Borderlands 2 side missions guide
Get out and explore Pandora, one job at a time
Tundra Express
The Pretty Good Train Robbery
Experience: 2069 XP
Money: None
Gear: Fuster Cluck Grenade Mod
Once you have completed the mission “Mine All Mine” for Lilith, you will need to turn it in to Tina and receive this quest. Talk to the little crazy and then pick up the 4 pieces of dynamite around her workshop. Once you have them, head west to Ripoff Station and plant the dynamite at the gate. When the gate shuts, go around the corner and use the intercom to call Hyperion and have them send a train. Now wait for the train to pull into the station and the announcement from Hyperion to load the Eridium onto the train. Instead, place the dynamite into each of the safes along the side of the train and watch the money rain from the sky. Pick up all you can and then head back to Tina to end the mission.
Highlands
Stalker of Stalkers
Experience: 2611 XP
Money: $550
Gear: Double Time Booster Shield/Genuine Sportsman
In the Highlands, near the Frothing Creek Mill, you will need to open a wagon there to get an ECHO recorder for Tannis for an earlier mission. Inside the same wagon, you will find the ECHO recorder that will give you this mission. To complete it, you will need to collect 5 different sets of pages scattered about Pandora. The first 2 can be found in The Fridge, inside fleshy sacks hanging in the middle of the area to the very far east side. Another 2 are in the bunker in the Highlands Overlook. The fifth can be found in the north side of the tunnel in Highlands- Overlook in a pile of rubbish. The map waypoints will lead you to their general area, but that is where they are once you reach the vicinity. To turn the quest in, go to the Overlook town, where the Bounty Board is and go up the stairs beside the board. Go to the building to the south and it will have a mailbox with a top hat and a mustache for you to turn it in to.
Sanctuary
Clan War: Starting the War
Experience: 2611 XP
Money: $551
Gear: Rifle/Pistol
After receiving this mission from the bounty board in sanctuary, talk to Ellie in her garage in The Dust and she will want to start a war between the Hodunks and the Zafords. To start things off, you’ll need to grab two pieces of dynamite from inside her garage. Once they have been gathered, you’ll need to pick up two clan emblems from her junk…yard. Grab the two emblems from behind the garage and then head over to the Hodunk Speedway and place the dynamite of the scaffolding that is holding up the giant tire. Once it blows, place the emblem on the tire and then head to waypoint at the far west of The Dust to enter the Highlands and to find the Holy Spirits bar in Overlook. Place the dynamite on the distillery and then the emblem on the ruins. As soon as you do that, Mick Zaford will put out a call for help to take down the Hodunks. Heed the call by entering the Holy Spirits Bar and talk to Mick Zaford to complete this part of the series.
Clan War: First Place
Experience: 2903 XP
Money: $308
Gear: Shotgun/grenade
Now that Mick has declared war on the Hodunks, follow him to the basement and grab the dynamite out of the chest. Once you have it, head to the race track in The Dust and drive around it until you reach the bridge above you spanning the gorge. Climb up the stairs and make your way to the bridge and place the dynamite on the crates of fireworks. Once all four are placed, make your way to the shack and kill the pyrotechnic there to clear out any witnesses. As soon as you do, the race will start and three cars will be driving around the track. Wait until the cars drive over the bridge with the explosives and then hit the detonator in front of you. If you don’t manage to destroy all the cars in the explosion, just hop down to the track and take them out the old fashioned way. Once all three cars are done for, return to Ellie at her garage to turn in the quest.
Clan War: Reach the Dead Drop
Experience: 290 XP
Money: $61
Gear: None
Over you have dealt with the Speedway and returned to Ellie, you can now go back to the Speedway to talk to Jimbo Hodunk. Although Jimbo doesn’t talk much, you will now need to go to the dead drop to rob the stash from the Zafords. First up, head to Overlook in the Highlands and enter the Holy Spirits bar and make your way to the upstairs. Simply grab the ECHO on the floor and this part of the mission series will end.
Clan War: End of the Rainbow
Experience: 2903 XP
Money: None
Gear: Shotgun
Make your way down to the main floor and go through the door to the left of the bar where Mick is. When you enter, the bag man will appear at the far end of the room. Now all you need to do is follow him to the stash without being seen. You can stay very far back and not fail the mission, so best to be safe than sorry and keep your distance from him. Once he reaches the stash, you’ll have to kill him and then grab the key. If you like, you can loot the stashes in the area and then leave. Once you exit the bar, return to Jimbo Hodunk at the Speedway to turn in the mission.
Clan War: Trailer Trashing
Experience: 2903 XP
Money: $462
Gear: SMG/ Rocket Launcher
After you turn in the mission “End of the Rainbow” Mick will contact you and tell you to meet his man in The Dust. Drive to the Highlands entrance and Mick will want you to burn down the Hodunk trailers at night. Drive to the Speedway and then you will need to open the valves on 4 propane tanks and then light them on fire with a flame weapon. Once you have torched three trailers, then some enemies will start to come out and fight back. Once the fourth is down, return to Steve at the Highland gate to turn in the mission.
Clan War: Wakey Wakey
Experience: 3208 XP
Money: None
Gear: Pistol/Shield
After you have torched the trailers and talked to Steve again, you will now need to return to the Speedway and talk to Jimbo again to receive this mission. Seems you’re going to crash a wake, but first you’ll need to go to Moxxxi’s for a little wobbly pop, first. Talk to Moxxxi in Sanctuary and buy three drinks from her and then head to the Holy Spirits Bar in Highlands-Overlook. Once you enter the bar, just start killing everyone inside. I’d suggest using the upper level and just tossing down grenades to thin the herd. There’s also an Ammo Dump up there in case you want to restock on them. Once everyone’s dead, leave the bar and return to Ellie at her garage.
Clan War: Zafords vs. Hodunks
Experience: 4812 XP
Money: None
Gear: SMG/Shotgun
Now it’s time for the final showdown. Drive to the Lynchwood Station in the western part of The Dust and you will then have to choose which side of the clan war you want to win; either the Zafords or the Hodunks. Whichever side you choose, just wheel your car up next to the ledge they are on and mow them all down as they come out of the trailers. By using the vehicles guns, the battle should take all of 2 minutes. Once one side is completely dead, talk to the surviving side and finally complete this series of missions.
Swallowed Whole
Experience: 2333 XP
Money: $246
Gear: None
After speaking with Scooter, go to The Fridge and when you find Shorty, he will get taken away by a Stalker. Now you’ll need to go north east to Stalker Hollow with a gun that deals electricity damage if you want to get the bonus. When you reach the waypoint marker, Shorty will be in a stalker called Sinkhole. Start dealing damage to the stalker and when he’s invisible, you’ll still be able to see Shorty curled up in a ball inside him. Kill Sinkhole and then Kill Shorty once he is free. Return to Scooter to turn in the mission once all is said and done.
Perfectly Peaceful
Experience: 3208 XP
Money: 4 Eridium
Gear: None
Speak to Hammerlock in Moxxxi’s and he will have another job for you. He will ask that you defeat 10 Spiderants, 5 Threshers, and 5 Crystalisks, as well as pick up the 4 pieces of Origin Evidence that are scattered around the Caustic Caverns; the defeat of the enemies can be done in any area and are not restricted to the Caustic Caverns however. The first of the Pieces of Evidence can be found just outside the entrance next to a large lake of goo in the Oozing Discharge. Continue going northeast to find the second inside the Infested Warehouse against a wall.
The third is through the warehouse, to the east to the Guardian Ruins. Jump off the cliff to the lower platform and find the entry there. For the final piece of evidence, go to the south through the Abandoned Mining Facility, to the Nether Hive, and then through the door on the left to reach the Dahl Deep Core 06. As soon as you enter the door, the ECHO will be on the left side. Once you pick it up, you will learn the history of the Crystalisks and will need to return to Hammerlock in Moxxxi’s.
Mine, All Mine (Undiscovered)
Experience: 2069 XP
Money: 4 Eridium
Gear: None
Speak to Lilith in the Command HQ and she will ask you to go out to the Tundra Express to kill some miners who are digging up Eridium. Head to the mine across from Tina’s Workshop in Tundra Express and wipe out 10 miner Bandits there. There are plenty to mow down, so once you have killed them, you will then need to take out Prospector Zeke. Hop up to the conveyor belts and follow them around to the very top of the area. Zeke will be there will a few bandits, but nothing too difficult. For an option bonus, take out Zeke with a Slag weapon. Once you kill him, grab his deal and then go and talk to Tina to turn in the mission.
Doctor’s Orders
Experience: 3527 XP
Money: $387
Gear: Pistol/Relic
Talk to Tannis in the Command HQ, and she wants you to dig up the strange goings on at the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve. To do this you’ll need to gather 4 experiment notes in the Preserve, so when you are going through during the story mission, Wildlife Preservation, it’s the best time to grab the ECHOs. The first can be found when you use a slanted pipe to enter an office. The recorder will be on the left as soon as you enter. For the second, when you enter the building after defeating the Super Badass PWR Loader, go to the right in front of you will be Bloodwing’s cell. Go to the right of his cell to find a room with boxes lining the right side wall. In the box to the middle will be a robot and the ECHO.
For the third, once you defeat a few Skags to enter a door from outside, you will be greeted by a Robot Experimental Greeter. Look behind him and there will be a green button on the wall to press. Do so and a panel will slide down to reveal the ECHO. For the fourth and final ECHO recorder, just past the Greeter robot, you will enter a room full of engineers. Around the corner and up the stairs, there will be a long crate on the left side wall with a switch on the end of it. Pull the switch to open the crate and release some Stalkers. When they jump out, look at the opening they exit from to find it. Take the ECHOs to Tannis in the Command HQ to complete the quest.
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Jeff McAllister is a freelance journalist who has contributed to GamesRadar+ over the years. You'll typically find his byline associated with deep-dive guides that are designed to help you scoop up collectibles and find hidden treasures in some of the biggest action and RPG games out there. Be sure to give Jeff a thanks in the comments while you're completing all of those tricky Achievements and Trophies.