Borderlands 3 has a pretty robust stack of endgame activities for hardcore players to sink their teeth into. After completing the main quest, which should last somewhere around 30 hours, players can jump into two returning endgame activities including the Circle of Slaughter Mode and Guardian Ranks (previously known as Badass Ranks). There's also a third brand new mode coming to Borderlands 3's endgame, called Proving Grounds.
Proving Grounds are dungeon-like areas that players will need to locate by deciphering alien messages to reveal coordinates to the location. In the Proving Grounds, players will need to defeat multiple waves of enemies and a final boss either solo or with friends through matchmaking, and complete set objectives within a 30-minute time limit for a chance at the games best loot. So how are the Proving Grounds unlocked?
HOW TO UNLOCK PROVING GROUNDS
First of all, players won't be able to unlock any of the endgame activities until the main quest has been completed. Once the main quest has been completed, there will be six beacons scattered in the world which each lead to a specific Trial. Players will need to have unlocked a device called the Eridian Analyzer and deciphered ancient alien text off the all of the Eridian Stone Slabs, one of the collectibles in Borderlands 3. There are currently six Trials available at launch, each being one of the Proving Grounds dungeons, with more expected in the Borderlands 3 Season Pass DLC.
WHERE TO FIND THE BEACONS
There are a total of six beacons that can be found which will appear on the map as a yellow exclamation mark (!). Locating one of the beacons will activate a Proving Grounds quest for that planet and players will need to head back to Sanctuary III to speak with Tannis. Once complete, the newly located Trial is now available to play will now appear as a destination on the Sanctuary map.
Here's where each of the six beacons can be located in Borderlands 3:
- The Trial of Survival: Found on Pandora in the Devil’s Razor.
- The Trial of Cunning: Found on Pandora in the Splinterlands.
- The Trial of Discipline: Found on Promethea in the Meridian Outskirts.
- The Trial of Supremacy: Found on Nekrotafeyo in the Desolation’s Edge.
- The Trial of Instinct: Found on Eden-6 in the Floodmoor Basin.
- The Trial of Fervor: Found on Eden-6 in Jakobs Estate.
WHAT NEXT?
Proving Grounds is a repeatable activity that gives players a chance to unlock some of the game's best loot. Overall, there are a total of 6 different Proving Grounds dungeons in Borderlands 3 at launch, each of which has certain objectives to complete for a better chance at good loot, for example, complete the trial without dying or killing the boss with 20-minutes still left on the clock. So, keep running the Proving Grounds missions while aiming to complete as many mini-objectives as possible for the best chance at the best loot in Borderlands 3.
Borderlands 3Â is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
