With events like the Bloody Harvest and the addition of the Takedown at Maliwan’s Blacksite raid, Borderlands 3’s post-launch support has looked a bit like a live-service style of game. However, Gearbox Software’s popular looter-shooter is also releasing more traditional DLC, with four expansions planned to be released as part of the Borderlands 3 season pass. The first expansion, Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot, is available now, and some players may be wondering if it’s worth the price of admission.
Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot is definitely worth checking out for Borderlands 3 fans. It offers a lengthy adventure set in Handsome Jack’s casino, with a sizable new location to explore, new enemies to fight, and a cast of amusing new characters to meet as well. Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot is Borderlands 3 at its best, and should give those who have already exhausted the base game of all its content plenty more to do.
The new enemies in the Borderlands 3 DLC include evil sentient slot machines, deadly insects, and variations on the enemy robots that players encountered in the base game. Better yet, there are no anointed enemies in the Borderlands 3 DLC to speak of, so these enemy encounters are rarely ever as frustrating as some could be in the base game of Borderlands 3. The later quests feature robots almost exclusively, which can get a little repetitive, but otherwise the enemy encounters are as fun as ever.
Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC also features some of the game’s best and most interesting boss encounters. While the bosses are mainly just bullet sponges still like in the base game, there are some more interesting boss designs that we won’t spoil here. But we will say that anyone that enjoyed Borderlands 3 for its combat will find plenty to like about the Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC.
The casino itself is crawling with enemies, but there’s a lot more to see and do in it than just fight. As is fitting of a casino, players can participate in some mini-games, like playing slot machines or even blackjack for some extra loot. Not having more mini-games seems like a missed opportunity, and we almost always won when playing blackjack, but it does give players something to do besides just shoot everything on sight, adding a bit more variety to the experience.
Variety is really the name of the game when it comes to Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC. Even though it’s technically set in a singular location, a casino, there is a surprising amount of level variety in the game as well. There are typical casino locations, but players also pay a visit to a massive trash compactor, a high-tech facility, and a bizarre place called Trashlantis that is, as one may have assumed, made entirely of trash.
While exploring the casino, Borderlands 3 players will be showered in great loot, including plenty of new weapons, shields, and more. Players may find themselves more consistently swapping out their weapons in Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot than they did in the base game, as it more consistently rewards players with higher-quality gear. This makes exploring every nook and cranny a little more worthwhile than it would be otherwise.
Borderlands 3 players will also find plenty of cash when playing through the Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC, which makes sense considering the casino setting. By the time they finish the DLC’s main quest, players should amass well over $1.5 million from smashing slot machines and looting VIP rooms. This is a ton of cash that players can use to buy the more expensive Storage Deck Upgrades that they may have been unable to purchase from their base game grinding.
Then again, it’s quite possible that the more dedicated Borderlands 3 players may have already fully upgraded everything and may not need the absurd amount of cash that Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot gives them. This combined with the fact that the DLC doesn’t raise the Borderlands 3 level cap may mean lower-leveled players find it more rewarding than higher-leveled players, especially higher-leveled players who have spent hours grinding for specific loot and aren’t interested in changing up their builds.
Higher-leveled Borderlands 3 players who have been playing the game regularly since launch will be very familiar with the base game’s technical issues, and many of them are still a factor when it comes to Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot. The Borderlands 3 split-screen lag is still a major issue in the game, as is menu lag, inventory images not matching the item players have selected, items falling through floors, repeating audio logs, and more. It’s disappointing that some of the more serious Borderlands 3 technical issues still haven’t been ironed out by Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot’s release, but the game is still in somewhat better shape than it was at launch at least.
While some fans may be annoyed that some of these technical issues from launch are still present, they’ll still want to play through the DLC. Not only is it rewarding from a gameplay standpoint, but the story is also fairly entertaining, bringing back Handsome Jack’s sorely missed charisma through Timothy Lawrence. Handsome Jack body double Timothy Lawrence was previously a playable character in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but his character is greatly expanded on here. Players are also treated to a cast of heist crew members who are all amusing in their own way, though those unimpressed by Borderlands’ signature low-brow humor won’t be converted by the DLC.
With a fun cast of characters driving an engaging story and a ton of worthwhile rewards to collect, the Borderlands 3 Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC is a must-play for fans of the looter-shooter. It expands on the best parts of the base game and gives players an interesting new casino setting to explore. It’s true that some of the lingering technical issues hamper the experience a bit, but otherwise Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot is exactly what fans would want from a Borderlands 3 DLC pack.
Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. Game Rant reviewed this DLC on Xbox One.
