Gearbox and 2K have announced that the long-awaited changes to Borderlands 3’s endgame are live. Mayhem 2.0 is a complete revamp of Mayhem Mode and adds all-new challenges, higher difficulty, better loot and more. Mayhem Mode was already a great way to extend your playtime with Borderlands 3 and now, with Mayhem 2.0, the endgame is better than ever.
One of the bets changes to Mayhem Mode is that you no longer need to visit the pedestal on Sanctuary III to activate or adjust it. You can simply open your ECHO device and access the new Mayhem tab. When playing multiplayer, the host controls the Mayhem level and you’ll matchmake with players at a similar level.
Mayhem 2.0 comes with more than 25 modifiers. Each is rated from Easy to Very Hard and can vastly change the way you play. Easy modifiers help you out, while the more difficult ones force you to play differently.
Mayhem 2.0
According to Gearbox;
Modifiers are selected at random, but the number of modifiers and difficulty ratings of those modifiers are always the same for each Mayhem level, as shown in the table below.
| Mayhem Level | Modifier 1 | Modifier 2 | Modifier 3 | Modifier 4 |
| 1 | EASY | |||
| 2 | EASY | MEDIUM | ||
| 3 | EASY | MEDIUM | MEDIUM | |
| 4 | EASY | HARD | ||
| 5 | EASY | MEDIUM | HARD | |
| 6 | EASY | MEDIUM | MEDIUM | HARD |
| 7 | EASY | HARD | HARD | |
| 8 | EASY | VERY HARD | ||
| 9 | EASY | MEDIUM | VERY HARD | |
| 10 | EASY | MEDIUM | HARD | VERY HARD |
The higher your level of Mayhem, the better the loot dropped by enemies. An example given by Gearbox is, “a Cutsman submachine gun that drops in Mayhem level 2 will be more powerful than one that drops in Mayhem level 1.”
As you increase the Mayhem level, enemies will have more health, shields and armour so the damage boost you’ll get from weapons in Mayhem will help you keep moving up.
Eight new legendary weapons have been added alongside Mayhem 2.0 and are available from bosses but only when you play at Mayhem 6 and higher.
The Sand Hawk, for example, is a Legendary automatic sniper rifle that fires a line of nine bullets that move to mimic the way that a hawk flaps its wings.
Revenge of the Cartels
In addition to Mayhem 2.0, the seasonal event, Revenge of the Cartels, is also live in Borderlands 3. This 80s themed event is live until June 4 and includes a new area, “fresh” enemy types, timed challenged, new Legendaries and new Anoitments.
Gearbox says;
In his continued studies of human customs, your Saurian crewmate Maurice has gotten himself mixed up with the wrong crowd, and now finds himself indebted to Joey Ultraviolet, the kingpin of the Eridium Cartel. To save Maurice’s scaly hide, you’ll need to take the fight to Joey and his gangs of underlings at Villa Ultraviolet, an opulent hideout overlooking a tropical paradise.
To make your way to Villa Ultraviolet, you’ll need to complete a Revenge of the Cartels mission for Maurice. Once completed, neon-glowing Cartel members will be found throughout the game. Each time you kill one, a signal is sent to their allies and backup will arrive and attempt to avenge their fallen comrade.
Keep an eye out for Eridium Cartel’s Underbosses.
These are unique, Badass-level enemies belonging to one of the Cartel’s three gangs. Eliminating these reinforcements will net you Hideout Coordinates; once you’ve collected enough of these, Maurice can open up a portal that leads directly to Villa Ultraviolet.
The three gangs are CryptoSec, The Burnt Ends and the Purpatrators. Each gang has an Underboss and once all three are taken down, you can battle Joey Ultraviolet himself.
There are 18 new challenges to complete in Revenge of the Cartels. By completing them you’ll unlock rewards as follows;
- 3 Challenges: ‘VECH-tor Graphics’ ECHO Device Skin
- 6 Challenges: ‘Retro Outrunner’ Weapon Trinket
- 10 Challenges: ‘Framed Firewall’ Room Decoration
- 14 Challenges: ‘Hotline Pandora’ Vault Hunter Head
- 18 Challenges: ‘Death by Filigrees’ Vault Hunter Skin
Revenge of the Cartels can be turned on or off via the Main Menu.
Mayhem 2.0 and Revenge of the Cartels are now live in Borderlands 3.
