Borderlands 3is in many ways a celebration of the franchise as came before it. It’s full of familiar characters and ideas from pastBorderlandsgames, but also expands on them in exciting new ways. However, there’s one character in particular that many fans noticed was absent from the game. The Psycho Krieg, a DLC character fromBorderlands 2, was very popular. And for whatever reason, Gearbox didn’t write in a role for Krieg inBorderlands 3. A new leak, however, implies that wasn’t always the case.
According to a Redditor named DelusionPhantom, there’s evidence inBorderlands 3’s files that Krieg was at some point involved in the game’s story. While there are no audio lines of Krieg himself talking, audio files of Maya talking with Krieg were apparently found. The audio files insinuate that Krieg was tasked with infiltrating theChildren of the Vaultby Lilith. He then gets caught by a villain named Crushjaw and the player rescues him. Maya asks Krieg for help with a task and that’s the end of what was found.
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In other words, if the leak is true Gearbox planned to includeKrieg inBorderlands 3’s story at some point. More than that, Gearbox planned to involve Krieg in a subplot involving Maya. There’s even some further evidence that Krieg had a bigger role inBorderlands 3at some point. Two Legendary weapons, Pain is Power and Embrace the Pain, refer to Krieg’s skills inBorderlands 2. Both Legendaries are manufactured by Children of the Vault, the faction Krieg would have been infiltrating.
Note that the DelusionPhantom doesn’t provide any actual evidence of these files. It’s entirely possible that he’s making the entire leak up. As such, it’s best taken with a grain of salt.
To be fair, Krieg isn’t entirely absent fromBorderlands 3. There’s a series ofECHOrecordings that players can discover in-game featuring Krieg’s voice. The recordings reveal that Krieg is wrestling with his Psycho personality for control. His crush on Maya remains and he’s trying desperately to reign in his violent nature so that he can be around her without worrying about an accident. The ECHO recordings end without hinting at what’s next for Krieg.
Krieg isn’t the only character notably missing fromBorderlands 3, though he may be the most popular character that’s absent.Borderlands 3playershave also voiced their curiosity about the locations of Gaige, Axton, and Salvadore. It’s possible that they’ve been killed, though an off-screen death for past playable characters wouldn’t be popular. It’s also possible that Gearbox is planning to bring them back in an upcoming DLC. Gearbox may also just be fine putting the characters away for the game, so that their eventual return inBorderlands 4or5is that much more exciting. Time will tell.
Borderlands 3is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
