The Talon of God

The Talon of God is the final story mission in Borderlands 2.

Objectives

 * Talk to Zed (optional)
 * Talk to Scooter (optional)
 * Talk to Tannis (optional)
 * Talk to Moxxi (optional)
 * Talk to Hammerlock (optional)
 * Talk to Marcus (optional)
 * Talk to Claptrap (eliminates optional objectives)
 * Go to Eridium Blight
 * Meet Claptrap
 * Follow Claptrap
 * Defend Claptrap
 * Continue alone
 * Find Jack
 * Kill Jack
 * Defeat the Warrior
 * Call Moonshot
 * Let Lilith kill Jack (optional)
 * Kill Handsome Jack
 * End this

Strategy
This mission involves finally killing Handsome Jack and The Warrior. Before setting off, the players are given a chance to hear endgame dialogue from characters around Sanctuary that culminates in receiving an item of blue rarity from each Sanctuary mission provider NPC at the end of their monologues; Tannis gives a Relic, Zed a shield, Scooter a grenade mod, Hammerlock a sniper rifle, Moxxi an SMG, and Marcus an assault rifle. Most of these will be blue rarity, although purple is also possible. Each of these mission objectives to talk to them will be checked off the list not when actually talked to, but when the item is accepted. Then the Vault Hunters must travel to the Eridium Blight to meet Claptrap and defend him while he opens the gate to Hero's Pass.

In Hero's Pass the Vault Hunters must fight though a multitude of Hyperion robots and personnel, for a short time assisted by Mordecai and Brick, to reach the Vault of the Warrior. Upon this red-hot lava-filled stage, the final confrontation takes place between the Vault Hunters, Jack, and ultimately The Warrior. Jack uses holograms as an easy-to-kill distraction, and personal shield surveyors to protect him while he attacks. After Jack is defeated, he will force the Vault Key into a fitted slot below and summon The Warrior.

The Warrior uses fire and its tail to attack from one of three positions; it can also walk across the stage to inflict major damage from stepping on Vault Hunters, before diving into the lava and launching them into the air with its tail. Upon emerging from the lava the Warrior will occasionally climb one of the massive statues, rip a chunk of rock from it, and throw it as a weapon. Players can avoid most of the Warrior's attacks by taking cover behind rocks and statues. The central island provides several excellent places to do this, with two rocks to the north of the console providing overhead cover which can also prevent characters from being knocked into the air.

The Warrior takes reduced damage from attacks hitting it anywhere but the four volcanic scales on his chest, two volcanic scales on each side, and a critical hit spot in his mouth, and is additionally resistant to fire and explosive damage. The scales can be broken for a second wind and to reveal a critical hit spot, but regenerate when the warrior dives into the lava.

The Warrior dives down into the lava at various times during the battle, offering around 3 seconds when players can reposition their characters, or restock with ammunition. If the Warrior dives into the lava head-first then he will use his tail to hit the central area three times, which can knock characters high into the air with the risk of landing in the lava. If The Warrior enters the lava tail first by backing in, the lava rises faster but this is the best time to go for more ammo. The Warrior is a large target, so it's usually not hard to reacquire when it resurfaces, but checking the red blips on the radar can also help to narrow down the options on where to look if the Warrior resurfaces completely off-screen.

Four to five non-aggressive volcanic rakk fly around the central platform, providing an easy source of second winds. Additionally, a volcanic crystalisk spawns around the same time the Warrior dives into or emerges from the lava. It is best to kill the crystalisks promptly, as their explosive crystal bombs can easily launch an unfortunate Vault Hunter into the lava.

Once the Warrior is destroyed, the Vault Hunters may endure an angry speech from a dying Jack about the impossibility of his defeat. His diatribe can be cut short with a gun or melee attack, or alternately talking to Lilith causes her to end Jack's life and secures the optional objective.

Regardless of how Jack is finished, there will be a substantial quantity of loot dropped from both Jack and the Warrior. Jack drops a unique head customization, Handsome Jack's Mask.

Completion

 * "Minion - we defeated Jack, destroyed the Warrior, and saved Pandora! If that doesn't deserve a high-five, NOTHING does!"