How Long to Beat Borderlands 3 Director’s Cut? A Comprehensive Guide

The Director’s Cut add-on for Borderlands 3 introduces a wealth of new content, but how much time should you realistically set aside to experience it? The estimated time to complete all the achievements associated with the Director’s Cut is roughly 2-3 hours. This estimate is based on the modal completion time from a sample of 482 TrueAchievements members. However, this figure only reflects the time taken for achievement hunters. For a more casual player, the time investment will likely be higher. The actual time it takes for you to complete the content will depend on several factors, such as your playstyle, skill level, and whether you aim for complete 100% completion of the content, including additional challenges and exploration.

What the Director’s Cut Brings to Borderlands 3

Before delving deeper into time estimates, let’s understand what the Director’s Cut actually adds to the game. It is not a full expansion or a standalone game, but rather a significant downloadable content pack (DLC) that enhances the existing Borderlands 3 experience. Key features of the Director’s Cut include:

• A new questline: This isn’t a sprawling story expansion but a focused set of missions providing fresh gameplay and narrative.
• A formidable Raid Boss: Prepare to face Hemovorous the Invincible, a challenging Varkid boss designed to test your skills and builds.
• Behind-the-scenes content: This includes making-of videos and concept art that offer a glimpse into the game’s development.
• Three sets of themed collectibles: Players can hunt for new treasures to discover across the Borderlands universe.
• Vault Cards: The first of the planned Vault Cards is included, adding a new layer of challenges and rewards.

These additions are integrated into the existing Borderlands 3 experience, meaning you’ll need to have some progress in the main game to access them.

Factors Influencing Playtime

While the 2-3 hour estimate is a good starting point for achievement completion, your actual playtime for the Director’s Cut can vary greatly, and here’s why:

Completionist Approach

If you are aiming for 100% completion of the Director’s Cut content, including all challenges and collectibles, you will likely spend considerably more time than someone who only wants to experience the main story content. Hunting for every collectible and mastering the raid boss can easily extend your playtime.

Skill Level and Build

Experienced Borderlands players with optimized character builds will likely tackle the content faster than newcomers or those experimenting with less effective builds. The raid boss, in particular, requires a solid understanding of Borderlands mechanics and a well-thought-out strategy. If you’re still leveling up, you might also spend more time simply getting your character in shape for the new challenges.

Solo vs. Co-op

Playing solo can be significantly more challenging and time-consuming than playing with a team. Co-op allows for shared firepower and strategic coordination, which speeds up encounters. The Director’s Cut is fully playable in both single and multiplayer modes, but tackling the raid boss alone can add considerable playtime.

Exploration and Side Activities

Even beyond the main missions, the Director’s Cut can contain hidden areas or puzzles that will tempt the explorer in you, adding more to your overall playtime. So, if you take your time exploring, you may find yourself playing much longer.

How Long to Beat Borderlands 3 Overall?

To put the Director’s Cut playtime into context, let’s briefly look at the overall playtime for Borderlands 3. When focusing solely on the main objectives, the base game can be completed in around 23 hours. However, if you are a completionist aiming for 100%, expect to spend approximately 76½ – 77 hours. This figure does not include the additional time spent on DLC content such as the Director’s Cut.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is the Director’s Cut the full game?

No, the Director’s Cut is a DLC pack for Borderlands 3 and not the full game itself. It adds extra content, but requires the base game to play.

2. What is the difference between the Director’s Cut and Designer’s Cut?

The Director’s Cut is more focused on gameplay additions, with new missions and the raid boss. The Designer’s Cut, on the other hand, includes new skill trees and the Arms Race mode, although some sources inaccurately describe the content.

3. Who is the best character to play solo in Borderlands 3?

Moze is often considered one of the best for solo play, primarily due to her ability to summon the powerful Iron Bear mech, making her very self-sufficient.

4. Who is the most overpowered character in Borderlands 3?

Based on various community opinions, Chain Zane is often regarded as one of the most powerful, if not the most overpowered, character builds. Others such as “Iron Maiden” Moze, “Khaos Queen” Amara and “Destroyer Of Worlds” Fl4k are also popular amongst power gamers.

5. What is the hardest character to play in Borderlands 3?

Mordecai is often considered one of the more challenging characters to play because he is mainly offensive and has limited options for boosting his HP or shields via skill points.

6. Why is a director’s cut often longer than the original theatrical release?

Director’s cuts often include scenes or content that was cut during the original editing process for various reasons. This can be because the director wishes to include more of their vision, and it may be because the original edit was shortened for more frequent screenings, or to achieve a more suitable rating.

7. What is the level cap in the Director’s Cut?

The level cap in Borderlands 3 Director’s Cut remains at 72, as it was for the base game, and is not increased.

8. What does the Director’s Cut add to Borderlands 3?

In addition to a new questline, a raid boss and behind-the-scenes content, the Director’s Cut also features three sets of collectibles and the first of the planned Vault Cards.

9. Is Borderlands 3 the longest Borderlands game?

Yes, Borderlands 3 is the longest game in the series to date, requiring a significant amount of time to fully complete.

10. Does Borderlands 3 have multiple playthroughs?

Yes, Borderlands 3 has a second playthrough which is nearly identical to the first but with more varied and higher-level enemies. There is also a player 2.5 that scales every enemy to the player’s level.

11. How long does it take to 100% Borderlands 3?

Achieving 100% completion in Borderlands 3 takes around 76½ – 77 hours. This is solely for the base game, and does not include additional DLC like the Director’s Cut.

12. Is the Director’s Cut worth it?

The Director’s Cut provides a significant amount of extra content and is generally considered worth the investment, particularly for players who enjoy tackling raid bosses and exploring all aspects of the game.

13. What is the raid boss in the Director’s Cut?

The raid boss in the Director’s Cut is Hemovorous the Invincible, a challenging Varkid encounter.

14. Will there be a Borderlands 4?

While not officially announced, a Borderlands 4 is widely expected, given the success of the series, although no official rumors of it currently being in development are out.

15. Can you max out all skill trees in Borderlands 3?

No, it is not possible to max out all the skill trees with the available skill points. You can barely max out one skill tree completely and it’s not possible to max out two skill trees.

In summary, the Director’s Cut for Borderlands 3 will likely take you 2-3 hours to just complete the achievements, but that playtime can easily extend depending on your playstyle and completionist goals.