Despite being released in 2009, Borderlands continues to be one of the more interesting games on the market not only by virtue of its intensely entertaining core gameplay, but also due to the ongoing DLC support. While the first, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, was a great if slightly repetitive diversion, the second, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, proved to be a rather underwhelming venture targeted at multiplayer aficionados. Those left disappointed by the dearth of solo-player content in the latter will have no reason to complain about the most recent DLC, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, which provides oodles of content for both single- and multiplayer fans while strongly bolstering what is unarguably the strongest of the three downloadable outings.

As with the previous DLC offerings, General Knoxx can be accessed very simply through the Fast Travel posts, whisking you away to T-Bone Junction, a vehicular crossroads in the dusty plains of nowhere. In no time at all, you’ll find yourself swept up in the appropriately tongue-in-cheek drama involving the aftermath of the wrap-up of the original game’s plot.  The Atlas Corporation is seeking to finish what it started with the world-weary, thoroughly disenchanted General Knoxx leading the charge against you, alongside the Crimson Lance and a series of hired assassins.  To help point you in the right direction to continue your path of destruction is a former assassin as well as some familiar faces such as Scooter, Mad Moxxi, and Marcus who inject their now-classic personalities into the mix with their share of assistance and quests. 

In fact, quests are one thing that are in surprisingly plentiful supply in this outing. The relatively extensive main quest which will take you over and through a great many hills and highways, while the aforementioned characters and bounty boards will give you more than enough things to do along the way.  Enterprising explorers may even find a few opportunities of their own, including some chances to aid a band of murderous midgets – a nice gag, and replete with not-at-all subtle references to Lord of the Rings lore.  The tasks often revolve around the wholly expected “go here, kill this / collect this” formula, but the tone and environments are such that you can’t help but drawn into their violent silliness.  The “collect X number of objects dropped by your foes” quest also makes a return from the Dr. Ned DLC, though in arguably much better form here, integrated much more naturally and satisfying into the gameplay as the “cores” dropped by the Crimson Lance provide you with temporary power-ups while also fulfilling quest criteria.  In all, there’s enough questing here, both before and after the main quest, to keep players happy for dozens of hours – and although some of the quest rewards in prior DLCs have been questionable, the fulfillment of the main quest here is tremendously satisfying.

Interestingly, many of these quests are spread on one end or another of the new game areas, meaning you’ll spend much of your time behind the wheel of one vehicle or another.  In fact, General Knoxx feels in many ways like an attempt to push a Mad Max-style of gameplay, given that a substantial chunk of the DLC involves tearing through abandoned highways and bypasses while engaging in vehicular combat with the many heavily armed denizens.  Luckily, you’re given access to some entirely new vehicles, including a new rather awesome Lancer mini-tank, which can wreak havoc while accommodating four players.  It’s a fun, destructive beast and it’s something that’ll come in handy as you encounter your new foes, including the giant, spider-like acid-spitting Drifters. That said, the endless driving simply to get from one point to another can grow rather tiresome, especially since quests can come from opposite areas of the gameworld and there is no system of fast travel.  In several cases where you’ve completed a quest in some far-flung area, the best option is simply to save, exit, and re-start so as to start up at T-Bone Junction.

This highlights what is arguably the DLC’s biggest Achilles’ heel: its lack of waypoints or easy travel between areas.  Any time you quit and return, you’ll be tossed back to T-Bone Junction, which can be handy as described above, but can also prove decidedly annoying if you’re smack in the middle of a rather long play session and simply want to take a break.  However, if you’ve spent some time fighting to get to your destination, you’d better have the time to finish getting where you’re going lest you get bumped back to the hub if you dare to exit for a break.  It’s quite irritating, given the rather impressively large scope of the area and the already considerable backtracking required for quests.

That said, these are somewhat minor concerns given the wealth of additions that General Knoxx brings to the table.  Aside from the new areas, vehicles and quests, the DLC also brings in a surprisingly large level cap, bumping the max from 50 to 61 (Spinal Tap fans will know why this goes to 11).  The DLC also introduces new guns and trinkets, including an entirely new class of ultra-rare “pearlescent” weapons.  The new characters suit the game’s trademark black humor, and the ramblings of the highly irritated General Knoxx are good for a number of laughs.  There are a handful of new foes as well, including mechs and a new class of skag-riding midgets, which offer their own minor challenges. In all, it’s an incredibly beefy addition to the core game.

Overall:  8.5/10
While the previous two DLC offerings had their own charms and challenges, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is easily a must-have for fans of Borderlands.  It ratchets up everything that there is to love about the core game, including a new level cap, new weapons, new enemies and new vehicles, and offers great opportunities for solo adventurers and multiplayer fanatics.  It’s as crucial to improving the overall Borderlands experience as Broken Steel was for Fallout 3, and arguably matches that DLC’s level of quality and ability to satisfy. Given, there are some flaws – almost a little too much time is needed behind the wheel and the lack of DLC waypoints is a definite problem – but these can be glossed over somewhat as you’re taking down jetpack-wearing Crimson Lance rocketeers with a plasma cannon.  It’s an awful lot of fun, and definitely worth the price of entry.  If you’ve enjoyed even a touch of Borderlands, you’ve got no reason to avoid shaking hands with General Knoxx.

(This review is based on a retail copy provided by the publisher.)