Borderlands 2‘s first campaign add-on — Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty — releases today. It’s good.
But maybe the best thing about the DLC is the new vehicle it comes with: the hovering sand skiff.
Randy Pitchford teased some sort of Star Wars references in the upcoming DLCs during our live Q&A. Once you see the sand skiff, you’ll know why.
For comparison’s sake, here’s a snapshot of the Bantha-II cargo skiff as seen on Return of the Jedi, courtesy of Wookipeedia.
As cool as the reference is, the skiff unfortunately only seats two people: a driver and a gunner. Fortunately I am not limited by things like programming and rules and seats.
In the video above you can see me at the helm of the DLC’s sand skiff. My partner in crime can easily sit atop the rickety chair to man the turrets, but what if there were three of us? Or the full four? Watch as Rogue Cheddar — also known by his human form: Mike — simply jumps on top of the boat, crouching for extra security. The only trick is that it’s easier to hop on when the sand skiff is on a bit of an incline, so that the edge is closer to the player. It’s also a lot easier if the driver isn’t already in the vehicle, since it moves of its own accord when a driver is seated.
As long as I don’t make too many violent turns, Mike can rest easily on my sand skiff. You can watch me even boost through high speeds while he sits comfortably and shoots sand worms. Even ramming into things won’t necessarily mean he will fall off.
Next, I take Mike for a ride by pushing him with my sand skiff. This isn’t new to the DLC, and is something I did often in the first Borderlands for funsies. But it feels a lot smoother with the sand skiff. I even manage to reverse-push him long distances.
The sand skiff can even ram into some small bandit camps. So near the middle-end of the video you’ll see me drive forcefully into a hideout, spamming my harpoons at what are assuredly terrified pirate bandits.
Lastly, Mike switched seats with me and flew off of an unintended ramp, sending us flying in the air momentarily.
The sand skiff is a whole lot of fun. Fluid driving, side strafing, harpoon shooting, unconventional fun.
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