Honestly, the gaming community did Borderlands The Pre Sequel dirty back in 2014. People wanted Borderlands 3. They wanted a massive, sprawling epic that pushed the hardware of the then-new PS4 and Xbox One to their absolute limits. Instead, we got a game built on the Borderlands 2 engine, developed largely by 2K Australia, and set on a moon.
It felt like a glorified expansion pack to some.
But looking back at it now, especially with the hindsight of how the franchise has evolved, this middle child is arguably the most creative entry in the series. It isn't just a bridge between the first and second games. It’s a character study of a villain, a playground for vertical combat, and a showcase for some of the weirdest experimental mechanics Gearbox ever allowed.
The Jack of All Trades (and How He Fell)
We all know Handsome Jack is the series' peak. He's charismatic, terrifying, and genuinely funny. In Borderlands 2, he was already the finished product—a narcissistic dictator with a god complex. But Borderlands The Pre Sequel gives us John. Just John. He’s a low-level programmer for Hyperion who actually tries to do the right thing, at least at first.
Seeing the gradual erosion of his morality is fascinating. It’s not a sudden "I’m evil now" moment. It’s a slow burn of betrayals, paranoia, and the realization that in the world of Pandora (and Elpis), the "hero" is usually just the person who shoots the most people.
The story works because it recontextualizes everything. When you play this game, you aren't just a vault hunter; you're an employee. You see the founding of Opportunity from the perspective of the people who built it. You see the Eye of Helios before it was a death ray. It adds a layer of tragedy to the later games that simply wasn't there before.
Verticality and the Low-G Factor
The biggest mechanical shift was the moon setting. Elpis changed the rhythm of Borderlands.
In previous games, combat was mostly horizontal. You hid behind a crate, popped out, and shot a psycho. In Borderlands The Pre Sequel, the Oz Kits changed the game. Suddenly, you had a double jump. You had a ground slam. You had to manage your oxygen levels, which acted as a timer, a resource, and a weapon all at once.
The "butt slam" (yes, that’s the technical term) is perhaps the most underrated mechanic in the franchise. Jumping thirty feet into the air and crashing down with elemental damage felt incredible. It broke the "cover shooter" mold that many RPG-shooters fall into. You weren't just moving; you were soaring.
The Vault Hunters Who Actually Talked
One of the loudest complaints about Borderlands 2 was that the player characters felt like ghosts in the story. They had cool designs, but they didn't really say much during cutscenes or interactions with NPCs.
2K Australia fixed this.
In Borderlands The Pre Sequel, the Vault Hunters are active participants in the dialogue. If you’re playing as Athena, the NPCs treat you like the former Crimson Lance assassin you are. If you’re playing as Claptrap—God help you—the dialogue is appropriately chaotic and Fourth-Wall-breaking. This makes the world feel lived-in. Your choice of character actually impacts how the story is delivered to you.
Speaking of the roster, it’s probably the most balanced and unique group in the series:
- Athena the Gladiator: The perfect tank/melee hybrid with a shield that absorbs damage and bounces between enemies like Captain America’s.
- Nisha the Lawbringer: Basically a walking aimbot. Her "Showdown" skill is pure power fantasy for anyone who loves revolvers.
- Wilhelm the Enforcer: He literally becomes more robotic as you level up, changing his voice and appearance.
- Claptrap the Fragtrap: A chaotic mess of RNG that can accidentally buff your teammates or force them to jump uncontrollably.
- Aurelia the Baroness: The DLC sniper queen with an ice-based skill tree that is arguably the best cryo-build in gaming history.
- Jack (The Doppelganger): A masterclass in summoner-style gameplay where your clones die to keep you alive.
The "Laser" Problem and the Cryo Solution
Let’s talk about the guns. Every Borderlands game has a "gimmick" element. The first game had explosive everything. The second game had Slag—which, let's be real, was a chore. You had to Slag an enemy, swap weapons, and then kill them. It was a mechanical bottleneck in the endgame (Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode).
Borderlands The Pre Sequel replaced Slag with Cryo.
Cryo is objectively better. It freezes enemies in place, making them take more melee and explosive damage, but it’s also useful on its own. It’s a crowd-control tool that doesn't feel like a homework assignment.
✨ Don't miss: Lies of P Wine Quest: How to Get the La Bleiwies and Why It Matters
And then there were the Lasers.
The game introduced a whole new weapon class. You had continuous beams, "blaster" style bolts, and railguns. In a series where "billions of guns" can sometimes feel like "billions of slightly different pistols," the Lasers added a much-needed variety to the loot pool. They felt futuristic and distinct from the dusty, rusty gear found on Pandora.
Why the Hate Then?
So, if the mechanics were better and the story was deeper, why did people move on so fast?
Post-launch support was the killer. 2K Australia was shut down shortly after the game’s release. This meant that while Borderlands 2 got years of "Headhunter" packs and massive expansions like Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, the Pre-Sequel only got one major story DLC: The Claptastic Voyage.
To be fair, The Claptastic Voyage is widely considered the best DLC in the entire franchise. It takes place inside Claptrap’s mind and explains why there are no other Claptrap units in Borderlands 2. It’s psychedelic, heartbreaking, and features some of the best level designs Gearbox (and 2K Australia) ever produced. But one great DLC wasn't enough to keep the community engaged for five years.
The endgame was also thin at launch. There wasn't a "Raid Boss" in the traditional sense initially, other than an empowered version of the final boss. For the hardcore "looter shooter" crowd who wanted to farm for 1,000 hours, there just wasn't enough meat on the bones.
The Grinder: A Loot Lover's Dream
We need to discuss the Grinder. This was a machine in the main hub city, Concordia, that allowed you to take three items of the same rarity and "grind" them into a new item of a higher rarity.
It was a brilliant way to deal with "junk" legendaries.
In other games, if you get a legendary gun you don't like, you sell it for cash you don't need or leave it on the ground. In Borderlands The Pre Sequel, you save it. You wait until you have two more, throw them in the Grinder with some Moonstones, and pray for a legendary that actually fits your build. It added a layer of crafting that the series has strangely shied away from in recent years.
The Vertical Combat Masterclass
If you go back and play it today on the Handsome Collection or the Legendary Collection, the first thing you'll notice is how much faster it feels than Borderlands 2.
The lack of gravity means you spend half the fight in the air. This isn't just for show; it's a tactical advantage. Ground slams can stagger enemies, and certain Oz Kits give you massive damage boosts while airborne. It feels more like a hero shooter than a standard FPS.
The environment also plays a role. You can shoot the oxygen domes of enemies, forcing them to take DOT (damage over time) as they suffocate. You can use jump pads to fling yourself across the map while sniping. It's kinetic in a way that Borderlands 3 eventually adopted, but the Pre-Sequel did it first.
Realities of the Moon: The Cons
It’s not a perfect game. Let’s be real.
The backtracking is a nightmare. Because the maps are designed for low-gravity jumping, they are often vertically layered. Navigating to a quest marker can be frustrating when you realize the person you need to talk to is three floors above you and the only way up is a jump pad on the other side of the crater.
The humor is also "very 2014." The Australian influence is heavy—which I personally love—but it leads to some very specific slang and jokes that might fly over the heads of international players. It has a quirkier, weirder vibe than the main games. Some people found the NPCs grating, though in a world full of Claptraps and Psychos, "grating" is kind of the brand.
How to Play It Today for the Best Experience
If you’re looking to dive back in, or play it for the first time, don't treat it like a main-line entry. Treat it like a focused, character-driven spin-off.
- Pick a DLC Character: Both Aurelia and the Jack Doppelganger have much deeper skill trees than the base four. Jack’s "Inspire" skill literally just has him give you verbal encouragement while you play. It does nothing mechanically. It’s hilarious.
- Don't Ignore the Side Quests: A lot of the world-building happens in the small tasks. You'll find out why certain characters end up where they are in Borderlands 2.
- Use the Grinder Early: Don't hoard your gear. Use the Grinder to keep your weapons up to your current level. It makes the "leveling curve" much smoother.
- Play the Claptastic Voyage: Seriously. Even if you rush the main story, do not skip this DLC. It is the emotional core of the game.
Borderlands The Pre Sequel serves as a reminder that sometimes, smaller and more experimental is better. It took risks with movement and elemental combat that paved the way for the "sliding and mantling" of the modern era. It gave a face and a soul to the series' biggest villain. It might have been born in the shadow of a giant, but it stands on its own as a cult classic that deserves a second look.
If you've avoided it because of the mixed reviews from a decade ago, you're missing out on the most mechanically tight combat in the entire franchise. Go to Elpis. Put on an Oz Kit. Slam some Scavs. It's worth the trip.