Developer Gearbox Software has slowly been releasing details of its upcoming Tiny Tina's Wonderlands ahead of the game's launch later this year, and fans of the follow-up to Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep have been eager for more news. With confirmation that Tiny Tina's Wonderlands has recently gone gold, players will be able to finally get their hands on the game in a matter of weeks. In the meantime, whatever details and features can be gleaned from trailers and development updates have been keeping them sustained.
With a combination of classic fantasy-themed tabletop role-playing and the Borderlands series' signature looter shooter zaniness, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands marks a slight departure for the franchise. The game features Tina as the dungeon master, and players will have to navigate the overworld as well as the fantasy-themed areas within the game, all while taking out enemies and dancing to the tune of their tiny DM who could change the world at whim. While a handful of details have been released prior to the game's launch, there is still much that gamers will only know once they actually get to play Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. However, the reveal of all six playable classes has raised some questions, one of which is the overabundance of character Companions.
Playable Characters And Their Companions
Now that all six of the playable classes have been revealed, gamers are able to get a good look at the abilities and playstyles on offer ahead of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands launch to see who and how they might like to play. From the icy Brr-Zerkers to the nature-based Spore Warden, the game offers a fair few options. Each class has its own abilities, stats, and specialties, and players familiar with tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons will no doubt find classes that feel familiar. Some players will probably have their biases and favorites decided ahead of time, but others may wait until they can get their hands on the game to decide how they want to play.
Gearbox released a small summary of each of the playable classes, alongside a glimpse at how they can handle in-game. With classes like Brr-Zerkers and Clawbringers able to do tons of elemental damage, to more traditional magic users like Spellshots and the familiarly rogue-like Stabbomancers, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands looks like it offers classic fantasy RPG elements with a Borderlands twist. As this is the main ethos behind the game, it's no wonder the classes appear as they do, but it makes over-used features feel fresh and original nonetheless.
An aspect that was discovered with the class reveals, alongside the list of abilities and powers, was the availability of Companion creatures. While these are not features for every class, there are three that allow players to bring along a helpful ally in addition to their party members. The Spore Warden has a toxic-spewing Mushroom, the Clawbringer has a fire-breathing Wyvern, and the Graveborn has a demonic Demi-Lich. Each of these companions has its own abilities and buffs alongside the powers of the character, and could prove immeasurably useful when it comes to combat.
Why The Number Of Companions May Be Too High
Although the option to have Companions fighting alongside player characters seems like a neat addition, it could potentially lead to some problems. While the developers made the decision to not include Companions for every class in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, it does seem like a great added extra that may prove popular among players. However, this could lead to player parties becoming overrun with the same class types, resulting in an unbalanced and hardly diversified group. As gamers can engage in co-op with up to three other players, it makes sense to try and vary the party as much as possible so that players have multiple options when taking down enemies.
With the reveal of the different classes, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands multiclass system was also detailed in some pre-launch updates. Although players must select one class to begin with, as they level up their character they will be able to unlock another slot and select an additional class to combine abilities. While this offers exciting opportunities to mix and match and create some unique combinations, it also means that players could potentially have two Companions on the go if they picked a dual combo of Graveborn, Spore Warden, or Clawbringer.
This means that gamers could possibly be looking at a situation, depending on how many members are in their party and which classes they've chosen, where there are eight Companions on the field at once. With four player characters and this many Companions, things could get a little cramped to say the least, especially if gamers are using Tiny Tina's Wonderlands split-screen co-op option.
Although having more allies is not necessarily a bad problem to have, the battlefield could become crowded and chaotic, and the combat perhaps a bit too unchallenging with so much support on offer. Hopefully Gearbox has taken these into account when shaping Tiny Tina's Wonderlands class structure, and the gameplay still feels balanced as well as engaging.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will be released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox X/S on March 25th.
