Claptrap

For other uses, see Claptrap (disambiguation).

Claptrap
Character Types	NPC (Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Tales From the Borderlands, Borderlands 3) Playable character (Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel)
Race	Robot
Games	Borderlands Borderlands 2 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Tales from the Borderlands
Voice Actor	David Eddings (Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Tales from the Borderlands) Jim Foronda (Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary, Borderlands 3)

Claptrap is a CL4P-TP general purpose robot manufactured by Hyperion. It has been programmed with an overenthusiastic personality, and brags frequently, yet also expresses severe loneliness and cowardice.

Claptrap intro in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, as a playable character

Involvement

Borderlands

When the Vault Hunters leave the bus at the very beginning of Borderlands they are met by Claptrap, who introduces them to Dr. Zed. It later takes them to the Fyrestone gate in the mission Claptrap Rescue, where it is damaged by bandits. The Guardian Angel then says to get a repair kit and perform the first Claptrap rescue. Claptrap later hangs around as an alert system to offer notifications of available missions, both in Fyrestone and later at T-Bone Junction.

Claptrap's New Robot Revolution

Main article: Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap

Claptrap undergoes a radical shift in programming at some point after the opening of the Vault and is transformed into the Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Sometime after its programming is restored at the end of Claptrap's New Robot Revolution, the Fyrestone Claptrap encounters Jack and whilst opening a door for Jack, informs him of its time as an assassin, which inspires Jack to subsequently reprogram and upgrade Claptrap. The upgrade removes its ability to open doors, but adds a full range of combat programming, as well as a stair-climbing wheel, turning it into the "Fragtrap," one of the character classes in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Claptastic Voyage

Helloooo, digitized traveler!

During the Claptastic Voyage DLC of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the Vault Hunters (including Claptrap itself) enter a simulation of Claptrap's mind, where they encounter Claptrap as "Claptrap's Consciousness," who interacts with them as they navigate its mind.

At the end of the Claptastic Voyage story, Jack eliminates the Claptrap product line, destroying all of them except for Fragtrap. Jack shoots it, rips off its stair-climbing wheel, and dumps it with other destroyed claptraps in Windshear Waste. The remains of the Fragtrap coding within Claptrap manage to keep it barely active until it was discovered by Sir Hammerlock, who repairs it, turning it back into an ordinary Claptrap.

Borderlands 2

Following Hyperion's takeover of Pandora and the deactivation of every other Claptrap unit at the hands of Handsome Jack, Claptrap, the last active robot of its product line wished to exact revenge upon Jack, but without its combat capabilities, it was unable to do so.

Sometime before the new Vault Hunters' arrival, it was held captive by Captain Flynt and tortured for his amusement. Claptrap escaped by staging a mutiny on The Soaring Dragon before the Southern Shelf flash-freeze.

It finds the new Vault Hunters from the train wreckage outside its place in Windshear Waste, accompanying them and calling them its "minions". They fought their way through Southern Shelf, killing Flynt and his men before stealing a boat and sailing for Three Horns - Divide. In Sanctuary, Claptrap settles in a messy area away from the town center, where it gives several optional missions.

Roland later requests a software upgrade for Claptrap so that Claptrap can deactivate the Competitor Deterrence Field surrounding The Bunker. This is obtained from Bloodwing at the end of the mission Wildlife Preservation. At the start of the mission Where Angels Fear To Tread, the Vault Hunters convince Claptrap to help and find it waiting in Thousand Cuts, spraying graffiti. It deactivates the barrier, allowing the Vault Hunters to proceed while it retreats in cowardice.

In the final story mission, Claptrap helps the Vault Hunters gain access to Hero's Pass. It hacks the door while the Vault Hunters defeat the Loaders sent after them. Claptrap was ready to aid further in the assault on Hero's Pass but is confronted by a massive staircase. With no other way up, Claptrap stays to cry while cloaked.

Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt

Sometime after Handsome Jack's defeat, Claptrap decides to go on a vacation by stowing itself on the H.S.S. Terminus. However, the ship crashes on the primitive continent of Aegrus when Claptrap disengages the ship's autopilot. When the Vault Hunters first encounter Claptrap on Aegrus, it is being worshipped by savages due to its Hyperion manufacture. However, Claptrap accidentally angers the savages when it insults Handsome Jack and needs to be saved. After defending Claptrap from the savages, Claptrap informs the Vault Hunters that Professor Nakayama is trying to clone Handsome Jack and orders the Vault Hunter to destroy Jack's DNA samples.

Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

When Brick, Lilith and Mordecai were playing Bunkers and Badasses with Tiny Tina, Claptrap appeared in the game as the Grand Wizard, assisting in reaching the Handsome Sorcerer. It also gives them several quests in order to make it more powerful, such as forging it a beard and making it a powerful wand. After the four of them finish their game, Claptrap joins them and the Vault Hunters at Roland's memorial statue. After Tina says her farewell to Roland, Claptrap blurts out "I love you guys" which ruins the heartwarming moment and upsets everyone.

Tales from the Borderlands

During the events of The Vault of the Traveler, if the player has enough money, they can hire the "Mystery Vault Hunter" in the fight against the Traveler, which happens to be Claptrap. The player has to get enough money by warning Felix about the bomb in Zer0 Sum and choosing Felix for the final fight in The Vault of the Traveler. Felix does not join, but gives enough money to hire Claptrap.

Note that the condition of picking Felix can be bypassed if the player edits the game files to give maximum money (over $9,999) before loading the NPC selection stage.

Claptrap is notably much snarkier than usual during the events of the episode and is a general nuisance throughout the battle. However, it does ultimately assist in the fight if chosen. When inside Gortys, Claptrap's attack will consist of a clumsy rapid-fire missile strike.

Commander Lilith & The Fight For Sanctuary

Sometime after the defeat of the Traveler, Sanctuary is attacked and when Lilith evacuates the flying city, Claptrap is transported to the Dahl Abandon. There it learns of some crystals in a nearby mine and decides to dub them "BECHO wafers," tasking the Vault Hunters to gather them for it. Believing that the BECHO wafers will make it rich, Claptrap tells Lilith that it doesn't need her or the Crimson Raiders anymore and is going to strike out on its own, to which Lilith reacts with disinterest. As soon as the BECHO wafers are delivered to it, Claptrap suddenly realizes that they are worthless and begs Lilith to allow it back into the Raiders, to which she agrees with the same disinterest as when it left the Raiders moments before.

Claptrap then leaves the Dahl Abandon and takes up residence in The Backburner with the other Crimson Raiders, still carrying the BECHO wafers. In Chief Executive Overlord, Vaughn asks for its opinion on leadership, and expects it to reply with gibberish. Claptrap proceeds to speak, with Vaughn interrupting the nonsense a few moments after, much to Claptrap's dismay.

Appearances

• Borderlands
• The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
• Borderlands 2
• Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt
• Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep
• Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
• Claptastic Voyage
• Tales from the Borderlands
  • The Vault of the Traveler
• Borderlands 3

Skills

Action skill: VaultHunter.EXE. Base cooldown 40 seconds.

Claptrap's action skill analyzes the combat situation and chooses the most suitable "Action Package", providing it with bonuses and an appropriate fighting style for a short period. Some bonuses may also affect nearby teammates. Activating the skill instantly fills Claptrap's health, and it provides health regeneration for its duration.

In addition to Action skill, and unlike any other playable character, Claptrap can unlock and use Action Packages:

• Torgue Fiesta
• Pirate Ship Mode
• Clap-in-the-Box
• Gun Wizard
• One-Shot Wonder
• Laser Inferno

Claptrap has three skill trees:

• Boomtrap
• I Love You Guys!
• Fragmented Fragtrap

Quotes

For Claptrap's quotes in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, see Claptrap/Quotes.

For quotes by generic Claptrap units, see Claptrap (robots)#Quotes.

Notes

• In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, as a robot, Claptrap does not consume oxygen in a vacuum and will not suffocate even with a depleted oz kit.

Trivia

• "Claptrap" is a word synonymous with drivel or babble, which is intentionally referenced in-game, as all claptraps ramble on and are rarely not speaking.*
• Claptrap was born from a random sketch in a low-level assignment made by the JIRA project-management software system .
• In the German version, the initial Claptrap introduces itself as "CLP4P-TP", even though the subtitles read "CL4P-TP".
• Claptrap is the only Claptrap that has been designated with an actual name, Claptrap P. Claptrappington .
• Claptrap appears as an Easter Egg in Torchlight II. It offers a socketable item called Claptrap's Nut or Claptrap's Bolt.
• Claptrap appears as one of the opponents in TellTale Games' Poker Night at the Inventory 2.
  • In bounty rounds, Claptrap bids with its Spike Video Game Awards Best New Character award. If the Borderlands inventory is unlocked, it wears a top hat and has a tuxedo decal. If the Portal inventory is unlocked, its design and paint job reflect the sleek white coloration and general design of Aperture Science's cores and turrets. It also has a (very one-sided) attraction to Portal's GLaDOS.
  • Claptrap mentions that all Claptraps are equipped with 8th Generation Emotive Resonators, allowing them to mimic a wide range of emotions.
• Claptrap expresses excruciating pain when its eye is ripped out in Borderlands 2, but later when it is beaten by bandits it states that it cannot feel pain. The Claptrap unit featured at the start of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel however, states that robots feel pain "in slow-motion with great intensity".
• In Borderlands 2, Claptrap breaks the fourth wall in the mission Claptrap's Secret Stash when it addresses players directly and advises them that they can use the stash to twink their characters.
• Claptrap's color scheme, yellow with a white stripe in the middle, matches that of a green quality Hyperion weapon, while the Jakobs claptrap has a color scheme that matches a purple-quality Jakob's weapon.
• In Borderlands: The Pre Sequel, Claptrap shows jealousy when it meets a regular Claptrap, as the other Claptrap doesn't have to fight and just opens doors.
• In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Claptap's combat style is listed as "It's not stupid. It's advanced!". This is the same line said in the TV series Invader Zim when Zim is given Gir, his faulty robot.
  • In addition, if one creates a new Fragtrap, the game will give out several warning prompts against playing as it.
• Claptrap has a brief cameo in Ready Player One. The character Parcival walks past a small booth with Claptrap in it after a big race near the beginning of the film.
• Claptrap, Athena and Timothy Lawrence are the only Vault Hunters from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel that are currently alive. Wilhelm, Nisha, and Aurelia are killed over the course of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3.
• In Borderlands 3, Claptrap's likeness is featured on a cereal box prop. The brand of cereal, "CL4PS4P", appears to be manufactured by Hyperion, as the back of the box features the tagline "For the minion on the go, CL4P-S4P provides hydration as only Hyperion can!"
  • The front of the box features a short binary code "010001001", which translates to "D". This is presumably meant as vitamin D, which is commonly infused into real-life cereals.

See Also

• Claptrap Web Series
• Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap