The Story So Far in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

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Familiar faces, new stories.

By Brian Albert

Here’s what we know about the plot of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. You’re working for Handsome Jack, and as the game progresses, we’ll see how he became the villain we knew and loved (and hated) in Borderlands 2.
However, as for the four playable characters, we’ve seen each of them before in different Borderlands games and DLC packs. Vince and Brian break down where each character has been seen and guess what might be in store for them in the upcoming Pre-Sequel.

Claptrap

A lovable loser since the first game, Claptrap has since become the Borderlands’ series mascot. He’s been around to crack jokes and get on your nerves plenty of times, but not until the Pre-Sequel has he been a playable class.
We don’t yet know Claptrap’s action skill, but the game’s creators wanted to ensure that, while effective, Claptrap wouldn’t become so badass that his goofball reputation would dissolve. We also don’t know whether the events of the Pre-Sequel take place before or after the events of Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution, leaving us puzzled as to which Claptrap this actually is.

Nisha

Nisha the Lawbringer was the sheriff of a town called Lynchwood in Borderlands 2. At the time, she was in a relationship with the game’s primary villain, Handsome Jack.

The details of Nisha and Jack’s relationship aren’t super fleshed out, so maybe during the end of the Pre-Sequel we’ll see how those two eventually grew together. If the other playable characters grow to hate Jack as he becomes more evil, we think some tension might arise between Nisha and the rest of the crew.

Athena

We’ve already seen Athena in the General Knoxx DLC for Borderlands 1 where she sides with the original vault hunters. She was a member of the Crimson Lance, as is Roland from the first Borderlands.

Athena is unique in that she’s the least defined of the four characters. Unlike the rest of her companions, we don’t yet know her fate. The Pre-Sequel’s writers know this, and they’re using it to make her the game’s “moral compass.”
She’s also the only character whose main ability we’ve seen in action. At command, Athena can produce a shield that absorbs incoming damage. After a short delay she can toss it at enemies, wiping out several of them in one go.

Wilhelm

If you’ve played Borderlands 2, you’ll know that Wilhelm is the first major boss you encounter. He’s big, scary, and kind of looks like a power loader robot.
In the Pre-Sequel, Wilhelm isn’t yet the mechanical monstrosity we know he’ll become. Instead, the designers are choosing to slowly make him more robotic as the game goes along. Essentially, as you fill in Wilhelm’s skill tree, you slowly transform him into the character you’ll fight in Borderlands 2.
The Vault Hunters from the original Borderlands do mention how dangerous Wilhelm is at one point. Maybe after playing the Pre-Sequel we’ll know more about why they came to fear him.

We’ll have more on Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel rolling out every day this week. For a look at what you missed Tuesday and Wednesday, check out our Pre-Sequel hub page, and take a look at our preview that touches on the new weapons, locations, and combat mechanics.

Brian and Vince are associate editors at IGN. You can follow them @albinoalbert and @vincogneato on Twitter.

Originally written and published by at IGN PS3. Click here to read the original story.