Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

*Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep* is a celebrated downloadable content (DLC) pack released for the 2012 video game *Borderlands 2*. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K, it initially launched on June 25, 2013. The premise revolves around the character Tiny Tina leading the original Vault Hunters (Lilith, Mordecai, and Brick) through a session of "Bunkers & Badasses," the Borderlands universe's chaotic equivalent of *Dungeons & Dragons*. You, as the current Vault Hunter (one of the six playable characters from *Borderlands 2*), experience this tabletop campaign firsthand. The core gameplay retains the first-person shooter, looter-shooter mechanics of *Borderlands 2*, but overlays them with a vibrant fantasy theme. Instead of battling bandits and robots on Pandora, players fight through hordes of skeletons, orcs, dwarves, knights, golems, spiders, and even dragons in a medieval-inspired world conjured by Tina's imagination. While the arsenal still consists mainly of firearms, fantasy elements are incorporated through features like grenade mods that function as regenerating magical spells (firing fireballs or lightning bolts), unique fantasy-themed weapons like the "Swordsplosion" shotgun, enemies like Mimics disguised as chests, smashable pottery replacing ammo crates, and dice chests where loot quality depends on dice rolls. The narrative follows a quest to defeat the Handsome Sorcerer (a fantasy reimagining of *Borderlands 2*'s main antagonist, Handsome Jack) and rescue the captured Queen. Throughout the adventure, Tiny Tina acts as the Bunker Master, narrating the story and frequently altering the game world, enemies, and plot points based on her whims and the other players' reactions. This leads to comedic situations, like initially facing an unbeatable dragon boss only for Tina to replace it with "Mister Boney Pants Guy" after complaints. Familiar faces from the main game, such as Moxxi, Mr. Torgue, and Claptrap, appear as characters within Tina's B&B campaign. Underneath the humor and fantasy trappings, *Assault on Dragon Keep* explores a deeper, more emotional theme: Tiny Tina's struggle to cope with the death of Roland, a major character and father figure killed during the main *Borderlands 2* campaign. Tina includes Roland as a heroic knight character in her game, creating dialogue and scenarios for him, reflecting her denial and difficulty processing her grief. This blend of comedy, fantasy action, and heartfelt storytelling contributed significantly to the DLC's positive reception. Critics widely praised *Assault on Dragon Keep* as the best DLC for *Borderlands 2*, often citing its creative premise, engaging gameplay, humorous writing filled with pop culture references (to *Dark Souls*, *Game of Thrones*, *Lord of the Rings*, etc.), and poignant underlying story. Its popularity led to it being included in compilations like *Borderlands: The Handsome Collection* and eventually re-released as a standalone game titled *Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure* on November 9, 2021. This standalone version was slightly tweaked for balance, starting players at level 1, and served as a promotional lead-in to a full spin-off game. That spin-off, *Tiny Tina's Wonderlands*, released in March 2022, directly follows the events of *Assault on Dragon Keep* and expands significantly on the fantasy looter-shooter concept introduced in the DLC. While playing *Assault on Dragon Keep* provides context, *Wonderlands* was designed as a standalone experience that doesn't require prior knowledge of the DLC or the main *Borderlands* series. The success of both the original DLC and *Wonderlands* suggests the possibility of further adventures within this fantasy-themed corner of the *Borderlands* universe.