Borderlands 3 is Gearbox Software's looter shooter, published by 2K and on Steam since 13 March 2020 after six months of Epic exclusivity. Four Vault Hunters chase Troy and Tyreen Calypso across Pandora, Promethea, Athenas, Eden-6 and Nekrotafeyo, the first time the series leaves Pandora properly. The level cap sits at 72, with Mayhem 1 to 11 layered on top to scale enemies and loot for endgame play.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Pandora | Action skills and four skill trees basics | FL4K the Beastmaster | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Promethea | Manufacturer specific gun behaviour mastery | FL4K the Beastmaster | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Athenas | Elements against health bar types + gear | Amara the Siren or FL4K the Beastmaster | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Eden-6 | Build optimization | Amara the Siren | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Nekrotafeyo | Min-max | Amara the Siren or Fourth skill trees (Designer's Cut) | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Pandora)
The series home world and the opening act, covering The Droughts, Ascension Bluff, Devil's Razor, The Splinterlands and Konrad's Hold. Road Dog in The Splinterlands is the dedicated source for the Hellwalker shotgun.
Level/Difficulty: About 1 to 13 on a first run Key Rewards: Hellwalker, the first vehicle, and Sanctuary III as your mobile base
What to Do in Pandora
- Learn Action skills and four skill trees. Each Vault Hunter has three base trees plus a fourth added by the Designer's Cut, and every tree carries its own action skill. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick FL4K the Beastmaster as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- Keep a shock gun, a corrosive gun and an incendiary gun equipped at all times. Enemy health bars are colour coded by type, and a corrosive weapon against an armoured Badass roughly halves the fight compared with the wrong element on a higher damage gun.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Hellwalker or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Action skills and four skill trees fundamentals
- FL4K the Beastmaster selected and functional
- Pandora main content cleared
- Ready for Promethea
Phase 2: Early Game (Promethea)
The Atlas corporate world, taking in Meridian Metroplex, Meridian Outskirts, Lectra City, Atlas HQ, Neon Arterial and Skywell-27. It is where the Maliwan war plot runs and where Katagawa Jr. and the Rampager sit as bosses.
Level/Difficulty: About 10 to 18 Key Rewards: Atlas tracking weapons, Rampager and Katagawa Jr. drops, the city fights that define act two
What to Do in Promethea
- Work on Manufacturer specific gun behaviour. Jakobs guns fire fast and can ricochet critical hits onto another enemy, Maliwan charges then fires one of two elements, Tediore guns are thrown like a grenade on reload, Torgue fires explosive sticky rounds, Vladof adds barrels and rate of fire, Hyperion raises a shield while you aim, and COV guns overheat instead of reloading and eventually break. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Hellwalker if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Anointments outweigh rarity by a wide margin at endgame. A purple weapon with a 300 percent bonus against enemies above 90 percent health frequently out damages a legendary with no anointment, so check the bottom of the item card before you sell anything.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Athenas.
- Consider whether Amara the Siren might suit your playstyle better than FL4K the Beastmaster.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Manufacturer specific gun behaviour integrated into gameplay
- Hellwalker acquired
- Promethea fully cleared
- Ready for Athenas
Phase 3: Mid Game (Athenas)
A small monastery world reached early and revisited later, home to the Order of the Impending Storm. Borman Nates on Athenas is the dedicated source for the Cutsman SMG, which keeps players coming back at every level.
Level/Difficulty: About 14 to 17 Key Rewards: Cutsman from Borman Nates, Maya's storyline, one of the shortest farm routes in the game
What to Do in Athenas
- Master Elements against health bar types. Shock strips shields, corrosive eats armour, incendiary burns flesh, cryo slows and then freezes, and radiation spreads on kill. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Lyuda. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- Push straight to Mayhem 11 rather than sitting on Mayhem 10. Mayhem 11 keeps the highest loot and experience bonuses while switching off the random modifiers, which removes the runs where a bad modifier roll makes a boss unkillable.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Anointments and Mayhem levels for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Elements against health bar types mastered
- Lyuda acquired or in progress
- Athenas fully cleared
- Ready for Eden-6
Phase 4: Late Game (Eden-6)
The Jakobs swamp world of Floodmoor Basin, The Anvil, Jakobs Estate, Voracious Canopy, Ambermire and Blackbarrel Cellars. Graveward in the Jakobs Estate was the most farmed boss in the game for the first year after launch.
Level/Difficulty: About 18 to 27 Key Rewards: Graveward loot, Aurelia and GenIVIV fights, most of the Jakobs weapon pool
What to Do in Eden-6
- Finalize your build. You should be running Amara the Siren or FL4K the Beastmaster with optimized gear.
- Lyuda should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Run True Vault Hunter Mode instead of grinding one boss in normal mode. It replays the whole campaign scaled to your level with better drop quality, so you gear up while making progress rather than resetting one map for hours.
- Guardian Rank and True Vault Hunter Mode optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Nekrotafeyo.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Lyuda upgraded to max
- Eden-6 fully cleared
- Ready for Nekrotafeyo
Phase 5: Endgame (Nekrotafeyo)
The Eridian home world and final act, across Desolation's Edge, Tazendeer Ruins and The Pyre of Stars. It closes the Calypso story and holds General Traunt as a repeatable farm.
Level/Difficulty: About 28 to 33 Key Rewards: Typhon DeLeon's logs and dead drops, General Traunt drops, the run into the final fight
What to Do in Nekrotafeyo
- Nekrotafeyo tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Slide and mantle are not decorative. Sliding cancels reload animations on several builds and mantling breaks enemy tracking, and Borderlands 3 is built around far more movement than Borderlands 2 ever was.
- The endgame loop: run Nekrotafeyo, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Fourth skill trees (Designer's Cut) for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Guardian Rank and True Vault Hunter Mode mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Nekrotafeyo fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Carrying four guns of the same element and then wondering why armoured enemies take three magazines
- Selling unanointed legendaries while keeping anointed purples out of the loadout, which is exactly backwards at endgame
- Staying on Mayhem 10 for the loot bonus when Mayhem 11 gives the same rewards without the random modifiers
- Never letting COV weapons cool, then losing them permanently when they break mid fight
- Treating Zane like the other three by picking one action skill, when his design assumes two running at once
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Keep a shock gun, a corrosive gun and an incendiary gun equipped at all times. Enemy health bars are colour coded by type, and a corrosive weapon against an armoured Badass roughly halves the fight compared with the wrong element on a higher damage gun.
- Anointments outweigh rarity by a wide margin at endgame. A purple weapon with a 300 percent bonus against enemies above 90 percent health frequently out damages a legendary with no anointment, so check the bottom of the item card before you sell anything.
- Push straight to Mayhem 11 rather than sitting on Mayhem 10. Mayhem 11 keeps the highest loot and experience bonuses while switching off the random modifiers, which removes the runs where a bad modifier roll makes a boss unkillable.
- Run True Vault Hunter Mode instead of grinding one boss in normal mode. It replays the whole campaign scaled to your level with better drop quality, so you gear up while making progress rather than resetting one map for hours.
- Slide and mantle are not decorative. Sliding cancels reload animations on several builds and mantling breaks enemy tracking, and Borderlands 3 is built around far more movement than Borderlands 2 ever was.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Borderlands 3 Guides
- Borderlands 3 Borderlands 3 Overview
- Borderlands 3 Best Builds
- Borderlands 3 Tier List
- Borderlands 3 Beginner's Guide
- Borderlands 3 Tips & Tricks
- Borderlands 3 Weapons Guide
- Borderlands 3 Combat Guide
- Borderlands 3 Boss Guide
- Borderlands 3 Maps & Locations
- Borderlands 3 Crafting Guide
- Borderlands 3 Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Borderlands 3, check out these related guides:
- Counter-Strike 2 Walkthrough: fps game with similar mechanics
- Apex Legends Walkthrough: fps game with similar mechanics
- Rainbow Six Siege Walkthrough: fps game with similar mechanics
