Salt Flats
Level: 30
Rewards: 15,360XP, $29,959
Unlocks: Get Some Answers
Objectives: Take back the final piece of the Vault Key from Baron Flynt
"The little Claptrap doorman is freed, so you should now be able to enter the Salt Flats. Talk to the Claptrap once he's at the gate. It is time to go after Baron Flynt, who punched my dog and stole a piece of the Vault Key. Did I mention he lives on a giant digging machine in the Salt Flats. He calls himself the leader of all the bandits. You'd like him, I think."
Since we’ve helped our little Claptrap friend out of isolation, he’ll now be able to grant you access the Salt Flats. Before you go venturing off, make sure you’ve finished up all of the side missions (all of the missions in New Haven are listed below) just to be sure that you’re of a high enough level. If you haven’t finished them all, you can come back to them at a later point, but it’s recommended that you do them now.
When you’re all set, head to the northeast area of the Rust Commons east where the entrance to the Salt Flats is located. Once inside, you’ll have a short drive through a ravine until you reach a large open area of barren wasteland. In the middle of this area is Baron Flynt’s mining complex which houses a drilling mechanism named Thor which is patrolled by Out Riders who normally just drive around in small circles. To further the story, you’ll need to destroy four of these Out Riders which shouldn’t cause you any issues (ignore your waypoint marker here). If you’re having trouble finding them, just drive around the mining area in the middle.
When four Out Riders have been destroyed, four entrances to Thor will open to the north, south, east and west. The complex houses many Bandits camp which surround the drill, so you can expect a plethora of Bandits in this area, ranging from levels 29 to 30. You can either circle the drill, taking out all of the Bandits you meet, or enter via the west and head down the slope to where the waypoint marker leads you to ride the elevator up to Baron Flynt’s lair.
When you arrive at the top and set foot off the elevator, you’ll be introduced to Baron Flynt, who will be sitting on this throne o’ trash atop the building in front of you. After the formalities, he’ll unleash waves of Bandits that will appear from various buildings to the left and right of you. None of these enemies should cause you any trouble; there are plenty of places to cower behind if you feel overwhelmed.
When all of these enemies have been bested, you’ll have to face Flynt’s bodyguards: Hanz and Franz. Similar in stature to Bruisers, they pack more of a punch with their weapons and have a lot more health points; consider these the Badass Badass Bruisers of the Bandit world. There’s no respite from these two either as Hanz will constantly chase you down while Franz will be gunning for you with his Combat Rifle, so there’s no time to sit in one place.
Try to concentrate on killing Franz first, as he’s the more lethal of the two, while avoiding Hanz’ melee attacks. When Franz has fallen, you can simply kite Hanz around the area, even using objects as obstacles as he doesn’t possess any form of jumping ability.
When these are both downed, Flynt will jump down from his throne and join in on the action. He’ll be assisted by a handful of Bandits so take refuge behind the elevator that you arrived up on as this has plenty of cover. Flynt possesses a very unique weapon: a Rocket Shotgun! One pull of the trigger will fire off six rockets, so make sure you’re not in the firing line otherwise you’ll certainly know about it. The drawback (for him) is that it has an extremely long reload time which will signal your chance to pounce and unleash some havoc of your own onto him.
This isn’t one of the more difficult boss fights due to the sheer amount of time Flynt spends reloading. Just make sure to keep your distance as dodging his rockets will become a lot easier from further away. Just be sure to make your attacks frequent as his shield can recharge relatively quickly, but most important, be patient; it’s a marathon, not a dash.
When he’s been defeated, you’ll be rewarded with an trophy :
Make sure you loot his Boomstick so that you can now fire 6 rockets in one shot, and then loot the white chest beside his throne to complete the mission and grant the next story-related mission: Get Some Answers.
Level: 30
Rewards: 4,416XP, Machine Gun
Prerequisites: Not Without My Claptrap
Objectives: Find all the machine gun parts.
"There are components to machine gun scattered around. If you find all the components, I can reassemble the weapon for you. Bring me the Body, Stock, Magazine, and Barrel."
If you don’t already have this mission, you can pick it up at the Middle Of Nowhere Bounty Board after the completion of Not Without My Claptrap.
If you’ve just defeated Baron Flynt, do not jump over the side as you’ll die (without even seeing your body hit the floor I might add). Instead, ride the elevator that you came up on back down. The waypoint marker in this area is a general marker and should be ignored. Instead, follow the arrow in the screenshots.
All the parts for this mission can be found in the east of the mining complex, the first of which can be found by the entrance. Before you start the search, clear the area of any enemies. Inside and to the left (when looking at the entrance) you’ll see a small ramp leading up to a small tower; the Machine Gun Barrel can be found here.
From here, turn right 90 degrees and you’ll see another quest item in the distance, on top of a tall metal cylinder. Jump down and to the right you’ll see a pile of tires. Jump on these to gain access to the roof of a small green hut. When on top of the green hut, turn 45 degrees to the right and jump onto the green tarpaulin. Turning to the left, you should see the quest item in sight, so it’s simply a matter of jumping over to it and picking up the Machine Gun Barrel.
To the south slightly, you’ll see a campfire with a Skag roasting on it. You’ll be able to see the next part on top of a shipping container if you stand next to the fire. Walk towards it, jump up and grab it while in mid-air to earn the Machine Gun Stock.
The last piece can be found to the north of this area, on top of a small hut. Approaching it from the south side, you’ll notice a small concrete wall next to said small hut. Use this wall to boost yourself up to the roof and claim the Machine Gun Magazine.
Once all four parts have been found, you can head back to the Bounty Board in the Middle of Nowhere to complete the mission. However, as a broken Claptrap is nearby, let’s complete that.
Level: 29
Rewards: 1,860XP, Backpack SDU
Prerequisites: Not Without My Claptrap
Objectives: Find a repair kit and return to the Claptrap robot.
"You've discovered another defunct Claptrap robot. Could there be an unused repair kit somewhere out in this desolate place?"
This particular Claptrap Rescue is arguably the easiest of the lot and the penultimate in the game. The broken Claptrap can be found towards the northeast of the mining encampment situated within the Salt Flats.
After accepting the mission and staying within the encampment, travel southwards until you reach this location on your map. The Repair Kit can be found in among a pile of trash.
When you’ve found it, return to the broken Claptrap to complete the mission. That’s it! Short and sweet.
Level: 30
Rewards: 15,360XP, Artifact
Unlocks: Find the ECHO Command Console
Objectives: Find Tannis, wherever she may be
"Tannis has betrayed you. Who knows what motivates that babbling bitch, but it's a sure bet she's fled her dig site. It's time to take back your Vault key and get some answers. First, you'll need to figure out where she's hiding.”
It seems Tannis lied about the last vault key and has done a runner, so you’ll need to track her down to get some answers. Begin by making your way to the southwest of the Salt Flats and enter the narrow tunnel which leads into the Backdoor.
The Backdoor area is exactly what it says: it’s a backdoor into the Crimson Enclave (they’re not going to let you stroll through the front door now, are they?) Follow the narrow cavern northwards, killing any Spiderants and Larva Crab Worms that try to block you path, and then loop around to the left until you cross a bridge over the path you took earlier. At the end of this bridge are a couple of red chests to loot, along with an Ammo vendor, so make sure you stock up on provisions before continuing.
Just after this area, jump down the shaft and you’ll end up inside a storage container with a datapad resting on top of a crate. Interacting with the datapad will lift the roof and sides of the storage container you’re currently in, revealing a large arena… Something bad is about to happen by the looks of it.
The shutters of the windows in the office above the large door will shut and Master McCloud will make his grand entrance, along with two of his Lance Royal Guard buddies. Concentrate your fire on the two Guards first; they’ll more than likely take cover so you’ll need to be accurate with your shots.
When it’s just you and Master McCloud it should be plain sailing. His weapons of choice consist of a Scorpio Turret, which can easily be avoided when behind cover, and an Eridium weapon which fires slow-moving plasma rounds through the air which are incredibly easy to avoid. Don’t bother trying to target the Turret as it will disappear once McCloud is dead. Instead, just target Master McCloud with head shots and he’ll go down soon enough.
When all three are downed, be sure to loot Master McCloud’s Eridium weapon, the 101010 Cannon (the description translates to “OMG”). These Eridium weapons have unlimited ammo, but take some time to recharge, so it’s usefulness is completely situational.
Exit the arena through the large door that Master McCloud entered through to reach the Crimson Fastness; a base of the Crimson Lance which will lead to the Crimson Enclave. When inside, head south where a few Crimson Lancers and a Gatlin Turret will be waiting. When they’re disposed of, you’ll stumble upon a dozen-or-so broken Claptraps. Interacting with the blue one will grant you the final Claptrap Rescue mission (detailed below).
Enter through the door to the south of the broken Claptrap(s) and continue through this area, taking out any foes nearby, but staying on the top floor. You’ll eventually come to a door with an interactable door panel to the left of it (located here – the yellow marker). Pressing it will open the door and lead you to Tannis’ holding cells which will be littered with Crimson Lancers. You’ll find Tannis in her cell (located here), so speak with her to end the mission.
If you’ve completed all of the side quests, along with all of the story quests up to this point, you’ll learn the following trophy :
Claptrap Rescue: Crimson Fastness (Side Mission)
Level: 30
Rewards: 1,920XP, Backpack SDU
Prerequisites: The Final Piece
Objectives: Find a repair kit and return to the Claptrap robot
"You've discovered another defunct Claptrap robot. Could there be an unused repair kit somewhere out here?"
You’ll find the broken Claptrap in among some more broken Claptrap of assorted colours which can be found towards the entrance of the Crimson Fastness. You’ll want to find the blue version to begin this mission.
From the group of broken Claptraps, head through the door directly to the east which leads to a hanger. You’ll enter it via the top gangway, but the Repair Kit is located on the bottom floor. The area is patrolled by a few standard Crimson Lancers, nothing to be concerned about. When the area is clear, head to the east and go down the stairs which will lead you down to the bottom floor and ultimately, the Repair Kit which can be located underneath the entrance you came through (here on your map), next to a pile of tires.
You can now head back to the broken Claptrap, turn in the mission and revel in your newly earned trophy for completing all of the Claptrap Repair Kits:
If you’ve followed this walkthrough, you should now have completed all of the side missions and should only have story missions left to complete.
Level: 31
Rewards: 3,960XP
Unlocks: Reactivate the ECHO Comm System
Objectives: Find the ECHO command console
"It's probably impossible to take back the Vault Key or open the Vault now. Let's focus on something else instead. Let's bring the ECHO system back on-line. The Lance locked it down, but I know how we can bring it back, since I pretty much invented it. I wrote some instructions on the back of this paper towel. Find the ECHO command console, and follow my instructions."
Before leaving the holding cells area, there’s a red chest to the south hiding in one of the cells. From Tannis’ cell, travel south through the exit where a Gatlin Turret, supported by some Crimson Lancers, will be housed on the stairwell. Make use of the cover available to take all of these out; throwing grenades is extremely useful as all of the enemies are in close proximity.
From the stairwell, head east until you reach the waypoint marker which is located in a loading dock. Interacting with the Command Console will end this short mission, earning you little reward.
Level: 31
Rewards: 9,900XP
Unlocks: Find Steele
Objectives: Reactivate the Transmitter Consoles
"The notes Tannis gave you are rambling and disjointed, and appear to be written in the form of an argument with either an invisible cellmate or a rat. However, she also mentions reactivating three network transmitter consoles in three separate buildings, then returning to this main control console."
From the Command Console, proceed north following your waypoint marker. However, you’ll be halted by a group of Badass Engineers. Retreat to cover otherwise they’ll down you instantly. When you’ve retreated far enough and have found adequate cover, continue to pick them off one-by-one, making sure you stay in cover; using a sniper rifle on their faces seems to work well.
Just north of where the Badass Engineers make their entrance, two red chests can be looted down a narrow hallway to the right. When you’re all finished in the Crimson Fastness, proceed through the exit to transition to the Crimson Enclave. Upon your entry, you’ll be granted an trophy :
At the entrance you’ll witness a small battle between some Crimson Lance and some Guardians. If you’ve not encountered the Guardians before, they are the protectors of The Vault who are alien-like in form. They utilize strong shields and are very hard to hit due to their speed. Using Shock damage against them appears to be the best tactics as it will deplete their shields quicker.
The first Transmitter Console is located to the north of the Crimson Enclave, so continue through the ravine and take a right at the fork. En route you’ll encounter more Crimson Lance and a Gatlin Turret be guarding the building that the first Transmitter Console is housed in. Use the rocks in this area to take refuge behind and pick off any Crimson Lance that appear on the roof.
When the area is clear, proceed through the door in the archway and make your way up one flight of stairs; going up the second flight will lead you to the roof outside. Walk along the corridor and at the end you’ll see the Transmitter Console gleaming green. Active it and move up to the roof where a red chest awaits.
The second Transmitter Console is located to the south of the area. Head on down the map, passing the entrance we came through. More Crimson Lance will be guarding the building that the second Transmission Console is in. The rocks to the right makes for useful cover as the Crimson Lance will advance on your position. Again, take out any stragglers on the roof.
To gain entry to the Console, use the stairs to the west of the building which will lead to the roof. You’ll see the door to enter the building in front of you, so proceed down one flight of stairs and along the corridor to activate the second console. Before leaving this building, head down to the ground floor where a red chest can be located.
The last remaining Console is located way over to the west of the Enclave. From the building in the south, travel northeast through the snowy ravine where a few Crimson Lance will be patrolling the area. Again, use the rock formations as cover to take these guys out. Proceed up the hill and to the left you’ll see another battle between the Crimson Lance and the Guardians taking place on a bridge; this time the Guardians are of the flying variety, named Sera Guardians. Concentrate your fire on taking these guys out before the Crimson Lance as they can be a pain otherwise.
As you approach the building that contains the last of the Consoles, you’ll see a Gatling Turret firing at you from the top. Once again, take shelter behind the rocks around this area and pick it off along with any other stragglers. The entrance to this building is similar to the first building: to the left, inside the archway. Again, the Transmitter Console is on the second floor. After this, head to the roof to loot another red chest.
The ECHO Command System should now be online, so head back to the Crimson Fastness. Unfortunately, all of the Crimson Lance, including the four Badass variants that you killed earlier will have respawned, so you’ll need to take these out all over again. Once you have, return to the loading dock to complete the mission.
Level: 32
Rewards: 20,400XP
Unlocks: Destroy the Destroyer
Objectives: Find Steele and take back the Vault Key
"I know where the Vault is, and so does Steele. She took my Vault Key. You know, the one you worked so hard to get for me? Well, she took it. That albino bitch is going to open the Vault unless you can somehow find her and beat her to it. I'm marking a waypoint at the location of the Vault. I don't have to tell you what to do, do I?"
This is it, the last stretch of the game; this is what we’ve been building up to, what we’ve shed blood and tears for. According to Tannis, who will contact you via the ECHO comms, Commandant Steele has stolen the Vault Key, so you’ll be asked to go and retrieve it from her.
Exit the Crimson Fastness to the north so that you’re back in the Crimson Enclave. There will more than likely be another battle ensuing outside of the entrance, so you can just ignore it if you like. Head to the north and grab a vehicle from the garage, and then drive southwest along the coastline towards the waypoint marker which will lead to a transition point. This will lead you back to the Salt Flats.
After you’ve transitioned, grab a vehicle from the nearby garage and drive to the northwest of the map. However, you’ll need to jump out of your vehicle to gain access to the waypoint. This transition point will teleport you to The Descent: an underground temple filled with Guardians and, as you might imagine, a large descent.
As soon as you enter you’ll be greeted by a Badass Guardian; just be mindful of their sword attacks and aim for his head. Like all Guardians, the biggest challenge with these is depleting its shield. There’s a red chest to the side of this small area and looking north, you’ll see another red chest which you can jump over to.
Start your descent, picking up any loot along the way until you reach a large, open area filled with Guardians and Crimson Lance. As usual, you can let them kill each other if you have the patience, or you can jump in and help the Crimson Lance take out the Guardians or vice versa. Be sure to look around the area as there are a few chests to loot.
Going to the north towards the large door, you’ll see it open and a few Crimson Lance will emerge from behind it; one of them being a Badass Defender. Retreat and take cover behind the abundance of debris in this area to efficiently take these down.
Enter through the large door and continue working your way northwards, descending further until you reach the waypoint marker. This will lead you to the Eridian Promontory which will unlock an trophy :
The Eridian Promontory is a long, winding pathway which leads up to The Vault. It is heavily populated with both Crimson Lance and Guardians. The Guardians consist of three types:
Sera Guardians: these will float in the air, jagging from side to side which makes them difficult to hit. Their attack consists of a stream of energy which when hit will cause damage and impair the victims view. Using a Sniper Rifle is the best way to kill these due to their preference for keeping their distance.
Principal Guardians: these will charge at you at speed and will swipe using their two energy blades. While it is difficult to avoid their charges, they do have a small amount of health points, so a few well-aimed Shotgun shots should take them down.
Arch Guardians: by far the toughest and most annoying enemy in this area. They have a long-ranged mortar attack that consists of small energy orbs that will deplete your shield and health when hit. Try to keep your distance as they also boast an energy bolt that they’ll use when in close proximity. Use cover and a sniper rifle for maximum effect.
You’ll need to work your way through the entire Promontory in order to reach The Vault. You’ll start at the southeast end of the map and you’ll need to battle your way through to the northwest of this area.
Not only is there an abundance of enemies, but there will also be plenty of ammo crates and chests to loot, so keep your eye out for them. All in all, it will probably take you close to 30 minutes just to battle through this area.
When you reach the transition point for The Vault, before entering make sure you’ll fully stocked up on both ammo and health kits because you’ll be needed a lot of both. When you enter you’ll have to watch a cutscene that will reveal that Steele had discovered the location of the vault to yield its rewards. When she unlocks it she actually meets her untimely death via the emerging Destroyer. When the cutscene ends, you’ll automatically finish the “Find Steele” mission and the ‘Destroy the Destroyer’ mission will begin.
Level: 32
Rewards: 28,560XP, $9,395
Unlocks: Bring The Key To Tannis
Objectives: Defeat the Destroyer
"Do you feel that I betrayed you? Do not. I am possessed of a sight that allows me to look forward and backward along the timeline, and the release of this creature was inevitable. There was only one chance for this dimension's continued existence. A hero. Someone who was at the right place, at the right time, and strong enough to push back. I have given you the unique opportunity to defend the existence of all that you know. Go! Fight! Be that hero! I will help you however I can."
I really hope you stocked up on ammo before you entered this area. If not, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble as The Destroyer can absorb a lot of ammo before it dies.
The Destoyer himself is a huge tentacle-laden monster which resides inside the vault. It can do massive amounts of damage if you don’t know what you’re doing, so make sure you concentrate on the job at hand, otherwise you’ll be spending a lot of time fighting for your life and respawning which ultimately is frustrating and costly.
It’s important to try and keep in cover at all times during this fight, only venturing out to either swap sides (to avoid the purple spike damage) or to attack his eye. The pillars either side of this area should be used as your main cover points. Anywhere else is asking for trouble.
The Destroyer will spring large, purple tentacles from its back which will spout out small purple spikes in your direction. When these hit the floor they’ll burst and inflict large amounts of damage to you if you’re in close proximity. These needles are difficult to avoid as they will arc over any objects that you are hiding behind. It’s recommended to keep on the move from side to side to avoid these. These tentacles will house large purple pods in the middle; shoot these to shoot off said tentacle. If you’re having trouble shooting these (as they move around a lot), bring out your Sniper rifle for better accuracy.
He’ll also use his tongue to try and whip you, but if you stay in cover you can avoid this completely. When he does use this attack, you can peek out from cover to aim at his open mouth which will score critical hits.
If you are caught out in the open, directly in front of the Destroyer, he’ll unleash a shockwave attack that will not only push you back somewhat, but deal a moderate amount of damage.
When you’ve shot apart both of his tentacles, focus on his eye, making sure you remain behind cover. The eye is his weak point, so unleashing your most powerful weapons (hint: Rocket Launcher) upon it will deal large amounts of damage and will make defeating him a lot quicker.
When he’s lost approximately a third of his health, the Destroyer will attach two of its tentacles onto the pillars; these tentacles are vulnerable to melee attacks. Four more tentacles with purple pods will spawn, so again, attack these to deplete his health and detach the tentacles from him altogether. He’ll also start attacking you via a blue beam which casts from his eye. Simply hide behind cover to avoid this (the blue stream actually casts through the cover, but it won’t damage you).
Continue aiming for the purple pods on the tentacles, along with trying to score critical hits on his eye until he then spawns another two large tentacles which will attach themselves to the remaining two pillars and the whole process will start again. By now, he shouldn’t have too much health left, so it’s just a case of shooting either the tentacles or the eye.
There’s a very good chance that you’ll die during this boss battle, perhaps more than once (I certainly did). If you die, the Destroyers health will replenish to its full state, but the boss’s phase won’t reset. For example, if you’ve gotten to the second phase, where he’s attached his first set of tentacles to the pillars, and you die, you’ll return to the same phase. Technically, it gets easier to kill him during the pater phases, so repeatedly dying isn’t a bad thing; just keep plugging away.
When you’ve finally destroyed the Destroyer, you’ll be rewarded with an trophy , the Vault will be sealed for another 200 years and you’ll be rewarded with an end-of-story cutscene which reveals that the Guardian Angel is transmitting her signals through a satellite which is orbiting Pandora. The satellite is actually targeting a Claptrap which transforms it into an Interplanetary Ninja Assassin. More of this is explained in the “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution” DLC.
After the cutscene, you’ll be able to grab the loot and the Vault Key from the deceased Destroyer and will be granted your very last mission of the game which simply involves returning the Vault Key back to Tannis.
Bring The Vault Key To Tannis
Level: 32
Rewards: 17,136XP, $234,885
Unlocks: None
Objectives: Grab the Vault Key and return to Tannis at her Rust Commons dig site
"The Vault Key won't work again for another two hundred years, so it is now effectively useless. Tannis has volunteered to become the caretaker of the key, and may even pay well for it."
From The Vault, use the Fast Travel Station to teleport to the Rust Commons West and venture back to Tannis at her dig site to complete the mission. You’ll be rewarded with a staggering amount of cash (see above) for your troubles.
This will end the game… for now. You are now free to roam Pandora and finish off any side missions that you may have missed/skipped, or you can proceed into Playthrough 2 which will up the difficulty of your foes and will reward you more handsomely with larger mission rewards and better chances of better loot. You’ll need to run through a second playthrough in order in earn the trophies for reaching levels 40 and upwards (playing through the DLC’s at this point may contribute somewhat). I would playthrough a second time before starting the DLC’s, but that’s entirely up to you.
In case you missed any missions, here are the remaining missions:
The Final Piece (Claptrap/Patricia Tannis – 30)
Claptrap Rescue: The Salt Flats (Claptrap – 29)
Scavenger: Machine Gun (Middle of Nowhere Bounty Board – 30)
Claptrap Rescue: Crimson Fastness (Claptrap – 30)
Get Some Answers (Patricia Tannis – 30)
Find The Echo Command Console (Patricia Tannis – 31)
Reactivate the ECHO Comm System (Patricia Tannis – 31)
Find Steele (Patricia Tannis – 32)
Destroy The Destroyer(Guardian Angel – 32)
Bring The Vault Key To Tannis(Patricia Tannis – 32)
Throughout the game you will have undoubtedly earned the level specific trophies . I’ve left these until last as it ranges from person to person as to when they unlock them.
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