Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ classes basically let you make John Wick

There’s a moment in any good action-RPG where things start to Click. The strategy is finally formed from the percentages, numbers and loot colors. It is now clear what you are expected to do and how you can fulfill those expectations. You are in Tiny Tina’s WonderlandsIt was at this moment that I realized I could be John Wick.

Gearbox Software’s newest outing combines the “guns meets Diablo” formula of Borderlands with the storytelling flexibility of a tabletop role-playing game. This is a fever dream full of explosives and unexpected narrative turns. There are also plenty of systemic nods to classic TTRPGs, two of which — dual classing and melee weapons — upended my longstanding Borderlands habits.

Like most action-RPGs you can start. Wonderlands Choose a character type. There’s the Spellshot, whose focus on guns and magical curses can finish a firefight in seconds. There’s the Graveborn and their demi-lich companion, who sacrifices their own health to charge powerful dark magic attacks. Then there’s the Spore Warden, a long-range hunter class who can summon icy tornadoes while their bipedal mushroom friend poisons foes up close.

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Although I never planned it this way, I’ve built almost identical characters in every previous Borderlands game. Long-range summoners are those who can keep their distance and call in friends to assist. These abilities were in perfect sync with my ability to maneuver firefights: I was able to summon a rocket-firing Turret to cover one side and hop between the points of cover on each other.

Assumed Wonderlands’ firefights would unfold just like those in its numbered predecessors, so I chose the Spore Warden for my first foray. With a range of elemental strikes to tie my enemies up while I shot them with assault rifles, sniper rifles and rocket launchers, I was able to keep my distance.

Here’s the thing: Wonderlands doesn’t feel exactly like other Borderlands games. In the beginning, it is awash with melee-minded adversaries. Their ranged friends hop from cover to make it difficult for them to effectively flank. My underpowered mushroom ally was unable to help me as I was constantly surrounded and overwhelmed by squads. What’s more, by Level 12, I hadn’t spent Any My melee upgrade skills earned me a lot of skill points. I went into Borderlands’ signature “Fight For Your Life” mode in almost every encounter.

Clearly, my old habits weren’t working!

Photo: Gearbox Software/2K Games via Polygon

So, I restarted, and respec’d. This time, I ran counter to my old preferences: I chose the Stabbomancer, a rogue whose focus on melee attacks and critical-hit chance reminded me of Brick, Krieg, and Zer0 — characters whose close-quarters play styles had pushed me away in the past games. However, I decided to play the Stabbomancer in an attempt at meeting them. Wonderlands halfway.

It was a blast. I still am. The Stabbomancer’s ability to vanish into thin air before shooting enemies up-close does wonders for my survivability, and their bevy of critical-hit upgrades can make them into a one-shot machine. They’re also a perfect conduit for Wonderlands’ renewed emphasis on melee combat. As opposed to previous Borderlands games — which mostly utilized generic pistol-whip animations for whatever gun you wielded at the time — Wonderlands This allows you to add a real melee weapon slots. This gives me the ability to outfit myself with 4 guns And A mace, a longsword or a khopesh. A Legendary shotgun is a thrill that I get as excited about as a club that heals me and summons a poison-spewing Hydra for each hit.

My secondary classes were finalized and I already knew what I wanted. The Clawbringer’s magical hammer was an addition to my close-quarters weaponry; the elemental upgrades gave lightning power to each swing of my sword. I could also use their companion, the Wyvern Wyvern, from high above so they could target enemies and harass them while I was in my own territory.

At Level 20 I could sprint around in firefights like a 49 year-old Keanu Reynolds, punching, shooting and even maiming anyone who was standing in my way. I still use sniper rifles, grenade launchers, or whatever weapon the occasion calls for — John Wick used a book, after all — but I largely stick to pistols and submachine guns. Their mobility and handling make it easy to aim down sights at a moment’s notice, or fire off a few hip shots when an enemy surprises me from behind. This video shows me playing the part of John Wick, in mid-game with a group of skeletons.

I’m always impressed when a developer can shake up a series in its supposed twilight years. Hitman 3 is my favorite in IO’s stealth/comedy trilogy because of how often it throws level-design curveballs. Metroid Dread It’s remarkable in the way it brings back fear and tension from one of our oldest franchises. Und ich halte daran und Ta An get Get an all davon dar aus out in Determin de des Reach Halo, Bungie’s farewell to the iconic series, to also be the series’ magnum opus.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands It may not completely reinvent the Borderlands. It does, however, reinvigorate some aspects of the Borderlands combat. It alters the foundational rhythm of the action-RPG franchise so well that I questioned — and ultimately eschewed — my 13-year-old habits. I guess I’m the Baba Yaga, now.