History YMMV / Borderlands3

** Mayhem Mode had a modifier that granted enemies up to a 30% chance to reflect any bullets you shoot at them. Every other modifier has some sort of counterplay to it, but this one invalidated over 90% of the game's guns - the only ones it disn't affect were the rocket launchers (which don't exactly use common ammo) and specific legendaries, which are obviously not easy to find. If you simply tried to tough it out, you'd quickly find yourself shredding your own health faster than anything else can. The game was generally agreed upon to be completely unplayable with it active, and that the best thing to do if you got it was to [[SaveScumming just reload the game]]. This modifier was toned down to a maximum 5% chance during the 10th Anniversary event in October 2019, and removed completely when Mayhem 2.0 was released.
** The Mayhem modifiers in general can be this for those who want simply want to fight tougher enemies and get more powerful weapons without having to dance around the caveats each level presents, with the first level having a positive modifier and the final level only focusing on increased enemy stats.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: While not without their critics, the plots and overall writing for the [=DLCs=] have generally been better received than the much polarizing main game's.

** Gathering all the collectible/scannable items in every map can be a hassle in general, but the ones in the ''Bounty of Blood'' chapters take it to a whole new level, as there are teleporters that lead to otherwise inaccessible spots, which really throws using a map guide out of wack.

** The final boss of ''Ava's Murder Mysteries'', [[spoiler:The Seer]]. It has an absolutely '''monstrous''' amount of health, to the point even an optimized endgame character can only barely chip away at its health. ''Which it can potentially regenerate.''

* {{Flanderization}}: Claptrap's nature as an annoying but earnestly friendly buffoon who overestimates his helpfulness and popularity hits newfound lows compared to ''2''. What starts out as a coping mechanism to deal with his years of social isolation and near-death experience becomes a superiority complex that makes him think the crew of Sanctuary are slave labor for him to exploit.

** The Mysteriouslier missions introduced in ''Director's Cut'' barely go into Ava's role as [[spoiler:the new leader of Sanctuary, and how people react to her being in charge. You'd think there'd be some focus on how people think of her as the leader]], even discounting Maya's death and Lilith's sacrifice, but apart from talking about a soldier she sent off to do something, there's no focus, making it feel like an InformedAttribute.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: The ‘’Psycho Krieg and The Fantastic Flustercluck.’’ DLC is considered to be one of the better storylines the game has to offer due to being a character study that reveals and develops on fan-favorite, Krieg. However the gameplay has been criticized for its smaller areas when compared to the vast environments of the previous {{DLCs}}, the small number of side quests, relatively weak selection of unique weapons, and it’s [[ItsShortSoItSucks short length]].

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: The ‘’Psycho Krieg and The Fantastic Flustercluck.’’ DLC is considered to be one of the better storylines the game has to offer due to being a character study that reveals and develops on fan-favorite, Krieg. However the gameplay has been criticized for its smaller areas when compared to the vast environments of the previous DLCs, the small number of side quests, relatively weak selection of unique weapons, and for being able to complete it under three hours.

* EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame: The final DLC, ‘’Psycho Krieg and The Fantastic Flustercluck.’’ is considered to be one of the better storylines the game has to offer due to being a character study on fan-favorite, Krieg. However the gameplay has been criticized for it’s small areas, small number of side quests, and unimpressive unique weapons and bosses.

** The Beastmaster vault hunter wouldn't be the last character named [[Videogame/NintendoWars Flak]] (or a variation in its spelling) voiced by Creator/SungWonCho.

* BreakthroughHit: Creator/SungWonCho considers this his. While he had already been a cult favorite for years, his role as [=FL4K=] brought him substantially greater mainstream attention.

* BreakthroughHit: [[Creator/ProZD Sung Won Cho]] considers this his. While he had already been a cult favorite for years, his role as [=FL4K=] brought him substationally greater maintream attention.

** The Beastmaster vault hunter wouldn't be the last character named [[Videogame/NintendoWars Flak]] (or a variation in its spelling) voiced by [[Creator/ProZD SungWon Cho]].

** If one takes a look at the last cutscene of Tiny Tina's DLC in Borderlands 2, they'll be presented with a scene that ''heavily'' implies 2's vault hunters have become TrueCompanions after all they had gone through together. 3 reveals things had gone in the complete opposite way however as all of them have been split off in the years that had passed: Gaige in particular has spent ''seven'' years on the run and her CompanionCube is the closest thing she has to a true friend, Maya and [=Zer0=] both get involved but are independent from each other with no interaction between them despite pressumably not having talked to each other in some time, and Krieg's left alone to his own devices. Only Axton and Salvador who manages to hang together as game show hosts, though both of them didn't interact with the other. Taking all of this into account, it makes the scene more of a TearJerker than a heartwarming one.

** When it comes to common artifact categories/legendary artifact subcategories, only Snowdrift is really given distinction, as it drastically increases slide speed, making it ideal for dodging and general travelling, in addition to that snowball projectile it advertises up and front. People practically pay all other sliding and ''all'' slam categories as a TierInducedScrappy item, and all other categories such as melee, elemental chance, and damage, are a distant second to the Snowdrift.

** The FinalBoss of the Bounty of Blood - much like the Captain Scarlett and her Pirates Booty DLC of the [[VideoGame/Borderlands2 previous game]], it's a two parter. The first part is a high-speed boss against the ArcVillain Rose who zips around. The second part? Against the Ruiner - an enormous Kaiju-esque bioweapon. Oh, and [[FinalExamBoss you actually have to use two of the DLC's mechanics]] to defeat it - you have to use the core jumps to get clear shots at its weak spots, then follow it into the underground using the teleportation stations.
*** Think you can just cheese the Ruiner as Moze? Think again - the Ruiner fires a beam of doom that chews through Iron Bear like paper. It's very ''very'' hard to dodge the beam of death when you're in Iron Bear, and the Ruiner will often go underground - and you can't teleport in Iron Bear. It finally feels nice to not just press F, mash your "fire" button and win in record time.

** The Anointed enemies. All variants possess high health, complete immunity to cryo damage[[note]]prior to a hotfix update where they became merely resistant[[/note]], and TeleportSpam. Maniacs possess an extremely obnoxious AOE tracking orb; Militants are even worse, with both [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe an invulnerable]] [[AttackReflector bullet reflecting shield]], their tendency to teleport in front of other targets being shot, and the ability to stand still and become immune to damage while literally reigning fire from the sky. Fighting these guys in TVHM will test your patience, certain Mayhem modifiers can make them nigh-undefeatable. God help any player if [[HarderThanHard UVHM]] returns.
*** ''Arms Race'' has its own version that show up after some time has elapsed. While they thankfully lack the ability to go invulnerable, they've got plenty of shields and health, so you'd better hope you have a shock weapon. But the absolute worst part is that they will ALWAYS teleport to you if you try to run, ''even in the boss room''. If you want any hope of beating him, you HAVE to stay behind and take care of those two first.

%%** Ava ''was'' pretty popular back when she was revealed in the trailers. Post-release, her reception is more...[[BaseBreakingCharacter mixed.]]

** Remember ''2''[='=]s opening song "Short Change Hero" (particularly the chorus line "This ain't No Place For No Hero")? What applied perfectly to [[spoiler:the death of Roland in ''2'']] has become even worse [[spoiler:with the death of Maya]]. No place for no hero indeed.
*** The pattern of player character deaths seems to follow [[spoiler:Vault Hunters who have the capacity of healing others]], lending to some sour {{Irony}}.

* AcceptableTargets: Tyreen and Troy are explicitly stated to be a {{parody}} of Social Media Influencers. They "livescream" (livestream) and have "Let's Flays" ({{Lets Play}}s) of their crimes and horrific acts, refer to their cultists as "Followers" (as in, Website/{{Facebook}}, Website/{{Twitter}}, Instagram, etc.), and even compliment the Vault Hunters on slaughtering their "Meatbags" (bandits/soldiers) because it gets them more hits and clout.[[note]]That said, one writer has mentioned this wasn't out of any real malice towards streaming and was just the byproduct of how the Calypsos were written -- if anything, the game actually ''encourages'' streaming as viewers can affect the gameplay and the game's website showcases various streamers[[/note]]
-->'''Tyreen:''' Don't forget to like, follow, and obey!

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** The absence of two thirds of the second game's Vault Hunters and the absence of half of the Pre-Sequel's surviving Vault Hunters in the main game would later be addressed in the DLC campaigns, where the missing characters would play prominent roles in almost all of them, with Timothy Lawrence in the ''Handsome Jackpot'', Gaige in ''Guns, Love, and Tentacles'', Krieg in ''The Fantastic Fustercluck'', and Axton & Salvador in ''Arms Race''.
** ''Guns, Love, and Tentacles'' also addresses the lack of gay characters on the hero's side (after Shank was represented as a villain in the first game) by making Hammerlock open up to his personality (that was implied since his debut game) as part of the DLC is about celebrating his marriage with Wainwright.

** [[spoiler:Maya's death via the Siren Twins draining her to dust]]. Supporters claim it was an excellent method by which to raise the stakes of the main plot, made more sense than [[spoiler: Roland's death, where Roland is unshielded in place where he should be shielded and Jack has no visible superpowers]]. and show more than anything that [[spoiler:despite their silliness, the Calypso Twins are genuine threats that need to be taken seriously]]. Detractors see it as [[spoiler:a cheap rehash of Roland's death from ''2'' with none of the heart and soul of it, and that it happens far too early in the game, everyone has to act like idiots for it to happen, and is [[ForgottenFallenFriend almost immediately swept aside and forgotten about]] outside of easily missable dialogue. It doesn't help that ''Director's Cut'' revealed that this wasn't originally going to be the case, and there was in fact an entire mini-arc dedicated to the fallout of her death and the effect it has on the surviving cast, but this was cut for unknown reasons.]]

** While the Calypsos have technically been well beyond this point of villainy since before the game starts, it's all largely ComedicSociopathy at the expense of unidentified {{Mooks}} until [[spoiler:Maya's death]] which will mark the precise point at which almost any invested player will actually hate them.

** While not hated by all, the community specifically for Borderlands 3 particularly hate Tyreen Calypso. From her perpetually smug attitude to her behavior, many players seem to outright loathe every line she makes. Some large name reveiwers such as [[WebVideo/TheAngryJoeShow Angry Joe]] have demonstrated this in short skits, while the accompanying [=Borderlands3=] Reddit is full to the brim with complaints against Tyreen. The fandom seems to agree that Handsome Jack was a much better villain, but whether Zarpedon from the Presequel or Commandant Steele from Borderlands 1 were better just results in shouting matches by those who feel Tyreen was better than them (even if they feel she was still bad). Her brother, Troy, fares much better, as fans seem to feel he was a possibly much more interesting villain who fell short due to his sister and the plot.

* ScrappyWeapon:
** The Rough Rider, a shield that provides no shield points, but increases one's HP and damage resistance, returns from the previous game. However, there are no classes in this game that primarily benefit from having an empty shield and prioritize their health bar instead (in fact, Moze actually prioritizes maxing out her shield and sacrificing her HP). This makes the Rough Rider one of the worst shields in the game despite it being promoted to legendary status.
** The Binary Operator sniper rifle from the Arms Race DLC suffers from this big time in Mayhem Mode as it can only kill the enemy if they have less than 50,000 health and deals minimal damage if they have more health. Mayhem Mode falls into the latter, so you're better off using more effective sniper rifles like the Krakatoa, Skullmasher, Sand Hawk or Lyuda.
** The Bearcat returning from the previous game still suffers from this despite some improvements.
** The [=AutoAim=]è from ''Handsome Jackpot'' takes a promising premise - a sniper rifle with homing bullets - and completely bungles it, due to said homing bullets going for center of mass. Instead of, you know, any crit spots an enemy has, the whole point of sniper rifles. To top it off, it's a Dahl brand weapon, so it doesn't benefit from actually hitting crit spots compared to something like a Jakobs sniper, which can at least make the bullet ricochet upon a successful crit. While it did get damage buffs later on, it's still counter-intuitive and finicky to play with compared to other sniper rifles, especially at high Mayhem Mode levels.
** The Rectifier's effect is that while the shield is depleted, it will deal shock damage to nearby enemies. Unfortunately, the damage it deals is far too low to be of any use, so you're better off equipping nearly any other shield.
** The EMP grenade mod primarly deals damage to shields...and only shields. In theory, this would be a useful grenade mod to strip away enemy shields. In practice, however, the grenade doesn't do its job well at all. You're better off shooting the enemy with shock elemental weapons.
** The Shoddy shotgun is an intentional example. Just like The Bane, The Shoddy is a JokeWeapon obtained as part of a sidequest. But unlike The Bane, which can at least do something despite its flaws, The Shoddy is completely useless, as its pellets fall to the ground right after firing it. No wonder the Vault Hunters are pissed when they were rewarded this weapon.
** The Predatory Lending is a legendary submachine gun manufactured by Hyperion that shoots coins and notes instead of bullets. However the damage is extremely poor and you're literally throwing away money.
** The Night Flyer is a Dahl pistol that doesn't completely kill the enemy. More than problematic if you're on FFYL mode.

* BadassDecay: Lilith, Maya, Mordecai, Brick, and Tina are all viewed as less "badass" as they were in previous games for various reasons. For Lilith, it's due to her being inflicted with the WorfEffect and being BroughtDownToNormal, severely limiting her role as an active player for the rest of the game until the very end. For Tina, Mordecai and Brick, it's due to their role in the story being fairly small and not helping the fight against the Calypsos like they did against Jack. And finally, for Maya, it's due to her short role ''and'' being KilledOffForReal in an unsatisfying manner.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Ava is the biggest one. Many players see her as TheLoad, a constant burden on the other characters who's reckless actions make her directly responsible for [[spoiler:the death of Maya, and Troy stealing her powers]], an act she is never called out on by the other characters, or even seems to [[CharacterDevelopment grow from]], and instead blames on Lilith. Later, [[spoiler:she inherits Maya's powers after Troy's death, and is given Sanctuary by Lilith]], which detractors argue feel completely unearned (the former quasi-justified by prior information, but the latter being odd given [[spoiler:Lilith clearly knew other people better suited to lead, or at least people she knew better]]). Ava is not without fans, however, who argue that her actions are realistic for a girl her age, that her haters overstate her role in the events above, and that she ''does'' experience CharacterDevelopment, albeit subtly and mostly through easily missable optional dialogue. [[WordOfGod Gearbox themselves]] admitted on their ''Borderlands Show'' podcast that the negative reaction to Ava took them by surprise. An attempt was made to salvage her in the ''Mysteriouslier'' story arc, but that fell short.

** ''Guns, Love, and Tentacles'' also addresses the lack of gay characters on the hero's side (after Sledge was represented as a villain in the first game) by making Hammerlock open up to his personality (that was implied since his debut game) as part of the DLC is about celebrating his marriage with Wainwright.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The absence of two thirds of the second game's Vault Hunters and the absence of half of the Pre-Sequel's surviving Vault Hunters in the main game would later be addressed in the DLC campaigns, where the missing characters would play prominent roles in almost all of them, with Timothy Lawrence in the ''Handsome Jackpot'', Gaige in ''Guns, Love, and Tentacles'', Krieg in ''The Fantastic Fustercluck'', and Axton & Salvador in ''Arms Race''.

** [[spoiler:Maya's death]]. Supporters claim it was an excellent method by which to raise the stakes of the main plot and show more than anything that [[spoiler:despite their silliness, the Calypso Twins are genuine threats that need to be taken seriously]]. Detractors see it as [[spoiler:a cheap rehash of Roland's death from ''2'' with none of the heart and soul of it, and that it happens far too early in the game, everyone has to act like idiots for it to happen, and is [[ForgottenFallenFriend almost immediately swept aside and forgotten about]] outside of easily missable dialogue. It doesn't help that ''Director's Cut'' revealed that this wasn't originally going to be the case, and there was in fact an entire mini-arc dedicated to the fallout of her death and the effect it has on the surviving cast, but this was cut for unknown reasons.]]

** The story in general is one of the most hotly debated aspects of the game. While most consider it a downgrade from ''2'', some consider the story to be flawed, but ultimately serviceable and doesn't get in the way of the refined gameplay. Others claim that the story is so badly written that it actively detracts from the gameplay, with some going as far as to accuse the story of outright insulting long time fans due to the allegedly poor treatment of the past generation Vault Hunters.

* SoBadItsGood: There's no denying Buff Film Buff's short film is incomprehensible and weird as hell. But that might be part of its charm.