You may or may not be aware of this, but there's plenty of Borderlands 3 endgame content on top of its 30-hour campaign. When the developers, Gearbox, said that this would be the biggest Borderlands game yet, they weren't messing around! There's an almost ridiculous amount of stuff to do even after the main storyline. Of course, this means Borderlands 3 will easily keep you entertained for a hundred hours and more! You may be slightly confused about what is and what isn't endgame content, however. That's where we come in.

If this is your first encounter with the term, 'endgame' stands for difficult post-campaign/story content that's otherwise inaccessible. In the case of Borderlands 3, we're talking about:

• Mayhem Mode
• Guardian Ranks
• Proving Grounds
• Circle of Slaughter
• True Vault Hunter Mode

Each of these features only unlocks after you've already finished the main story of Borderlands 3, and below we'll take a look at how they mesh together. Let us also recommend our special 13% discount on Borderlands 3, which may interest you if you don't yet have the game!

Borderlands 3 Endgame Content

So you've completed the campaign! Great work, but know this: you're not nearly done with Borderlands 3. Chances are that you're sitting at a neat level 30-or-so by the time you've completed the final mission. The first thing you'll need to note is that the max character level in Borderlands 3 is 50. That's one order of endgame business right there, but pure XP grind is never particularly fun. Gearbox anticipated this, and they've included two unique endgame features that will make things way more interesting right off the bat: Mayhem and Guardian Ranks.

Guardian Ranks are similar to Badass Ranks from Borderlands 2, but they now work on the principle of perks. After finishing the game, players can finally cash in all of those challenges they completed during the campaign to earn Guardian Tokens. These Tokens are, in turn, used to unlock unique passive perks separated into three skill trees. Some examples:

• Enforcer - Overkill: Excess damage from a kill is added to your next shot.
• Survivor - Dead Man's Hand: Allows aiming down sights and removes aim penalties while in Fight For Your Life.
• Hunter - Tag and Frag: Regenerate a grenade every 10 kills.

These are rather game-changing, we're sure you'll agree. And they're active all the time, as soon as you unlock them. Alongside some pretty awesome perks, Guardian Rank also provides a platform to unlock unique weapon skins. There are two in each skill tree, so you've got a long road ahead if you're a completionist.

You'll need all the extra power that Guardian Ranks afford you, too, because Mayhem Mode is no pushover.

Borderlands 3 Mayhem Mode

While Borderlands 3 does have a New Game Plus mode with its True Vault Hunter difficulty, Borderlands 3 Mayhem Mode is something else entirely. This optional toggle offers three different stages of difficulty, each of which progressively increases the amount and quality of loot you get. Not only can you use Mayhem to greatly bolster your XP accretion, but you can also farm way better loot, as well as stock up on Eridium. It's great, but only if you can handle drastically increased enemy Health, Shield, and Armor stats. Expect randomized combat modifiers whenever you load into a level. Buffs and nerfs, for both you and the enemies!

The good news is that you can fiddle with Mayhem as much as you want. The appropriate computer terminal aboard Sanctuary will be prominently showcased during the final cutscene and story sequence. That's where you'll be able to modify every aspect of Mayhem Mode just the way you want it.

One caveat is that Mayhem is only accessible post-story. This means that you won't be able to turn it on as soon as you activate your True Vault Hunter playthrough, but only after you've already finished the story once more.

Horde Mode as Borderlands 3 Endgame Content

Sometimes, you might just not be in the mood for all the different leveling systems and features in Borderlands 3. We can't blame you! Shooting bandits in the face is what you're here for, after all. Thankfully, Gearbox thought of this, too, and so they've prepared not one but two dedicated endgame modes!

The first is a simple wave-based horde mode led by none other than Mr. Torgue himself: Circle of Slaughter. This post-game activity features a few arenas strewn around the galaxy that players then have to maim and murder their way through. It's fun, it's simple, it's pretty dang difficult, and it's pretty dang rewarding.

For a more unique take on Borderlands 3 endgame, there are Proving Grounds: unique Eridian gauntlets that task the players with running through a dungeon and killing its respective boss as quickly as humanly possible. The faster you get through, the better the rewards you'll nab!

As you may expect, we must recommend attempting these activities in groups, as they're tough. Like really tough, especially if you try them during your Ultimate Vault Hunter playthrough, and with Mayhem Mode cranked up to ridiculous levels. This does mean, however, that you've got a whole hell of a lot of stuff to do in Borderlands 3. Kudos to Gearbox!

If this got you all hyped-up for Borderlands 3, maybe you should make use of our 13% discount, but consider the Borderlands 3 Season Pass, too, which will add even more content to this marvel of a game.