While some of you are still finishing the main story, others have already filled their chests with legendary weapons. In this short guide, we will come back to one of the new activities available in Borderlands 3: the Proving Grounds. They are part of the end game content. You can also visit it, with the Mayhem mode activated, if you want to have fun while farming.
The Proving Grounds
There are 6 of them in the whole game. We will focus on each of them but before we start with the generalities.
Proving grounds are tests created by Eridians, so that some can prove their value in combat. You unlock access to these areas at the end of the Great Ark quest. Kill Troy Calypso, get into the ark behind him, take the Eridian analyzer (you can't miss anything, all this is part of the quest). Back on Sanctuary 3, you can analyze your first Eridian Writing in Tannis' infirmary.
After that, a series of 6 secondary quests are unlocked throughout the Galaxy. It is thanks to these that you will be able to access the Proving Grounds. Each event starts somewhere and will take you to a different place in the Galaxy, we will come back to it.
Once there, it's always the same thing. Talk to the guard, take his quest and let's go. Chaining monsters in three mini-arenas. Try to meet the secondary objectives and move towards the end of the test. A boss is waiting for you in the fourth and last zone of each event. You have succeeded and gained access to a safe containing quality loot depending on your combat effectiveness (success or not in achieving secondary objectives).
The Proving Grounds are repeatable ad infinitum and can be challenging in Chaos 3. In addition, it's a good way to find the best legendary weapons in the game.
Trial of Supremacy - The Hall Obsidian
For this first Proving Ground, you will have to deal with Maliwan's enemies as well as eridians. An electric weapon will therefore be a big plus. The boss of this event is also an eridian that you will make disappear in a very short time. Be careful, however, the bosses of the Proving grounds both have lives.
Go to the place indicated on the captures below to fight this event.
Trial of Survival - Gradient of Dawn
The Trial of survival, the second Proving Ground, will make you face the game's bugs. Skag, Hymenoptera and Salgauss are on the menu today. An incendiary weapon will only make one bite of all this fresh flesh. The boss of the Proving grounds is called 'Surviving Skag', I let you imagine what it is all about... It is immune to radiation damage and has two lives.
Go to the place indicated on the captures below to fight this event.
Trial of Cunning - Ghostlight Beacon
We'll have to be cunning in this trial! Not at all, you can stuff like in the whole game. Here, you will be facing descendants of the Ark, those famous enemies that are everywhere in the game. Beware of elected enemies, this kind of training ground is really difficult because of them. For the boss, nothing complicated, a 'tricky Tink' that doesn't even have a shield. Don't forget the two lives of the latter.
Go to the place indicated on the captures below to fight this event.
Trial of Discipline - Precipice Anchor
Already the fourth Proving Ground, we start going in circles. More Maliwan-type enemies here. Always carry an electric and corrosive weapon with you at all times. 'Disciplined Crossbow', the boss of this event, will be vaporized if you have a weapon with many corrosive damages, a Queen's call for example? Vaporisation or not, do I need to remind you that he has two lives.
Go to the place indicated on the captures below to fight this event.
Trial of Instinct - Wayward Tether
We're back on bugs for this fifth trial. This Proving Ground is populated by Jacassos and dinosaurs of all kinds. Once again, what better way to melt this kind of enemy than with an incendiary weapon. The local boss is also a dinosaur, 'Instinctive Tyrant', a relatively fierce tanky beast. It'll take a little longer than usual to burn both his lives to the ground.
Go to the place indicated on the captures below to fight this event.
Trial of Fervor - The Skydrowned Pulpit
You have reached the end of your journey, Vault Hunter. You have successfully completed all the Trials, or almost all of them, because you still have that one. We finish with descendants of the Ark and what a pleasure. I remind you that the latter are dangerous, especially the elected representatives. The boss, 'Fervent Shrew', has an armor and life bar, in addition to her two lives. So this is the hardest boss on the training ground and yet it won't take much effort, except maybe in Mayhem 3.
Go to the place indicated on the captures below to fight this event.
Written by Eliot "Pixxel-Mania" Denajar. Translated from French by Millenium.us.org
Further details on the first in-game event of Borderlands 3 were presented at the first monthly Borderlands Show.
