The Plethora Of New Enemies In Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon's Keep

Gearbox has pulled out all the stops for the fourth (and possibly final) Borderlands 2 expansion. Not only does Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep feature all new environments, but the eight to ten hour expansion features eleven new enemy types with different sub-varieties. We've got the complete rundown for you.

Skeletons

When we played the Assault on Dragon's Keep expansion a few weeks ago, the Gearbox team told us that the overwhelming number of skeletons far exceeded their requests. It seems that someone on the art team just loves the boney things.

Assault on Dragon's Keep has 13 of the suckers, from kneecap-biting midgets to towering giants and "Skeletaurs" that need to be separated from their magical swords to be put down permanently. Skeletons' limbs and head can be knocked off, which has the expected impact on mobility and targeting.

Treants

Two different versions of these ugly suckers populate Tiny Tina's world. Killing them isn't easy (unless you have some fire-elemental weapons). Even after they go down, the wisps they release slow players down.

Spiders

Elemental spiders, suicide spiders, and poisonous spiders are to be expected. Arachne, a spider with a human torso, is a bit odd. It's the "SpiderPants" enemies with a top hat, monocle, and human legs that are probably going to give us nightmares, though.

Pixies

These little fairies can be of great value to the intrepid vault hunter. Capturing one bestows a temporary buff. Just watch your fire. Hit one by accident and you'll have an angry, hard-to-kill pixie on your hands.

Orcs

Ah, the orcs. Ten different varieties can be found in the expansion. Two of them are particularly challenging, as they'll level up during the battle. Be careful when engaging them, and take them down quickly.

Knights

Boring and human, but a necessary evil. There are ten different types, including lowly squires, archers, electrically charged storm knights, and spell-casting paladins.

Dwarves

Watch out, Salvadore. The dwarves have their own Gunzerker. It's the standard dwarf warriors that have us concerned, though. Apparently, they leap at the player. That's not okay. Down, boy.

Golems

These guys come in standard "Rock" and "Badass" forms. We'll let you figure out which is more challenging. (Hint: It's the one with the giant spiky maul on his left hand.)

Wizards

Spellcasters come in a variety of flavors. The standard type casts a simple magic missile. You'll see other types unleashing fire, ice, electricity, and the undead.

Dragons

Ah, at last. These beasts are menaces on ground and in the sky. You can anticipate what types of attacks you'll be facing thanks to their handy color-coded genetics. Fire dragons are red, acid-spitting drakes are green, shock and fire wielders are blue, and the pink wyverns both slag and shock.

Mission-related foes and bosses

The eleventh group is made up of bigger and badder varieties of the core groups. Here you'll find thematically appropriate versions of the other groups. For instance, the Skeleton King's head can detach itself to attack the player. When it returns to the rest of the body, the King levels up. The big bad of the expansion is the Handsome Sorcerer (pictured above). I wonder who he could be modeled after.

Gearbox's brief descriptions for these foes indicate that many have unique traits to keep players guessing. These boss battles promise to switch things up and keep things interesting.   

You'll be able to see all 71 new enemies on June 25. Tiny Tina will be running her tabletop game of Bunkers and Badasses in Assault on Dragon Keep on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.