---
title: "Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced: Complete Guide"
game: "Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/borderlands-game-of-the-year-enhanced"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Builds", "Bosses", "Co-op", "Farming", "Weapons", "Skill trees"]
summary: "Everything you need for the original Borderlands in its Enhanced form: picking a Vault Hunter, skill trees, how loot and weapons work, the four DLCs, bosses, co-op and farming. Researched September 2026 — current as of…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/borderlands-game-of-the-year-enhanced-complete-guide-fb4f6bbe"
published: "2026-09-27T20:39:41.031Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T20:39:41.031Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced: Complete Guide

Everything you need for the original Borderlands in its Enhanced form: picking a Vault Hunter, skill trees, how loot and weapons work, the four DLCs, bosses, co-op and farming.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of the Game of the Year Enhanced release (no new content patches in years; the series is now on Borderlands 4). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## What Is "Enhanced"?

Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced is the April 2019 remaster of the 2009 original, bundled with all four add-ons: **The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned**, **Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot**, **The Secret Armory of General Knoxx** and **Claptrap's New Robot Revolution**. According to the store page it adds improved models, textures and 4K support, new weapons, new character heads, and **Golden Chests and Golden Keys** (keys come from SHiFT codes, like in the later games). Online co-op supports up to 4 players.

If you own the older non-Enhanced GOTY listing, both versions exist in many Steam libraries; play the Enhanced one unless you need a specific old mod.

## Quick Start

1. **Pick the character whose action skill you like** — you can respec at any New-U station for cash, so the choice isn't permanent for your skill points, but your class is.
2. **Your action skill and first skill points unlock at level 5.** Early levels feel slow; push past them.
3. **Weapon damage and elemental effects matter more than rarity color.** A green gun with a strong elemental proc can beat a purple one.
4. **Loot everything early, sell junk at vending machines.** Money pays for respecs, ammo SDU upgrades and backpack storage.
5. **Do side missions.** Borderlands' XP curve assumes you do them; skipping leaves you underleveled for later bosses.
6. **Use weapon proficiencies.** Every weapon type you use levels up its proficiency (better accuracy, reload, damage). Stick to two or three types.
7. **Carry elements.** Incendiary for flesh, shock for shields, corrosive for armored targets, explosive for general damage.
8. **Fast travel stations and New-U respawns** make backtracking cheap. Death costs a percentage of your cash.
9. **Hold on to Golden Keys** until you're at a level where the Golden Chest's loot will last you a while.
10. **Playthrough 2** unlocks after you beat the story. It's where the real loot farming starts.

## The Four Vault Hunters

| Character | Class | Action skill | Skill trees | Plays like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roland | Soldier | Scorpio Turret | Infantry, Support, Medic | Team support, ammo/health regen, strong with combat rifles and shotguns |
| Mordecai | Hunter | Bloodwing | Sniper, Gunslinger, Rogue | Snipers and revolvers; huge crit damage |
| Lilith | Siren | Phasewalk | Elemental, Controller, Assassin | Elemental SMG damage, invisibility repositioning |
| Brick | Berserker | Berserk | Brawler, Tank, Blaster | Melee brawler or rocket launcher tank; very forgiving |

**Beginner pick:** Brick or Roland. Brick's Berserk heals and punches through most early threats; Roland's turret gives cover, healing and ammo, which is great for co-op.

**High skill ceiling:** Mordecai (sniper crits and revolver builds) and Lilith (elemental SMGs; Phasewalk resets fights).

### Build directions

- **Roland:** Medic tree for a healer who shoots teammates to heal them (great with combat rifles). Infantry for personal damage with rifles and shotguns. Support improves the turret's shield and ammo regen.
- **Mordecai:** Sniper tree for crit-focused sniping; Gunslinger for revolver builds with fast reloads and kill-streak regen; Rogue powers up Bloodwing and loot find.
- **Lilith:** Elemental for elemental damage and proc chance; Controller for crowd control and survivability during Phasewalk; Assassin for SMG damage and faster Phasewalk cooldowns.
- **Brick:** Brawler for melee-only Berserk builds; Tank for survivability; Blaster for rocket launcher and explosive builds.

Put points into the tree that matches the guns you actually have. A respec is cheap early, so experiment.

## Loot Basics

### Rarity

Rarity is shown by item text color: **white** (common), **green**, **blue**, **purple**, **yellow**, and **orange** (legendary/rare uniques). The Secret Armory of General Knoxx added **pearlescent** weapons, the rarest tier. Colors hint at quality, but the card stats decide.

### Weapon types and manufacturers

Weapon types: pistols, repeaters, revolvers, SMGs, combat rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and Eridian (alien) weapons.

| Manufacturer | Known for |
|---|---|
| Jakobs | High damage, slow fire; revolvers and shotguns hit very hard |
| Maliwan | Elemental weapons with high proc chance |
| Dahl | Accuracy and burst/scoped options |
| Vladof | Very high fire rate |
| Hyperion | High accuracy |
| Tediore | Cheap, fast reload, big mags |
| Torgue | Raw damage, explosives |
| S&S Munitions | Large magazines |
| Atlas | Rare, well-rounded weapons |
| Eridian | Alien weapons with their own recharge mechanics |

### Elements

| Element | Best against |
|---|---|
| Incendiary (fire) | Flesh/humanoid enemies and skags |
| Shock | Shields (Crimson Lance troopers) |
| Corrosive | Armored targets (Crimson Lance, Guardians, spiderants) |
| Explosive | Splash damage and general-purpose |

Elemental effect is shown by the icon and a multiplier (x2, x3, x4) on the card; higher multipliers mean more frequent procs.

### Other gear slots

- **Shields:** capacity vs. recharge rate/delay. Early on, take the biggest capacity.
- **Grenade mods:** change grenade behavior (e.g. transfusion, MIRV, sticky) and add elements.
- **Class mods:** boost specific skills plus team bonuses. Look for mods matching your tree.
- **Eridian artifacts:** an extra gear slot you unlock partway through the story; artifacts add elemental or action-skill bonuses depending on character.

### Storage

Backpack space and ammo capacity are upgraded with **Storage Deck Upgrades (SDUs)** from Claptrap rescue missions (and ammo SDUs from vending machines). Rescue every Claptrap you see.

## Story Structure and Key Bosses

The main story runs across Pandora from **Fyrestone** in the Arid Badlands to the Vault itself. You meet the Guardian Angel early and work through bandit clans and the Atlas-backed Crimson Lance.

Notable story bosses (in rough order):

| Boss | Tip |
|---|---|
| Nine-Toes | First real boss, with his pet skags; kill the skags first and fight around cover |
| Sledge | Bandit leader at the end of Headstone Mine; he hits hard up close, so keep distance and clear his adds |
| Krom | Sits on a turret; get elevation and snipe or use explosives |
| Baron Flynt | Mid-story bandit boss; deal with his bodyguards before committing to him |
| Commandant Steele | Crimson Lance commander at the end of the story |
| The Destroyer | Final boss; aim for its glowing weak points (the eye first) and clear small adds as they spawn |

The Destroyer and several story bosses can be re-fought for loot farming.

## The DLCs

| DLC | What it adds | When to play |
|---|---|---|
| The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned | Jakobs Cove, zombie enemies, Dr. Ned and Undead Ned | Around the mid-to-late story; comfortable around level 30 and up |
| Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot | Arena wave survival; three arenas (Hellburbia, the Gully, Angelic Ruins); adds a bank for item storage | Any time; arena kills give no XP, so treat it as a challenge/loot mode |
| The Secret Armory of General Knoxx | New region, vehicles, Crimson Lance story, General Knoxx, the raid boss Crawmerax the Invincible, pearlescent loot, higher level cap | After the base game (it's scaled to high levels) |
| Claptrap's New Robot Revolution | Claptrap uprising story; INAC as the villain; further level cap raise | After Knoxx |

**Level cap:** base game 50; Knoxx raises it to 61; Claptrap's New Robot Revolution raises it to 69.

**Underdome tip:** Kills in the arena give no XP (challenges and quests still do), so it's a challenge/loot arena, not a leveling spot. Bring healing (Roland Medic, transfusion grenades) and a long-lasting shield. The bank you unlock there is extra storage for your gear.

## Playthrough 2 and Farming

- **Playthrough 2** restarts the story with enemies scaled much higher and better loot. You carry your level and gear.
- After finishing the Playthrough 2 story, the remaining areas scale up further (commonly called **Playthrough 2.5**), keeping late content relevant for level-capped characters.
- **Farming targets:** bosses with good drop pools (Knoxx and Crawmerax are the classic endgame farms), red chests, weapon crates in high-level areas, and Golden Chests with Golden Keys.
- **Crawmerax** is a raid boss built for a full co-op team; soloing him requires a tuned build and high-level gear.

## Co-op Tips

- Party members' combined level and number of players scale enemy health and loot. More players means more loot drops.
- Roland (healer turret, Medic) and Brick (tank) make great support duos; Mordecai and Lilith bring damage.
- Loot drops are shared, so agree on a loot rule (call gear by type, trade unwanted items).
- Revive downed allies quickly; when you're down, **Second Wind** triggers if you kill an enemy before bleeding out.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Ignoring shields.** Shield capacity is your life bar early; upgrade often.
- **Hoarding everything.** Backpack space is tight until you get SDUs. Sell anything you won't use.
- **Using the wrong element.** Shooting Crimson Lance with incendiary is slow; switch to shock or corrosive.
- **Skipping side quests.** You'll be underleveled for main bosses.
- **Spreading skill points across three trees** without a plan. Commit to one main tree first.
- **Rushing into Knoxx/Claptrap DLC too early.** They're tuned for high levels.
- **Forgetting Second Wind.** When downed, aim for the weakest enemy nearby to get back up.

## Advanced Tips

- **Crits matter:** headshots (and weak points on creatures) deal big damage multipliers. Mordecai builds live on this.
- **Proficiency grind:** leveling a weapon proficiency is permanent and helps late game; grinding revolver or sniper proficiency pays off for Mordecai, SMG for Lilith.
- **Class mod plus matching skills** can push a skill well beyond its normal max.
- **Vehicle kills** give XP; the vehicle turret is strong on early outdoor enemies.
- **Save-quitting** resets enemies and bosses, which is how you farm specific bosses.
- **Check vending machines** (weapons, shields/grenades, health) when you revisit town. Look for the "item of the day."
- **Golden Keys:** open the Golden Chest when your gear is getting outdated. Loot is scaled to your level.

## FAQ

**What's the level cap?**
69 with all four DLCs (50 base, 61 with Knoxx, 69 with Claptrap's New Robot Revolution). Enhanced includes all four.

**Can I play split-screen on PC?**
Enhanced added four-player split-screen on consoles. On PC, plan on online or LAN co-op (up to 4 players); PC split-screen is not an advertised feature.

**Which character is best solo?**
Brick and Roland are the easiest. Mordecai hits the hardest if you can aim.

**How do I get Golden Keys?**
Redeem SHiFT codes (sign into your SHiFT account in-game). Keys open the Golden Chest.

**Where are the Claptraps for backpack space?**
Claptrap rescue missions appear throughout the story; each rescue gives a backpack SDU. Most ask you to find a repair kit somewhere nearby before you can fix the Claptrap.

**Is Borderlands 1 still worth playing before 2, 3 and 4?**
Yes, for the story setup (Pandora, the Vault, the first Vault Hunters) and a slower, more tactical style of looting. Borderlands 4 released in September 2025 and is the current series entry.

## Sources

- [Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/729040/)
- [Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced Steam news](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/729040)
- [Borderlands (video game) — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderlands_(video_game))