Eat Cookies and Crap Thunder

Gotta Get Those Carbs, Son!

Tiny Tina likes to break her fighters down and start their training regimen with a healthy foundation. That’s right, this mission is about nutrition. Carbs. Cookies, to be exact. Vitamins are for the suckers who don’t have guns. Go south from Tiny Tina’s camper-van to the northwest corner of Torgue Arena. There’s a secret entrance into the outer ring of the Arena located at the base of the ladder. Climb down, and head inside.

The outer ring of Torgue Arena consists of a narrow circular walkway with eight store rooms radiating outward. These store rooms are filled with lockers, strongboxes, and all manner of containers for you to loot. There are also three cookie vending machines (marked on your mini-map) that Tiny Tina wants you to steal from. Take your time, and make your way in a counter-clockwise direction around the ring, pausing to search each of the side rooms.

Equip a corrosive weapon and corrosive, slag, or explosive grenades, and fight your way past the Torgue Loaders that are deployed into the corridor. You’ll seldom encounter more than three at a time, but the Torgue Exploders and Torgue Chargers advance on you pretty quickly. Toss a grenade and open fire while backpedaling to stay clear of them. Or, better yet, look for some crates or a metal platform to leap onto to avoid their attacks.

The first Torgue Cookies vending machine is in the store room at the south end of the ring. Get a cookie from the machine, raid the nearby lockers for cash, and continue your trek around the outer ring. You’ll encounter the strongest loader contingent in the southeast quadrant of the ring—take your time and soak them in corrosive bullets before entering the eastern store room to find the second cookie machine.

Finish destroying the loaders in the northeast quadrant of the outer ring, then discover the Cult of the Vault symbol on the wall and get a cookie from the third vending machine. Tiny Tina then realizes that you’ve been eating oatmeal raisin cookies, and the lack of chocolate chips sends her into a rage. The next step in your training routine is to destroy the three vending machines that you just went looking for.

Don’t run off to destroy the machines just yet! First, continue the counter-clockwise lap all the way to the northern end of the ring to ensure you shoot the last of the Fire Barrels. Also, there is a grate in the floor that has an unusual button on it. Step on the button to open access to the underground area on the north and south ends of the ring. Search these areas for a Cult of the Vault symbol, weapon chests, and also one of the six Cookie Boxes to be destroyed in the “C4 is for Cookie” challenge.

You can certainly turn around and retrace your steps if you’d like, but it’s best to climb the pile of crates at the north end of the ring and leap over the fence. This allows you to perform a complete second counter-clockwise lap and make sure you don’t miss anything. This also puts you in good position to blow up each of the crate-like Cookie Boxes for the corresponding challenge.

Complete the loop and exit the outer ring the way you came in, via the door in the west store room. Climb the ladder back out of the crater, and head north to Tiny Tina’s camp. She’s done all she can for you now, but she thinks Moxxi has set up some fights for you. It’s time to head to the Battle Board near Motor Momma’s part of Badass Crater. Make your way to the southeast corner of the area, to the Bounty Board near the racetrack. You can get there on foot if you’re careful, but it’s a lot safer—and faster—to get a vehicle from a nearby Catch-a-Ride.