[[Category:Bloodshot Stronghold missions]]
A Train to Catch is a story mission in Borderlands 2 given by Roland. The mission is performed, starting at Sanctuary, and continuing in Three Horns - Divide, Tundra Express, and End of the Line locations.
Background
- "You've rescued Roland from Hyperion – now it's time for the customary 'thanks for rescuing me from those bad guys. Now let's talk about how we're going to put a bullet in Jack's face' conversation back in Sanctury."
Walkthrough
Objectives
- Steal the Vault Key from the Hyperion train
- Meet Roland in Sanctuary
- Go to Tundra Express
- Ignite varkids: 0/3
- Wake up Roland's spy
- Meet Tina
- Find badonk adonks: 0/2
- Return to Tiny Tina
- Pick up damsels: 0/2
- Set up Tina's damsels: 0/2
- Arm damsels: 0/2
- Hijack Hyperion train
- Go to wreckage site
- Find fortified train car
- Search fortified train car
- Get vault key[1]
- Defeat Wilhelm
- Pick up power core
- Get back to Sanctuary
Strategy
The first objective after saving Roland in previous chapter is to go back to Sanctuary and speak with him about how to defeat Jack. Then go to talk to Rolands spy, located in Tundra Express.
After arriving in Tundra Express, the next objective is to awaken Roland's spy Mordecai by lighting three varkids on fire simultaneously. Low damage incendiary guns can be used, although it is often simpler to employ area effect fire damage from a grenade or a fire nova shield. Incinerators located throughout the Tundra Express can quickly ignite all the varkids at once, however any Vault Hunter caught in their area of effect may sustain lethal damage. It's advised to keep the Tinderbox obtained earlier, as it has an absurdly low amount of damage, yet is good at setting them on fire quickly.
The next objective is to meet with Tiny Tina and recover two explosives from the Buzzard Academy. After their return and Tina's operations, "Put a small bomb in the hot ass", the two explosives bunnies must be taken onto a top of building where they must be set off. (At this point, she can also be interacted for a tedious set of optional missions that will have some good rewards which may come in handy during the later boss fight). After arming the bunnies, they stop arriving train which in turn creates a bridge to the End of the Line. Snowblind Defile beyond is populate with an array of loaders and the occasional surveyor, before giving way to Terminus Plateau where the culmination of the mission takes place.
The plateau appears to be uninhabited, but when a wrecked train carriage in the middle is approached, it is cast aside and Wilhelm emerges from the wreckage and Roland states that it's an ambush, requesting the player to retreat, but Lilith goes against this, and so the Vault Hunters are forced to defeat the massive robot. Wilhelm has high health and is well-shielded, although he is unshielded for the first few seconds of the fight. He periodically digistructs Surveyors and Shield Surveyors. He can also throw away nearby train carriages to unearth the loaders stuck underneath. The surveyors will heal Wilhelm and regenerate his shield, while the rescued loaders provide him with additional fire support.
Wilhelm initiates a powerful melee attack and can inflict serious harm if he manages to close distance with a Vault Hunter. Occasionally he will launch himself into the air towards the Vault Hunter's location, and will spin his upper body around in circles, knocking the Vault Hunter back. This is very dangerous as he can knock Vault Hunters off the cliff. Otherwise, his primary ranged attack is to launch missiles and grenades.
Wilhelm is largely immune to fire weapons, but his shield can be rapidly depleted with shock weapons. Like most Hyperion robots, he is weak to corrosive damage. Consequently, he can be rapidly dispatched by immediately unloading a corrosive weapon on him when he first appears, before his shield generates. He has no resistance to slag weaponry; combining slag corrosive damage can be used to take him down quickly. The ledge overlooking Terminus Plateau provides a convenient position for a sniper as Wilhelm doesn't go up there.
At the beginning of the fight, Wilhelm has a tendency to stand or walk in a small area, focusing on digistructing his surveyors. This leaves him vulnerable to corrosive cloud grenades. Because he remains standing in the grenade status effect cloud for a lengthy time, this tactic can drain his health faster than his surveyors can heal him.
Completion
- "You destroy a Hyperion supply train, got a priceless piece of technology, and befriended an insane, hamicidal thirteen-year-old. Best get back to Sanctuary and unwind."
Turn In: Lt. Davis
Mission Transcript
- Main article: A Train to Catch/Transcript
Notes
- The mission objective to get vault key will never be completed, it will simply disappear from the screen when Wilhelm appears.
- The mission is given in Bloodshot Stronghold, or alternatively in Friendship Gulag if at the previous mission Roland is not rescued in time. In any case, Roland gives it.
- This mission offers a guaranteed opportunity to get a Tinderbox pistol. When the mission is active, shooting the head off the snowman found at the Southern entrance of Tundra Express will produce a single Tinderbox. Once the pistol has been picked up or the mission is completed, shooting the snowman's head will only produce random items.
- Wilhelm is programmed to initiate melee occasionally. He is not programmed to respond to melee initiated against him.
- The power core can be lost over the cliff edge if Wilhelm is killed near the edge, rendering the core unreachable. Exiting and re-entering the area fixes this.
Videos
