Do I have to play Borderlands in order to understand what's going on in Tales from Borderlands?

Comments

  • No. but of course if you played the games you will get more of the story.

  • NOPE

    I haven't played more than an hour of Borderlands 2 but the game is still amazing. Go for it.

  • No. You'll definitely enjoy the game more if you played previous games, but it's not necessary.

  • dojo32161dojo32161 Moderator
    edited August 2015

    As with most Telltale games having prior background with the licence only adds to your experience. You can play without the Borderlands games and still know what's going on.

  • i didn't play any borderlands games before ep1 of tales. The story is so swift and very well explained that you don't really need to know the background. But it certainly helps to understand the cameos of the characters from the BL games that happen in Tales.

  • edited August 2015

    so true, borderlands 2 is boring.

    Green613 posted: »

    NOPE I haven't played more than an hour of Borderlands 2 but the game is still amazing. Go for it.

  • Just watch this video and you're good to go.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOqYITR7DmA

  • enter image description here

    so true, borderlands 2 is boring.

  • edited August 2015

    You might have a more fond appreciation for the cameo characters and maybe Handsome Jack's character though I'd say Telltale does a damn good job in introducing Jack to new folks in Tales. You'll be able to understand what's going on easily though.

  • I mean i like bordersland 2 and all but it does take forever to get started.

  • I've never played the other Borderlands games, and this is my favorite Telltale game. You won't love it any less, I promise.

  • It just gives more lore to interpret with the story, such as with Jack being an A.I., his relationship with Athena, where Athena got dragged off to, cameo characters, etc.

  • This question is answered in the FAQ

  • Thanks everyone, I think I'll start to play it when all episodes come out.

  • sniff

    We're now waiting for the final one and it makes me sad :(

    Thanks everyone, I think I'll start to play it when all episodes come out.

  • edited August 2015

    I think my previous experience with Borderlands 2 definitely added to the whole experience of Tales from the Borderlands. But it isn't necessary to understand the story.

  • edited August 2015

    The great thing about Tales From The Borderlands is that you can jump straight in without any prior knowledge. But if you play Borderlands 2, the experience of the game will be enhanced a lot better-you'll know so much more about the little details and lore, too. The scenery is beautiful, the story is fun, Jack is an incredible villain, and the whole game is best summed up by Every Western Movie ever + 1984 + Mad Max + I, Robot+ A little sprinkling of old Gangster movies = BORDERLANDS.

    And it's best to start with BL2-Borderlands 1 may be a little...indecisive at times, and TPS contains massive spoilers for BL2. I started with BL2, and it's been one gorgeous journey so far.

    Here are some great sources if you need info:

  • Thank you for the info, I might even start from BL1 to know the full story.

    LawmanZero posted: »

    The great thing about Tales From The Borderlands is that you can jump straight in without any prior knowledge. But if you play Borderlands 2

  • edited August 2015

    You can play BL 2 without BL 1? :o

    LawmanZero posted: »

    The great thing about Tales From The Borderlands is that you can jump straight in without any prior knowledge. But if you play Borderlands 2

  • Not really, but it would never hurt to read or watch something about it.

  • I've never played BL1, but as the weapons there and a lot of the mechanics and gameplay are different than TPS and BL2, it can be kind of difficult transitioning from BL1 to BL2.

    You can play BL 2 without BL 1?

  • I played the first episode before I played BL2 and TPS (episode 1 is what got me interested in the games in the first place). So I can say you can still really enjoy and follow the story, but you'll probably gain a deeper appreciation for the world if you play Borderlands.

  • It isn't necessary and you will still enjoy it. I highly recommend playing Borderlands though, it will give you some insight into things like where Athena was taken and character cameos

  • Hey, just one more small tip:

    DO. NOT. READ. THE. BOOKS.

    The comics are OK (Yes, there are comics, but they're mediocre AND non-canon) but the novels simply toss out Roland in favour of a blatant Mary Sue that romances Mordecai and kicks so much ass.

  • You DEFINITELY should play at least the first game to get what the lore and world is all about before going into it.
    I find it more essential to play BL1 than BL2 (you should play them both tho,really makes things have much more sense)

  • I've never read literature that made me want to vomit more than the Borderlands books.

    LawmanZero posted: »

    Hey, just one more small tip: DO. NOT. READ. THE. BOOKS. The comics are OK (Yes, there are comics, but they're mediocre AND non-canon)

  • I almost want to say they sort of... fleshed out the story of the first one via DLC and some summarizing in the second game. In other words, the first one is sort of bare. It almost feels like a demo of the second game, where BL2 is the game they intended to create filled with character, story, art, etc. That being said there still are some gems in BL1. If you're familiar with the Mass Effect series, I almost want to say the jump is as big as it is between those two, or Fable vs Fable 2. You'll have a better time in the sequel, but the origins are nice to get acquainted with.

    You can play BL 2 without BL 1?

  • There is a book?

    LawmanZero posted: »

    Hey, just one more small tip: DO. NOT. READ. THE. BOOKS. The comics are OK (Yes, there are comics, but they're mediocre AND non-canon)

  • edited September 2015

    Yeah. I asked if I needed to play it because I had already started playing BL1 and didn't knew I could just jump to BL2. I've already finished both tho!

    Paracosm posted: »

    I almost want to say they sort of... fleshed out the story of the first one via DLC and some summarizing in the second game. In other words,

  • Never had an interest in Borderlands before this since I don't like FPS games, but Telltale's Borderlands is still really enjoyable to me, and I was able to get into it.

    So no, you don't need to play the original games.

  • There are novels...that are pretty much blatant self-insert fanfics. Oh yeah, and Roland never existed.

    There is a book?

  • Nah, not really. There are some references and little easter eggs that you may not get, but you wouldn't be totally lost in the story. I do think that playing the games at some point would flesh things out as far as how this story fits in with the rest of the BL universe, and I definitely recommend trying them out. But, it's not necessary or anything. You can still enjoy the game.

  • I never played the first one, I've the second and pre sequel and I pretty much got every reference, since you're told the story of BL1 in both games.

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