Dear Gearbox Software,

I want to start off by saying congratulations on the upcoming release of the latest Borderlands DLC, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. I’ve been following the coverage, and so far, I’m impressed. From new vehicles and enemy types, to a raised level cap and even more ridiculous guns, General Knoxx looks extremely promising.

However, I should note that I was one of the people who bought Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot on day one, and the coverage on that expansion looked compelling as well. It’s a little late to say this, considering General Knoxx is just about complete, but I wanted you to know how important this DLC is to the fans, and how thin the ice you’re walking on may be.

Before I continue, I want to preface the rest of this letter by explaining to you just how much Borderlands means to me, so that you’ll know I’m not just a random message board troll who couldn’t hack Mad Moxxi’s difficulty level. When Borderlands came out, I disregarded it completely, and refused to give it a chance. Over the following week, though, the widespread acclaim finally got to me, and I gave Borderlands a try. I was instantly hooked, and over the next week, I literally did nothing but play and discuss the game. By now, over a dozen of the three million units you’ve sold to date came from my recommendations to my peers. I even purchased a few extra copies as gifts for friends and family.

Later, when you released The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned as Borderlands' first DLC, I was in Japan studying martial arts. When I came home, I had Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age, and a host of other fourth-quarter games waiting on my desk. Instead of breaking into the pile, the first thing I did when I got home, after unpacking, was to purchase and play through Dr. Ned. Twice.

So, when I say that Mad Moxxi made me give up Borderlands entirely, I hope you’ll appreciate the gravity of that statement.

I understand that you wanted to give fans something different. Arena-style gameplay can be incredibly fun and rewarding, but unfortunately, I don’t feel that Mad Moxxi did the format justice. For starters, Mad Moxxi is borderline impossible to complete solo, and nowhere in the product description does it say that multiple players are required to complete it. To date, I’ve only met one person who has finished the small tournaments alone, and his character setup was so specialized that I doubt anybody else would have stumbled upon the same solution.

Aside from finding reliable companions to tackle the arena, a large part of the challenge stems from the fact that you didn’t allow us to save or suspend tournaments in progress. I can understand extending replay value for the five round tournaments by having death result in a loss of progress, but the 20 round tournaments take close to three hours to finish, an unreasonable expectation for four people meeting casually online. This sort of time commitment is de rigueur in World of Warcraft, but a lot of shooter fans aren’t used to marathon sessions like these.

 Furthermore, the rewards from completing roughly 25 hours of repetitive grinding -- not counting numerous deaths -- aren’t even substantial. Two skill points will not change the way I play the game in a meaningful way, and the guns that drop at the end of each round are almost always vendor trash. Aside from achievement points, there’s little reason to even attempt the bigger tournaments outside of a sheer love for the product -- a love that I feel has been stretched to its breaking point.

I’m not the only one who felt burned, as I’m sure you’re aware. The general outrage against Mad Moxxi is on par with the destruction of Alderaan in Star Wars, only our voices weren’t silenced after crying out in agony. Some time has passed, but a lot of us are still raw about being betrayed by a studio that gave us one of the more memorable and unique gaming experiences of the last decade.

That’s why General Knoxx is so critical, and why I pray that you’ve taken its development seriously. More than sales hinge on this release. If the new content doesn’t deliver in a substantial way, you’re going to lose dedicated fans. Mad Moxxi was painful, and a lot of fans -- myself included -- won’t come back if you burn us a second time. Sure, Borderlands is just a game. It’s not like you set Anne Frank on fire, or anything that horrific. But in this economic climate, where few things are certain, we need stability wherever we can find it. If a consistently enjoyable game experience can contribute to a temporary reprieve from harsh reality once in awhile, then I think that’s something worth caring about.

I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt in recognition of your continuing efforts to support Borderlands owners. I’m going to buy General Knoxx when it comes out, and I’ll play through it with an open mind. When I’m done, I’ll let you know how I feel about it, and whether or not we have to have words again.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find a level 48 Equalizer revolver for my Gunslinger build.

Sincerely Yours,

Michael Rousseau, aka Mordecai