going to miss the dialogue.
- Clear the immediate area first. 2. Turn up your dialogue volume. The ambient noise on Skywell is loud—lots of hums and whirs that can drown out Typhon’s gravelly voice.
- Check the corners. Gearbox loves hiding these logs behind stacks of Maliwan crates that look like part of the environment.
Honestly, the logs are the best part of the zone. The gravity mechanics are fun for a while, but they get old when you accidentally jump into a bottomless pit because you forgot you were on an asteroid. The logs stay with you.
What This Means for the Future of Borderlands
The way Gearbox handled the Skywell 27 typhon logs suggests a shift in how they want to tell stories. They’re moving away from just "the Siren did a thing" and toward "the universe is a harsh, uncaring place where people die for nothing."
It’s gritty. It’s sort of depressing. But it makes the world feel real. It makes your actions as a Vault Hunter feel like they have more weight. You aren't just looking for loot; you're finishing a story that Typhon DeLeon started decades ago.
When you finally leave Skywell-27 and head back to Sanctuary, you'll probably have a pack full of green and blue guns. You might have a legendary or two. But you also have the story of Gonner Diggins. And in a universe as chaotic as Borderlands, that kind of narrative consistency is the rarest loot of all.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're heading to Skywell-27 right now, do yourself a favor: don't fast travel out the second you kill Katagawa Ball. The third Typhon log is remarkably close to the boss arena, and the Dead Drop is worth the three-minute run back to the fueling area. If you've already missed them, go back in "Mayhem Mode." The enemies will be tougher, but the XP you get from discovering the logs and opening the Dead Drop scales with your level, making it one of the most efficient ways to farm for endgame Maliwan gear like the Krakatoa or the Westergun.
Check your map for the "echo" icons. If you see two but can't find the third, look "up." Skywell is notorious for hiding objectives on overhead catwalks that you can only reach by using the low-gravity jumps near the ventilation fans. Don't just follow the floor; look at the pipes. That’s usually where the best secrets—and the saddest stories—are hidden.