Borderlands 3’sthird story DLC has officially been revealed, and this time Gearbox is sending players into the Wild West, or whatever would be closest to such a thing in theBorderlandsuniverse. The DLC is officially called “Bounty of Blood: A Fistful of Redemption” and, much like the previous DLCs so far, embodies a genre theme. This time, players are going to live out a Western in the town of Vestige. During the reveal stream, there was no mention of any returning characters, but there is one character inBorderlandslore that would fit in perfectly for this DLC - and considering that both previous DLCs featured a classic character there’s a good chance this face is going to appear in DLC 3.
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Familiar Faces
So far, both of the DLCs forBorderlands 3have featured a character from a previous installment. DLC 1, Moxxi’s Heist, featured Timothy Lawrence - aka The Doppelganger fromBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Timothy was a playable character who was added toThe Pre-Sequelas DLC. This Jack look-a-like was perfect for those who really wanted to have Handsome Jack as a playable character, but didn’t want to muddy the narrative up. DLC 2 featured the return of the beloved Mechromancer, Gaige. Gaige was also a DLC character who was added toBorderlands 2and quickly became a fan-favorite character. In the “Guns, Love, and Tentacles” DLC, Gaige served as Hammerlock and Wainwright’s wedding planner, and continued to be the beloved character that many fans adore.
So far the trend is that every DLC will feature a returning character in some way, shape, or form. While DLC 4 may have alreadyhinted at a returning character, so far there is no indication as to whether or not Bounty of Blood will feature a familiar face. However, the western theme and the idea of bounties may perhaps hint at the return of one of the previous Vault Hunters: Salvador. In DLC 2, bounty posters can be found in the Lodge for those who have spurned Mancubus Bloodtooth, usually with unpaid tabs. On this board, a bounty for Salvador can be found, which has led many to believe that the Gunzerker will be making a return inBorderlands 3. With the premise of DLC 3 being that the Vault Hunters are going to claim a bounty on Gehenna, it may be possible that the Vault Hunters will stumble upon Salvador there.
The Return of the Gunzerker
Salvador was infamous inBorderlands 2as being one of the most overpowered characters in the game - and perhaps the entire series. What was first shrugged off as a gimmick action skill quickly turned into the go-to ability for pushing into the OP levels ofBorderlands 2. Not much is known about where Salvador (or the other Vault Hunters) went after the events ofBorderlands 2, but perhaps Bounty of Blood will bridge the gap between the end ofBorderlands 2and the start ofBorderlands 3. Salvador is known to have a legally-questionable past, boasting one of the highest bounties inBorderlands 2- all for averylong list of crimes. It would make perfect sense for a high-bounty target to appear inDLC 3’s wild west setting.
In addition to all of this, if a returning character is coming back for this DLC, there are few others who would actually fit well with this setting and plot. Axton was a war criminal-turned-model inBorderlandscanon, so he wouldn’t fit well here. Most of thePre-Sequelcast is dead at this point, save for Timothy. The only other Vault Hunter out there who hasn’t shown up yet is Krieg, and he seems to potentially be the focus for DLC 4. They could try to tie in theTales from the Borderlandscast, which could be a possibility considering the recent rumors of aTales From the Borderlandsremake. However, Salvador is by far the best fit for this western setting, and hopefully Gearbox will actually make that possibility a reality when they reveal more information about the upcoming DLC.
Borderlands 3is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
