There is something wonderfully appropriate about dropping FL4K into a tropical paradise and then immediately ruining the holiday with an army of heavily armed corporate goons. After all, this is Borderlands, where peaceful moments tend to last about as long as it takes for someone to shout about loot. FL4K and the Last Resort, the second Story Pack for Borderlands 4, takes the series somewhere considerably greener, brighter and more tropical, but beneath the sunshine and luxury lies another gloriously violent excuse to shoot anything that moves.
This time around, the focus is firmly on FL4K, the Beastmaster, and their loyal skag companion, Mr. Chew. When Tediore arrives on the remote island of Providence in search of the valuable Ordonite resource, what should have been an exclusive retreat for the Electi quickly becomes a corporate warzone. FL4K is understandably unimpressed, particularly when their companion is caught up in the mess, and the result is a wonderfully daft adventure that combines jungle exploration, corporate warfare, some seriously nasty enemies and the kind of weaponry only Borderlands could get away with.
Welcome To Providence
Providence is an excellent setting for a Borderlands expansion because it gives Gearbox plenty of room to play with contrasts. One minute you are wandering through a lush jungle, surrounded by thick vegetation and exotic wildlife, and the next you are staring down a heavily armed Tediore outpost that looks as though it was dropped into paradise by somebody who has never heard the phrase “leave nature alone”. The island offers a sense of variety that keeps exploration interesting, with its tropical wilderness sitting alongside industrial installations and areas that clearly show how aggressively Tediore has invaded the place.
There is also something refreshing about the brighter colour palette. Borderlands has never been afraid of colour, but Providence really leans into its tropical surroundings. The jungle’s greens, the open skies and the sheer amount of natural scenery create a striking contrast with the familiar industrial grime and corporate ugliness. It feels like a genuine new corner of the Borderlands universe rather than another collection of corridors dressed up as a new planet.
The island also gives FL4K plenty of room to feel at home. This is, after all, a character whose entire identity revolves around the hunt and their connection with beasts. Having wildlife woven so naturally into the environment makes the expansion feel like it was designed with FL4K in mind rather than simply placing the character into another generic shooting gallery.
The Hunt Is On
At the heart of the expansion lies the conflict with Tediore and its five elite generals, all under the command of the relentless Lieutenant Harmony. Their mission is straightforward enough: secure Providence’s Ordonite by whatever means necessary. Unfortunately for them, they have chosen the wrong island and, more importantly, the wrong Vault Hunters to annoy.
The story does not reinvent the Borderlands formula, but it understands exactly why people keep coming back to it. There is plenty of humour, plenty of absurdity, and plenty of opportunities for FL4K to show how entertaining a character they can be. The relationship between FL4K and Mr. Chew gives the adventure a surprisingly warm centre, lending the chaos a little more emotional weight than you might initially expect.
That matters because, beneath all the explosions and one-liners, there is a simple story about loyalty. FL4K is not charging into Providence because a legendary weapon awaits at the end of the road. They are there because their companion matters. That gives the adventure a personal motivation, while the wider conflict with Tediore provides the excuse to unleash several hundred thousand bullets in the general direction of anything wearing corporate armour.
Tediore Has Gone Completely Overboard
Tediore has always been one of the more entertaining corporations in the Borderlands universe, largely because its approach to weapon manufacturing seems to be based on the principle that nothing is ever ridiculous enough. FL4K and the Last Resort gives the company another opportunity to show exactly how far that philosophy can go.
The invasion force brings regular soldiers, heavily equipped operators and exoskeleton mechs into the mix, but Tediore’s greatest trick remains its ability to make even its reinforcements feel unhinged. The sight of guns with legs charging into battle is exactly the sort of stupidly brilliant idea that makes Borderlands work. You do not question why a weapon is running towards you. You simply shoot it before it gets the chance to make your afternoon considerably worse.
Lieutenant Harmony also gives the campaign a suitably persistent antagonist. Her ability to call in digistructed reinforcements means encounters can quickly become much more chaotic than they initially appear. Just when you think you have cleared an area, another wave can arrive, forcing you to keep moving and adapt to what is happening around you.
Eight Bosses And Plenty Of Reasons To Keep Hunting
The expansion is not short on things to shoot. There are eight story bosses, including a new major boss, alongside thirteen additional minibosses. That is a healthy amount of opposition, particularly for players who enjoy returning to an area after completing the main story to seek better gear. And, naturally, the reason to keep hunting these enemies is loot.
Two new Pearlescent weapons headline the rewards, joined by eighteen pieces of Legendary gear and six new Legendary Class Mods. That should give dedicated Vault Hunters plenty of reasons to revisit Providence once the credits have rolled. Borderlands has always understood that the real end of the story is rarely the end of the game, and this expansion continues that tradition by putting plenty of tempting toys behind some very large and very angry targets.
The joy comes from that familiar moment when a boss finally drops something you have been chasing. You might have entered the fight to complete a mission, but suddenly you are checking stats, comparing modifiers and wondering how that shiny new weapon might fit into your existing build. It is the eternal Borderlands cycle, and it remains remarkably difficult to resist.
Getting Above The Canopy
One of the more enjoyable additions to Providence is the use of ziplines to traverse high above the jungle. Traversal is often overlooked in loot shooters, but the ability to grapple onto ziplines adds another layer to both exploration and combat.
It is particularly useful during encounters where enemies are spread across multiple levels. Instead of simply running through another arena and shooting everything from ground level, you can take to the treetops, reposition yourself and find a better angle of attack. It also makes Providence feel more vertically designed, giving the jungle a greater sense of scale.
There is a simple pleasure in looking across the island from above before launching yourself back into the chaos. Borderlands has always been at its best when exploration and combat blend together naturally, and the ziplines help achieve that here without making traversal a chore.
A Jungle Full Of Personality
Visually, Providence is easily one of the most distinctive locations in this expansion. The tropical environment gives Gearbox plenty of opportunities to experiment with colour and scenery, while the familiar cel-shaded Borderlands aesthetic ensures it never feels like the series has suddenly wandered into an entirely different game.
The contrast between nature and Tediore’s industrial machinery is particularly effective. Lush vegetation grows around structures that clearly do not belong there, and the further you travel into the island, the more obvious the corporation’s attempts to exploit the environment become. This gives the setting a sense of personality rather than making it feel like another collection of arenas connected by loading screens.
The result is a world that is enjoyable simply to wander through. There are side missions, activities and collectibles scattered around Providence, giving completionists plenty to chase, while players who simply want to follow the main story can keep moving towards the next big fight.
Still Better With Friends
As with the main game, FL4K and the Last Resort benefit enormously from Borderlands’ co-op DNA. There is something inherently funny about four Vault Hunters charging through a tropical jungle while arguing over who gets the latest Legendary drop.
The sheer number of enemies and the variety of Tediore’s forces also make co-op encounters wonderfully chaotic. One player can focus on crowd control while another concentrates on tougher targets, with the rest of the team turning the battlefield into a fireworks display of bullets, explosions and elemental effects. It is not particularly subtle, but subtlety has never been the point.
Solo players are not left behind either. FL4K’s abilities and connection with Mr. Chew fit particularly well with the expansion’s emphasis on hunting and wildlife, making the campaign perfectly enjoyable without a full squad alongside you.
More Borderlands, But With A Different Flavour
Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay FL4K and the Last Resort is that it feels familiar without feeling completely recycled. The ingredients are recognisably Borderlands: ridiculous weapons, colourful characters, corporate villains, boss fights, mountains of loot and enough explosions to make a military budget department nervous.
Yet Providence gives those familiar ingredients a different flavour. The tropical setting, FL4K’s personal connection to the story and the focus on hunting create a campaign that feels slightly more focused than simply throwing another collection of enemies at you. It is still unmistakably Borderlands, but it has its own identity.
There are moments when the formula shows its age, particularly if you have already spent countless hours playing Borderlands 4. At its core, you are still shooting enemies, collecting better gear, shooting more enemies and then collecting even better gear. For some players, that repetition will be part of the appeal. For others, it may feel like familiar territory rather than a dramatic new chapter.
Personally, I think that is exactly what a Story Pack like this should be. It does not need to completely reinvent Borderlands. It needs to give us a new place to explore, another reason to experiment with builds, some memorable characters and enough ridiculous combat to justify picking up the controller again. On those terms, Providence delivers.
Final Verdict
Borderlands 4: Story Pack 2, FL4K and the Last Resort, is a lively and entertaining expansion that knows exactly what makes Borderlands tick. Providence is a colourful and enjoyable new environment, the Tediore invasion provides plenty of suitably ridiculous opposition, and the combination of eight story bosses, thirteen minibosses and a healthy pile of new loot gives dedicated Vault Hunters plenty of reasons to stick around.
FL4K is also an excellent choice for the centre of the story. The Beastmaster’s relationship with Mr. Chew gives the campaign a little heart beneath all the gunfire, while the hunt for Tediore’s generals provides a satisfying excuse to tear through the island. The ziplines add welcome verticality to exploration, and the new Pearlescent weapons, Legendary gear and Class Mods should keep the loot hunters busy long after the main story is finished.
It is not a revolutionary expansion, and it does not need to be. Instead, it delivers more of what Borderlands 4 does best, while giving it a bright new setting and a story with a little more personality. Providence is beautiful, Tediore is as ridiculous as ever, FL4K remains a joy to spend time with, and there are enough guns, beasts and explosions here to make another trip to the Borderlands well worth taking.
