Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
A fantasy-themed Borderlands spin-off set in a tabletop RPG world.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a 2022 action role-playing first-person shooter from Gearbox Software and 2K. It's a spin-off of the Borderlands series and follows up on the Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep DLC for Borderlands 2. The whole game takes place inside a fantasy-themed tabletop role-playing game. It launched in March 2022 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Like earlier Borderlands games, it's a first-person shooter with action RPG elements. You can play alone or with up to three others online or via local split-screen. The game world is a tabletop RPG setting, and there's an overworld map for traveling between locations, with random combat encounters and quests exclusive to that map.
The game builds on Borderlands standards but changes several things. Instead of playing a pre-made Vault Hunter with a set personality, you create a custom character using a character creator. There are six character classes (a seventh, the Blightcaller, came in DLC), and for the first time in the series you can mix and match skills from different classes. Your avatar has stats you upgrade with "hero points." You get a huge arsenal of guns and, new for the series, melee weapons. The loot system is procedurally generated, like in Borderlands, creating countless weapon and gear combinations. New gear types include a dedicated fifth weapon slot for melee weapons to encourage close combat. Grenades are replaced with a spell slot on a cooldown, letting you cast things like summoning meteors or turning enemies into sheep. There are also two ring slots and an amulet slot to boost your character further.
After the main campaign, you unlock the Chaos Chamber, an infinite dungeon mode. Each run has six levels and two bosses, with enemies and bosses randomly chosen. After each level, you pick a portal that gives perks, combat advantages, or "curses" that hinder you. Bosses drop legendary weapons, and you can spend crystals for extra loot.
The story is set after the Borderlands 2 DLC Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. It happens inside a tabletop RPG called "Bunkers & Badasses," with Tiny Tina as the dungeon master who can change the world on the fly. It begins with Valentine, Frette, and the player (called The Newbie) about to defeat the Dragon Lord.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- 2K
- Director
- Matt Cox
- Producer
- Kayla Belmore
- Writer
- Sam Winkler
- Composer
- Joshua Carro
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Series
- Borderlands
- Released
- March 25, 2022
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set after the Borderlands 2 expansion pack Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, within a fantasy-themed tabletop role-playing game named 'Bunkers & Badasses'. Tiny Tina serves as the dungeon master, able to change the game's world on the fly. The story follows the player character, known as The Newbie or The Fatemaker, alongside Valentine and Frette, as they oppose the Dragon Lord, a villain who becomes aware that the Wonderlands is just a game and seeks to sever Tina's control over it. The Dragon Lord was originally Tina's personal character, the Dragon Knight, but turned evil after she improperly used the Sword of Souls, leading her to swear off playing as a character and instead become a Bunker Master who ensures heroes always win.
Reader's Guide
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands builds upon the standards of the Borderlands franchise while introducing several key differences. Players create a custom character using a character creator system rather than selecting a predefined vault hunter, and for the first time in the series, can mix and match skills from six different character classes (with a seventh, the Blightcaller, added via DLC). The game features procedurally generated weapons and loot, a melee weapon slot, spells that replace grenades, and new gear slots for rings and an amulet. An overworld inspired by Japanese role-playing games allows traversal and random encounters. After the main campaign, players unlock the Chaos Chamber, an infinite dungeon mode with randomized enemies and bosses. The game was the first in the Borderlands franchise to feature full crossplay between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Post-release, a season pass introduced the Mirrors of Mystery endgame content, beginning with Coiled Captors in April 2022, which received an underwhelming response from players.
Did You Know?
- The game features an overworld system inspired by Japanese role-playing games such as the Final Fantasy series.
- The Dragon Lord is voiced by Will Arnett, and Valentine and Frette are voiced by Andy Samberg and Wanda Sykes respectively.
- Ahead of Wonderlands' release, Gearbox released the Borderlands 2 DLC Assault on Dragon Keep as a standalone game titled Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure.
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