History Fridge / Borderlands3

** With the exceptions of Salvador, who is unaccounted for, and Maya, who is dead as per the storyline of ''3'', the ''Borderlands 2'' Vault Hunting team is strongly suggested or outright confirmed to still be alive, given that Axton has apparently retired from frontline service as a Vault Hunter and taken up a day job as a model, Gaige is still being hunted down by the Holloways while working a regular job as a wedding planner, Krieg is apparently still wandering Pandora and is now sane enough to hold a coherent conversation, [=Zer0=] is working for Rhys as his personal bodyguard and Salvador is apparently traveling around the galaxy.

!! Fridge pages are Administrivia/SpoilersOff by default, so all spoilers were removed and all entries folderized. Proceed with caution. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

''[[Fridge/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' - ''[[Fridge/Borderlands2 Borderlands 2]]'' - ''[[Fridge/BorderlandsThePreSequel Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!]]'' - ''[[Fridge/TalesFromTheBorderlands Tales from the Borderlands]]'' - '''''Borderlands 3''''' - ''[[Fridge/TinyTinasWonderlands Tiny Tina's Wonderlands]]''-]]]

''[[Fridge/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' - ''[[Fridge/Borderlands2 Borderlands 2]]'' - ''[[Fridge/BorderlandsThePreSequel Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!]]'' - ''[[Fridge/TalesFromTheBorderlands Tales from the Borderlands]]'' - '''''Borderlands 3'''''- - ''[[Fridge/TinyTinasWonderlands Tiny Tina's Wonderlands]]''-]]]

''[[Fridge/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' - ''[[Fridge/Borderlands2 Borderlands 2]]'' - ''[[Fridge/BorderlandsThePreSequel Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!]]'' - ''[[Fridge/TalesFromTheBorderlands Tales from the Borderlands]]'' - '''''Borderlands 3'''''-]]]]]

* Cryo and Radiation deal decent damage to both armor and shields respectively though not as much as corrosive and shock. Why? Prolonged exposure to extreme cold can make even the toughest of armor brittle, and radiation can interfere with electronics, which shields are made out of. Furthermore, radiation (which is subatomic particles being flung around) pokes billionsoftimy holesin materials, a process called "radiation embrittlement."

* Cryo and Radiation deal decent damage to both armor and shields respectively though not as much as corrosive and shock. Why? Prolonged exposure to extreme cold can make even the toughest of armor brittle, and radiation can interfere with electronics, which shields are made out of.

* 3 of the 4 new Vault Hunter only have an inkling of who Handsome Jack was. Zane is a different story. Being an operative, he would know the in-and-outs of just about every manufacturing company across the Six Galaxies, especially Hyperion. He also probably knew his older brother Captain was gullible enough to fall for Jack's scam.

* Rhys having an... admirer in Katagawa makes sense when you look at his [[VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands list of accomplishments]]: he started out as a low-ranking "code monkey", was able to survive [[DeathWorld Pandora]], singlehandedly brought down Helios (and likely took a chunk out Hyperion in the process), took part in a battle against a Vault monster and ''won'', looted said Vault (alongside Fiona) and rebuilt the defunct Atlas corporation in only a few years. It's little wonder why he'd be a source of admiration (and possibly [[GreenEyedMonster fear/envy]]) among people in other corporations.

** Axton, being a model, is likely somewhere far from the frontier worlds the story takes place on, and his absence from a developed world like Promethea can be explained in that he never met Rhys, and while he might still be in contact with [=Zer0=], his occupation as a model means he's either done with or disinterested in the concept of jumping into another firefight to save a planet that routinely attempted to murder him on a daily basis. His most recent gig is being the co-host of the Arms Race.
** Gaige is an outlaw who specifically went to Pandora to get away from the law, and an Echo log found in-game indicates the Holloways are still chasing her. She may have accordingly chosen to have left to protect the Crimson Raiders from getting involved with the feud she has with the Holloways, which she may see as a personal thing that she needs to handle by herself, as opposed to dragging the Raiders into it and escalating the feud into some kind of a war. She returns in the ''Love, Guns, and Tentacles'' DLC, and now works as a wedding planner.

* Cryo and Radiation deal decent damage to both armor and shields respectively though not as much as corrosive and shock. Why? Prolonged exposure to extreme cold can make even the toughest of armor brittle and radiation can interfere with electronics which shields are made out of.
** On a similar note, beside the fact that the other elements are more effective, Slag's absence from the game is quite simple. Jack's Hyperion had a monopoly on Slag weapons due to their extensive work with Eridium. With Jack dead, his incarnation of Hyperion burned to the ground, and Pandora no-doubt having a reputation as being a graveyard for any corporation that dares set foot on it, Slag in a weaponized form simply doesn't exist anymore, since no one's around to research Eridium and weaponize the byproducts.

** Additionally, the [=CEOs=] that work for those respective corporations have good reasons to ally with the Vault Hunters. Besides the fact that the Crimson Raiders singlehandedly-ish save him and his company from utter destruction, Rhys has history (most of it positive) with the Pandoran Vault Hunters, almost all of whom were affiliated with the Crimson Raiders. Similarly, Wainwright is romantically involved with Alistair, a longtime friend of the Crimson Raiders. Even without witnessing the heroic actions of the Crimson Raiders first-hand, both [=CEOs=] have spent plenty of time ''with'' people who were affiliated with them in some way, and therefore should have a good idea of the Crimson Raiders' mandate.

* Atlas has developed wrist mounted guns, just like the kind Rhys’ [[VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel former idol used]]. Could double as FridgeHorror if Rhys chose not to kill Jack.

* Why do the Children of the Vault rename themselves the Children of the Firehawk and (maybe) stop being so viciously psychotic? For the duration of the game they'd been worshiping Tyreen who called herself a god and would kill her believers at the drop of a hat and for no reason. Lilith, on the other hand, managed to ''stop'' the apocalypse the Twin Gods had started, plus branded Elpis with her logo, marking her as more powerful than Tyreen and Troy ''in addition'' to saving the COV members. She's stronger ''and'' benevolent - much closer to a god worth the worship.
** For gameplay purposes, however, the COV are still fought in the post-game. Their radio broadcasts proclaim that they will continue to fight in Tyreen's name no matter how badly they're beaten down. That, and given how much trouble even God Queen Tyreen had getting them to ally with Maliwan (an ECHO log shows her trying and failing to hammer this into her cultists' heads), it isn't much of a stretch to assume any transition from enemy to ally would take quite a while.

** Athena is likely off somewhere attempting to live a peaceful life with Janey, and would likely have no interest returning to her former life as an assassin/mercenary, especially after the events of the ''Pre-Sequel'' and how Lilith treated her then.
** Timothy, having gone into the movie business, is probably busy filming whatever movie he's busy filming, and thus unavailable due to his shooting schedule. At some point during his career, he got trapped in the Handsome Jackpot casino, and he remains there until this game's Vault Hunters free him.
** Krieg's primary motivation for joining the Crimson Raiders and their fight lay in wanting to exact revenge upon Handsome Jack, and because he liked Maya. Given that Jack is dead and Maya has moved on from the Raiders, he has no reason to stay with them. That, and he's a psycho, the kind of person the Raiders shoot on a daily basis. Assuming he didn't leave of his own volition, without the other Vault Hunters with him to keep his homicidal urges pointed in the right direction, he would've probably become very unwelcome sooner or later. Even if the Psycho half felt that was the case, he has worked with the Crimson Raiders on a few missions against the CoV and was even offered to join their afterparties.
* Of all the bandit types why haven't the Rats been recruited into the COV? Apparently the Calypso Twins found them [[EvenEvilHasStandards too creepy to work with]]. That and they're skin and bones, not much for Tyreen to feed off of.

** Additionally, the [=CEOs=] that work for those respective corporations have good reason to ally with the Vault Hunters. Besides the fact that the Crimson Raiders singlehandedly-ish save him and his company from utter destruction, Rhys has history (most of it positive) with the Pandoran Vault Hunters, almost all of whom were affiliated with the Crimson Raiders. Similarly, Wainwright is romantically involved with Alistair, a longtime friend of the Crimson Raiders. Even without witnessing the heroic actions of the Crimson Raiders first-hand, both [=CEOs=] have spent plenty of time ''with'' people who were affiliated with them in some way, and therefore should have a good idea of the Crimson Raiders' mandate.

* Aurelia's boss fight shows two signs of frigid brilliance (pun intended): 1) she very clearly states she doesn't give a damn about the "poor" (basically everyone in the whole universe), so the [=CoV=] enemies are affected by her attacks as much as you are, and 2) she's killing the cannon fodder bandits, enemies you use to ''get Second Winds''; she lets them live just enough to surround you and inflict damage, aims all of her attacks at you, and then tries to off them before you have a chance to recover from Fight For Your Life. It helps to remember she was a Vault Hunter, so she knows about that.
* Why E-Tech weapons don't appear this game? Apparently the weaknesses of said weapons far outweighed their strengths in-universe. E-Tech Snipers were impractical due to being unable to score critical hits, assault rifles being real ammo hogs and unable to deal real damage at all (Bandit Blasster rifles were the worst in addition with the mediocre reload time and it REALLY sucked if you were equipped with a non-elemental), the splatguns would have been decent were they not affected by gravity (two E-Tech shotguns made by Torgue were the exceptions) and Spiker and Dart pistols were just flat-out weak and unimpressive. Not even the vaunted Plasma Caster [=SMGs=] and Rocket Launchers (PRAZMA CANON, PBFG, Launcher, and Topneaa, which included the now-discontinued Norfleet from Maliwan) could compensate for the glaring flaws. Thus E-Tech was completely discontinued in favor of the more powerful alien tech barrels.
* Hyperion's New-U stations working for the Vault Hunters seems like a PetTheDog from the previously villainous company, but it could also be pragmatic assuming Jack's hatred for bandits remained.

* Moze's Iron Bear progression in general. Moze outright states that the parts for Iron Bear that she needs for repairs and enhancements are not cheap, so her progression as a Vault Hunter can be seeing as her getting paid and being able to upgrade/fine tune her mech unit. Also while Iron Bear is a force to be reckoned with from the start, it canonically did have a rough time in Darzaran Bay and thus it's not in its best condition at the start of the game. It likely had all or most of the upgrades that Moze can get in this game, but she's now flying solo and can't requisition those from Vladof directly any more.
* In hindsight, there's a lot of hints as to the true identity of the Company that once ruled and eventually nuked Gehenna. The focus on Core crystals, esoteric technology, bioweaponry, and general atmosphere [[RedHerring makes the Company seem like a long-dead former player]] in the ''Borderlands'' universe. It's not - it's the Jakobs Corporation. After all, their guns are everywhere, their chests are everywhere, and ''it's a western'' - the era with which Jakobs is most associated. It's not even the first time we saw an aesthetic combining elements of the Wild West and Japan - the Jakobs manor blends elements of both Eastern and Western architecture. Most damningly, when the swindler General Stickly tries to sell you "original Company stock," it's a Jakobs shotgun.

* Why don't The Calypso Twins try to steal Amara's like they did with Lilith and Maya? While obviously there's GameplayAndStorySegregation but there's also the fact that physically Amara is the strongest siren [[note]] As evident by her gameplay being potentially more melee focused than previous Sirens.[[/note]] While Troy and Tyreen aren't exactly lacking in the physical department. If they even tried to get near Amara, She could likely easily overpower them. (And just as likely show them a world of pain.)

* The names for the tattooed women, "Sirens", seems a tad non-indicative, as their powers never rely on voice and seldom hypnotize people (Maya's "Thoughtlock" ability is the only example). However, Tyreen makes it meaningful in a different sort of way. She and her brother manage to charm the bandits across the galaxy and frequently make use of propaganda centers and radio stations to spread their influence, all the while luring many of their followers to their death for sustenance.
** Also, when you look at the Sirens we know, each of them DOES somewhat hypnotize others through their voice and presence. Maya was instrumental in the leadership of the Monks, first as a mere figurehead and "voice" for them, and later as a true leader. Lilith leads the Crimson Raiders along with keeping them together, and has (inadvertently) created at least a couple cults that worship her. Angel both led and misled the Vault Hunters as an enigmatic voice over the [=ECHONet=]. The only one that we haven't seen deliberately influencing and directing people is Amara, and that's because she's far more focused on fighting anything she runs into than her predecessors... and even then, she's a celebrity crime fighter back on her homeworld, to the point of needing her own publicist and manager to maintain her personal media presence.
** Commandant Steele from the first game led an elite group of Atlas soldiers to The Destroyer's vault, and Angel from the first two games manipulated two groups of vault hunters to do Jack's bidding (and would later repent for it), regarding the non-playable Sirens from the previous games for this entry.

* The logic of the weapon manufacturers and what they make and the changes made between the last game and this one:
** Atlas: With Rhys in charge, their handguns and rocket launchers are now wrist-mounted. Their assault rifles still require two hands to use though. All 3 weapons come with alt-fire trackers that lock-on to the enemies. Submachine guns wouldn't benefit much from homing trackers and bullets, nor would shotguns or sniper rifles, hence their absence in Atlas manufacturing. However with 3 exceptions most of their guns don't have any elemental enhancements at all as the grenade mods fill that niche. This is due to Maliwan and the COV invading Promethea, which no doubt interrupted any attempts to enhance their firearms with elemental powers, given that there's a ''planet-wide invasion'' going on.
** COV: They still don't make sniper rifles, for the same reason as their bandit predecessors; their troops have neither the discipline, patience or tactical acumen to wield them effectively. COV guns drawing ammo from the backpack effectively eliminates manual reloading, allowing their troops to fire non-stop...which is basically their one and only strategy in combat. However, this comes at the cost of overheating and repair if the guns ever break, hence the need for spare parts and water bottles, squirt guns and portable hoses. Also they had to abandon their shotguns and [=SMGs=], probably because they didn't mesh well with the MoreDakka philosophy being bumped UpToEleven. You can imagine the bandits not being happy about this, as it hinders them to some extent in close range, which, admittedly, is somewhat made up for them retaining their trademark ActionBomb and Close Quarter Combatant tendencies. Also the Calypsos tried to compensate for this loss by having their cult join forces with Maliwan which has both shotguns and [=SMGs=] followed by allying with Aurelia Hammerlock (with Troy literally getting into bed with her) to acquire the vaunted Jakobs shotguns.
** Dahl: They still make pistols, [=SMGs=], sniper rifles and assault rifles - pretty straightforward military gear, but precise military gear. Dahl prizes accuracy and minimal collateral damage. However after receiving complaints about their guns being restricted to aim at the sights to bring out their full potential, and after no-doubt witnessing first-hand (via the events of 2 and the Pre-Sequel) what happens if people armed with their weapons get caught at ranges where the fire-mode is ineffective, the company decided to install alt-fire modes to their weapons. Now Vault Hunters can burst fire or go full automatic at both the hips and sights! Now if only they can break away from their DirtyCoward / PaperTiger tendencies.
** Hyperion: After having their asses handed to them by the Vault Hunters and Handsome Jack's demise by said Vault Hunters, Hyperion decided to make some changes to distance themselves from their tenure under Jack. First off getting rid of handguns due to their awkwardness, lack of real killing power despite their accuracy, and just being associated with Jack as the weapon that murdered a renowned Vault Hunter. Second, adding shields while aiming to their shotguns, [=SMGs=], and sniper rifles no doubt helps their intended audience - the corporate layman, of whom is likely neither heavily armored nor particularly battleworn - survive in Borderlands' cutthroat corporate world. Finally shoving the Jack A.I. into an [=SMG=] and installing Tediore firmware diversified the company's portfolio, going from being the guns that were the most accurate to guns that are more adjusted for the dynamic battlefield.
** Jakobs: No rocket launchers or [=SMGs=], entirely for aesthetic reasons. Their old school of thought - extremely high damage, critical modifiers and a ''strong'' emphasis on sheer damage over everything - remains unchanged. However some of their purple quality or higher assault rifles are now hand-cranked - referencing the early Gatling Guns - and any critical hit made by their weapons will have the bullet ricochet to the next target, allowing a skilled marksman to make the most of their shots. Their shotguns also have the potential to possess larger magazines, likely due to Wainwright's preference for them given his disability.
*** Despite their reputation from having low-tech yet effective weapons, some of the Jakobs guns have alien barrels. Why? Possibly due to Clay modifying them for aftermarket (remember that he created the Rogue Sight revolver) to help out his adoptive brother Wainwright and avenge his father-figure Montgomery Jakobs who was slain at the hands of Aurelia Hammerlock and the Calypsos. Clay probably also created the Hellwalker to counter Aurelia's ice powers.
*** As a matter-of-fact Wainwright dreaded the notion of his family's weaponry in the filthy hands of the [=COV=]. It happened once before when one of his family's manufactured shotguns fell into the hands of an extremely uncouth brute named Sledge who claimed it as his own. Then it happened again right after murdering Wainwright's father, The Calypsos stole another legendary shotgun, desecrated it with their graffiti and teleported back to Pandora and gave it to Hot Karl whom rebranded it as "Sledge's Shotgun".
** Maliwan: No assault rifles, as per tradition, but they have dropped the rocket launchers for shotguns, likely to fit in with their "stylish corporate executive" aesthetic. Maliwan build weapons to make their designers feel clever, after all, which means either weapons that are precise (pistols, sniper rifles) or weapons that let them push the boundaries, with their tech submachine guns as a speed test. With Katagawa in charge of Maliwan, the rocket launchers were dropped in favor of shotguns as he felt that shotguns give the enemy a personal sense of fear. That and he was probably tired of hearing complaints from Torgue.
*** They also added in alt-fire elemental capacitors like incendiary/shock to deal with enemies that have shields or incendiary/corrosive to those who have armor, likely as a result of finding out the hard way that having a powerful elemental weapon means absolutely ''nothing'' if the opponent in question can NoSell the oncoming fire.
** Tediore: After having their asses handed to them by Vladof's Iron Bear Corps, Tediore decided to make changes to their reload system. Instead of being simply grenades, they become turrets that fire down on the enemy or drones that hunt down their prey. However they had to abandon their rocket launchers for this feature to work and other companies still see Tediore as a joke though they won't be laughing as much when hordes of Baby Maker, Turbo Ten Gallon, Fire Musket, Scorpio, Mother Too, Smart Gun XXL, and Dark Army drones move in for the kill.
*** Plus, the newfound diversity of Tediore means that they have something other than being a ''very'' cheap brand to buy from and their dubious honor as useful VendorTrash going for them. Their guns having a wide range of gimmicks and abilities means that people who would've either passed them over or sold their weapons to the nearest vendor the moment they had the opportunity will now be taking them seriously when picking out weapons to carry into battle.
** Torgue: No submachine guns or sniper rifles still apply here. When Torgue was reinstated as the company face he was forced to compromise by having weapons get elemental enhancements since explosive damage is no longer considered an element and the new radiation element could fill the niche of making things explode. On the other hand having sticky gyrojets alt-fire on your rifles, shotguns and handguns is perfect due to enemies having a nasty habit of escaping your line of fire, and the gyrojets mean that there's not much they can do once an explosive bullet is latched onto them. Torque saw how terrible the E-Tech pistols were and decided to make sticky bullets with more damage. Apparently Jakobs liked the idea as well when they created The Duc pistol based on Torgue firmware. So did Hyperion and Dahl with their Proprietary License and Kaoson [=SMGs=] respectively.
** Vladof: No shotguns or submachine guns also still apply here. However after the Darzaran Bay Massacre (which unbeknownst to the company Moze was the sole survivor), Vladof decided to make changes by adding more firepower to their weapons so incidents like that never happen again. For their alt-fire modes, we have zip rockets, tasers, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, mortars, double-barrels, and shotguns. As a matter of fact, Vladof created the Sickle, an assault rifle with shotgun properties as an homage to their discontinued Hammer shotgun from the first game.
*** All of this also makes sense when one takes into account that Vladof - like every other company - has learned from the weaknesses of CripplingOverspecialization that were demonstrated in the first three games. MoreDakka, while effective, will only carry the company so far, so their subsequent foray into all sorts of under-barrel attachments is at least rooted in making their weapons more competitive with the other companies.

''[[Fridge/Borderlands1 Borderlands]]'' - ''[[Fridge/Borderlands2 Borderlands 2]]'' - ''[[Fridge/BorderlandsThePreSequel Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!]]'' - ''[[Fridge/TalesFromTheBorderlands Tales from the Borderlands]]'' - ''[[Fridge/Borderlands3 Borderlands 3]]''-]]]]]

** Torgue: No submachine guns or sniper rifles still apply here. When Torgue was reinstated as the company face he was forced to compromise by having weapons get elemental enhancements since explosive damage is no longer considered an element and the new radiation element could fill the niche of making things explode. On the other hand having sticky gyrojets alt-fire on your rifles, shotguns and handguns is perfect due to enemies having a nasty habit of escaping your line of fire, and the gyrojets mean that there's not much they can do once an explosive bullet is latched onto them. Apparently Jakobs liked the idea as well when they created The Duc pistol based on Torgue firmware.

* Tyreen's power to steal strength from others and give it to her brother is a corrupted version of Maya's Harmony skill tree, particularly Sweet Release and Life Tap. Let's all be glad Maya's a really nice person, or else there'd be ''two'' of them.

* Rhys having an... admirer in Katagawa makes sense when you look at his [[VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands list of accomplishments]], started out as a low-ranking "code monkey" yet was able to survive [[DeathWorld Pandora]], singlehandedly brought down Helios (and likely took a chunk out Hyperion in the process), took part in a battle against a Vault monster and ''won'', looted said Vault (alongside Fiona) and rebuilt the defunct Atlas corporation in only a few years. It's little wonder why he'd be a source of admiration (and possibly fear/envy) among people in other corporations. In addition, Katagawa's obsession with Rhys mirrors Rhys' own obsession with Handsome Jack, solidifying Rhys' position as Jack's GoodCounterpart.
** Still on Rhys, he is a tad more skittish than he ever was in ''Tales from the Borderlands''. Rhys is not exactly known as being the fighting type or bravest person in the universe, add that with him being on the losing side of an all-out corporate war with one ''really'' creepy stalker that's willing to kill an entire planet's population to forcibly ''acquire'' him and Atlas (with all the subtext that implies), and you can more or less understand why he's a nervous wreck in 90% of the times he speaks to you.

!! FridgeBrilliance

* Early on, you give a damaged Vault map to Tannis, who retreats into her little shack to attempt to fix it (the entrance is a black wall that keeps the player out), taking barely a few minutes to repair (somewhat, it's still damaged but it works enough to display a single planet) what is essentially an ''alien artifact'' in a tiny shack in the middle of nowhere, that Tannis herself admits most of the Eridian race's tech has stumped the brightest human minds with the corporations funding their research. [[spoiler: With the reveal that Tannis is a Siren with the ability to Phaseshift (manipulate "anything with a current", i.e. electronics and machinery, possibly including the map), it might be possible that is what she used to repair it, as opposed to whatever research equipment she has in that tiny shack.]]

* Tyreen's power to [[spoiler: steal strength from others and give it to her brother]] is a corrupted version of Maya's Harmony skill tree, particularly [[spoiler: Sweet Release and Life Tap.]] Let's all be glad Maya's a really nice person, or else there'd be ''two'' of them.

* In Greek mythology (references to which are ''everywhere'' in ''Borderlands'' as is), Typhon is a dragon with a hundred heads that Gaia, or Mother Earth, sent to defeat Zeus after he took out his father Cronus. Typhon and his mate Echidna had many monstrous children. What's this got to do with Typhon [=DeLeon=], you may ask? [[spoiler:Well, when you meet him later, he mentions that he has two kids, and that they grew up to be— guess what? Monsters.]]

* Maliwan's [[spoiler: presence on Nekrotafeyo would explain a lot of things - mainly, the new, almost alien like design of their guns, as well as the ability to shift between two elements. Rhys claimed that the research benefits of studying a mere Vault Key fragment would have kept Atlas afloat for potential decades. Now imagine what Maliwan could do (and probably did) with free access to a whole planet full of potentially still-functioning Eridian technology.]]

* The absence of the ''Borderlands''/''Pre-Sequel'' Vault Hunters from previous titles - those who are still alive [[spoiler:or not working for the Calypsos like Aurelia]] anyways - may be a bit odd, given that a threat this big should warrant them all being pulled in, but besides the fact that this is a new ''Borderlands'' installment and thus new heroes are required, it's been seven years, long enough for everyone to have moved on from the Crimson Raiders. After all, Jack and Hector are dead, their respective armies crushed and scattered to the four winds, so naturally, it'd make sense for the ''Borderlands 2''/''Pre-Sequel'' Vault Hunters to put down their guns and go do something else for a change, which conveniently leaves (most) of them far from the events revolving around the Calypsos. And going by the games and their respective personalities...

** Timothy, having gone into the movie business, is probably busy filming whatever movie he's busy filming, and thus unavailable due to his shooting schedule. [[spoiler: At some point during his career, he got trapped in the Handsome Jackpot casino, and he remains there until this game's Vault Hunters free him.]]
** Krieg's primary motivation for joining the Crimson Raiders and their fight lay in wanting to exact revenge upon Handsome Jack, and because he liked Maya. Given that Jack is dead and Maya has moved on from the Raiders, he has no reason to stay with them. That, and he's a psycho, the kind of person the Raiders shoot on a daily basis. Assuming he didn't leave of his own volition, without the other Vault Hunters with him to keep his homicidal urges pointed in the right direction, he would've probably become very unwelcome sooner or later. [[spoiler: Even if the Psycho half felt that was the case, he has worked with the Crimson Raiders on a few missions against the CoV and was even offered to join their afterparties.]]

* In hindsight, there's a lot of hints as to the true identity of the Company that once ruled and eventually nuked Gehenna. The focus on Core crystals, esoteric technology, bioweaponry, and general atmosphere [[RedHerring makes the Company seem like a long-dead former player]] in the ''Borderlands'' universe. It's not - [[spoiler: it's the Jakobs Corporation. After all, their guns are everywhere, their chests are everywhere, and ''it's a western'' - the era with which Jakobs is most associated. It's not even the first time we saw an aesthetic combining elements of the Wild West and Japan - the Jakobs manor blends elements of both Eastern and Western architecture. Most damningly, when the swindler General Stickly tries to sell you "original Company stock," it's a Jakobs shotgun.]]

** Lilith mentioning that the Guardians didn't try to stop her makes a lot more sense after decoding the Eridian archives and learning that [[spoiler:a Siren helped the Eridians craft the Great Vault and that Elpis is the Vault Key for it. They likely viewed her as a potential ally by default, and knew that she was trying to stop the smaller Vault on Elpis from being misused.]]
** The Destroyer's eye being powerful enough to destroy Elpis makes a lot more sense with the revelation that [[spoiler:the part that we fought and destroyed was just a tiny sliver of the real creature, which was able to easily consume stars.]]
** Zarpedon trying to destroy the entire moon instead of just targeting the Vault makes a lot more sense, because [[spoiler: the entire moon is the Vault Key, with the Vault just being a small part of it.]]

!! FridgeHorror
* Just outside the Holy Broadcast Center, you can find a derelict bus with graffiti on it. The graffiti depicts 6 silhouettes labeled "Vault Hunters", and four of them are crossed out. Taking into consideration[[spoiler: that only two of ''Borderlands 2''[='=]s Vault Hunters make a physical appearance]], the [[KilledOffscreen implications]] are disturbing.

** With the exceptions of Salvador, who is unaccounted for, and [[spoiler:Maya, who is dead as per the storyline of ''3'',]] the ''Borderlands 2'' Vault Hunting team is strongly suggested or outright confirmed to still be alive, given that Axton has apparently retired from frontline service as a Vault Hunter and taken up a day job as a model, Gaige is still being hunted down by the Holloways [[spoiler: while working a regular job as a wedding planner]], Krieg is apparently still wandering Pandora and is now sane enough to hold a coherent conversation, [=Zer0=] is working for Rhys as his personal bodyguard and Salvador is apparently traveling around the galaxy.

* Ava's actions in the first vault leads to a chain of events that [[spoiler: nearly let the Destroyer free. Had she not been in the vault, Maya wouldn't have grabbed Troy. If Troy hadn't been grabbed, Maya would never be leeched, and the twins wouldn't be able to Phaselock Elpis and try to set the Destroyer free.]]
** However, it was [[spoiler: Typhon [=DeLeon=]'s {{Deconstruction}} of OverprotectiveDad that made the Calypso Twins into who they are which led to the events of the game. Typhon may have been the first Vault Hunter but he was [[ParentsAsPeople still human]].]]
* The people of Elpis, including the citizens on civilized settlements like Concordia, were likely obliterated in a cataclysmic event when [[spoiler: the Calypsos phaselocked the entire moon and dragged it close to Pandora. Even if there were survivors, then Lilith blasting herself onto the surface and searing a fiery phoenix would have immolated half the moon's population.]]

** Axton was a professional soldier, sure, but a bit of a maverick and loose cannon by the sounds of some of his ECHO logs, and he deserted while taking a customizable Dahl turret. Moze, on the other hand, was part of an elite squadron of mechanised infantry with a fearsome reputation and retains her soldier's discipline (mostly) all of the time, and she left her post with an advanced Vladof mech at her command. In every sense of the word, Moze's got her predecessor outgunned.
** "Jack" AKA Timothy Lawrence was just some poor schmuck randomly chosen by the real Jack to be his body double. While he proved to be a very capable fighter to his own surprise, he was thrown in at the deep end and cannot even remotely compare to Zane (who he is most similar to), a seasoned veteran and (retired) professional hitman with a very long career behind him, to the point where Zane treats the events of ''[=BL3=]'' as an enjoyable vacation instead of a dangerous galaxy-spanning war.
** [=FL4K=] is the hardest to pin down: they are likely self-taught as Mordecai was, the only difference being their robot brain could help them learn a lot faster, plus their background as an archivist bot could give them access to all the information they need on the creatures they tame. This is shown by [=FL4K=] taming three different attack animals, and how they're able to cultivate those animals into Badass variants. WordOfGod also states they are several hundred years old, giving them more time to learn.

** Moze began to realize that Iron Bear, while powerful, was severely limited by its size. She sought out the help of Tannis, Ellie and Gaige to create a modulator that summons Iron Bear in a more compressed size, thus was born Iron Cub. The damage may have been reduced but it remains a credible threat now that it can gain access to areas that restricted its larger counterpart.

** Moze began to realize that Iron Bear, while powerful, was severely limited by its size. She sought out the help of Tannis, Ellie and Gaige to create a modulator that summons Iron Bear in a more compressed size, thus was born Iron Cub. The damage may have been reduced but it remains a credible threat that it can now gain access to areas that restricted its larger counterpart.
** Some time after the Handsome Jackpot heist, Zane acquired some schematics based on Wilhelm's Vengeance Cannon and developed the [=MNTIS=] shoulder cannon. While not powerful as the Vengeance Cannon, the [=MNTIS=] is more versatile as it can used more than once, can freeze or shock enemies, drag them closer to inflict more damage, and doesn't require Zane to be at low health to summon it.

* [=Fl4K=] didn't simply acquire a Loader Bot as a pet out of a whim. They remembered Joy, the friendly Loader Bot from the Handsome Jackpot side mission Heart of Gold, who died from a defective power core. They also saw Gaige broke down in tears after witnessing Deathtrap "dying". Fearing a similar fate, [=Fl4K=] adopted a Loader Bot in the hopes of sharing and passing down their centuries-worth of knowledge before their own eventual end arrives.
* Amara developed the Phaseflare skill to honor the memory of Maya, who had a similar Melee Override Skill called Scorn, which fired a large orb of Slag at her enemies.
** By coincidence Atlas created the Res handgun, which fires healing bullets, to honor Maya as well as she had that skill to heal/revive her fellow Vault Hunters.
* Moze began to realize that Iron Bear while powerful, was severely limited by its size. She sought out the help of Tannis, Ellie and Gaige to create a modulator that summons Iron Bear in a more compressed size, thus was born Iron Cub. The damage may have been reduced but it remains a credible threat that it can now gain access to areas that restricted its larger counterpart.
* Some time after the Handsome Jackpot heist, Zane acquired some schematics based on Wilhelm's Vengeance Cannon and developed the [=MNTIS=] shoulder cannon. While not powerful as the Vengeance Cannon, the [=MNTIS=] is more versatile as it can used more than once, can freeze or shock enemies, drag them closer to inflict more damage, and doesn't require Zane to be at low health to summon it.

* [=Fl4K=] didn't simply acquire a Loader Bot as a pet out of a whim. They remembered Joy, the friendly Loader Bot from the Handsome Jackpot side mission Heart of Gold, who died from a defective power core. They also Gaige broke down in tears after witnessing Deathtrap "dying". Fearing a similar fate, [=Fl4K=] adopted a Loader Bot in the hopes of sharing and passing down their centuries-worth of knowledge before their own eventual end arrives.

* Moze realizing that Iron Bear while powerful was severely limited by its size. She sought out the help of Tannis, Ellie and Gaige to create a modulator that summons Iron Bear in a more compressed size, thus was born Iron Cub. The damage may have been reduced but it remains a credible threat that it can now gain access to areas that restricted its larger counterpart.

* Moze realizing that Iron Bear while powerful was severely limited by its size. She sought out the help of Tannis, Ellis, and Gaige to create a modulator that summons Iron Bear in a more compressed size, thus was born Iron Cub. The damage may have been reduced but it remains a credible threat that can now gain access to areas that restricted its larger counterpart.

* [=Fl4K=] didn't simply acquire a Loader Bot as a pet out of a whim. They remembered Joy, the friendly Loader Bot from the Handsome Jackpot side mission Heart of Gold, who died from a defective power core. Fearing a similar fate, [=Fl4K=] adopted a Loader Bot in the hopes of sharing and passing down their centuries-worth of knowledge before their own eventual end arrives.

* Rhys having an... admirer in Katagawa makes sense when you look at his [[VideoGame/TalesFromTheBorderlands list of accomplishments]], started out as a low-ranking "code monkey" yet was able to survive [[DeathWorld Pandora]], single handedly brought down Helios (and likely took a chunk out Hyperion in the process), took part in a battle against a vault monster and ''won'', looted said vault (alongside Fiona) and rebuilt the defunct Atlas corporation in only a few years. It's little wonder why he'd be a source of admiration (and possibly fear/envy) among people in other corporations. In addition, Katagawa's obsession with Rhys mirrors Rhys' own obsession with Handsome Jack, solidifying Rhys' position as Jack's GoodCounterpart.
** Still on Rhys, he is a tad more skittish than he ever was in ''Tales from the Borderlands''. Rhys is not exactly known as being the fighting type or bravest person in the universe, add that with him being in an all-out corporate war with one ''really'' creepy stalker and you can more or less understand why he's a nervous wreck in 90% of the times he speaks to you.
* Early on, you give a damaged vault map to Tannis, who retreats into her little shack to attempt to fix it (the entrance is a black wall that keeps the player out), taking barely a few minutes to repair (somewhat, it's still damaged but it works enough to display a single planet) what is essentially an ''alien artifact'' in a tiny shack in the middle of nowhere, that Tannis herself admits most of the Eridian race's tech has stumped the brightest human minds. [[spoiler: With the reveal that Tannis is a Siren with the ability to Phaseshift (manipulate "anything with a current", i.e. electronics and machinery, possibly including the map), it might be possible that is what she used to repair it, as opposed to whatever research equipment she has in that tiny shack.]]

* The monks of Athenas having a vow of peace and non-violence, as well as the history of the world having Siren rulers, goes a long way to explain why a single Siren like Maya was expected to dominate the entire planet through fear. It also explains why Maya was able to just kill the leader of the Impending Storm and walk away.
* You may have noticed that the Nomad bandits from ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' have disappeared, while most other bandit sub-types are still around. However, if you listen closely, you can still find them.... but they're now working for Maliwan as their Heavies. Considering the general psychopathy among the Maliwan soldiers you encounter, it's likely that many of their troops were recruited from bandits and criminals who were slightly more stable than the ones who joined the Children of the Vault.

** Also, when you look at the Sirens we know, each of them DOES somewhat hypnotize others through their voice and presence. Maya was instrumental in the leadership of the Monks, first as a mere figurehead and "voice" for them, and later as a true leader. Lilith leads the Crimson Raiders, and has (inadvertently) created at least a couple cults that worship her. Angel led and mislead the Vault Hunters as an enigmatic voice over the [=ECHONet=]. The only one that we haven't seen deliberately influencing and directing people is Amara, and that's because she's far more focused on fighting anything she runs into than her predecessors... and even then, she's a celebrity crime fighter back on her homeworld, to the point of having her own publicist and manager.

** Lilith's Siren abilities were largely self-taught in a vagabond lifestyle. While Maya received some instruction and training, she got it from a group of monks who wanted their own pet superhuman and so probably didn't tell her everything she could do, along with discouraging her to think for herself. On the other hand, Amara has been making constant use of her Siren power for years as a vigilante against her world's criminals. Self-taught or otherwise, Amara's fought for far longer and without being manipulated by someone else into not exploring her potential, so she trumps both previous Sirens in sheer experience, explaining her versatility (her three base abilities) and being able to alter the ways they work (the augments and elemental modifiers).

** "Jack" AKA Timothy Lawrence was just some poor schmuck randomly chosen by the real Jack to be his body double. While he proved to be a very capable fighter to his own surprise, he was thrown in at the deep end and cannot compare to Zane (who he is most similar to), a seasoned veteran and (retired) professional hitman with a very long career behind him, to the point where Zane treats the events of ''[=BL3=]'' as an enjoyable vacation instead of a dangerous galaxy-spanning war.

** For gameplay purposes, however, the COV are still fought in the post-game. Their radio broadcasts proclaim that they will continue to fight in Tyreen's name no matter how badly they're beaten down. That, and given how much trouble Tyreen had getting them to ally with Maliwan (an ECHO log shows her trying and failing to hammer this into her cultists' heads), it isn't much of a stretch to assume any transition from enemy to ally would take quite a while.
* Maliwan's [[spoiler: presence on Nekrotafeyo would explain a lot of things - mainly, the new, almost alien like design of their guns, as well as the ability to shift between two elements. Rhys claimed that the research benefits of studying a mere Vault Key fragment would have kept Atlas afloat for potential decades. Now imagine what Maliwan could do (and probably did) with a whole planet full of potentially still functioning Eridian technology.]]

* Alistair Hammerlock seems like a perfect match for Wainwright Jakobs, being a hunter with a preference for sniper rifles and precision shooting, which no doubt compensates for Wainwright's crippled eyesight. It helps that Alistair also made use of Jakobs weapons before meeting Wainwright, as shown in the ''Big Game Hunt'' pack in the previous game.

* Aurelia's boss fight shows two signs of frigid brilliance (pun intended): 1) she very clearly states she doesn't give a damn about the "poor" (basically everyone in the whole universe), so the [=CoV=] enemies are affected by her attacks as much as you are, and 2) she's killing the cannon fodder bandits, enemies you use to ''get Second Winds''; she lets them live just enough to cause you damage and tries to off them before you have a chance to recover from Fight For Your Life. It helps to remember she was a Vault Hunter, so she knows about that.
* Why E-Tech weapons don't appear this game? Apparently the weaknesses of said weapons far outweighed their strengths. E-Tech Snipers were impractical due to being unable to score critical hits, assault rifles being real ammo hogs and unable to deal real damage at all (Bandit Blasster rifles were the worst in addition with the mediocre reload time and it REALLY sucked if you were equipped with a non-elemental), the splatguns would have been decent were they not affected by gravity (two E-Tech shotguns made by Torgue were the exceptions) and Spiker and Dart pistols were just flat-out weak and unimpressive. Not even the vaunted Plasma Caster [=SMGs=] and Rocket Launchers (PRAZMA CANON, PBFG, Launcher, and Topneaa, which included the now-discontinued Norfleet from Maliwan) could compensate for the glaring flaws. Thus E-Tech was completely discontinued in favor of the more powerful alien tech barrels.

* 3 of the 4 new Vault Hunter only had an inkling of who Handsome Jack was. Zane is a different story. Being an operative, he would know the in-and-outs of just about every manufacturing company across the Six Galaxies, especially Hyperion. He also probably knew his older brother Captain was gullible enough to fall for Jack's scam.

* Moze's Iron Bear progression in general. Moze outright states that the parts for Iron Bear that she needs for repairs and enhancements are not cheap, so her progression as a Vault Hunter can be seeing as her getting paid and being able to upgrade/fine tune her mech unit. Also while Iron Bear is a force to be reckoned with from the start, it canonically did have a rough time in Darzaran Bay and thus it's not in its best condition at the start of the game. It likely had all or most of the upgrades that Moze can get in this game, but she's now flying solo and can't requisition it from Vladof directly any more.
* In hindsight, there's a lot of hints as to the true identity of the Company that once ruled and eventually nuked Gehenna. The focus on Core crystals, esoteric technology, bioweaponry, and general atmosphere [[RedHerring makes the Company seem like a long-dead former player]] in the Borderlands universe. It's not - [[spoiler: it's the Jakobs Corporation. After all, their guns are everywhere, their chests are everywhere, and ''it's a western'' - the era with which Jakobs is most associated. It's not even the first time we saw an aesthetic combining elements of the Wild West and Japan - the Jakobs manor blends elements of both Eastern and Western architecture. Most damningly, when the swindler General Stickly tries to sell you "original Company stock," it's a Jakobs shotgun.]]