Changes: The Beginning of the End

Revision as of 02:16, 8 May 2019

For the Borderlands 2 challenge taking place in the Arid Nexus, see Beginning of the End.

The Beginning of the End is the twelfth and final story mission in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Walkthrough

Objectives

Locate main excavation site
Locate elevator room
Enter excavation site
Defeat RK5
Enter Tycho's Ribs
Explore Eridian structure
Find way past shield
Use cannon
Pass through breach
Find Vault entrance
Kill Opha Superior
Enter Vault
Defeat Sentinel
Defeat Empyrean Sentinel
What's this?

Strategy

Vorago Solitude

Vorago Solitude marks the first appearance of the Lost Legion Eternals - Lost Legion marines that have taken on, or have been possessed by, otherworldly Eridian powers - as well as Guardians, Eridian creatures that try to protect the Vault from Jack and his Vault Hunters. Between the Eternals, the more conventional Lost Legion, and the Guardians, most targets are shielded and all are fleshy, giving rise to a tactic of alternately using shock and incendiary damage against them for optimal damage output.

Outfall Pumping Station

At the end of the main Legion encampment is the Outfall Pumping Station and its resident guardian the Raum-Kampfjet Mark V. The aircraft will pass over the crater repeatedly while attacking with lasers and turret fire. It will also intermittently fire a laser barrage or drop bombs, which are slow but lethal. These special attacks are announced by its pilot in a broadcast message. As a huge, slow target, the aircraft isn't too much of a threat on its own, but the Vault Hunters must also evade continuously spawning Guardians and Lost Legion.

A complication for the fight is the lack of Oxygen in the area, which can be sparingly resupplied by dropped O2 canistes, or by several Air Dome Generators in the area. The cover is minimal, requiring Vault Hunters to either keep moving and try to stay at long range from enemies.

A solution which overcomes the arena's difficulties both with attack from multiple angles and with limited oxygen is to stay in the room at the bottom of the elevator, which does screen Vault Hunters from most attacking angles, and ride the elevator back up repeatedly as soon as oxygen runs low.

Tycho's Ribs

This underground Eridian installation is mostly a navigation and platforming challenge, interspersed with fights with Guardians and Lost Legion. Before entering the last map, the Vault Hunters must use a Legion cannon to shoot open a shield put up by the Legion to defend the Vault. There is also another 8bit minecraft type level located by assending on the rising platform left of where you are given the putti side mission, there is no shield on the ceiling of the lift. When hitting the jump pad and veering left instead of going to the claptrap that assigns you the putti side mission gains you access to the platform. Inside the gold covered brick fortress are unlimited spawning Guardians and Dahl soldiers from 8bit style Mario Bros. pipes, ammo chests and a center lake. (TBC)

Eleseer

This large Eridian structure, floating within an orrery in a starry void, is the approach to the Vault proper. The Vault Hunters will encounter several varieties of Guardians as well as Ophas, large creatures that spawn and are healed by Putti, small but fragile flying beings. An extra-large version, the Opha Superior, appears mid-way through the map as a miniboss, but requires no special tactics to defeat. Most of these targets are vulnerable to shock damage, as their shields are regenerated only by the Putti.

There are no vending machines immediately prior to the boss fight, so Vault Hunters may want to return to the entrance to resupply before stepping into the rift that leads to the Vault. This pre-battle consideration is mitigated somewhat by frequent ammunition drops within the final boss encounter itself.

The Vault of the Sentinel

The arena for the final fight is a large, flat circle, and is a low gravity environment complete with a breathable atmosphere. This combination becomes advantageous if used tactically as Oz kits will remain charged and continue to offer boosted jump capability as needed. Ammunition periodically surfaces from apertures in the floor, and the grenades acquired in this manner offer valuable sources of healing if a transfusion grenade mod is equipped.

There are two four-stage battles that take place in this area, and each one consists of a final boss with several Guardians. These enemies have shields to contend with, so at least one shock weapon equipped on each participating character is likely to provide a useful benefit. Each of the two phases of the fight also has the boss gaining shock resistance, so the weapon compliment should also account for whittling down shields without a shock weapon in hand.

The first boss is The Sentinel, a large and highly mobile humanoid with four faces spaced equidistantly around its head. It is a well shielded target that stalks around the area unleashing attacks of a particular element, to which it is also resistant. Each time its shield is depleted, and it starts taking damage, marks a point where the fight undergoes a radical change. At this point the Sentinel shifts to a new element and regains full shield capacity. It becomes temporarily invulnerable and releases a huge nova attack that will pass through obstacles and may kill Vault Hunters instantly. After all four phases of the fight have been completed, the Sentinel can finally be defeated, offering a substantial loot drop in the area and a chance to heal up.

After a short break, The Empyrean Sentinel appears. This enemy is a giant of monolithic proportions, again bearing four faces spaced equidistantly around its head. The Empyrean Sentinel is vulnerable to attack only in its glowing face, and as with the Sentinel before it, will shift through various elemental phases. The Empyrean Sentinel's attacks are far less direct than those of the Sentinel, and aside from pounding the floor in blasts that send Vault Hunters hurtling high into the air, it also creates wide areas awash in elemental damage. To some extent these area effects can be avoided by leaping clear in the low gravity environment, but otherwise they provide a constant damage source that may prevent shields from being restored and continue to reduce health.

Completion

Get inside the Vault... and get revenge. Be careful what you wish for.

Turn In: Jack

Notes

Damage from the Sentinel's novas can be negated by Kinetic Aspis.
Completing this mission the first time unlocks True Vault Hunter Mode.

Media

The Beginning of the End - Part 1

The Beginning of the End - Part 2

The Beginning of the End - Part 3

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 At the end of the main Legion encampment is the [[Outfall Pumping Station]] and its resident guardian the [[Raum-Kampfjet Mark V]]. The aircraft will pass over the crater repeatedly while attacking with lasers and turret fire. It will also intermittently fire a laser barrage or drop bombs, which are slow but lethal. These special attacks are announced by its pilot in a broadcast message. As a huge, slow target, the aircraft isn't too much of a threat on its own, but the Vault Hunters must also evade continuously spawning Guardians and Lost Legion.
-A complication for the fight is the lack of [[Oxygen]] in the area, which can be sparingly resupplied by dropped {{O2}} cannisters, or by several [[Air Dome Generator]]s in the area. The cover is minimal, requiring Vault Hunters to either keep moving and try to stay at long range from enemies.
+A complication for the fight is the lack of [[Oxygen]] in the area, which can be sparingly resupplied by dropped {{O2}} canistes, or by several [[Air Dome Generator]]s in the area. The cover is minimal, requiring Vault Hunters to either keep moving and try to stay at long range from enemies.
 A solution which overcomes the arena's difficulties both with attack from multiple angles and with limited oxygen is to stay in the room at the bottom of the elevator, which does screen Vault Hunters from most attacking angles, and ride the elevator back up repeatedly as soon as oxygen runs low.