Set between the first two games, The Pre-Sequel moves the action from Pandora to its moon, Elpis, and asks a simple question: how did Jack become Handsome Jack? You’re not fighting him this time — you’re working for him as he builds his legend.

The biggest shift is movement and survival. Low gravity changes how you cross arenas and approach fights, turning every jump into a float and every ledge into a tool. Oxygen (O2) isn’t just a survival meter, it’s also a combat resource tied to slam attacks and certain gear, which forces you to think about where you fight, not just what you’re shooting.

Class design leans into the weird: you’re playing as characters who were side figures or enemies in other games, with skill trees built around things like melee rage, support drones, or pure laser carnage. That perspective flip — being on Jack’s side — gives the story a different tone, more tragic and cynical under the jokes.

Weaponry pushes into lasers and cryo, on top of the classic manufacturers and elements. The loot grind is still there, but the feel of the guns and how you traverse fights gives this entry its own texture.

The Pre-Sequel sits in the Vault as the “what if” experiment: proof that changing gravity, oxygen, and perspective can still deliver a proper Borderlands loop without feeling like a throwaway spin-off.