Borderlands: The Handsome Collection Co-Op Tips

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is available now, bringing two of the most recent adventures in the series to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for the first time. Both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are included in this package, along with their respective DLC – a reasonable value for the $60 asking price.

In addition to all the action you’ve come to expect from the series, both of these games come with a significant new extra – the ability to play with your friends in split-screen co-op, supporting up to four players. It’s a great way to run across Pandora or the moon, looting to your heart’s content and taking on enemies big and small.

This mode can take some getting used to, but here are some tips that will help you settle into it in no time flat.

Explore, But Don’t Forget To Keep Together

The levels within Pandora and the Moon offer plenty to explore, as you can easily roam around and shoot enemies that may be poking about. That said, you don’t want to go too far off the perimeter and separate yourself from the group – especially when it comes to battling large foes that will take a lot of ammunition to bring down.

That said, don’t be afraid to explore, but try not to wander too far from your battle group. You never know when a bigger, badder adversary will pop up and require some back-up in order to bring it down. In this scenario, it never hurts to peek at a fellow player’s screen to see where they’re at, or ask them when they’re sitting on the couch next to you. It’ll make it easy for you to run over to them, or vice versa, and regroup in time to utilize the extra firepower.

Sure, “peeking” in the past with local multiplayer games might have been cheating (like with, say, Goldeneye for Nintendo 64), but with Borderlands, it’ll help you keep up pace with your team – and a mission finished together is certainly a successful one.

Share the Wealth – But Don’t Let Them Take Everything

When it comes to looting, everybody wants the fancy stuff, whether it’s money to help pay for new goods or resurrection, or that special gun that really makes them feel like a powerhouse. That said, if you’re hopping into a multiplayer session for the first time, remember: don’t be greedy.

With the Borderlands games, it helps to spread the loot around a little bit, especially when a lot of it comes pouring out of a bigger enemy that you’ve just defeated. Be sure to save some for your teammates, or they may be less than gracious teaming up with you in a session again. That said, also make sure to save them a few guns now and again – no one likes an ammunition hog.

Don’t forget your fair share, though. You earned some of that loot and weaponry as well, and you’re entitled to a good gun or two. Chat with your friends locally and see how you want to spread the wealth around, and all of you win – although you may have to run through the procedure again for the next boss.

Not Crazy About Local Co-Op? Hop Online

Local co-op isn’t the only option available in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. As with the previously released games in the series, you can also hop online via Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network and team up with friends that way – and that’s the traditional way that most players are used to, as they can keep communication circles open without needing to cram the screen into four individual sections.

Co-op doesn’t take long to activate in a game such as this, as you can usually skim the lobbies for your friends and have them jump right into a session. The ones we tried within the game worked very well, and now that the servers are wide open, you should have no trouble finding matches to join you in your fight to liberate Pandora, or hand over the Moon to Handsome Jack.

Don’t Forget, Have Fun

Finally, and most importantly, remember to have a good time working with your friends. It’s not a competitive affair, after all, but a conquest by you and your team as you mow down Handsome Jack’s forces or try to overtake the Moon with your small squad. There are plenty of good times to be had with this game, whether you’re playing locally on the couch or online with your friends, so remember to have fun with it – and again, don’t be such an item hog. There are others who need those special guns, and there’s nothing stopping you from going and buying your own.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is available now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.