Gameplay
Gameplay in The Pre-Sequel is similar to Borderlands 2, but with the addition of new mechanics. Two varieties of items have been added, including laser guns, and items possessing a cryogenic elemental effect, which can be used to slow down and freeze enemies. Enemies that are frozen can be smashed into pieces by using melee attacks. The game features low-gravity environments, causing players to jump higher but slower, and items such as loot and dead bodies to float away. O2 kits are added to supply air while in space; oxygen supplies can be replenished using generators, vents, and through oxygen tank items dropped by enemies. The kits can be used like a jetpack to perform double jumps, hovering, and ground slamming attacks; as with other items, different types of O2 kits can provide stat bonuses and affect how ground slams deal damage. A new "Grinder" machine allows players to deposit combinations of existing weapons to receive one of higher rarity. Vehicles were introduced, including a moon buggy, and the "Stingray"—a type of hoverbike.
As with Borderlands 2, completing the main campaign with a character unlocks "True Vault Hunter Mode", a second playthrough that is higher in difficulty, while beating the mode and reaching level 50 unlocks the third playthrough "Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode".
Plot
Characters
The Pre-Sequel features four playable characters, each with a different class and abilities. All four of The Pre-Sequel's protagonists were non-player characters (NPCs) in previous Borderlands games.
Athena, "the Gladiator", is a rogue assassin from the Atlas Corporation introduced in the Borderlands DLC campaign The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. As her primary skill, Athena can use a temporary shield to absorb damage; this ability can be upgraded to make the shield itself into a weapon that can be thrown at enemies, and allow it to absorb elemental damage which can in turn, be reflected back at enemies.
Nisha, "the Lawbringer", first appeared in Borderlands 2 as the unnamed sheriff of the town of Lynchwood. Her primary skill, "Showdown", increases gun damage and speed, and allows the player to quickly switch between enemies in the area. Her skill tree "Law & Order" contains skills oriented towards collecting buffs known as "Order", which can heal, recharge health and shields, or temporarily increase other stats depending on the number of Order stacks collected. The "Fan the Hammer" skill tree is oriented towards dealing additional damage using guns along with the ability to dual-wield, while "The Riflewoman" incorporates skills that provide buffs for point shooting and reload speed.
Claptrap, "the Fragtrap", is the last remaining robot of its kind as of Borderlands 2; his skill "VaultHunter.exe" generates random effects depending on the current situation. These effects can have a positive or negative impact on the player and their other party members; among these effects are versions of skills used by the previous playable characters in the franchise.
The mercenary Wilhelm, "the Enforcer", becomes increasingly augmented with technology and weaponry over the course of the game, transforming him into the more familiar cybernetic form he possessed as the second major boss in Borderlands 2. He can summon a pair of drones, Wolf and Saint; Wolf serves an offensive role by attacking other enemies, while Saint defends Wilhelm by providing shields and health regeneration.
Two additional characters have been released as downloadable content. The first character, Jack, "the Doppelganger", is a man named Timothy Lawrence working as a body double of Handsome Jack who can summon digital copies of Jack to fight alongside him. The second, Aurelia, "the Baroness", is the sister of Sir Hammerlock who uses an experimental "Frost Diadem Shard" to deal ice elemental damage to enemies. Both characters become disillusioned with Jack's moral decline over the course of the game.
Story
The opening of The Pre-Sequel begins some time before the events of Borderlands 2 and Episode 3 of the subsequent game Tales from the Borderlands, on the flying city of Sanctuary, where the three former Vault Hunters Lilith, Brick, and Mordecai interrogate the ex-Atlas assassin Athena after having captured her from the Atlas Domes. Athena recounts her story, starting after the death of General Knoxx, when she received an offer to go find a Vault on Pandora's moon, Elpis, from a Hyperion programmer named Jack. She joins fellow Vault Hunters Claptrap, Nisha, Wilhelm, Timothy (a doppelganger of Jack) and Aurelia on a spaceship headed for the Hyperion moon base Helios. On the way, they are ambushed by the Lost Legion, an army of Dahl marines led by Colonel Tungsteena Zarpedon, and crash-land onto the moon base. After meeting up with Jack, they attempt to use Helios' defense system, but realizes there is a jamming signal coming from Elpis. They attempt to escape, but they are stopped by Zarpedon, and a mysterious alien-like warrior. Jack sends the Vault Hunters to Elpis on a moonshot rocket.
