Despite the success of the RPG shooting epic that is Borderlands 3, its predecessor is still viewed in some circles as the peak of the series. For many, it’s a timeless classic that’s held up to this day. The thrilling action, accessible gameplay, memorable characters - along with the release of the Legendary Collection and Commander Lilith DLC - have kept its momentum churning.
The game’s unique, unforgettable nature coupled with its layers of detail make it no surprise that there are loads of interesting facts and trivia related to Borderlands 2 specifically. After all, the first game was but a mere blip at first. It was this game that positioned Gearbox at the forefront of FPS games.
10 The Game Still Has A Consistent Userbase
Classics never die, as they say, and Borderlands 2 remains just as enjoyable as ever for many fans. At least, the success and trends of the title would seem to fall in line with this notion. Though Tales from the Borderlands should be in the limelight with its return to digital storefronts and launch on Nintendo Switch, Borderlands 2 is apparently still going strong.
Publisher Take Two’s 2019 earnings report announced that the game has sold a whopping 20 million units. Not only this, but it’s maintained roughly a million monthly users eight years later. Those are numbers that some brand new games don’t achieve.
9 Possible Leftover Content From A Canceled DLC
Gearbox delighted and surprised fans after announcing the release of a new DLC pack for Borderlands 2 several years after its launch. It could even be enjoyed for free for a limited time. This added content introduced a new villain along with some new guns and weapon rarity known as “Effervescent”.
Though it’s not confirmed, fans have widely speculated that content from this was, in some form, recycled from the canceled DLC for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. After all, the prominent themes of plant-ridden locales and infected baddies are similar to the concept art of the DLC-that-never-was called Luxy’s Space Adventure.
8 The Origins Of Tiny Tina’s Voice Actress
There are numerous reasons why Borderlands 2 remains a fan-favorite in this Gearbox franchise. Among them is the lovable anarchist Tiny Tina and the memorable portrayal by Ashly Burch who brings a uniquely zany personality to the character.
The voice actress and writer was, in fact, recruited by her brother Anthony Burch who happens to have worked as the lead writer for the game. She would go on to voice various other characters, too, such as Miss Pauling in Team Fortress 2, Life is Strange’s Chloe Price, and Mel from The Last of Us 2, and, most notably, Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn.
7 The Game’s Bounty Of DLC Packs
When it comes to DLC content in modern gaming, there tends to be a plethora to choose from – especially in the FPS and RPG genres. Given that the BL series has a foot in both genres, it would stand to reason that the game is brimming with this extra content. Thanks to its popularity and depth, Borderlands 2 has one of the most expansive catalogs of DLC in gaming. There exist close to a dozen packs including the five bite-sized Headhunter packs.
These include the fantasy-inspired Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, as well as the recent Commander Lilith post-game content. There are additionally DLC Class Packs including the fan-favorite brawling class Psycho and microtransactions in the form of customization packs.
6 Award Wins And Many Nominations
With Borderlands 2, Gearbox managed to score quite a few accolades in 2012 and 2013. Between major events like the Spike Video Game Awards, D. I. C. E. Awards, and Golden Joystick Awards, the RPG-shooter has notched seven accolades.
These include “best shooter”, “action game of the year”, as well as awards for performances by Dameon Clarke (Handsome Jack) and David Eddings (Claptrap). On top of this, the game also received more than 20 other nominations in areas like visual arts, multiplayer, and writing.
5 A Gaming Glitch Becomes Canon
There are many examples of happy accidents when it comes to art and entertainment, and Borderlands is no different. In fact, a staple trademark for one of the game’s more renowned characters, Tiny Tina, can be traced back to a simple glitch.
When talking to Tina, one of her eyes can be seen wigging out and drifting somewhat. This was actually the result of a bug in the software. Fittingly though, the development team decided to leave it in as it meshed pretty well with her rather off-kilter character.
4 A Minecraft Easter Egg
There is no shortage of amusing references in this bonkers romp ranging from the prominent and loud to the subtle and easily missed. Explorers of Caustic Caverns who also belong to Minecraft’s large fanbase are likely to recognize one neat easter egg within its depths.
A small cave nestled in the northwest region of the map is home to some of Minecraft’s more dangerous foes known as Creepers. And yes – they do behave in very much the same explosive manner. Fittingly, these monsters lurk behind a wall of breakable Minecraft-style dirt blocks.
Not only this but killing these Creepers yields a chance to nab a head or skin themed after the game, as well a couple of Minecraft-inspired weapons: the Blockhead shotty and Hyperion sniper rifle.
3 The Iconic Ad-Libs Of Handsome Jack’s Voice Actor
Though the fan-favorite villain Handsome Jack has an array of great quotes to draw from, a couple of his most iconic happen to be ad-libs by voice actor Dameon Clarke. The first occurs early in the game during one of Jack’s many bouts of trolling the player. He can be heard eating pretzels, at which point he exclaims that “these pretzels suck!” As the story goes, the actor was actually eating pretzels thus leading to this spontaneous line.
The outrageous name Jack gives to his lovely horse “Butt Stallion” also happens to be an improvised line that was amusingly left in the game. Supposedly, writer Anthony Burch wasn’t too thrilled that these became two of Jack’s most popular one-liners as neither of them involved his writing.
2 The Baby Maker’s Biological Accuracy
One of Borderlands’ charms is the unique and often bizarre nature of many of its weapons. From burger-launchers to shrieking SMGs, there are plenty of personality-filled guns to find. Then there’s the more subtly peculiar nature of the Baby Maker SMG.
Its users might have noticed the weird behavior of its reload which births smaller versions of itself during this action. Apparently, its chances of yielding a pink or blue version of the gun are actually derived from US birth statistics for males and females.
1 The Amusing Inspiration Behind Handsome Jack
With great art often comes great inspiration and this is the case with Borderlands 2’s delightful villain Handsome Jack. Apparently, the narcissistic, sadistic antagonist was largely inspired by an interview with actor Nathan Fillion on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Specifically, he came across as “charming and funny, but also slightly arrogant in a down-to-Earth kind of way.” These were traits that were more-or-less adapted for Jack’s unique persona. Go figure. Of course, this influence doesn’t include his name which is actually a reference to Doctor Who’s Captain Jack Harkness.
NEXT: 7 Things Borderlands 3 Does Better Than Borderlands 2 (& 7 Things Borderlands 2 Does Better)
