I just had an idea to ask about everyones favorite areas in BL2 and why not other BL games too. It can be a full map or just a part of one. It doesn’t matter why you enjoy it but some sort of explanation or backstory would of course be nice.
I think it’ll be interesting to see which areas people like this far down the line and why.
I have several areas that I really appreciate but I’ll just start with one for now:
Hayters Folly
Pirate DLC honestly starts a bit dull in my opinion. Oasis has recycled music and while the pirate bases are good the whole area around them is just a barren boring waste of space. Then you get to Wurmwater which is actually exactly the same deal except for the recycled music part. And then you go to Hayter’s Folly. The aesthetics caught my eye on the first go and I’ve liked the place ever since.
I don’t actually visit there often. There’s nothing to farm if you don’t want a 12 pounder (which is a fun weapon) or you somehow enjoy fighting Gee. The mobbing part of the map is very limited actually. The worst part is that a major part of the map is that area with Skags spawing on top of you and then they take forever to actually come down so I often end up just skipping a lot of them.
But the visuals are so very unique and after the first 2 maps of Scarlet’s it’s pretty striking. The map is very beautiful with all the water and crystals and the usual pirate-style platform structures. It’s an area that I rarely go to outside story completion and perhaps that is one reason I appreciate it so much as it’s a rare treat for me. Also as a player who listens to games musics I have to say that the theme is also spot on in this place. Makes me wish the combat version wouldn’t exist at all.
Shoutouts to Wam Bam Island as it has a similar vibe. Obviously some major differences and it has some unique things too. I might make a separate entry for it later. It’s not going to be my next one however.
Caustic Caverns is probably my favorite… bubble jumping (combined with a good amount of vertical gemeplay opportunities), mixed enemy types, hidden passages, a couple of fun easter eggs, a few red chests, good tubby chances, less-good-but-non-zero Vermivorous chances, elevator kills are available, and the enemy density on the Varkid Ramparts and Nether Hive is pretty good.
Another vote for the Caustic Caverns, even if there;s one particular spot that kept lagging, even on the PS4.
I’d like to add that the ambient song used on this map really adds to the atmosphere.
Borderlands 1
-I love Arid Badlands, partially because it’s iconic first area of first game which associates with lots of first adventures when starting new playthoughs. But the thing I take from it is the idea that new areas gradually gets unlocked while progressing through story. It brilliantly deals with a problem I have with open world locations- I want to explore and learn levels I play, yet it’s overwhelming if I get thrown into huge level that I’ve no idea what to begin with. On that note, it’s something I struggled with in BL2, until I got some foot in for memorizing the open locations it threw me into. Also I can note that it was such a great nostalgic experience to discover and explore Fyrestone area in BL2.
Borderlands 2
-Gingerton/Frost Bottom, because it feels like Christmas and it delivers me presents like Christmas. I love design of this level and the easy raid boss rewarded by candy and loot train.
I also like caustic caverns thematically. Not one of my favorites mainly because of the enemies there but the place does have a certain beauty to it.
My second entry is
Opportunity
I first stumbled in here before grabbing the quests there and it left a solid impression. It’s sparkly, futuristic and looks very different compared to any other locales in the game. I love how the place has ready city parts and unfinished construction sites. I didn’t even know until much later down the line that it also featured in BL2’s trailers.
Like Hayter’s Folly it’s an area that enjoys a rare treat bonus for me: outside of story I don’t go there too much. But if I want I can always jump in there for general mobbing and LLM farming. I probably would if LLM’s weren’t so trivialized by WEP and Thousand Cuts.
This place has a lot of elevation differences that are rare in this game. Constructions have deep holes with platforms while the city has balconies and other stuff to climb.
While I rarely play coop this is ■■■■■■■ great for that. Everyone can take a slightly different angle on the mobs if one player spawns them and the fact that there are small walls and other LOS blocks everywhere makes it kinda interesting and multilayered too.
I’m often not the guy that just runs a map just for the fun of running it and as such I rarely go to Opportunity as aside from LLM’s the only farmable thing is the foreman for Black hole (which is fun and good but not often something feel like using. It’s also very close to the entrance and doesn’t show you much of the place while farming it.). I’ve tend to farm the constructor challenge even on my secondary characters just because it gives me an opportunity to go to Opportunity.
If this place had 2-4 minibosses more to farm (for worthwhile stuff) I’d probably spend over half my BL2 time here. I love this place and it’s probably my favorite map in BL2 for it’s overall theme and feeling.
I’ll have to put my vote in for Sanctuary Hole. Just really like the atmosphere, and the soundtrack is pretty damn nice. Very close second is Thousand Cuts. Honorable mentions go to Highlands, Three Horns Divide and Bloodshot Ramparts.
Gotta agree with you there.
Some of the background effects in Eridium Blight are awesome as well.
I also like The Dust. It feels like one of the most Borderlandsy areas , is good for Tubby’s and you get a free gun , aswell as a few to farm.(Lyuda , Slagga , Maggie etc)
Lynchwood. I love the Wild West feel of facing down desperadoes while walking down main street. The Sheriff (once spawned) has a chance to drop one of the better relics in the game (and for Deputy Sal and other builds, an essential relic to be had), the quest to help Dukino is always fun and robbing a bank gives a bit more background on Brick, which is great. Also- NO FLYING ENEMIES.
In the main game - Opportunity. One of the best experiences I’ve had in this game was when Maya got her level 62 Godfinger and used Opportunity as a sniper playground to use it. Lots of interesting places you can climb to with long sightlines to various enemies.
DLCs, probably Rotgut Distillery. Though I feel like I’m being biased by the quests there being given by Moxxi and Innuendobot; trying to consider the map as a map independent of that, it’s fine but doesn’t seem so notable… Hatred’s Shadow, Hunter’s Grotto, Magnys Lighthouse, and Wam Bam Island have a lot going for them as well, but not to the point of one standing out above the rest for me.
TPS main - probably Veins of Helios. It’s kind of a pain in NVHM since I’m so focused on knocking out the map challenges, but once those are done it’s pretty cool with the huge volume and all the jump pads to bounce around the map. Lack of a fast travel is still a nuisance but it’s not too far from the Lunar Launching Station.
TPS DLC - racist hotdog arena, of course! I really like most of the Claptastic Voyage maps, actually. Trying to disentangle the map from the quest(s) you do there, I’d say Subconscious over the arena, I think (I love the repeatable, customizable arena setup which is why I put it first if the quest is included in the assessment).
Re: Caustic Caverns - I hate that place so much. The only good thing about it is that one never has to go there (unlike the Lair of Infinite Agony).
My favorite area? But there are so many good ones…
Okay, let’s try a scientific approach. What’s important to me?
A good soundtrack. “Good” is subjective, of course, but my involvement in music puts this at the top of the list.
Reasons to visit the place. Missions, farmable bosses (certain bosses may be more important than others due to their drops); just running through a map is a rare activity for me, but that may be because I don’t have everyone at max level yet, so I still have things to do.
The visuals. Another very subjective thing, but some maps clearly have spots where you’d say, “This looks gorgeous.” Others don’t.
Following that list, I’d say Hayter’s Folly is the one. Awesome ambient and combat music, the visuals are stunning, several missions lead there (less than some main game maps, but enough for a DLC), only the farming options (12 Pounder and Gee’s drops) and the mobbing potential are a bit thin.
Other good places:
All of the Assault on Dragon Keep maps. Awesome music, good visuals, though the boss density is a bit on the low side and some enemies are rather aggravating.
Caustic Caverns: decent music, good mobbing (if you’re into that) and some potential for good drops from Creepers, tubbies (varkids/spiderants), UBA varkids and perhaps Vermivorous.
Frost Bottom - good music (including that hilarious psycho song), and the loot train. Need I say more?
Southern Shelf (both parts) - I kind of like the “lonely” theme - a setting in a glacial landscape with fitting music, but there’s enough to do to prevent boredom, with Midge-Mong and a decent mob in the Bay half, and another decent mobbing area sandwiched between Boom+Bewm and Captain Flynt, plus easy access to Knuckle Dragger if desired. Good gear from most of them.
Three Horns (both parts) - the theme is similar to the Southern Shelf + Windshear Waste one, though a bit less inspiring. Can’t argue with the boss drops though (Harold, Fastball, Infinity, maybe some tubby stuff), and some of the bandit camps provide some decent mobbing opportunities.
Arid Nexus (both parts) - decent music, a selection of easy-to-reach bosses, plus tubbies. The visuals aren’t that great though.
Frostburn Canyon - yet another icy map, but the flamey bits add something unique. Some decent gear. The combat music isn’t as good though. I like how the composer referenced the ambient music to tie them together, but otherwise it just isn’t what I like to listen to.
Magnys Lighthouse - awesome ambient music, the combat music is rather meh though, and apart from a few missions there’s only the Little Evie to farm and some decent mobs.
Control Core Angel - awesome music, but apart from the mandatory story visit there’s no reason or even a way to visit that place.
Hallowed Hollow - good music. Decent visuals, decent mobs, but no bosses worth farming.
The Holy Spirits - sometimes you just need a bit of silence to appreciate the things you can play on the piano, be it by interacting with it or by tossing a bunch of tesla grenades at it (hint hint). It also has a radio (switch it off or destroy it for the piano experiments), and sometimes it plays the BL1 intro song.
For BL1 I don’t have enough experience to judge, and in TPS … I dunno, maybe Overlook? Outside Claptastic Voyage the only place where I found the music somewhat interesting was Crisis Scar (because the music matched my mood perfectly the first time I arrived there).
I need to mention that Lamento della Ninfa though (played while the claptraps die) - I wasn’t expecting Monteverdi to be heard in this type of video game. It was … … I can’t describe it, I just sat there and listened. And walked away.
