New Borderlands DLC detailed

The next batch of Borderlands DLC is based on the Thunderdome arena in Mad Max, so much so that it’s called Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot.

The content will arrive for Xbox 360 on 29th December and for PS3 on 7th January. Price will 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80/€9.60) or $10.

Arena quests here will be unlike those in the original campaign, and share more similarities with the wave-based Horde mode in Gears of War 2 or Firefight in Halo 3: ODST.

The idea is that Moxxi, who’s mad, is running underground tournaments in coliseum arenas and you’re invited to take part, battling wave after wave of baddies. The twist is Moxxi herself, who’ll blurt out Moxxi Maxims at a whim and change the rules of engagement.

If she bellows “Vampire Rule!” then players health will slowly drain, replenishing slightly with every kill. Or she might yell “Shotgun Challenge!” and boost the power of shotguns while other firearms are temporarily weakened. She may also belt out “River Deep, Mountain High”.

Underdome Riot will be broken into three Riot Mode arenas each with a small and big tournament. The latter is designed to test the best players, and designer Jon Hemingway told MTV Multiplayer he took six hours to finish one.

You can’t save your progress, but you can pause, break and return – just keep your console on. “It’s really hardcore,” said Hemingway.

Moxxi’s Underdome Riot also adds a new bank feature allowing for extra storage capacity, plus the ability to gain two extra skill points as quest rewards.