If you've conquered the campaign in Borderlands 3 and want to push your skills to their limits, look no further than the Takedown missions. These two endgame gauntlets—Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite and Takedown at the Guardian Breach—are free additions to Borderlands 3's base game, designed for intense difficulty with coveted rewards for any Vault Hunters who can make it through alive. If you're ready to take on legions of elite enemies and go toe-to-toe with fearsome bosses, here's a high-level rundown of what to expect.

How to start Takedown missions

As a prerequisite, you need to finish Borderlands 3's main story campaign before you even think about taking on the Takedowns—and it's highly suggested that you be at least level 50 with a build that suits your playstyle, along with Legendary weapons and gear that accentuate your build's strengths. It stands to reason that if you're going to take on endgame content, it's a good idea to have a well-oiled endgame build!

After you finish the base game story, two new quest markers will appear on Sanctuary III. To start the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite quest from Lorelei, look for a beacon tucked away near the walkway towards Marcus Munitions on the mid-level Deck B. Once you've accepted the mission, set Midnight's Cairn as Sanctuary III's next destination. 

For the Takedown at the Guardian Breach quest from Tannis, visit her infirmary on the upper-level Deck A. Inspect the glowing blue crystal on the desk next to the Dr. Zed's Meds vending machine, listen to Tannis' latest discovery, then warp the ship to Minos Prime when you're ready.

Takedown basics

Takedowns don't require a full party of four Vault Hunters, and will scale to the size of your group—just know that some of the encounters within are exponentially tougher to get through solo. If you want help assembling a full squad, try joining the Public Matchmaking queue for Takedowns via the Social menu once you've finished the campaign and reached at least level 50. Provided you and your allies have what it takes, Takedowns can be completed in about 45 minutes and are designed to be highly replayable.

As if taking on powerful enemies isn't daunting enough, death works differently in Takedowns, as you can't respawn and rejoin a fight. If you're knocked down into a Fight For Your Life state, your only options for getting back into the fray are a friendly revive or a Second Wind. Otherwise, you're pretty much out of the picture and sent into a Spectator mode, where you'll watch the rest of your party struggle against the odds.

But there's still hope. Each Takedown has one boss fight at the midway point, and a final boss at the end of it all. If you die during the first half of a Takedown but your party still manages to beat the first boss encounter, you'll rejoin your party at a subsequent checkpoint. Similarly, if you die before your team defeats the final boss, you'll come back to life and even get to take part in the resulting loot drops. Should you be eliminated, all you can do is hope your teammates can overcome the odds; best to cheer them on instead of blaming anyone for your premature death.

True Takedown Mode

If you reckon you're a bonafide badass, see if you have what it takes to survive True Takedown Mode. This optional mode tunes the Takedowns to their original design: brutally difficult gauntlets, made for full parties of four tightly coordinated Vault Hunters who are all at max level with optimal gear. Should you have the courage to take on True Takedown Mode, you can activate it via a console near the entrance to each Takedown. And if you're craving an even crueler challenge, try upping the ante even further by combining True Takedown Mode with Mayhem Mode!

Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite

Having seen your sharpshooting handiwork back on Promethea, Lorelei is recruiting you and your fellow Vault Hunters for a coordinated attack on a Maliwan research facility where a secret weapon is being built. The base at Midnight's Cairn isn't just crawling with Maliwan's most elite cybernetic commandos—it's also patrolled by an army of mechs all programmed to vaporize intruders on sight.  

Loot that drops exclusively in the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite includes new weapons, shields, a Vault Hunter skin, an ECHO skin, and even a Room Decoration to make you the envy of everyone else aboard Sanctuary III. 

Takedown at the Guardian Breach

Sanctuary III's resident Eridian expert Patricia Tannis sent you to investigate a mysterious Guardian signal—but she didn't count on hordes of hostile Guardians awaiting you at its source. A sect of rogue Guardians has taken over and reshaped the distant planet of Minos Prime, shattering the planet into pieces and covering it with ominous architecture akin to the obelisks and statues found on Nekrotafeyo. You'll have to fight back against these ancient beings as you traverse the fractured landscape in search of answers.

Along with flying enemies, agile Guardian warriors, and aggressive alien creatures, you'll have to overcome some platforming challenges in Takedown at the Guardian Breach. Minos Prime's fractured state has created giant gaps in the environment, and you'll have to cleverly use the planet's low gravity and momentum-boosting jump pads to cross vast expanses of space and solve environmental puzzles.

Those who survive Takedown at the Guardian Breach can look forward to some sweet rewards, including Legendary weapons, grenade mods, and shields you won't find anywhere else. There are also some swanky cosmetics to collect, including Vault Hunter skins, an ECHO Device skin, and Emotes for your character.