Borderlands 2 'Booty' provides wealth of content, actual wealth

Borderlands 2 kicks off its DLC plans with "Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty," a substantial expansion that adds plenty of booty for your buck.

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The first Borderlands was a reasonable hit at launch, but it truly stuck the landing on downloadable content. When DLC was more of a wild west concept, it was one of the games that did it right. The content was substantial, relatively inexpensive, and added value to the product as a whole. It set a high bar for Borderlands 2, making its first expansion, "Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty," a proving ground for Gearbox to show it still had the old mojo. And while it certainly isn't the game-changer of the free Mechromancer class (for Premier Club members), Scarlett adds quite a bit of booty for your buck.

This content is about wealth, in more ways than one. The new treasure chests sometimes poured money, and I found enough guns to sell off that I nearly doubled my banked funds in only a few hours of the main content. Money isn't scarce in Borderlands, but if you blew a lot of money on New-U Stations in the midst of a tough battle, this will certainly replenish your funds.

More significantly, the DLC offers a wealth of content. It starts off in an unassuming area of Oasis, but it doesn't take long for the content to show its colors. Plenty of new environments and a legion of new enemies in bright pirate garb greet you -- by trying to kill you, of course. Some of these are minor variations on old enemies, but the original ones stand out as fresh and exciting. Anchormen and Harpoonmen offer a legitimately frightening new threat, and the explosive-toting Powder Monkey offers a one-hit kill solution that requires care not to get too close when you finish the job. One mission even gives a sly nod to the Big Daddies and Little Sisters of BioShock.

Captain Scarlett serves as the main protagonist-ally, though that term might be too charitable. She is a pirate, after all, and she's honest enough to constantly remind you that she plans to stab you in the back as soon as you're no longer useful. The mission structure is very direct: Scarlett wants help finding the lost treasure of Captain Blade, and she notices the Vault Hunter is particularly good at murdering those who stand in her way. Hence, you're tasked with finding a compass that will lead to the booty. Arr.

Along the way, it introduces a cast of colorful new characters as well, and a wealth of associated side-missions that I've barely had a chance to crack into yet. The main story, revolving around Scarlett's hunt for the treasure, fizzles without much of a resolution. I would have liked to see more closure, but at least Gearbox wisely made good on the promise of loot. The treasure trove waiting at the end rivals the end-game, assuring at least a few useful weapons and plenty to sell off besides.

This may sound like a point of quantity over quality, but the DLC delivers on that front, too. The missions were varied, the humor was spot-on, and the enemies offered new tactical wrinkles to the combat. Gearbox hasn't outlined its plans for all of the upcoming expansions, but if they're as substantial as this one, Season Pass holders will be busy with the game for a long time to come.

Editor-In-Chief
From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 18, 2012 9:00 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Borderlands 2 'Booty' provides wealth of content, actual wealth.

    Borderlands 2 kicks off its DLC plans with "Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty," a substantial expansion that adds plenty of booty for your buck.

    • reply
      October 18, 2012 11:23 AM

      Beat BL2 last week and it was outstanding (if you like BL). Last night me and a friend started a coop game and both of us played as a Mechromancer and that class is just OP imo. Fun, but OP. We played that class til only about level 7 and we parted ways. I then logged into my lvl 35 commando and headed towards the Oasis. The first treasure chest I saw I opened and loot literally poured out and kept pouring out.. I only had time to clear out the town and logged, but if that was any constellation of what's to come... I'M READY!

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        October 18, 2012 11:25 AM

        It's a non-competitive game with no real-money shop, who gives a shit if a class is OP?

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          October 18, 2012 2:46 PM

          Given that people have complained enough about the Bee shield that it is now being nerfed, I'd say that there's probably quite a few who care about that.

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        October 18, 2012 2:55 PM

        It will not be OP once you get to TVH mode. It started off that way for me a well. i get my shit kicked in just as much as anyone else now.

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        October 18, 2012 3:06 PM

        first loot box i opened did the same thing. a few more later, and one had a grenade beeping at me. be careful!

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        October 18, 2012 3:16 PM

        [deleted]

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      October 18, 2012 11:44 AM

      Is this included with the DLC Pass? Maybe I should finally pick that pass up. Kinda think I'll wait for a cyber monday sale tho, I can feel it.

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        October 18, 2012 11:50 AM

        Yes, this is part of the Season Pass.

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      October 18, 2012 12:03 PM

      As a front pager and console hater, I approve of this DLC.

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        October 18, 2012 1:39 PM

        Console hater? You should leave your room and go out into the real world for a while.
        You must have serious social issues if you try and give yourself a status like that,
        play what you own, and leave the console players to what they want to play, PC is better, but you don't have to be a douchebag about it.

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          October 18, 2012 2:28 PM

          I agree with you 100% man, my post was completely sarcastic and a jab as some trolls lurking around here that label anyone who disagrees with them a "front pager" whatever the fuck that means, and a console hater.

          I was being a smart ass. So you are correct, I was being a douchbag, but not for the reason you envisioned.

          And I really do like this DLC!! That part was 100% serious

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            October 18, 2012 2:36 PM

            A sarcastic front pager? Who has been teaching you sarcasm?

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      October 18, 2012 2:47 PM

      I think the DLC is fine, but the raid lockout on the two bosses is dumb.

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