What Happens After You Beat Borderlands? A Comprehensive Guide
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So, you’ve conquered Pandora, vanquished the final boss, and seen the credits roll. Congratulations! But what comes next? The Borderlands universe, renowned for its chaotic gameplay and addictive loot, doesn’t just shut down after the main story concludes. Instead, it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Essentially, beating Borderlands is just the beginning. Your save file will persist, allowing you to continue exploring, leveling up, and collecting an obscene amount of loot. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect and what options become available:
The World Doesn’t End, It Expands
The core gameplay loop of Borderlands, especially Borderlands 2 and 3, is designed for replayability. Once you’ve beaten the final boss, you’re not forced to start over. Instead, you’re thrown back into the world with all your skills, gear, and levels intact. This allows you to:
- Explore Remaining Content: Many players often focus on the main story, skipping side missions or optional areas. Post-game, you can revisit these areas to complete unexplored side quests, uncovering more lore and earning valuable rewards.
- Increase Your Character’s Power: You have free rein to level up and experiment with different builds. This is crucial, especially if you plan on tackling the more difficult post-game content.
- Collect Better Gear: The pursuit of legendary weapons and powerful class mods is a driving force in the Borderlands games. The post-game provides more opportunities to farm specific bosses or areas for the best loot.
- Unlock New Difficulty Modes: In Borderlands 3, you gain access to Mayhem Mode, which allows you to significantly increase the difficulty of the game and rewards you with better loot.
- Start a New Playthrough: Most Borderlands games allow you to replay the game with increased difficulty, new challenges, and additional rewards. Borderlands 1 has the Playthrough 2 and Borderlands 2 onwards has UVHM (Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode).
- Engage with Post-Game Content: Borderlands 3, in particular, offers specific post-game activities like Proving Grounds, which present unique challenges.
What to Do After Beating Each Specific Borderlands Game
Each Borderlands title offers slightly different post-game experiences:
Borderlands 1
- Playthrough 2 (PT2): You can start a second playthrough with increased difficulty and enemy levels.
- DLCs: The game has four DLCs. The Knoxx DLC is a popular choice after completing the main story, but you will need to be around level 49-53 for Knoxx PT2. This content was designed for the post-game.
- Continue Leveling: You can continue leveling up and gear grinding even if you don’t restart.
Borderlands 2
- Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM): This is the ultimate challenge, offering even harder enemies and better loot.
- Raid Bosses: After beating the main story, you can access challenging raid bosses designed for groups of well-geared players.
- DLCs: The game is packed with DLCs with their own stories, locations, and gear that become even more relevant after finishing the main story.
- Max Level: Players often try to reach the maximum level of 72 with all the best gear after completing the main story.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
- True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM): Like PT2 in BL1, this mode adds more challenge and gives you more opportunities to level up and find new loot.
- DLCs: The game has its share of DLCs that offer an extension to the main story.
Borderlands 3
- Mayhem Mode: This mode allows you to increase the difficulty with each level, granting you better loot the higher you go.
- Proving Grounds: These challenges pit you against waves of enemies, testing your skills.
- Circle of Slaughter: A survival mode that tests your limits against endless enemies.
- Takedowns: These are more complex, large-scale challenges with a lot of enemies and interesting loot at the end.
- DLCs: The game features several story-driven DLC campaigns.
- Continue Leveling: Keep leveling up to reach the current max level of 72 (subject to increase with further content updates).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions that players have after completing Borderlands games:
1. Can I Continue Playing After Beating Borderlands?
Yes, absolutely. Your save file persists, allowing you to explore the world, complete side quests, and level up further. The game is designed to keep you engaged even after the main story is done.
2. What is Mayhem Mode in Borderlands 3?
Mayhem Mode in Borderlands 3 is a difficulty modifier that players unlock after completing the main story. It offers three (or more with updates) levels of increased difficulty with better loot drops.
3. How Do I Start a New Playthrough?
Once unlocked, you can switch between playthroughs on the main menu. Choose the save, and you’ll be prompted on which one you wish to use.
4. What Should I Do After Finishing Borderlands 1?
After finishing Borderlands 1, you can start PT2 (Playthrough 2), complete the DLC, or continue to grind for loot. It’s recommended to be around level 49-53 when starting Knoxx DLC in PT2.
5. What Are Proving Grounds in Borderlands 3?
Proving Grounds are post-game challenges where you face three waves of enemies with different modifiers. It’s a great way to test your build and get some cool rewards.
6. Is There a Secret Boss in Borderlands 1?
Yes, Crawmerax the Invincible is considered the first raid boss of the series and is located in the DLC The Secret Armory of General Knoxx.
7. How Many Endings Are There in Borderlands?
The main Borderlands games (1, 2, 3, and Pre-Sequel) have one main ending each, based on the main storyline. New Tales From the Borderlands has five different endings, with different rankings on what constitutes the “good” ending.
8. Who is the Final Boss in Borderlands 3?
The final boss in Borderlands 3 is Tyreen the Destroyer.
9. What is the Max Level in Borderlands?
The maximum level varies by game. In Borderlands 3, the current maximum level is 72. Levels are subject to change with additional content updates.
10. What Level Should I Be When I Beat Borderlands 1?
Most players will be around level 35 when they complete Playthrough 1 in Borderlands 1. The final boss of the first playthrough in Borderlands 1 is around level 33.
11. How Do I Get to the Secret Boss in Borderlands 1?
Crawmerax is located in the General Knoxx DLC, in the secret armory. You’ll need to have finished the main story of the base game to access the DLC.
12. In What Order Should I Play Borderlands Games?
The recommended order for the story is:
- Borderlands
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
- Borderlands 2
- Tales from the Borderlands
- Borderlands 3.
However, some players prefer playing in release order, which will put Pre-Sequel after Borderlands 2.
13. What is UVHM and TVHM?
UVHM (Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode) is available in Borderlands 2 and the pre-sequel. This mode is more challenging than the base game, but also offers better loot and more challenging enemies that scale to your level. TVHM is True Vault Hunter Mode which is the same as UVHM, and acts like a harder, more rewarding version of the first playthrough.
14. Are Lilith and Maya dead?
Yes, both Lilith and Maya are dead by the end of Borderlands 3. Lilith’s death isn’t directly shown, but it is implied.
15. Can I Play Multiplayer After Beating the Story?
Absolutely. You can still team up with friends to take on post-game challenges or explore content that you might have missed while playing alone.
The Adventure Continues
Beating Borderlands isn’t the end – it’s the beginning of the real game. The post-game content offers challenges for players of all skill levels. You can level up, collect better loot, try out different character builds, and explore every nook and cranny. Don’t put the controller down yet, Vault Hunter. There’s still plenty of looting to do!