A massive variety of weapons was one of the primary selling points of the first Borderlands, touted in ad campaigns as featuring “87 bazillion” guns. While the game may not have actually invented a new unit of measurement, there certainly was a ton of unique weapons with a wide variety of attributes and functions. If you looked at these guns within your inventory, you’d get to see which manufacturer made them. Despite the inclusion of these brands in the first game, they never really had a distinct personality. With Borderlands 2, Gearbox wants each manufacturer to have a distinct visual ID and clearly-defined characteristics. Read on to learn about some of Pandora’s primary gun peddlers.

Bandit

Anyone who played through the first game is familiar with the bandit foes (hell, a bandit is even the primary focus of the box art). In Borderlands 2, these troublemakers have started putting together their own weaponry. They’re not the most organized or mechanically inclined group, so their selection will be notably ramshackle. Instead of a scope, a Bandit sniper rifle might feature a glass bottle. Instead of iron sights, a screw. On the plus side, Bandit guns feature the largest magazines of any manufacturer, though the increased size leads to longer reload times.

Dahl

Borderlands certainly sticks out from the crowded FPS marketplace, but Dahl’s weapons should feel familiar to fans of modern military shooters. These weapons will resemble more realistic gun designs like the firearms from series such as Call of Duty and Battlefield.

Hyperion

Even if you don’t remember the Hyperion name from the first Borderlands, you know their visual style thanks to a certain robotic buddy they happened to manufacture. Yes, Claptrap’s clean yellow-and-white design is a trademark of the weapons dealer, and their guns will feature the same look.

Vladof

These weapons carry a distinctly Russian vibe, with similarities to the ultra-common AK-47. This being Borderlands and all, it wouldn't feel right to not have at least some silliness present. That's why all of Vladof's weapons will have minigun barrels as attachments. In terms of stars, this brand boasts the highest fire rate out of any of Pandora's weapons.