Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandshas been out for a month, and it already received its first of four currently planned DLCs, with Gearbox possibly wanting to invest even further. AlthoughTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis aBorderlandsgame at its core, it is very much its own thing, and has a lot of room to grow over time thanks to its enticing gameplay. This comes from the fact that the endgame formula consists of Chaos Chambers, which are quite different from raid bosses inBorderlands 2, and also from the moreDiablo-like approach ofBorderlands 3’s Mayhem Mode.
Chaos Chambers essentially offer procedurally generated runs where players can choose which rooms to go through and which bosses to try and beat, and what it does for the farming portion of the game is grant players the ability to earn powerful items.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsfeatures six classesand a total of 15 unique class combinations, which means farming for specific gear can come down to RNG. However, having a way to deterministically obtain items could increase the longevity of the game, because it would provide players with a sense of purpose beyond randomness.
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Why a Crafting System Would Help Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Even thoughTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsoffers more than past games thanks toChaos Chambers, its purpose remains the same: getting potent items that will make running that mode even easier with time, in classic looter-shooter fashion. There are multiple tiers of rarity to gear, and while Legendaries are often the most powerful, they still come with a degree of randomness in their values, perks, or combinations. This means it can take players a long time to finally get the items they want.
Another problem comes from the fact that even when players finally get the items they wanted, it doesn’t mean they will have the Enchantment they need to pair with their builds.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands' Enchantments can be rerolled, but they still only have a handful of attempts before eventually surpassing the cap of currency that players can hold at any given time. This is basically a softlock to progression on that item, and players who can’t find the perfect Enchantment by then have to either stick with a worse one or farm for the item again.
Many looter-shooter games are built under the assumption that the grind is what will keep players coming back, and while that is correct to a certain extent, some titles may need a way to deterministically craft the items one wants. This crafting system doesn’t have to be something players can immediately engage with, but instead it can be a way to get them after committing to farming first. This is somethingDestiny 2’s The Witch Queenexpansion added into the game, and it could be a good system to use as a springboard forTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsas well.
What this system does is guarantee that players will have the items they desire with enough time and investment, whichTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsdoesn’t really do. If it were to adopt a similar system, it could work based on when players obtain an item they don’t need, which could be sold to acquire a recipe that allows them to craft it and choose which traits it should have. Ultimately, a way to guarantee players will get the items they want is not bad for a looter-shooter game, and it can provide players with a goal other than randomness fromfuture DLCs.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis available now for PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
