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

• 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.
• Your action skill and first skill points unlock at level 5. Early levels feel slow; push past them.
• Weapon damage and elemental effects matter more than rarity color. A green gun with a strong elemental proc can beat a purple one.
• Loot everything early, sell junk at vending machines. Money pays for respecs, ammo SDU upgrades and backpack storage.
• Do side missions. Borderlands' XP curve assumes you do them; skipping leaves you underleveled for later bosses.
• Use weapon proficiencies. Every weapon type you use levels up its proficiency (better accuracy, reload, damage). Stick to two or three types.
• Carry elements. Incendiary for flesh, shock for shields, corrosive for armored targets, explosive for general damage.
• Fast travel stations and New-U respawns make backtracking cheap. Death costs a percentage of your cash.
• Hold on to Golden Keys until you're at a level where the Golden Chest's loot will last you a while.
• 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
• Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced Steam news
• Borderlands (video game) — Wikipedia