Borderlands 3fans have finally been given detail on the second half of Season Pass 2, as Gearbox recentlydetailed the Director’s Cut. There is plenty to be excited about regarding the upcoming expansion, as the pack provides some awesome new Multiverse skins and a Battle Pass-like system designed to keep players engaged for a long time to come. With a traditional Raid boss fight finally coming through the Director’s Cut as well, fans are reasonably hyped about the expansion’s March 18 launch date.
However, there is one bit of content in the nextBorderlands 3DLC that has been met with less optimism. One of the main features of the Director’s Cut, and likely the one that will provide the most hours of fresh gameplay, is a new line of story quests. Centered on the Vault Hunters solving a series of murder mysteries, the premise is certainly interesting. However, the character at the center of this quest line is one of the least popular figures of the entire series, meaning that Gearbox will have some hard work to do if they want to win fans over.
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The Murder Mystery Problem
The concept of a series of quests centered on detective work and supernatural murders is not a bad idea in and of itself — in fact, it fits withtheBorderlands 3DLC trendthat has appeared so far. With each of the previous expansions taking on movie and television genres like Westerns, Heists, and Game Shows, this new batch of missions fits nicely into what Gearbox has been doing with post-launch content thus far. However, while the missions themselves may fit with the theme and could also be fun to play, they center on a character despised by the community.
None other than the young Siren Ava will be the star of these missions, with Maya’s apprentice documenting the Vault Hunters’ findings via a podcast. While this keeps the theme alive by serving as a reference to Ghost Hunting shows, it places a character thatBorderlands 3fanscould not stand at the center of the new story. Likely to be talking to players every step of the way, players looking to enjoy the content will have to put up with Ava as they progress through it, and if she is anything like she was in the main game, this could be enough to stop players from enjoying a huge part of the Director’s Cut.
Acknowledging The Fans’ Issues
It is no secret thatBorderlands 3players dislike Ava, as negative comments about the character were wildly prevalent following the game’s launch. Not only do players find the character wildly annoying and whiny, but she lacks any standout personality traits beyond that. Further, Ava was the direct cause of Maya’s death, yet she takes no blame for the popular character’s demise. In fact, she places the blame on Lilith for no reason at all, with the accusation rubbing fans in the wrong way.
Ava is, in many ways, an accurate teenager. Rude, quiet, edgy, and ignorant, the character’s actions are like those ofGod of War’s Atreusat the midway point of the 2018 reboot. However, while Atreus’ tantrum only lasts a few hours, Ava’s attitude lasts for the entirety ofBorderlands 3’s runtime. Even worse, while Atreus is punished for his “annoying” phase, Ava is rewarded for her actions. Given the keys to Sanctuary and setup as the commander of the Crimson Raiders despite only causing harm to the cast throughout the story, the decision to push Ava as a hero angered fans the most.
Still, sweeping this under the rug would be a mistake. WithBorderlandsdeveloper Gearboxseemingly planning to use the character more going forward, as shown by this DLC, acknowledging her flaws will be an important first step to earning the forgiveness of fans. Apart from a proper in-game apology to the Vault Hunters and the players controlling them, Ava can admit that she was the cause for Maya’s death — using this newfound honesty to help her become a more likable character atoning for her mistakes.
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A New Ava
While the Director’s Cut’s Murder Mystery missions will surely keep an upbeat tone, they can still introduce players to the beginnings of a new version of Ava. Growing out of herBorderlands 3personality, Ava can pull a move from Peter Parker’s book by turning down the role of Sanctuary’s leader. Much like Spider-Man turned down the role of being an Avenger in theMCU, as he did not believe he was ready for such a task and wanted to mature a bit first, Ava can do the same — giving the honors to someone who deserves it more.The scientist Tannis, berserker Brick, sniper Mordecai, mechanic Ellie, and assassin Zer0 are just some of the valid options.
Ava refusing a leadership position and outright admitting that she does not yet deserve it would be a great way to acknowledge the criticisms of players. While some will still hate Ava and want nothing to do with her, those who were more indifferent to the character can be won over by such an act. Whenthe nextBorderlandsgamecomes around, Ava could be wiser and more likable, with her choice to turn down the keys to Sanctuary being an important first step in that journey. Hearing her admit she was wrong and caused Maya’s death is long overdue moment, and it needs to happen soon.
After all, if Ava is to become the star of the show — both in this mission chain and future entries in the series — acknowledging the baggage that now comes with the character is a must. If done correctly and early onin the Director’s Cutmission chain, players could get over their disdain for the character and focus on having fun. From there, making Ava funny and interesting through her podcast would be the right move, with the groundwork being laid for a badass Siren that earns her respect and status as opposed to having it given to her.
While it is entirely possibly that Gearbox attempts to ignore the community reaction to Ava and move on as if her debut was well-received, doing so would be a bad idea. Considering that Ava merely having a role in the Murder Mystery missions is enough for players to lose interest in the DLC, fixing the problem sooner rather than later will be crucial. Selling players on a set of Ava-focused missions is hard enough as is, but the young Siren getting a new personality without any explanation would only make the problem worse. Much like Ava needs toearn the keys to Sanctuary, she needs to earn the appreciation ofBorderlandsfans — and the Director’s Cut should be where a first attempt at doing this happens.
Borderlands 3is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
