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The first episode ofNew Tales From the Borderlandshelped introduce the three main characters while also setting the scene for what they will be doing throughout the game. Prior to the start of Episode 2, Anu, Octavio, and Fran all find themselves in bad situations that are rapidly getting worse. Now that Tediore’s invasion is fully underway, it seems like nowhere is safe for this trio that has been brought together by chance. This walkthrough will give players an idea of what to expect and prepare for as they move on to the second episode ofNew Tales From the Borderlands.
This walkthrough contains spoilers, so players should proceed with caution.RELATED:New Tales From the Borderlands Review
Grouping Up
Just like withTales From the Borderlands, each episode beginswith Marcus briefly summarizing the eventsof the previous episode. Choices madeare not acknowledgedin this cutscene as it focuses on the main story points, which do not change regardless of players' choices.
Once that cutscene is done, the game will resume where the first episode left off. Fran and Octavio are processing the fact that they survived an explosion that left the Froyo shop in ruins. Anu soon enters the scene, finally bringing the trio together.
Throughout the following cutscenes, there is one important thing thatNew Tales From the Borderlandsplayers should keep in mind. Starting from Episode 2 onward,how the characters interact with one another will affect their relationship status at the end of each episode.A good example of this is when Fran and Anu meet. Fran does not like the big corporations or the people that work for them, and that includes Anu. However,players can choose to have Fran either dislike Anu right out of the gate or have her give Anu the benefit of the doubt. This also affects the team rating system, which will be explained shortly.
Character Motivations
Periodically, a small message will appear in the upper left-hand corner of the screen that givesNew Tales From the Borderlandsplayers insight into what a particular character’s desire or motivation is in regard to another character. A good example of this is depicted above, where Octavio wants to improve his relationship with his sister, Anu.
By choosing dialogue options and making choices that would support that motivation, the relationship will improve between those two characters and will be reflectedat the end of an Episode.
Skateboard Rating
Not long after these three characters come together, they quickly decide that thebest thing to do is to hurt Tediore. After a brief call from Rhys, the trio decides that the best way to do that is to go after the contents of the Vault that Tediore stole the key for. Each character has their own motivation and reason, but they are willing to work together. This is where L0U13 comes up witha means of measuring how well the characters are doing as a team.
Rather than points or stars, L0U13 evaluates the groupwith Skateboards, of all things. As the rating is introduced, he evaluates that the group is measuring at 5/10 Skateboards. This score is not just flavor,Skateboard rating has a great deal of impact on how players experience the story and how characters interact with one another.
There is even a trophy/achievement to finish the game with a good skateboard rating. TheSkateboard rating can be improved by having Anu, Octavio, and Fran work together and support each other via dialogue choices.
RELATED:New Tales From the Borderlands: Meet The Characters
After a silly teambuilding montage, the group finally manages to find a leadon where Tediore is goingand where the Vault may be. They seem to besearching for the Vault in the sewers, and by chance, Fran has a secret entrance into the sewers underneath the ruins of her shop. So the trio goes down into the sewers in pursuit of Tediore. Not long into the expedition in the sewers, it becomes clear that there is a large amount of Tediore soldiers between the group and the Vault,and they need to come up with a planto deal with that.
Octavio’s Plan or Fran’s Plan?
Octavio suggests that the groupsneak past the soldiersthat are patrolling, and Fran insists that the best way to proceed is tokill any soldiers they findbefore they can sound the alarm. This choice is made from Anu’s perspective.
The choice made in this walkthrough was to sneak past the soldiers, which involves just a few simple QTEs (Quick Time Events) in order to get by without being detected.New Tales From the Borderlandsplayers have the option to disable QTEs if they wish, which would allow them to go through this section without having to deal with QTEs and potentially having the group detected.
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The First Vaultlanders Battle
Regardless of what players choose, they eventually come across a soldier that they can’t sneak past or neutralize.The only way to get past this soldier is to beat him in a Vaultlanders Battle, which is a mini-game that is somewhat like a fighting game mixed with a couple of QTEs.
Players and their opponent take turns rapidly attacking and then dodging attacks when it is not their turn. Upon successfully winning the battle, playerswill get the Zane Vaultlander figurine.
Closing in on the Vault
Aftera series of QTEs to dodge past more soldiers, the trio will come across what appears to be the entrance to the Vault. Not long after the Tediore soldiers use the key, they are attacked by agroup of Eridianrobots protecting the Vault. This is followed up by more QTEs to evade the Eridian’s robots as they finish slaughtering the Tediore soldiers. After taking a moment to catch their breath, the group decides to keep trying to reach the Vault, but they need to find another way that bypasses the robots guarding it.
Octavio calls Paco and borrows Juniper, who seems to know the sewers and the caves well enough to know exactly where the Vault is. Before long, players will be standing before the entrance to the Vault and are able to enter it without being detected by the Eridian robots.
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In the Vault
Once inside the Vault,New Tales From the Borderlandsplayers will soon enter a free-roam area. The objective of this area is to try and find more information on what or where the Vault Treasure is. There isn’t much that can be interacted with in this area.
The first thing players should dois search for the large treasure chest. While it looks like the kind of chest thatwould explode with lootin otherBorderlandsgames, this is unfortunately not the case forNew Tales From the Borderlands. After thoroughly inspecting it, all that Anu can find in the chest is a whopping $10.There is also a lever that players can interact withthat doesn’t do much of anything.
Once both of these objects have been searched, the story will advance, and players will soon befacing off against a giant monster called the Devourer. After quite a few QTEs to avoid getting eaten, players will face another significant choice.
Choose Who Distracts the Devourer: Octavio or Fran
In order to get out of the Vault alive, Fran, Octavio, and Anu need to find a way to kill the Devourer while also removing its ability to heal. In order to do that,someone will need to distract the Devourerwhile Anu adjusts the settings on her experimental device.Players will need to choose either Octavio or Fran to be a distraction.Of these choices,it is recommended that Octavio distract the Devourerso that Fran can use her multipurpose hover chair to freeze the appendage that the green crystal is embedded in on the Destroyer.
After a series of QTEs and one Super Science Slap applied to the device,players will be able to zap the Devourerand send it to an unknown location where it can’t return and can’t harm anyone. The trio quickly leaves the Vault with the green crystal that was left behind by the Devourer.
They hope that no one will know that they got to the Vault treasure first, but, unfortunately, Anu’s ID tag dropped and was left behind for Tediore to find as the second episode concludes.
New Tales From the Borderlandsis available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.
