ThoughBorderlandsis known for its absurd weapon counts, memorable characters, and a unique sense of humor, its various Easter eggs have become another major strength over the years. While seeing homages toLord of the RingsandSpongeBob SquarePantsinBorderlands 3was great, it is the series’ nods to other video games that make for the very best secrets. In particular,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ parody ofThe Witchersets an example that future entries should follow.
Though the hiddenMinecraftcave inBorderlands 2’s Caustic Caverns remains iconic, and the parody ofBioShock’s Big Daddies in the Captain Scarlett DLC was a good touch, “The Ditcher” took things to the next level by being an entire side quest. Just likeTiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ best side quests, it was on the longer side, allowing Gearbox to sneak in plenty of references to The White Wolf Geralt of Rivia.
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Why “The Ditcher” Was Such a Stellar Quest
Gearbox makes no effort to obscure itsparody ofThe Witcherfranchise, as the main NPC’s name is just as obvious as the quest’s title. As gamers progress through “The Ditcher,” they work with Gerrit of Trivia, a legendary monster hunter with a massive ego that constantly talks about bedding sorceresses. Like the name of the quest suggests, he constantly leaves the Fatemaker behind to go off and do what he claims are more important things, belittling players constantly as they go through various objectives.
While a terrific reference toYenneferand the unicorn scene fromThe Witcher 3makes for memorable dialogue, what makes the quest even better is that players go about tasks and rituals to track and weaken the monster. These objectives take players all across the map, with gamers needing to put in work before they fight the creature just like they would do inThe Witcher 3. Eventually, after the arrogant Ditcher is killed off, gamers battle Salissa, one of the better bosses in the game.
Potential Parody Quests in Future Borderlands Games
With “The Ditcher” being so good, it only makes sense to continue making quests in the same vein. A potentialunderwater location inBorderlands 4would provide a perfect opportunity to parodyBioShock, a series that will soon become more relevant than ever thanks to the releases of a new game and Netflix film. Mr. Bubbles could make for an exceptional boss, and parodying concepts like ADAM or characters like Andrew Ryan would be simple enough.
Falloutis another franchise begging for a parody quest, as not only could Gearbox poke fun at lines like “war never changes,” but there are dozens of enemies that could be fun to fight within aBorderlandsgame. Alongside a Deathclaw-like foe, players could enter and explore a Vault full of references and, more importantly, loot chests. Plenty of other games set themselves up for parody, too, with an intentionally buggyCyberpunk 2077mission being another option for some great gags.
Though Gearbox could have stuck Gerrit of Trivia anywhere, like making him a random NPC in Brighthoof, the decision to go all in on the parody resulted in one of the funniest quests in the game. While still enjoyable for those with no knowledge onThe Witcherfranchise, it was truly a delight for those that love Geralt as a character. The quest shows how much can be done with Easter eggs and references, and sneaking a quest like this into every futureBorderlandsgame would not be a bad thing. Obviously it is important that Gearbox continues telling original stories even in its side quests, butBorderlands’ referential humor is top-notch and should continue to influence the occasional quest line.
