When it comes to things to do, Borderlands 3 is the gift that keeps on giving. There's a ton of quests to go on either solo or with your friends, limited timed events for extra rewards, DLC that add hours of new stories and enemies to fight, and now a timed battle mode. Dubbed Arms Race, this fun addition to Gearbox's famed looter shooter series add's a unique Battle Royale style to the game.
RELATED: The Best RPG Shooters
Now before you go rolling your eyes, they've made this more unique and co-op-focused. Instead of whittling down a large roster of players until only one remains, in Arms Race you and your pals have to defeat enemies, collect gear, and fight a boss all within a slowly shrinking arena.
It's a unique twist to the BR style that adds a whole new layer to the game that you can get completely lost in. If you're looking for more fun things to do with your Vault Hunter then here's a couple of tips if you feel like getting started with the Arms Race mode.
10 How Does A Borderlands 3 Arms Race Begin?
To take part in an Arms Race in Borderlands 3 you're going to need to grab their 5th DLC pack called the Designers Cut. Then once you start a match you will be dropped in a random location in a map with no gear and a running commentary of your performance provided by Axton and Salvador from Borderlands 2.
The goal of Arms Race is to collect as many weapons and bits of gear as you can find to then sell at vending machines to unlock higher-tier equipment that can be used to defeat a boss in the middle of the map. And if you win you gain a bunch of XP and powerful weapons that you can send to your inventory in the main game.
9 You Don't Have Long To Prepare
If you're playing with friends or using couch co-op then make sure you have a strategy in place because the rounds in Arms Race do not last long. In just a short while you need to get kills, grab gear, and takedown a pretty brutal boss all before the arena closes in and kills you.
RELATED: Borderlands 3: Things You Didn't Know About Hyperion
Thankfully you do have a small amount of time to prepare, Vault Hunters are given three whole minutes to run around scrounging up what they can before your playground starts to shrink. So once you start you and your group better move fast.
8 Keep Grabbing Gear
The Arms Race really puts the Loot in Looter-Shooter as you need to race as quickly as you can to upgrade your items and give yourself as much of a fighting chance against the boss as you possibly can.
RELATED: Borderlands 3: Best Legendary Rocket Launchers
To do this you will need to hoover up as much gear as you can, even if it's white or weaker than what you currently have, every little bit helps. So when you're capping heads and gunning down goons make sure to grab every piece of gear that they drop, even if it's trash.
7 Red Chests Should Be Your Goal
Whilst all the enemies in a Borderlands 3 Arms Race drop loot and other items, they're usually of a low-quality tier, if you want some stronger boomsticks then your main goal should be opening the red chests.
Despite being heavily guarded, these treasure boxes contain high-level gear that can turn the tide in your favor in most fights. There are usually around eight that appear on each map and their locations can change. So the second you start a match these chests should always be your target, it's recommended that you figure out the fastest route to each one to maximize your loot grabbing potential.
6 Keep An Eye Out For Airdrops
Airdrops in a Battle Royale game are always worth checking out as they can provide powerful gear and items that can turn the tide of any battle and the drops in Borderlands 3 are no different.
These reward zones will appear randomly around the map and whilst they can contain multiple chests and even a vending machine or two, they're always heavily protected. However, if a drop spawns in an area infested with Spiderants then the Humans that guard the drop will target the ants instead, giving you the opportunity to sneak in and grab the rewards whilst they're distracted. So if you spot one coming down make a b-line to it as quick as you can or assign someone in the group to grab it whilst the rest focus on clearing the area.
5 Leave The Vending Machines Until Later
When you first start out in an Arms Race match your initial instinct may be to run straight for a vending machine to grab what you can. But you won't be able to afford anything and this is just wasting time that could be spent grabbing more gear.
The more expendable items you have to burn through, the more money you will have to spend on stronger weapons. So try to leave off the vending machines until the last possible second and keep on feeding your inner Kleptomaniac.
4 Keep An Elemental Weapon Handy
In Arms Race, you can often feel pressured to pick up the strongest gun in the game with the biggest numbers and run off with that straight into the boss fight. Whilst this is a fine strategy in of itself if you want to make things a little easier on you or your team of Hunters, try to be smart with your selection of shooters.
RELATED: Borderlands 3: Best Torgue Weapons
It's strongly recommended that you go into the boss fight with an elemental weapon, especially ones that have Corrosive or Shock effects. This is because these can absolutely chew through the Shield and Armor bars of the boss, then you can then use your big damage DPS gun to blast through their last health bar easily.
3 Grab Boosts
If you're planning on bringing in the best mods and skills to an Arms Race you needn't bother. This mode levels the playing field by stripping out your character to the bare minimum making you quite vulnerable but also adding a substantial level of challenge.
Your health and shields will need to be increased by picking up boosts dotted around the levels or retrieved from slain enemies. So to up your chances of survival and give you more of a fighting chance in the penultimate boss fight you'll need to make boosting your health and shields one of your top priorities.
2 Prep For The Boss Fight
The boss fights in Borderlands 3 are no laughing matter and in Arms Race this is no different, these things are a real challenge as they have three separate health bars of Health, Shield, and Armor that need to be slowly whittled down.
RELATED: Borderlands 3: Best XP Farming Methods
These tough battles happen at the center of the map inside a special bunker and there are vending machines located just outside to let you and your team get yourself suitably powered up before you jump into it. Also, the boss will constantly summon additional soldiers to back them up, and whilst these do provide an opportunity to hit a Second Wind if you get downed, they can overwhelm even the most hardened of Vault Hunter teams.
1 Arms Race Solo Mode Lets You Pause The Timer
If you're having a particularly tough time taking down the Borderlands 3 Arms Race challenge then try venturing out into it on solo mode. Whilst this sounds insane, it's actually much easier blowing through it yourself.
This is because thanks to a cheeky exploit, when you solo play you can pause the game when by going into your inventory. It's not a game-breaking ability, but it can provide you with a brief break, some breathing room, and the chance to re-arrange your guns and re-arm with the right loadout on the fly.
NEXT: Borderlands 3: Wacky Builds Every Pro Player Should Try At Least Once
