Borderlands 2 is one of the few games I’ve played in the past decade that’s managed to get DLC right. Every add-on has provided players with more loot, more story, and more amazing characters than the last. I have gotten so wrapped up in all the expansions so far that I still haven’t gotten around to finishing the main campaign.
Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep is the most impressive addition by far, and if you haven’t bought any of the previous add-ons yet, this is the one to get. The entirety of the DLC takes place in the warped mind of Tiny Tina herself, who is acting “Bunker” Master for the coolest-est game in the world, Bunkers and Badasses!
You begin your journey by traveling through the Unassuming Docks of Potentially Little Importance to the village of Flamerock Refuge. At first you’re greeted by a pleasant expanse of sunshine and an overall beautiful landscape with a large Rainbow arching overhead, but it is quickly transformed into doom in gloom when Brick decides that it’s not badass enough. Within seconds the sky turned dark and the rainbow disappeared and I was under attack by fearsome Skelton warriors.
The changing of the landscape and characters on a whim is a constant theme throughout this DLC. While entering The Dark Forest later on, the scenery changed from butterflies and flower bushes to an overcast sky and decaying foliage. As an added bonus, a man jumped off a cliff and hung himself at the same time transforming The Dark Forest into The Forest of Being Eaten Alive By Trees. Yes, you fight giant trees.
"New" is the keyword for Assault on Dragon Keep. It was developed as a labor of love internally by the Gearbox team and everything in this DLC has been re-skinned from the new enemies to the amazing new areas you get to explore. You won’t fight a single bandit the entire time you are playing Bunkers and Badasses. Instead you’ll be going head-to-head with revamped versions of traditional D&D foes like Orcs, Dwarves, Wizards, Golems, and plenty more. The only thing you’ll recognize throughout the entire story is the countless cameos from the series most beloved characters as they chime in to add their own flair in their thought-creation of the various dungeons and questlines. There’s even a face-to-face encounter with Mr. Torgue himself so prepare yourself for EXPLOSIONS!
Along with the countless amounts of fanfare, there are several valuable benefits to this add-on. In areas like the Forest of Being Eaten Alive by Trees you will come across pixies who look like tiny flying versions of the Siren class and can function as friend or foe. If you accidentally or purposefully attack them, they will come after you, but if you simply interact with and avoid combat with them, they will accompany you in battle acting as an additional defense against the various trees and monsters trying to eat you.
Another added bonus can be found in the Flamerock Refuge Pub where Mad Moxxi returns as your loyal bar maiden. Here you will find slot machines that take Eridium as currency so you can finally spend those excess stock piles you’ve got stored up if you’ve already maxed out everything. You can also spend Eridium when opening improved weapon chests that incorporate a 20-sided die. By paying Eridium to roll one die or two before opening a chest, you raise your chances of getting better loot. If you roll two twenties you can earn legendary loot and we all know that things are better when they are LEGENDAAAAARY!
If you love Tiny Tina, Dungeons and Dragons, and incredible amounts of loot and finely crafted sarcasm, then you need to keep an eye out for this DLC when it launches on June 25th. It will be available for free to anyone who purchased the season pass and available for download on PC, Xbox 360 (800 MSP), and PSN for $9.99.
