Borderlands (video game series)

Borderlands

Playable characters from Borderlands Type Role-Playing, First-Person Shooter Game Series Launch Date October 20, 2009 Status Active Product Line Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Platform Xbox 360/One, PlayStation 3/4/Vita, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X Website borderlandsthegame.com

Borderlands is an action role-playing, first-person shooter video game series created by Gearbox Software. This series is primarily comprised of three action role-playing, first-person shooter games: Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. The games in this series centers primarily around gaining loot in the form of weapons and gear in order to better murder bandits, bosses, and alien life forms on the fictitious planet of Pandora. These games are very gory and contain very crude and dark humor that likes to poke at a lot of sensitive topics such as race and sexuality.

Development

Borderlands was developed by Gearbox Software, published by 2K Games, and released on October 20, 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Following this game's release, four expansions were released to add additional story content to the base game. These included The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned on November 24, 2009, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot on December 29, 2009, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx on February 23, 2010, and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution on September 28, 2010.

A sequel to the Borderlands, titled Borderlands 2, was released on September 18, 2012, and was again developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. Borderlands 2 saw the release of more downloadable content than its predecessor, Borderlands. Borderlands 2 had four main expansions much like its predecessor: Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep. In addition to these primary expansions, two additional playable characters were added with Gaige the Mechromancer and Krieg the Psycho. Moreover, small mini-campaign expansions were released in the form of four "headhunter" packs: TK Baha's Harvest, The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler, How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day, and Sir Hammerlock and the Son of Crawmerax. Further downloadable content was released in the form of 30 character customization item packs, two level cap increases which also added new items, and several other pieces of content.

A prequel to Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, was released on October 14, 2014 and was developed by 2K Australia with permission from Gearbox Software. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel had comparable amounts of additional content releases to the first title in the series, Borderlands. The Pre-Sequel released two additional playable characters, Handsome Jack Doppelganger and Lady Hammerlock the Baroness; one campaign expansion, the Claptastic Voyage; and a battle arena, the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit.

Plot

Borderlands

Borderlands begins on the fictitious alien planet of Pandora where bandits, aliens, and corporations are constantly murdering eachother. Immediately the four playable protagonists are introduced: the soldier Roland, the hunter Mordecai, the berserker Brick, and the siren Lilith. These characters are introduced as Vault Hunters, a classification for individuals who are in search of a Vault which is rumored to contain immense amounts of powerful weaponry. Our four Vault Hunters are guided by an artificial intelligence of unknown origin named Angel whose purpose is to help them open the Vault. Along the way, the Vault Hunter's also help many locals with various issues they have generally by murdering bandits and aliens or by collecting items from corpses.

As the story progresses, several alien artifacts are collected by the Vault Hunters by stealing them from dead bandit leaders. These artifacts together form the Vault Key which is necessary to open the Vault. As the Vault Hunters are out finding the fourth piece to the Vault Key, it is revealed that only three pieces exist and that the Dahl Corporation is responsible for tricking the Vault Hunters into searching for a non-existent piece. The Dahl Corporation, at this time, also reveals that they have cut off the network allowing for communication with Angel and taken and imprisoned the scientist, Tannis, who has been working on repairing the Vault Key for the Vault Hunters. The Vault Hunters rescue Tannis and restore the connection to Angel before attempting to reach the Vault and stop the Dahl Corporation lead by commander Steele from opening the Vault. Arriving just too late, the now open Vault is revealed not to contain a horde of loot but rather a giant monster, the Destroyer, which has just murdered commander Steele. The Vault Hunters slay the Destroyer and the credits roll.

Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2 takes place after the story of Borderlands where the opening of the first Vault triggered a new Vault to show up. Once again we are on the planet of Pandora, a new cast of playable Vault Hunters is present: the siren Maya, the assassin Zer0, the soldier Axton, the gunzerker Salvador, the mechromancer Gaige, and the psycho Krieg. Immediately, the main antagonist and leader of the Hyperion corporation, Handsome Jack, is introduced who blows up the train the Vault Hunters are on leaving them stranded. The Vault Hunters scavenge and fight their way to Sanctuary, a refuge founded by Roland the soldier from the first game, guided by Angel who guided the Vault Hunters in the first game.

Roland, however, has been captured and a lead points to the Firehawk. The firehawk turns out to be Lilith the siren who returns to Sanctuary to help the player. The Vault Hunters find out that Roland has been captured by bandits and is being held prisoner. After the Vault Hunters rescue him, Roland informs the Vault Hunters that Handsome Jack plans on opening the new Vault and controlling the power that lurks inside. Roland then instructs them to rendezvous with Mordecai who has been gathering information on Handsome Jack.

After meeting with Mordecai, the Vault Hunter is informed that Handsome Jack is currently transporting the Vault Key on a nearby train. The Vault Hunters set out to intercept the train and retrieve the key. It turns out that the train was a setup, and Handsome Jack's strongest cybernetic soldier, Wilhelm, was guarding the empty train waiting for the Vault Hunters to take the bait so that he may kill them. After defeating Wilhelm, the Vault Hunters receive Wilhelm's power core which contains enough energy to power the city of Sanctuary indefinitely.

Upon installing the power core, Sanctuary's shields are disabled. At this point Handsome Jack reveals that he had poisoned Wilhelm so that he would be killed by the Vault Hunters in hopes that they would take the power core which he set up to bring down Sanctuary. This causes the city to enter a defensive measure where it begins to fly.

Next, the Vault Hunters seek to recover various pieces to get to where Handsome Jack is keeping the Vault Key so that it may be destroyed including recruiting Brick who was playable in the first game. Upon arriving, it is revealed that Angel who has been guiding the player is not an artificial intelligence but is instead a Siren and Handsome Jack's daughter who has been forced to charge the Vault Key. She asks the Vault Hunters to destroy the pumps which are supplying her with Eridium which is keeping her alive and enhancing her Siren powers so that she will no longer have to help Handsome Jack. Upon fulfilling her request, Angel dies. Handsome Jack shows up furious, murders Roland, and captures Lilith the siren so that she may finish charging the key.

The Vault Hunters then steal a map from Handsome Jack's Hyperion data center in order to find the location of the Vault and stop Handsome Jack before he opens the Vault and rescue Lilith. Upon making it through the Hero's Pass, the Vault Hunters arrive at the Vault only to watch as the Vault Key finishes charging. Handsome Jack proceeds to open the Vault and awaken the monster inside, the Warrior, who Handsome Jack now controls. After defeating the Warrior, the Vault Hunters kill Handsome Jack and rescue Lilith preventing the destruction of Pandora at Handsome Jack's hands.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was released as a prequel to Borderlands 2, the sequel to Borderlands. As a result, its story takes place between the story of Borderlands and Borderlands 2. The story begins on Pandora's moon, Helios, with a programmer for the Hyperion corporation named Jack who has assembled a team of Vault Hunters: the gladiator Athena, the enforcer Wilhelm, the fragtrap Claptrap, the lawbringer Nisha, a Jack doppelganger, and the baroness Aurelia. While aboard the Hyperion moon base, the Dahl corporation, lead by Colonel Zarpedon, begins an assault to which the Vault Hunters along with Jack attempt to use the defense systems to defend against the attack only to find out that there is something on the moon's surface jamming the system. The Vault Hunters are sent to the surface to search for and destroy the source of the jamming signal. The jamming signal is found to be coming from Concordia, a large city run by the Meriff who is both the mayor and sheriff. After the signal is disabled and Jack kills the Meriff, the Vault Hunters along with Jack seek a Dahl artificial intelligence which Jack wants to use to create a robot army. Upon doing so, Jack gains access to a robot army at his disposal.

Jack, the Vault Hunters, and the robot army then begin to try and take a Dahl super weapon, the Eye of Helios, by force. The group reaches the core only to have the weapon destroyed by false information fed to them by Moxxi who Jack believed to be helping him. Moxxi, fearing what would happen if Jack gained control of the weapon, caused its destruction rather than the takeover. During this time, it is revealed by Colonel Zarpedon with her dying breath that the Vault on the surface of the moon has already been opened.

Jack and the Vault Hunters fight their way past many alien-like creatures guarding the Vault until they reach its center where the Sentinel awaits. Upon defeating the Sentinel, a symbol begins floating in the air which shows Jack visions of opening a Vault on Pandora and controlling the Warrior which dwells within. Lilith suddenly shows up and punches the symbol into Jack's face destroying it and brandishing the Hyperion employee who has ascended to the corporation's president. Jack, who would become Handsome Jack after donning a handsome mask to hide the wound inflicted by Lilith, then swears vengeance and begins plotting to control the Warrior as he does in Borderlands 2.

References

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