Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsrecently announced that its fourth Mirror of Mystery would be accompanied by a new class, called the Blightcaller. Not much has been confirmed about this class yet, except that it is a Shaman-like class that uses spirits and summons storms to hit foes with poison and elemental damage. In short, it’s pretty much what someone would expect from a Blighter-styledDruid inDungeons and Dragons.
However, this announcement may surprise some fans of the franchise. After all, the last entry to add a new class as DLC wasBorderlands 2, which introduced Gaige the Mechromancer and Krieg the Psycho. These two characters were so popular that they even spearheadedtheir ownBorderlands 3DLC, but the threequel never added any new DLC characters. However, the explanation as to whyTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis getting a new class, butBorderlands 3never did, makes some sense.
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Why Borderlands 3 Didn’t Get Any DLC Classes
WhenBorderlands 3developer Gearbox confirmed there would be no DLC classes, fans were understandably upset. Again, Gaige and Krieg are incredibly popular, but their popularity is tied to their existence and character role in the franchise, not their actual class. The first threeBorderlandsgames don’t really separate character from class, but Gearbox data shows that these twoBorderlands 2classes were not popular—even though the characters were.
As explained at the time, the playthrough rate of these newBL2class additions wasn’t really where it should be. It makes sense too. Instead of starting a brand new game with a brand new character and class, players preferred to stick to their already-established main fromBorderlands 2’s launch classes. Some may try out the new classes, some may even do a full playthrough, but a large concentration in the endgame was the main classes, not the DLC classes.
While those who did enjoy playing Krieg or Gaige were upset and it may have still been a hard call for Gearbox, it was perhaps the right one.Borderlands 3DLC had its highs and lowsand was releasing amid the pandemic, so adding more work for less payoff doesn’t quite make sense. However,Borderlands 3did make the most out of many established franchise characters, even if fans didn’t agree with the fates of Maya or Lilith. Adding more characters wouldn’t really change that.
Why Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands DLC Classes Make More Sense
This poses the question though: if DLC classes were not worth it for Borderlands 3, then why do add them inTiny Tina’s Wonderlands? The answer is pretty obvious. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a spin-off, and in it, players make their own character, choose their own class, and can even multiclass. These mechanics make a DLC class less strenuous and more likely to pay off. By cutting out the character, the class is more likely a little easier to make forTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsthan it would be forBorderlands 3.
In terms offocusing on endgame builds inTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, these new classes don’t force players to run through the entire game again. If players want a Blightcaller as their mainTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsclass, that’s certainly possible. ButTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsplayers can change their multi-class, letting players experiment with new Blightcaller builds without having to run the whole game to get there. If they don’t like the new build, they can also revert back. Sure, there’s a potential loss in popularity without a character, but there are no real drawbacks of introducing a new class here.
By making classes simpler inTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, their additions supplement the build-seeking endgame engagement far more than introducing a brand new character and class. With this in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to seeTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsadd more classes down the line, butwheneverBorderlands 4releases, it’s doubtful fans will see this happen there.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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