Nothing is more entertaining than a good arms race, and Borderlands 3 can prove it. The new Designer's Cut DLC has given players a chance to participate in the Arms Race, a stand-alone game mode. Essentially, players will need to test their skills as vault hunters to earn more badass weapons while surviving the badlands.
But where do you start? For players who want to take a shot at the Arms Race, look no further! We'll walk you through how the Arms Race works and some tips to come out on top of the Arms Race.
Borderlands 3's Arms Race
The Arms Race is sort of like a battle royale game mode. The game will drop you in a map with no gear or skills, and players will need to collect loot while surviving the badlands. What's more, returning characters Axton and Salvador will be narrating the game.
Before jumping into the race, something to remember is that although Borderlands 3 is a great co-op game, it may be beneficial to do the Arms Race in solo mode. Once players are dropped into the battle royale, the countdown for the Murdercane starts. Staying in the control center won't help the player's survival against it. As the race continues, the Murdercane will make the area smaller and smaller and, although its pattern is predictable, time can become an issue. In solo mode, players will be able to actually stop the countdown timer of the Murdercane by simply opening the menu. This gives players infinite time to look at gear and make adjustments without being rushed into battle.
After players enter the portal in Dahl Geodome, they'll be randomly sent to a location relatively close to the center of the map. Somewhere around there, there will always be a white chest where the player drops, and usually, the drop zone is clear. Sometimes, dropping in can trigger enemies to arrive but, for the most part, the dropzone should be clear. Be sure to find the white chest and grab the starter gear!
After obtaining the player's starter items, head towards one of the chest locations on the map. These spots will have red chests with high-quality gear and are well guarded. Because this is a battle royale game, it's important that players don't delay. Quickly take out enemies and be sure to loot them, then keep going. Once the Arms Race begins, players will have three minutes before the area shrinks.
The key to the start of the race is to focus on red chests. Although there will be vending machines along the way and it may be tempting to purchase new weapons, it's important that players hold off at the beginning because, well, players don't have any money right away. Even if there are loot boxes on the way to the red chests, it's worth waiting until after looting a red chest before selling weapons, as the items in the red chests will be worth more.
Also, remember to keep an eye on the sky for airdrops. Usually, around the time players have picked up their first red chest, a few airdrops will have been marked on the map. But never move on an airdrop too fast, as they can spawn additional enemies. If a combat zone is stuffed to the teeth with enemies, players will need to face-off against an army, so be sure to keep an eye on the surroundings of an airdrop before diving in.
Airdrops will also attract human enemies. If a drop is by a zone with Spiderants, they'll all fight one another and keep each other distracted. This is the perfect point for players to sneak in and snag the drop. Airdrops can contain a number of things, from multiple chests to vending machines, so they're well worth the time to stop and check in on.
Once players have picked up a red chest and maybe stopped by an airdrop, it's time to get ready for a boss battle at the center of the map. If players can be quick, it may be worthwhile to stop by one of the extraction beacons to send some of the collected gear to the player's bank before the final boss. It's just something to think about before heading into the final boss.
As the storm reaches its final stage, be sure that players are at the center of the map. Just before jumping into the bunker and face off with this monstrosity, stock up on ammo and health. This is the perfect time to sell all the unneeded weapons, grenades, shields, and anything else players don't need. Hopefully, the vending machine will have something nice to offer before your final fight. This boss has three different life bars to contest against Shield, Armor, and Health, so keep this in mind as players are selling gear, and maybe keep a few elemental weapons to combat that. Perhaps keeping a Corrosive and Shock weapon for the Shield and Armor phases, then move to heavy-hitting weapons for the Health bar.
Now it's time to face off with the final boss. This bad boy will be riding a beast during his Shield and Armor phase. If players can destroy these two life bars, the beast will disappear. Throughout the boss's health bar phase, he'll call additional forces to make life tough. However, there will also always be a minor enemy to get a second wind on. So don't kill enemies for funsies, try taking them out based on necessity.
Remember, player scan find 20 new legendary items, including class mods for new Vault Hunter Skill Trees. Players will be able to find these items from any suitable loot source in Arms Race. The red chests, however, have dedicated drops with an increased chance to spawn 2 of the DLC 5 legendary weapons. Additionally, the final boss is guaranteed to drop 1 legendary item, making him a good source for one of the new class mods.
Borderlands 3 can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.