Does this DLC have the Full Moxxi?

As a malicious cosmic entity threatens Kairos, and madness lingers on the frigid wind, players will join forces with the plucky, take-no-mess Ellie — mechanic extraordinaire and daughter of Moxxi — on a quest to destroy an alien monolith and enter the accursed Vault of the Damned. Guided by the returning peculiar proprietor Mancubus Bloodtooth, players will brave the icy wastes of The Whispering Glacier, a frozen expanse littered with the husks of derelict ships and dark secrets. Borderlands fans will recognize returning faces in Story Pack 1 and reunite with oddballs like Mancubus, Pickle, and Crazy Earl. But this self-contained story doesn’t require prior knowledge to be enjoyed, so Vault Hunters of any tenure can feel comfortable jumping right in. In addition to an aggressively arctic climate and gruesome sights, The Whispering Glacier is also packed with new story missions, side missions, activities, and collectibles. Later in mission progression, players will be able to destroy gargantuan growths of pulsating flesh to unlock new areas, loot, and puzzles. An all-new World Boss mechanic warps players who commune with eldritch trees to a nightmarish dimension where a random boss lies in wait. 

I reviewed Borderlands 4 at launch and found it a decent sequel that tried to mix things up with a new planet to explore, making it more open world than ever while pushing the story forward in an interesting way. The first DLC Story Pack gives you a new Vault Hunter in C4SH to play as, who has plenty of cool abilities and can also be used in the base game alongside the DLC.

Whoever you choose to go through the Story Pack with, you’ll be faced with a new area in The Whispering Glacier. It’s impressive in its size and there are 16 minibosses to face, as well as two major boss fights. Add in plenty of new quests, loot and cosmetics to earn and you’ll have plenty to do in this first major expansion to the base game. My main criticism has to be its price point at £26.99 or as part of the Super Deluxe Edition which is substantially more but also will give you access to the second major expansion.

It’s nice to see old characters like Ellie, Mancubus, Pickle and Crazy Earl return as I felt a lot of the traditional Borderlands characters weren’t touched on enough in the base game. The DLC itself is darker in tone than the main game, but definitely a welcome addition for those who have finished everything else to do on Kairos.

I didn’t come across anything game-breaking and the performance was consistent throughout. The voice-acting is great as always, still maintaining that Borderlands sense of humour.

The Verdict

The main problems with the Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned DLC is its price point and what’s on offer for it. It’s a nice piece of content with its darker story, new Vault Hunter, quests, bosses and loot on offer…but it feels overpriced. I’m hoping that the second major expansion will have more content as it feels they’ve played it a bit too safe here.

Score: 7.0