Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Guide Optional Missions

The Overlooked: Shields Up

Mission Briefing

The residents of Overlook want to rebel against their Hyperion overlords. This will be difficult to do, however, so long as Hyperion holds the ability to level the entire town with a single lunar assault. Karima has asked you to drop as many shields as you can into the Overlook grinder. Once you’ve ground up enough shields, Karima can use the scraps to build a shield to protect the city (not unlike Sanctuary’s).

Availability: Speak with Karima in The Highlands after “The Overlooked: Medicine Man.”

Unlocks: “The Overlooked: This is Only a Test”

Mission Reward: Karima

Level	Money	XP	Gear
16	$137	3917	SMG (Green) or Shield (Green)

The Highlands

You’ve undoubtedly heard the taped recordings mention Loader safety concerning the grinder. Well, now is your chance to use the infamous device. Karima needs you to grind up five of your shields—the ones in your inventory—so that they can be converted into Shield Digistruct Cores. Karima is going to use them to build a shield to protect the entire town, no matter what Dave says.

The vending machine next to the grinder—the one you powered up in the previous mission—has all the shields you need for sale, but they can cost more than $1000 each! The first thing you need to do is to sort your inventory and figure out which shields you might want to grind up along with which weapons you’re willing to sell. There are plenty of containers and chests located throughout Overlook (and in the areas just outside of town) that yield money and additional items to sell. Depending on how many shields you’re short and how much money you’re willing to spend on them, you may want to consider a hunting trip. There are plenty of stalkers in nearby Hunter’s Bane and a multitude of threshers in Whispering Riverbed beneath Blake Bridge.

Stand a few steps back from the grinding wheels and at an angle so the dropped shields successfully land inside the grinder.

Once you’re ready to grind up some shields, head up the stairs beside the grinder and stand facing the grinding apparatus at an angle. The only way to drop shields into the grinder is to enter your inventory screen and select the “Drop” action. The item flings forward from your Backpack as you exit the menu screen—the trick is to be standing in such a position that the shield enters the grinder. Pick up the Shield Digistruct Cores that are spit out the bottom of the grinder and deliver them to Karima’s mail slot to complete the mission.