Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands did many things right, some of which Borderlands 4 should strive to mimic. The use of major and minor side quests was excellent, as some of the more significant side content was on par with everything from the main story. Character customization was very good, even though it has room to grow, and spells felt far more meaningful than grenades due to their strong damage output and build potential. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' Overworld map and melee weapons were other great features that could be borrowed, though the DLC approach is something to avoid.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland s’ DLC has been heavily criticized, and for good reason. Players bought the Season Pass expecting something as great as the expansions in the Borderlands franchise, but what they got in the planned “content drops” was a subclass and four very expensive quests. Meant to be replayable, the Mirrors of Mystery did not fit that description well, lacking the depth of Borderlands’ expansions on top of that. Even if Gearbox returns to its old DLC format for Borderlands 4, which it likely will, it may have a difficult time winning fans over since they have been burned by another Gearbox release.
The Negative Impact of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ DLC
Saying the backlash to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ Mirrors of Mystery DLC was severe would be an understatement. At launch, many were satisfied with the game and excited to see what Gearbox had in store for its future, as the funny writing of the main narrative and the solid build variety had players hoping for a lot more content. Unfortunately, expectations were not met, with many seeing the $30 Season Pass as a waste of money and the individual $10 DLCs as overpriced.
While Mirrors of Mystery had the neat concept of the bosses featured within evolving from week to week, many players were uninterested in playing the exact same mission on repeat to reach them. Similarly, though the addition of the bosses to the Chaos Chamber was a nice touch, it did not help with the fact that many players were burnt out on running the Chaos Chamber by the point the DLC began to release. The Mirrors themselves felt like small DLC comparable to Borderlands 2’s Headhunter Packs instead of the main course, which is unfortunately what they were positioned as.
Had new expansions released like Borderlands’ always-excellent DLCs, bringing fresh main and side quests alongside new locations, gamers would have likely stuck by Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As soon as players finished a few runs through the campaign and Chaos Chamber - and maybe the Mirrors of Mystery - they moved on. Content creators and regular players alike returned to Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3, as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands felt like wasted potential. In Borderlands 2, a $10 DLC added several hours of content like quests and raid bosses to make the game far more replayable, so each of the Mirrors of Mystery being clearable in 20 minutes felt like an insult.
Borderlands 4 Players Are Likely Going to Be Cautious About DLC
Even if Gearbox confirms that Borderlands 4 is returning to the old expansion style as soon as the game is announced, some players will be doubtful of the content within the next game’s Season Pass. This is understandable, as the vague nature of Mirrors of Mystery early on and the “content drop” wording prior to release saw players feeling deceived. For the price of each DLC, and just based on Borderlands’ reputation, many had wrongfully assumed that true expansions would be coming for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands when they pre-purchased the Season Pass.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands was a great game that lacked the longevity of the mainline Borderlands games, with the Mirrors of Mystery being the main culprit behind its downfall. However, the impact of this lackluster DLC will likely be felt beyond just Wonderlands itself, as Borderlands 4 players could avoid purchasing the season pass or any DLC ahead of time. This was hardly an issue with Borderlands 3, as given the great post-launch content of Borderlands and Borderlands 2, fans knew they were in for a treat. Now, though, players will be more wary of Borderlands DLC, with many likely being unwilling to spend money until they know for sure that the DLC is worth it. Because of this, a great first expansion for Borderlands 4 will be a must, as Gearbox needs to reassure fans that the Mirrors of Mystery were a fluke.