Previous Borderlands games have generally offered players a place that serves as their base of operations between missions, and in Borderlands 2, this was the town of Sanctuary. Equipped to fly during that game, it was eventually destroyed during the events of the most recent Borderlands 2 DLC. However, in the next game, it will be reborn in a new form. The Borderlands 3 Sanctuary III base is a spaceship capable of interplanetary travel, and serves as the players’ HQ throughout the game.
New Details Revealed for Borderlands 3 Sanctuary III Base
Sanctuary III has been mentioned by Gearbox in the past, but never actually shown. Now, the studio has revealed some details about the mobile base of operations and its role in Borderlands 3. According to Gearbox, Sanctuary III is provided to the new Vault Hunters by Lilith and the Crimson Raiders, though it’s not currently known exactly who will be aboard (some key characters have been confirmed, see below); “Think of Sanctuary III as your main base of operations in Borderlands 3,” explains Gearbox; “where you can chat with crucial characters, take a quick break between intense missions, or marvel at the majesty of entire planets viewed from orbit and dream about how much loot must be down there.”
Gearbox goes on to state that the ship will change as the campaign progresses. This means the addition of new characters to the onboard crew, including 2 “a host of friendly faces who’ll be instantly familiar to Borderlands veterans,” and more. In fact, the crew also offer Crew Challenges which players can complete. There will also be ECHO logs aboard which offer glimpses into the backstories of the four new Vault Hunters. All told, the ship features three distinct levels, each with its own areas.
The Three Decks of Sanctuary III
Deck A, at the top, features the Bridge. Here, players will be able to talk with Lilith and also use the Hyperspace Terminal to travel between planets. Additionally, the top deck features an Infirmary, which is where players can find Patricia Tannis and also use a Dr. Zed’s Meds vending machine. Finally, the deck includes Hammerlock’s Trophy Room, where you’ll be able to talk to Sir Hammerlock himself and also accept his ‘Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt’ missions. Completing each one of these adds a new head to the trophy room wall.
One level down is Deck B, which contains the Crew Quarters. Each of the new Vault Hunters has a room here, and a Fast Travel station also allows for travel to and from the surface of planets. Other stations here allow you to change your Vault Hunter’s appearance as well as collect loot you didn’t pick up in past missions. This latter option is provided by the Lost Loot Machine, a new addition which is likely to prove very popular among players.
You can also store items in your quarters via the Player Bank vault if you want to clear out your inventory. However, if you’ve got some impressive weaponry that you don’t plan on using, you can also mount items on the walls here to display them. As a final bonus, you’ll be able to decorate your room with various decorations that you’ll find during the game. Furthermore, when you play co-op, each player’s decorations will appear in their respective Vault Hunter’s room in Sanctuary III.
Deck B and Deck C
Deck B also contains a Marcus Munitions where players can buy guns and ammo, as well as Storage Deck Upgrades. These new items allow players to increase a variety of different storage options. This includes your personal carrying capacity, the capacity of your Player Bank, and the capacity of the Lost Loot Machine. Certainly, these ‘SDUs’ are likely to be a worthwhile purchase as you progress through the game; especially if you don’t want to constantly pick up all the loot in each area. Close to the Munitions store is a shooting range which features shooting Challenge modes for players to try. Finally, you can find ‘Moxxxi’s’ on this deck, owned and operated by Moxxi herself. This bar contains a variety of slot machines that offer rewards, including one that only takes Eridium.
On the lowest level, Deck C, there are three more characters for players to interact with. Most of the deck consists of the Cargo Bay, where Ellie runs the ship’s garage. This area displays your different vehicles and also allows you to upgrade them in-between missions. You can also find Claptrap here in a small room of his own; “where he’s assembling a new friend piece by piece using salvaged parts from the dead Claptrap units that litter the galaxy” according to Gearbox.
Finally, players can also find Crazy Earl, the Eridium merchant from previous games, locked behind a door here. (He was in Sanctuary in Borderlands 2, for example, also behind a locked door.) Through this door, he’ll accept Eridium shards in exchange for a variety of cosmetics. He also has a new vending machine which lets players spend Eridium to acquire “Veteran Rewards”; weapons with a trait called ‘Anointed’. These weapons can even boost the Action Skills of the new Vault Hunters, making them very valuable indeed.