Getting acquainted with the Pre-Sequel in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is currently available for free on PC via the Epic Games Store until June 4th, as part of Epic’s Free Game Fridays deal. Not only does this net you the enormous Borderlands 2 and all it’s DLC, you’ll also get Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in the bundle as well, yours to keep forever. The Pre-Sequel differs from Borderlands 2 in some important ways, so we’ve put together this handy guide detailing what to expect on Pandora’s moon of Elpis.

Whole new classes

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel offers four completely new playable Vault Hunters, all of whom appeared as NPCs in Borderlands 2, and all of whom sport new abilities. Athena the Gladiator has a damage absorbing shield that can also be thrown at enemies, while Nisha’s “showdown ability” massively increases her accuracy and damage output with guns. 

If you’re playing solo, you might consider playing as the Lawbringer, whose twin drones help even the odds against Borderlands’ enemy hordes. If, on the other hand, you want to roll the dice, Claptrap’s “VaultHunter.EXE” ability triggers chaotic random events, from dropping a pile of grenades onto the battlefield, to transforming the robotic chatterbox into an actual pirate ship, complete with fireable cannons.

Moon physics

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place on Pandora’s moon Elpis, which has a weaker gravitational field than the planet itself. This means you can jump much higher than in Borderlands 2, enabling a broader range of evasion and attack tactics. Also, when equipped with a jetpack, you can perform double-jumps, and ground-slam that damages enemies, so be sure to experiment with your new movement capabilities.

New toys

The Pre-Sequel features most of the core weapon mechanics from Borderlands 2, but adds a couple of new features you might want to take note of. Alongside existing elemental weapons like Shock weapons and Corrosive weapons, the Pre-Sequel adds Cryo weapons. Cryo can slow and even freeze enemies, who can then be shattered with a well-placed melee attack. The Pre-Sequel also adds laser weapons to Borderlands’ already-eclectic array of guns, because what’s the point of travelling through space if you don’t have laser guns to shoot?

Head over to the Epic Game Store now to get your free copy of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.