What's the game about?

PC System Requirements

A set of minimum and recommended system requirements for the game are also available. The game is fair on hardware requirements compared to recent AAA games, which should be a welcome sight for those without the latest and greatest PCs. The full requirements are as listed below:

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 7/8/10 (latest service pack)
• CPU: AMD FX-8350/Intel Core i5-3570
• Memory: 6GB RAM
• GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7970/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB
• Storage: 75GB free

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 7/8/10 (latest service pack)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600/Intel Core i7-4770
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 590/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
• Storage: 75GB free

Plot

Some time after Handsome Jack's death and the fall of Hyperion, the game's antagonists Troy and Tyreen Calypso learn of other Vaults beyond the planet Pandora, and form a violent cult named the "Children of the Vault" to gain possession of them. Lilith, one of the player characters from the first Borderlands game, recruits the player's new "Vault Hunter" character to help stop the Calypso twins. Many characters from previous Borderlands games are set to return, including those from the spin-off game Tales from the Borderlands.

Answering a recruiting call from the Crimson Raiders, a new team of Vault Hunters (Amara, Moze, Zane, and FL4K) arrive on Pandora only to find that the Crimson Raiders have been put on the brink of annihilation at the hands of the Children of the Vault. They meet with Lilith, who orders them to recover a Vault Map that was stolen from the Crimson Raiders. With help from Vaughn and Patricia Tannis, the Vault Hunters are able to recover the Map, which directs them to Promethea, the location of the first discovered Vault and the Atlas Corporation's headquarters. However, before they can depart, they are ambushed by Tyreen and Troy. Tyreen reveals herself to be a Siren who can drain the life force from other living beings, and uses her ability to steal Lilith's Siren powers. The Calypso twins taunt the Vault Hunters before leaving for Promethea.

The Vault Hunters and Crimson Raiders take their own ship, the Sanctuary III, to Promethea to reach the Vault first. Upon arriving, they find the planet under siege by a Maliwan fleet led by Katagawa Jr., who wants to forcibly merge Atlas into Maliwan. In addition, the Children of the Vault have entered into an alliance with Maliwan. The Vault Hunters land on Promethea and make contact with Atlas CEO Rhys and his subordinates Lorelei and Zer0. Working together, they are able to briefly repel the Maliwan assault. Rhys reveals that a Key is needed for the Promethea Vault, and that one of the three pieces is located on the holy world of Athenas. The Vault Hunters head for Athenas, where they find the Key piece being protected by Maya and her apprentice Ava. After repelling Maliwan forces, Maya and Ava give the Vault Hunters the Promethea Key piece and join the Crimson Raiders. Upon returning to Promethea, the Vault Hunters discover the planet once again under siege by a Maliwan orbital laser cannon. With Rhys' help, they disable the cannon by stealing its power source, the second piece of the Promethea Key. Rhys then reveals he has possession of the third piece. Katagawa Jr. assaults Atlas HQ in a last ditch attempt to topple the company but is killed by the Vault Hunters. The Vault Hunters then race the Children of the Vault to the Promethea Vault, where they encounter and defeat the Rampager, a massive alien beast. The Calypso twins then arrive, and Tyreen absorbs the dead Rampager's power. Ava attempts to attack the twins but is easily overpowered. Maya intervenes to save her, but ends up dying when her life force is drained by Troy.

Enraged, the Vault Hunters and Crimson Raiders decide to head to the location of the next Vault on Eden-6, owned by the Jakobs family. Upon arriving, they find that the planet has already been invaded by the Children of the Vault. After assisting Wainwright Jakobs, he agrees to help the Vault Hunters obtain the Eden Vault Key if they rescue his lover Alistair Hammerlock from the Children of the Vault. The Vault Hunters team up with Brick, Mordecai, and Tina to rescue Alistair, who reveals he was betrayed by his sister Aurelia who has sided with the Calypso twins and seized the Jakobs Manor. The Vault Hunters gather the three pieces of the Eden Vault Key and head to the Jakobs Manor to open the Eden Vault. Aurelia attempts to stop them but is killed. The Vault Hunters open the Eden Vault and kill the beast it contains, the Graveward. Tannis then uses a special device to drain the Graveward's energy before the Calypso twins can. Furious, the Calypso twins kidnap Tannis and take her to Pandora where they plan to publicly execute her.

The Vault Hunters and Crimson Raiders return to Pandora, where they attempt to rescue Tannis. During the rescue attempt, Tannis reveals that she also has Siren powers, which help turn the tide. She later explains that she had inherited Angel's Siren powers after her death, a fact that both she and Lilith kept secret for her safety. Tannis then warns the Vault Hunters that the Calypso twins are preparing to open the Great Vault hidden in Pandora so they can drain the energy of the beast contained within it. The Vault Hunters and Crimson Raiders assault the Children of the Vault's main headquarters in an attempt to stop the opening of the Great Vault, but are too late to stop Troy from activating the Great Vault Key, which is the entire moon of Elpis. The Vault Hunters fight Troy and kill him, but Tyreen absorbs his energy and escapes. Ava meanwhile inherits Maya's Siren powers that Troy had stolen. The Vault Hunters are then contacted by Typhon DeLeon, the first Vault Hunter, who warns them that the Great Vault contains a beast called the Destroyer, which has the power to destroy the universe. He then summons the Vault Hunters to the long lost Eridian homeworld, Necrotodefayo.

At Necrotodefayo, Typhon further explains that the Great Vault isn't simply located on Pandora, but is the entire planet of Pandora itself. The Eridians sacrificed their entire civilization to contain the Destroyer, but left behind the device they used in case the Destroyer escaped. As they gather the four Vault Keys needed to power the device, Tyreen reveals that Typhon is in fact her and Troy's father. Typhon admits that he had tried to keep the twins locked away on Necrotodefayo to protect them, but it only served to make them bitter and power hungry. Tyreen destroys the device before it can be used and mortally wounds Typhon before escaping back to Pandora. The Vault Hunters follow Tyreen just as she merges herself with the Destroyer and battles them. The Vault Hunters are able to kill Tyreen and the Destroyer, and Lilith regains her Siren powers. However, Elpis threatens to destroy Pandora as it continues to open the Great Vault. Lilith sacrifices herself to shut down Elpis, permanently leaving a flaming Firehawk sign branded on the moon.

During the credits, scenes depict the Vault Hunters, the Crimson Raiders, and their allies honoring and memorializing Lilith, Alistair and Wainwright marrying, Tina, Brick, and Mordecai playing Bunkers and Badasses, and ending with a shot of everyone looking at the Firehawk sign.