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Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

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Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep
Developer(s)Gearbox Software
Publisher(s)2K
SeriesBorderlands
Release
June 25, 2013
  • PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, OS X
    • WW: June 25, 2013
  • Linux
    • WW: September 30, 2014
  • PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • NA: March 24, 2015
    • WW: March 27, 2015
    Nintendo Switch
    • WW: May 29, 2020
    A One-Shot Adventure
  • PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
    • WW: November 9, 2021
Genre(s)Action role-playing, first-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep is an expansion pack for the 2012 first-person shooter video game Borderlands 2. It was developed by Gearbox Software, published by 2K, and released on June 25, 2013, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.[1][2][3] It is set in the tabletop role-playing game "Bunkers & Badasses", which is the Borderlands 2 derivation of Dungeons & Dragons. The titular Tiny Tina serves as the gamemaster for the tabletop game.

Gameplay

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Main article: Borderlands 2 § Gameplay
Assault on Dragon Keep is set in a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, while keeping the first-person shooter aspect of the main game.

Assault on Dragon Keep is an expansion pack from the first-person shooter role-playing game, Borderlands 2.[4] It maintains the main game's science-fiction, looter shooter, and comedic elements,[5][6] while incorporating elements of tabletop role-playing,[7] including themes from Dungeons & Dragons, and, as a result, creates a concept that integrates fantasy gameplay within a first-person shooter experience.[6] The expansion pack's difficulty is best suited for players who are at least level thirty.[8]

Assault on Dragon Keep revolves around "Bunkers & Badasses", a tabletop game derived from Dungeons & Dragons and is tailored for the Borderlands 2 universe. Tiny Tina serves as the gamemaster, while the original Borderlands characters take on the roles of players.[9] Tina herself predominantly narrates the storyline,[10] and her whims often result in the gameplay to undergo spontaneous changing to its mechanics and storyline.[11]

Starting at the Unassuming Docks of Potentially Little Importance, the player embarks on a trek to a village called Flamerock Refuge.[12] As the player approaches the dock, a beautiful sight unfolds, complete with a bright blue sky,[13] a picturesque landscape, and a rainbow floating in the air.[12] However, after Tina realizes the appropriateness of the setting,[13] the atmosphere suddenly darkens and the player is ambushed by skeletons.[12] The player encounters and is quickly knocked down by the first boss, an invincible dragon. In response to the Bunkers & Badasses players' complaints, Tina revives the player and instead offers "Mister Boney Pants Guy," a small skeleton, as the first boss.[11] The player's ultimate mission is to go to Dragon Keep and save the Queen from the Handsome Sorcerer's and his Handsome Dragon's grasp.[13] Characters from the main game, such as Torgue, Claptrap, Moxxi, and Roland, assist the player along the route.[8]

Assault on Dragon Keep includes references to popular titles like Dark Souls, World of Warcraft, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.[11] It introduces new enemies,[14] such as a Mimic, a creature disguised as a chest,[11] and adds new environmental elements, like replacing ammunition crates with clay jars that can be smashed by the player.[14] Additionally, the expansion pack features recreated assets of the game's chests and vending machines.[10] Some chests now feature icosahedron-shaped dice on top, and the quality of the randomly generated items inside them are directly influenced by the outcomes of the dice rolls.[11]

Synopsis

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Setting

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The expansion is set within a tabletop game played by the original Borderlands characters, with Tiny Tina serving as the gamemaster. This game, called Bunkers & Badasses, is the Borderlands universe’s equivalent of Dungeons & Dragons.[9] Overall, the expansion centres on Tina’s struggle to cope with the death of Roland, the leader of the Crimson Raiders and a close friend killed during the main Borderlands 2 campaign. Tina inserts Roland as a character in the game’s campaign, creating scenarios and dialogue for him. Her denial is evidenced by her continuation of bringing him into the game, despite opposition from the other players.[15]

Development and release

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Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep is the fourth and final campaign expansion pack for Borderlands 2 and was released on June 25, 2013,[16] following the previous expansion packs: Captain Scarlet and her Pirates Booty, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage and Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt.[17] This particular expansion pack, along with the previous ones, are included in the Game of the Year Edition.[18] Furthermore, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep is also included in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, which includes both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, along with all downloadable content for both games.[19]

In June 2021, Gearbox announced a Borderlands spin-off game—Tiny Tina's Wonderlands—which would be set after the events of the expansion.[20] On November 9, 2021, Gearbox released Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep as a standalone game for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One under the title Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure.[21]

Reception

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According to video game review aggregator site Metacritic, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep garnered generally positive reviews across PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.[22][25][23] Overall, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep has been hailed by critics as the best expansion pack added to the game and a vast improvement over its predecessors, particularly the previous release, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, which was viewed by some as a disappointment.[26][8][27][28] It was described as being "the best saved for last" by GameCentral reviewer Roger Hargreaves.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hargreaves, Roger (26 June 2013). "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon's Keep review – roll the dice". Metro.
  2. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (May 2, 2013). "Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina DLC Price, Release Date Announced". IGN. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  3. ^ Vazquez, Jessica (19 June 2013). "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Preview". GameRevolution.
  4. ^ "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep for PC - GameFAQs". gamefaqs.gamespot.com.
  5. ^ a b Chalk, Andy (9 November 2021). "Borderlands 2's original Tiny Tina DLC is now a free standalone game on the Epic Store". PC Gamer. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b Kain, Erik (July 23, 2013). "'Borderlands 2' Developer Talks Video Game Music, The Sounds Of 'Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep'". Forbes. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  7. ^ Kain, Erik (November 10, 2021). "How To Play The Best 'Borderlands 2' DLC 'Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep' For Free". Forbes. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Review". GodisaGeek.com. 1 July 2013.
  9. ^ a b Kain, Erik (May 3, 2013). "'Borderlands 2' Meets Dungeons And Dragons In 'Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep' DLC". Forbes. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Review: Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep". Destructoid.
  11. ^ a b c d e Nick, Miller (April 15, 2022). "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Review". The Sequence. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Vazquez, Jessica (19 June 2013). "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Preview". GameRevolution.
  13. ^ a b c d "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep". Gaming Nexus.
  14. ^ a b c "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep review". Eurogamer.net. 25 June 2013.
  15. ^ Macy, Seth (22 March 2022). "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: The Origins of Borderlands' Tiny Tina". IGN. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Hands-on with Borderlands 2's take on Dungeons & Dragons". Destructoid. 28 May 2013.
  17. ^ "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Review". PC Invasion. 2 July 2013.
  18. ^ "BORDERLANDS 2 GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION – WHAT'S INCLUDED / LIST OF CONTENTS". support.2k.com. 2K. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  19. ^ Ingenito, Vince (24 March 2015). "Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Review". IGN. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  20. ^ Lane, Rick (June 18, 2021). "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Everything we know about the Borderlands Spinoff". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  21. ^ Good, Owen S. (2021-11-09). "Borderlands' Tiny Tina DLC gets stand-alone release to prep you for Wonderlands". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  22. ^ a b "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep". Metacritic.
  23. ^ a b "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep". Metacritic.
  24. ^ Ingenito, Vince (25 June 2013). "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Review". IGN. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  25. ^ "Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep". Metacritic.
  26. ^ Dankievitch, Randy (29 June 2013). "Borderlands 2 Assault on Dragon Keep DLC Review". GamesReviews.com.
  27. ^ "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep Review". Mad Art Lab. 11 July 2013.
  28. ^ B, Nick (28 August 2013). "The Nocturnal Rambler: Tiny Tina's Assault is Halfway Decent". The Nocturnal Rambler.
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