Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Ending Explained
Contains spoilers for "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands"
Spin-off "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands" provides a fantasy take on the "Borderlands" formula. Players equip spells and magic rings rather than grenades and can also customize their character by combining two of six classes. Crossbow guns, a new Dark Magic damage type, and even a smattering of melee weapons further distinguish the experience. While the concepts aren't groundbreaking, "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands" has largely drawn praise from critics.
Fans of the series may know that the spin-off is not as random as it seems, instead serving as a follow-up to the "Borderlands 2" DLC "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep." However, the latest addition brings a lot to the table, including new locations, unique characters, and a full roster of fresh enemies to face down with the crazy loot found during your adventures. Vaults, loaders, giant corporations, and the numerous reoccurring characters that tend to interact with Vault Hunters are nowhere to be seen.
Curious about what the unique setting and story could mean for the future? Here's what you need to know about the ending of "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands."
A New Setting
The action of "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands" unfolds as part of a campaign using an in-game "Dungeons & Dragons" knock-off called "Bunkers & Badasses." You aren't just playing a character, but a character roleplaying as another character within a tabletop RPG. This setup comes with in-depth customization, allowing you to choose from different clothing, pronoun, and even voice options. You also get to pick your own starting class and can later combine two of the six offerings by multiclassing, with each class contributing a passive ability, two action skills, and a moderately sized skill tree to upgrade on your journey to the maximum level of 40.
"Wonderlands" further incorporates the spirit of tabletop RPGs by giving players a party to adventure with. Cutscenes show the world outside of the game, with the player taking a first-person perspective of a character sitting at the table across from Tiny Tina. The other players, Valentine and Frette, sit to either side. Valentine is a charismatic jokester while Frette is a more reserved robot. You eventually learn that the two work together in the real world in some capacity and found themselves with Tiny Tina after Valentine crashed their ship nearby.
Queen Butt Stallion and the Dragon Lord
Queen Butt Stallion, the proud sovereign of the Wonderlands, serves as the party's main supporter in the game. More than just a ruling monarch and a somehow sentient horse made of solid diamonds, Queen Butt Stallion is also a bicorn with two brilliant horns that sprout from the top of her head. She sends the player to get the Soul Sword for the forces of good; however, she is opposed by the Dragon Lord, the game's main antagonist. A powerful recurring villain, the Dragon Lord uses the Soul Sword to raise armies of undead, only to repeatedly have his plans foiled by the PCs. However, the situation takes a different turn in the latest campaign.
The action heats up in "Wonderlands" when the Dragon Lord appears in Brighthoof, the capital city, steals the Soul Sword, and cuts off Queen Butt Stallion's head in a twist that takes even Tiny Tina by surprise. He then reveals that he knows he is merely a character in a tabletop game and that he is sick of Tiny Tina using him as a prop for her stories. He's determined to break the cycle of being resurrected and pointlessly working towards ruling the world just to be killed off again and again.
The Theme of Conflict
Beyond the central clash between Queen Butt Stallion and the Dragon Lord, conflict occurs frequently within the player's own party. Valentine and Frette both want different experiences from their time with the game, causing arguments about what to do or focus on during sessions that reflect the frustrations of their "real world" counterparts.
Out of character, Valentine feels like a failure who just can't do anything right. The responsibility for the ship crash falls at his feet and you get the sense that this was not the first mishap he caused. As a result, he wants to live out a hero fantasy in the game, performing incredible feats and interacting with the adoring populace he saves.
Frette, on the other hand, is frustrated at the apparent lack of control she has over her life with Valentine as she repeatedly has to adapt to his mistakes. She wants to overcome challenges and play by the rules to feel as though she is taking control of her own character and thriving in the setting. In the end, the problems are best solved when the two find a way to overcome their conflicts of interest and use their strengths to work together.
The Theme of Meta
It is nothing new for "Borderlands" to incorporate meta humor and references. Every entry is filled with quests and characters that connect to other properties or acknowledge the game's mechanics in ways that obliterate the fourth wall. "Wonderlands" takes that element a step further to explore the metaphysical properties of games and the characters within them.
The first instance of this is the protagonist a.k.a. the Fatemaker. You play a character within a video game who is roleplaying as a separate character in a tabletop RPG. This may just seem like a fun framing device initially, but it is emblematic of how so many games offer players a hero fantasy that they can enact. You even get to pick how your in-game persona roleplays, with over-the-top lines that poke fun at the generic heroics and one-liners so common in the medium.
The Dragon Lord also embraces the meta by recognizing and being driven by the knowledge that he is little more than a doomed antagonist in game within a much larger universe. He knows that he has to roleplay as the villain and tries to break the cycle by wresting control of the game away from Tiny Tina. However, his powers are still confined to the context and limitations of the game world, making his efforts ultimately insignificant as his rebellious acts still see him fulfilling the part of the bad guy.
Queen Butt Stallion's Ending
While Queen Butt Stallion is killed in the opening scenes of the game, her story does not end there. During the narrative, the player is able to bring her back to life. Once Butt Stallion returns, she takes back over as the de facto ruler of the Wonderlands from her seat of power in Brighthoof and helps the player in their quest to reach the Dragon Lord's pyramid and defeat him.
After the Dragon Lord is vanquished yet again, Queen Butt Stallion reclaims the Sword of Souls and takes it back to her loving subjects. There is much celebration upon her return, and while the fate of the Wonderlands is never explicitly shown, it seems that the future is very bright for the kingdom. With Queen Butt Stallion having the power of the Soul Sword under her control, it is highly likely that the area will prosper and continue to be a beacon of good and hope across the world.
The Dragon Lord's Ending
After triumphing over the Dragon Lord, a cutscene shows the player seizing the Soul Sword after the antagonist falls to his knees. There, he says that his life is in the player's hands. Valentine and Frette then excitedly talk about what they will be able to do with the power of the Soul Sword. One thinks that they will use it for great adventures, while the other wants to use it to defeat gods or become new gods themselves. Then, the Dragon Lord cuts in to say that the player should just kill him, as that is what has always happened before.
The player refuses to kill the villain, saying instead that "fate brings us together." The player then raises the Soul Sword toward the sky, sending a beam of light shooting up and even appearing outside of the game in the 'real world.' The Dragon Lord is thus spared and tells the player that he doesn't know what to do next since he's never lived without working toward conquering the world. Thankfully, Queen Butt Stallion is there to help him decide by sentencing him to a few decades in the royal dungeon where he will have nothing but time to think about it.
Valentine and Frette's Ending
Similar to how the conflict between the Dragon Lord and Queen Butt Stallion is settled, so too is the conflict between Valentine and Frette outside of the Wonderlands. The Dragon Lord is only able to be defeated because the player, Valentine, and Frette all team up to contribute what they do best while allowing one another the space to express themselves and do what they want as well. This lesson is then carried into the 'real world' where Valentine and Frette have seemingly learned how to communicate and work better as a group.
After finishing the campaign, Valentine, Frette, and Tiny Tina express how great the ending was and how well they can work together. It is not shown whether or not the lessons allow Valentine and Frette to be more successful outside of the Wonderlands as they travel the universe together. However, the three agree that it worked so well that they want to start another game of Bunkers & Badasses.
The Fatemaker's Ending
The Fatemaker is the title given to the player character. When they first start playing the tabletop game, they do so with a mini that isn't even painted and no idea what roleplaying is. Through the character creation process, they get a fully customized and painted mini as well as a voice to roleplay and an associated personality. After saving the city of Brighthoof from the siege of an army of skeletons they are then promised to be knighted by Queen Butt Stallion herself. However, when the queen is killed, they are only made a squire by Paladin Mike.
The Fatemaker then embarks on a quest to stop the Dragon Lord and recover the Soul Sword to claim the title of Knight of Brighthoof. Once they defeat the Dragon Lord and spare his life they are indeed rewarded with the title of knight by the queen and gain access to the endgame content of "Wonderlands" and various new mechanics for further personalization. This makes the purpose of the Fatemaker's journey two-fold: It is both a quest to bring the people of the world together through acts like sparing the Dragon Lord and freeing oppressed goblins and one of self-realization. They go from having an unpainted mini to dozens of customization options and their own title and role in the Wonderlands.
Claptrap's Ending
Claptrap briefly makes an appearance in "Wonderlands" during two side quests. The first centers on Claptrap lying his way into an apprenticeship with a blacksmith that has decided to test him. Claptrap then asks for the Fatemaker's help in stealing some magic artifacts to pass off as his own creations. It then comes out that the artifacts were made by his master, revealing the ruse and leading to Claptrap taking over the blacksmith's store once the Fatemaker kills him.
The second quest alludes to the story of King Arthur. Since Claptrap wants to become a powerful adventurer like the Fatemaker, he enlists the player's help to speak to the Lake Lady and track down some powerful gear. He is satisfied with the magical sword and shield that he gets but the final piece of equipment, a spell from the wizard Mervin himself, is too low level. So, he gives it to the Fatemaker and spends the rest of the foreseeable future grinding the boss fight to get the high powered spell that he is looking for.
Paladin Mike's Ending
Paladin Mike is one of the first new characters players run into in "Wonderlands." They are a high-ranking knight in Brighthoof that accepts the role of proxy after Queen Butt Stallion is killed by the Dragon Lord. They also are responsible for showing the player around and guiding them on their quest while they look after the people of the kingdom. Paladin Mike, in traditional paladin fashion, truly cares about the citizens more than anything else. They know that the best ruler for the people is Queen Butt Stallion and so their efforts are focused primarily on seeing the queen resurrected and reinstated.
Of course, this eventually happens, with Paladin Mike crowned as a hero alongside the Fatemaker. They then are content to continue working as one of Queen Butt Stallion's most favored soldiers while assisting the inhabitants of the kingdom as much as they can. They also continue to help the Fatemaker by offering them future guidance and introducing them to the endgame content and mechanics that they are rewarded with for finishing the main quest.
Torgue's Ending
Another reoccurring character in "Wonderlands" is the fantastic Mr. Torgue. Known for constantly yelling dialogue interspersed with censored vulgarities, Mr. Torgue is a bardbarian in the tabletop RPG. When the player first meets him, they have to introduce him to the concept of playing his magical lute rather than beating things with it. Once that is done, Mr. Torgue is quickly on his way to mixing the arts of getting really angry and playing magical melodies. Fans of the series also know that if there is one thing Mr. Torgue loves above all else it is explosions. In the main series, Mr. Torgue is the founder of the Torgue weapons corporation that only makes guns with exploding ammunition. That history is reworked slightly in "Wonderlands," but his overarching admiration for fiery action remains.
The player first sets out to find Mr. Torgue because they need a bard to bless their ship before sailing across the ocean, lest they be subject to the ocean's terrible curse. Since the bard in Brighthoof is killed during the skeleton siege, Mr. Torgue is their only option. Once he is rescued from a dank swamp he is more than happy to help the player by playing a powerful song with plenty of cowbell. But, he doesn't use the magic to bless the ship and instead lives out his explosive dreams by summoning a fleet of missiles to blow up the entire ocean.
Where Wonderlands Could Go From Here
"Tiny Tina's Wonderlands" already has a season pass that promises new content drops in the future. The first part of the season pass that the developers have detailed features small adventures that each focus on one boss and dungeon. Playing through the adventures unlocks higher difficulties to encourage players to complete them again and again, revealing new parts of the story each time. This could expand on the themes of the base game by exploring new conflicts or contradicting details and perspectives. It also could see villains from the series return, such as the Handsome Sorcerer of "Assault on Dragon's Keep" or fantasy versions of Tyreen and Troy from "Borderlands 3."
The season pass also promises a seventh class. Gearbox and 2K Games have yet to release any information about this option, but it would be interesting to see it incorporate the meta themes in the game. For example, characters who take the class could become aware of their presence in a tabletop RPG. This could inject a lot of randomness with dice rolls or randomized damage like what players saw in Claptrap's class in "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel." Its passive or one of its action skills could also revolve around a mechanic of persuading or seducing enemies to fight for you like players do in some side quests. Of course, this is purely conjecture.