Borderlands mania has revved up once again!
Yes, over 7 long years following the charmingly zany RPG shooter, the anticipated 3rd entry has finally arrived. It’s done so on the heels of a brand new DLC for BL2 featuring Lilith, new legendary Rainbow gear, and a slew of toxic plant creatures. But before you dive into Borderlands 3, it might be worth giving its predecessor a more thorough look. After all, there are a number of subtle details, goofy references, and cool easter eggs that Gearbox has cleverly embedded into the game.
With that said, let’s revisit our old Vault Hunter stomping ground of Pandora, as we take a look at 10 hidden details everyone missed in Borderlands 2.
10 A Reference To Tiny Tina’s Voice Actress
Within the Mr. Torge’s Campaign of Carnage DLC, there’s a subtly included easter egg that serves as a round-about nod to one of BL2’s stand-out voice actors, Ashly Burch.
During the amusingly titled “Eat Cookies and Crap Thunder” mission, you’ll find Tiny Tina inside a broken-down bus. On the back of the bus, you might have noticed an odd image featuring a grey-haired man riding a Unicorn, before likely murmuring “huh?” It turns out, this is an obscure reference to a gaming-related youtube show in which Anthony (one of the game’s writers) and his sister Ashly collaborated on, called Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’? The episode in question closes out with their father sporting an eye patch and growling “Metal Gear.”
9 Roland’s Facebook
Yes, apparently Facebook is even prominent on the ruined dystopia of Pandora.
During the mission of Borderlands 2 in which you enter the Firehawk’s lair, you’ll see a myriad of computer monitors that encircle the boss location. If you look hard enough, you’ll notice a Facebook page of one of BL’s main heroes, with an avatar of him grinning and flashing a peace sign. You can also see that Lilith has left a few rather enthusiastic comments on Roland’s page.
Seems that Claptrap isn’t the only character in the BL universe that frequents social media…
8 Tiny Tina’s Eye Glitch Was Unintentional
Tina’s wonky drifting eye might be pretty apparent to most who have encountered this character. While it’s bizarre and a bit unsettling, it would seem to suit her zany and downright loony personality. But the story goes that this artistic decision was actually a sort of happy accident.
The eye floating, in fact, began as a glitch - which isn’t too shocking given this otherwise marvelous series’ track record for bugs. Once this glitch was pointed out, the game’s writers and developers decided to keep it in. Ironically, it’s become one of Tina’s defining - and fitting - character traits.
7 An Obscure Youtube Video Reference
BL2 is chock-full of cheeky references and easter eggs. One of the most amusing comes in the form of a certain “double rainbow,” which can be found in the Highlands zone. After activating it through a Claptrap and Handsome Jack Echo message, if you look towards the sky, you’ll see two rainbows, as Jack can be heard comically fawning over them.
This is a nod to a decade-old viral youtube clip involving an enthusiastic man reacting blissfully to a “double rainbow” in the same manner.
6 The Energizing Bane Cannot Be Silenced
Yes, this odd, excruciating shrieking SMG is even louder and more obnoxious than you think!
The audio settings in Borderlands 2 allow you to tweak the levels to your satisfaction, which include muting separate audio levels. Yet, trying to turn down the sound effects volume - and all the levels, for that matter - proves futile. All of the other noise in the game will be turned off, but the prominent screams that trigger when firing this crazy weapon will persist, and manage to sound even louder as it punctures the silence.
5 A Clever Exploit To Save Your Anarchy Stacks
Many players who favor the entertaining Mechromancer character, Gaige, will tell you that she’s something of a double-edged sword. Her anarchy skill can be both useful and satisfying; an ability that allows you to stockpile damage the longer you go without reloading before fully emptying your mags.
Yet, there are few things in the game more frustrating than collecting tons of Anarchy stacks, only to see it all go down the tubes after a swift, unexpected death. Thankfully, you can work an exploit to your benefit, which will allow you to hang onto them. If you go down near a pit, you can use Last Stand to crawl your way to the pit and fall into it. You’ll essentially be “tricking” the game here, as this falling death will not penalize you by resetting your Anarchy.
4 The Exclusivity Of Sirens
The Siren class can be one of the most effective and enjoyable, but few BL2 players recognize just how rare these beings are. This mage-like class, of which Lilith, Maya, and Angel all belong to, are so few in number that you can usually count the number of (known) living Sirens with one hand.
During the era of Borderlands 2, there are only a total of 6 through the vast lands of Pandora and beyond. This is why they hold so much power and influence, and why Jack seeks to exploit their abilities, even at the expense of the well-being of his own daughter, Angel. We get to see a couple more in BL3, but they are still quite few in number.
3 The Not-So-Legendary Vault Hunter’s Relic
The Borderlands series is well-known for its abundance of weapons, gear, and accessories to loot and collect, especially those of a rarer variety. One augmentation that helps you nab even sweeter gear is the Vault Hunter’s Relic.
However, many don’t realize this accessory does nothing to increase your odds of finding gold Legendary, or even purple “very rare” items. The only items it affects are the blue “rare” ones, as it simply cuts out an extra 5% chance for common items and allocates that extra percentage to the rare category. So unless you’re really keen on maximizing blue drops, you may want to use that available slot for another Relic.
2 A Cool Minecraft Easter Egg
Make your way to an old, run-down bridge with train tracks when you’re deep into the Guardian Ruins, and you might find something peculiar. Trek across the bridge and make a quick right past the abandoned mine cart, and make your way into the back corner past a rock.
Minecraft fans will recognize this as a small wall made of the pixelated blocks found in that game. Breaking these blocks will lead you to a mineshaft, where you’ll find resource blocks that yield Eridium, as well as sauntering Creepers. Yes - those pesky little explosive green guys are hanging out in here! Be careful, though, because they do explode in true annoying Creeper fashion. Killing these will grant an amusing skin of this baddy, which makes for a cool little collectible.
1 A Butt Stallion Showing
Tiny Tina’s D&D-style DLC is awesome for a number of reasons, one of which is a funny little callback to one of Handsome Jack’s famous lines early on in BL2.
You may have remembered Jack boasting about his absurd wealth; part of which he used to purchase a real pony made of diamonds. While this is presumably just Jack being Jack, this pony does exist - at least in the warped, fantasy land of Tiny Tina’s making. In fact, this diamond-encrusted stallion is the queen of a town called Flamerock Refuge, which you’ll find hanging out in the town. She’ll also, erm… “expel” some rare loot after feeding her 5 Eridium. This can be farmed as long as you’ve got Eridium to spend.
Next: Borderlands 3: The 10 Best Skills For FL4K, Ranked
