Endgame and higher difficulty levels in Borderlands 3 Borderlands 3 guide, walkthrough

Last update: 02 October 2019

On this page of our guide to Borderlands 3 we explain how the endgame works and what higher difficulty levels can be unlocked once the main story has been completed. The answers to both of these questions are important if you want to play Borderlands 3 for a much longer time.

• When does the endgame phase begin?
• Does Borderlands 3 have different endings?
• Mayhem Mode
• Guardian Ranks
• True Vault Hunter Mode

When does the endgame phase begin?

Endgame begins after you finish the main story, that is after you pass the last 23rd chapter of the campaign - the main mission called Divine Retribution. The game will display a pop-up window with information that you have completed the main storyline. From now on, you can enjoy all the attractions described on this page.

It is worth noting that after your advancement to the endgame stage you do not have to start the campaign from scratch (although it is possible - the details have been described at the bottom of the page). You can continue to visit well-known locations, for example to take care of skipped challenges and side quests.

Does Borderlands 3 have different endings?

No, the story of the main campaign is linear and the game has only one ending available. You have no impact on how the game will end.

It is worth noting that small choices appear in some side quests, although additional tasks do not have any impact on the course of main storyline.

Mayhem Mode

Mayhem Mode is a special mode that modifies the default difficulty level. At the end of the main plot the game will allow you to set the level of Mayhem I. Once you have completed the last quest, you can deactivate this mode or choose one of two other settings - Mayhem II or Mayhem III.

Mayhem Mode can be change and turned on/off aboard the Sanctuary spaceship. This is done by placing an eridian artifact in one of the three slots (or removing it to disable this mode).

Here is a summary of the most important changes for each variation of the Mayhem Mode:

Type of modification	Mayhem I	Mayhem II	Mayhem III
Improved quality of found items and loot by:	100%	300%	500%
Increased amount of gained experience by:	10%	30%	50%
Increased number of earned credits and eridium by:	30%	60%	100%
Increased health of enemies by:	15%	75%	150%
Increased strength of armor and enemy shields by:	25%	100%	200%

In short, each level of Mayhem Mode increases rewards (loot, xp, credits, eridium) and at the same time forces you to fight stronger opponents.

That's not all, because every map you visit includes random modifiers associated with a selected Mayhem Mode level. They can make gameplay easier (in the example above - Action Skills are faster and cause higher damage) or more difficult (in our example, reduced weapon damage and increased radiation resistance of enemies). The higher the level of Mayhem Mode you choose, the more extreme modifiers you can get.

Despite the complications described above, Mayhem Mode is a great way to get more xp and a rare loot.

Guardian Ranks

Guardian Ranks are not a novelty in the Borderlands series, although in Borderlands 3 they are unlocked only after you have completed the main storyline of the game. Then, check out the last tab where the tokens can be distributed and allocated (Redeem Guardian Token).

Each time the game will offer you a choice of bonuses to the statistics from one of the three main categories - Enforcer, Survivor or Hunter.

After you spend a certain amount of tokens within a given category (10, 15, 25, 35, 50, 75), you will be able to unlock the associated bonus from the table on the right. This can be, for example, new skins for your character and weapons, bonuses to damage after meeting certain conditions, or easier Second Wind.

The game starts to count ranks of Guardian Rank only after you progress to the endgame content. You start with Rank 1 and every time you unlock another one, you get 1 token. You can track your progress to a new rank by checking the purple progress bar that appears at the bottom of the screen. It is above the yellow experience bar.

True Vault Hunter Mode

True Vault Hunter mode is known from previous Borderlands installments and can be selected from the main menu. It offers an option of repeating the game's main campaign with a higher level of challenge and difficulty. The increased difficulty level is also equivalent to the higher possibility of finding a more valuable loot. It is best to choose this mode only after the main campaign has been completed AND all the challenges and side tasks have been completed too.