On June 12, Gearbox released a new addition to the fan favorite Borderlands 3, "Takedown at Guardian Breach." The new content is a particularly challenging raid, even for players that have been excessively farming previous DLC and building mayhem ranks. Even if players think that they are prepared, the Takedown is designed to be more difficult than other content in the game, so be prepared for a challenge. Upon completion of this event, players will be rewarded with a random drop of new legendary items consisting of unique guns, shields, and a grenade mod.
The three possible legendary gun drops are all rewards for beating the final boss of the Takedown, known as Scourge the Invincible. Unlike other story centered DLC that have been released for Borderlands 3, this new addition plays very similarly to a raid like those from the Destiny series. However, the general consensus surrounding this new encounter seems to believe that it presents a fairly sizable challenge, which steers many players away from it. On the other hand, the challenge can also be rewarding, provided players know how to build their loadouts.
Of the three legendary guns that can drop upon defeating Scourge, the most common drop seems to be a new assault rifle named the Web Slinger. This COV assault rifle shoots webbed projectiles, capable of firing two elements at once, and it drops with cryogenic, corrosive, or incendiary effects. Based on the difficulty of the raid, players believe that this common drop should have more damage, as an incentive reward. Because previous additions to the game have appropriately rewarded those who completed the challenge, players are hoping that other drops will compensate their hard work during the "Breach".
The Globetrottrr is another new legendary drop for those who defeat Scourge, and this rocket launcher has been dubbed "the new go-to launcher" by Youtuber DPJ. With its improved accuracy, handling and damage over other launchers in the game, the Globetrottrr has become one of the new favorites of many players. The game's previous "go-to launcher," known as the Yellowcake, has been significantly nerfed across the board, and the Globetrottrr has received many of its previous stats.
Finally, Scourge the Invincible also has the possibility to drop a powerful SMG known as the Powerhouse Smog. This gun can drop with either incendiary damage or no elemental damage, the higher possibility being the latter. The Smog gains increased weapon damage when the gun shield is full, and also boasts a 300% increased weapon damage against enemies with 90% health or more. Because of its extensive stacking possibilities, it is probably the most powerful gun that this raid has the potential to drop.
The final three legendary items that have been introduced to the game only drop with the defeat of another boss from this chapter, known as Anathema the Relentless. Although other Borderlands 3 additions introduce new characters and environments, "Takedown" is more centered around defeating large and challenging bosses, and rewarding players with unique items. For example, when defeating Anathema, players have the possibility of receiving one of two new shields, or even a new grenade mod. The first of these is known as the Asclepius, and it is capable of granting the wearer 50% extra elemental resistance while depleted. This is a unique factor, as many of the game's shields have to be fully charged before their effects kick in. Although this shield is not the most useful addition to the game, there is another that brings more potential to the table.
The Spike Stinger is another possible drop after completing this challenge, although its effects focus on melee damage. While the shield is at full capacity, melee attacks are increased by 50%. If the shield is depleted and players are hit with melee attacks, a portion of that damage is returned to the enemy that hit them. This shield would be particularly useful for fans of the Siren class, or even those who enjoyed playing Kreig in Borderlands 2. Getting up close and personal with enemies not only allows for increased damage, but adding this shield to a player's arsenal will increase their survivability in the thick of a fight.
Finally, the last legendary drop from "Takedown on the Breach" is a grenade mod named Lightspeed. This grenade gets its name from the speed at which it is thrown, before it splits into different projectiles. These projectiles have a slight tracking feature, allowing for increased damage to specific enemy targets. Because each projectile goes a different way, this grenade is perfect for taking out large crowds of enemies, despite its lack of elemental damage.
Overall, "The Takedown at Guardian Breach" has been viewed as a particularly challenging raid, and for good reason. As raids such as this are usually built for co-op play, "Takedown" has only recently been modified for solo play, and is therefore much more difficult. However, Gearbox has admitted that its new Mayhem Mode is not intended to be a walk in the park, as they want players to earn their rewards. But after learning about the rewards from "Takedown," users are questioning if the possible drops compensate the challenge.
Although opinions still seem to be mixed about the most recent addition to the base game of Borderlands 3, the fights are unique to each player based on their loadouts and capabilities with FPS games such as this. Before playing the new "Takedown," players are encouraged to farm previous levels, and understand that this challenge is Mayhem level 10, which is the hardest difficulty level in the game. No matter a player's skill or loadout in Borderlands 3, gamers can expect a significant challenge from "Takedown at the Guardian Breach."
Borderlands 3Â is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
