Bandit (faction)

Bandits are hostile humans that have inhabit Pandora. They will kill anyone and anything in order to obtain equipment, food, and fuel. They are very similar to the Raiders in the Mad Max series and the Raiders from Fallout 3, and other stereotypical post-apocalypse ruffians. A Bandit appears on the cover of Borderlands.

The majority of the bandits were actually convicts used to mine the planet Pandora for cheap labor. When the planet was found to contain no valuable resources they were simply left behind.

Although not very powerful, Bandits tend to be encountered in groups. They are known to be fond of roaming the game world in vehicles. Bandits sometimes wield quite powerful weaponry, as well as Orb Shields, thus making them potentially very dangerous.

The players should exercise caution when attacking a Bandit Camp, as it is expected to be fatal unless the players have preplanned their actions, or are confident in their armament.

Bandits are found almost throughout the entirety of Pandora's Borderlands and are most common in the Arid Badlands, the Dahl Headlands, West and East Rust Commons, and the Salt Flats. Locations such as Sledge's Safehouse, Headstone Mine, Treacher's Landing and Krom's Canyon serves as bandit strongholds.

The different types of bandits are listed below, their changing names arranged in the order of the playthrough.

Strategy
When fighting bandits it is smart to keep your distance (unless you are using Bricks' berserk ability) and use combat rifles, sniper rifles or rocket launchers to take out the armed bandits from afar. Psychos are likely to charge you but a shotgun blast and/or melee attack should be able to take care of them so that you can focus on the rest. It is advised to take out the weaker bandits first and then take out the bruisers and/or badasses that may be present. When dealing with badass psychos this may not be possible as they pursue you so you may want to back out of the battle and take care of him first and then return to the firefight. As humans, their weak spot is their head and they are susceptible to flaming weapons.

Bandit Thug, Bandit Goon
Thugs wear dark brown masks that fully conceal their head. These masks have a red stripe at its center and yellow eyepieces. They are often armed only with a pistol of some sort, though thugs packing better guns, shields and grenades are not unusual. They are fairly common among the bandits' ranks. While not tough, thugs will fight somewhat intelligently, using cover and moving from place to place. Thugs are also the operators and drivers of the runners and Mulciber gatling guns used by bandits.

Psycho, Maniac
Shirtless, wearing a white bandit mask and dressed in orange pants, these insane outlaws can be immediately identified by their homicidal cries and constant desire to get into close combat. They run very swiftly to get into melee range with their intended victims, but are also capable of zig-zaging through terrain to avoid weapon fire. Wielding a "buzz axe" identical to Zed's, they can hack through most shields in one swipe and inflict massive damage if they get close. They typically attack with a 2-swing pattern, pausing after the second attack. When hurt, psycho's can flinch, letting a player get a short distance away or counterattack in melee. While only armed with a close combat weapon, they are very capable of throwing axes over long distances, though such does little damage even to shields. Upon receiving a large amount of damage, they will bring out a grenade and attempt to detonate it in close proximity to their target. Killing them at this stage will not stop the grenade from going off. Despite their suicidal tendencies, some of these bandits are equipped with shields.

A psycho is depicted on the game's box.

In addition, there is a variant of them with the word "Burning" in their name. These are close combat bandits who set themselves on fire, have replaced with their hockey-style masks with flaming skull masks and wielding buzz axes set ablaze. They deal additional incendiary damage and are resistant to those effects.

Quotes:
 * Time for my pound of flesh! Hahahahahaha! 
 * Strip the flesh, salt the wound!
 * More meat for me! (Heard after another bandit or psycho is killed in front of him.)

Mutant Midget Psycho, Freaky Little Maniac
Midget bandits are a variation of bandits that, according to Randy Pitchford, have "tiny little gimp arms."(1) They are easy to pick out thanks to their higher-pitched voices compared to other bandits.

Midget Psychos are the first kind of midget bandit. They are simply smaller versions of Psychos. They cannot take much damage but can move quickly and are harder to hit because of their size. They are not to be underestimated, especially when in groups. They are dressed identically to Psychos: shirtless, orange pants, white mask. While they cannot absorb as much damage as their normal-sized brethren, their short stature makes them harder to hit, especially when they are behind cover.

Midget Shotgunner, Angry Little Shotgunner
Shotgunners are the second kind of midget bandit. While they are identical in form and dress to Midget Psychos, they come armed with the weapon from which they take their name. They move at the same speed as normal bandits and will try to get close to maximize the damage of their armament. However, unlike the homicidal psychos and midget psychos, they move cautiously, weaving from cover to cover and often wearing shields. Due to their size, discharging their shotgun will cause them to fall flat on their backs, giving players a chance to shoot them while they are prone and defenseless.

Bruiser, Brute
Are large, hulking and very muscular bandits. Rather than the leather clothing and full facial masks typical of other bandits, they wear small, surgical-style masks, sunglasses and have a mohawk hairdo. They also wear blue (possibly denim) pants, chain belts and black boots. These are the toughest of ordinary bandits, capable of absorbing very large amounts of punishment. They are also the most heavily armed, usually with shotguns, rapid-fire weapons or even launchers. However, they move slowly, with a steady gait that makes them easy to aim at and shoot. If their enemy is close enough, they may also strike meaty blows with their fists.

Badass, Badmutha, Superbad Bandits
Like all creatures in the game, there are elite versions of bandits. They are better equipped than normal bandits as befits their higher rank among Pandora's scum. They come in three kinds, based on the main types of bandit:

The particularly vicious Raiders can be idenftified by their large, spikey shoulderpads. They are well armed with grenades and usually some sort of automatic weapon. Already more capable than normal Raiders of taking hits without being downed, these bandits fight intelligently, moving swiftly, using cover and changing locations to avoid incoming fire.

Freakish Psychos are towering versions of the bloodthirsty maniacs. While their left arm is deformed and atrophied, their right arm is long, muscular and ends with a flaming buzz-axe. They can absorb a lot of damage and can move just as fast as ordinary psychos. They attack with a two-swing pattern just like normal bandtis. When not in combat, they march around in a rather cheerful manner.

With a large metal helm and more steel adornments than their regular counterpart, the glowing eyes of extraordinary Bruisers shine a bright blue. They act similarly to normal Bruisers, but can absorb even more immense amounts of damage before being slain. They are particularly dangerous when armed with a rocket launcher.

Notable Bandits
The following are a list of unique bandits in the order of their appearance in the game. Almost all are bosses.
 * Steve - Appears in the Claptrap Web Episodes promoting the game prior to its release. Reappears in the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned.
 * Nine Toes - One of the bandit lords trying to conquer the town of Fyrestone. He is the first boss that you will face in Borderlands.
 * Bone Head - Nine Toes' rival. Hard enough to be classified as a boss and wields the Bone Shredder sub-machine gun.
 * Roid Rage Psycho - Boss of Sledge's Safehouse. He is unusual in that he is not named, but has a uniquely large model and is extremely dangerous.
 * Sledge - Big, bad boss of Nine Toes. Wields a huge two-handed hammer and Sledge's Shotgun.
 * Mad Mel - The boss controlling the Dahl Headlands. He drives a huge car and killing him allows you to get to New Haven.
 * King Wee Wee - A midget who lives in the Tetanus Warrens, he is in charge of the nearby bandits.
 * Krom - The boss you fight at the end of the mission The Next Piece. Uses a turret as his primary weapon and drops Krom's Sidearm.
 * Reaver - Once a depraved resident of New Haven, he left, murdered his father and joined Krom's gang. He is a sniper and drops a rifle named after him.
 * Jaynis Kobb - Leader of the self-named bandit town. Armed with The Meat Grinder.
 * Taylor Kobb - Jaynis' conniving and perhaps more dangerous brother. Wields The Roaster, a flaming rocket launcher.
 * Baron Flynt - Bandit lord of the Salt Flats. Rules from the salt dredging rig Thor.
 * Hanz and Franz - Baron Flynt's two brutish bodyguards and enforcers.