Heartwarming / Tales from the Borderlands

This is a Moments page; per policy, Spoilers Off, including all possible story outcomes. You Have Been Warned!

Episode 1: "Zer0 Sum"

• When Rhys and Vaughn are ambushed by Bandits, they are only saved when they summon a Hyperion Loader Bot to fight them off. In the end, however, the Loader Bot is overwhelmed by bandit fire, and barely helps out Rhys and Vaughn to escape by tossing them over a gate to safety. At the end of it all, with the Loader Bot destroyed, Rhys solemnly declares that "I will name my first born... Loader Bot.". ^note  Admittedly, he quickly says "Probably not", but likely because he didn't want to saddle his future kid with a name like "Loader Bot". The fact he even considered it, though, really shows how much he owed the Loader Bot for saving his and Vaughn's collective asses.
• Rhys and Zer0 in an elevator, with the former complimenting the latter that he's really cool (which he definitely is). Even a badass like Zer0 has his sweet side when he responds by displaying a "<3" emoticon in front of his face.
• Rhys and Sasha's pinky swear is cute in spite of how she was smacking a corpse with his baton at the time.
  Rhys: Don't hurt yourself. (As he's using his cyber hand for the pinky swear, with potentially pinchy joints.)
• Probably the biggest is later in the episode: Depending on your choices, Rhys refusing to betray Vaughn to Vasquez in exchange for his old job back, even when Vasquez offers him five million dollars as well.
  • And a whopping 90% of people chose Vaughn over money. Nothing is more powerful than friendship, indeed.
• According to the analytics, most people chose to let Shade stay with them (by a huge margin of about 80%). So Shade has some friends out there after all! (And also hopefully canonically lives!)
  • Likewise, most people chose to trust Sasha, and let her play with the stun baton.
• When 'Grease Face'/Rudiger advances on Vaughn with his meat cleaver, Rhys steps in between the two of them and gives Rudiger a Death Glare. This is the corporate stooge from the space station of backstabbing arseholes, and has no combat skills to speak of, or even a pistol. But he'll still put himself in harm's way for his best friend!
• Fiona and Vaughn's teamwork in the death race. They're the most unlikely pair, but they watch out for each other's backs! Even if Fiona doesn't help Vaughn fight off an axe-wielding maniac, he still goes to help when she's in peril.

Episode 2: "Atlas Mugged"

• After Rhys learns Vaughn has struck a deal with Vasquez (especially when Rhys himself declined the deal), he can forgive his best friend for that, proving that no money can break their friendship.
  • Rhys can even tell him Vasquez offered him the same deal.
• When Scooter is calling Rhys and Vaughn liars and thieves for claiming to know Fiona and Sasha, you (as Fiona) have the option of saying they're your friends. The look on Rhys's face says it all.
• Surprisingly, August isn't mad about the con. In fact, he asks Fiona on advice on how to get back with her sister. Let us remind again that he literally killed a man for dishonesty, and attempted to shoot Sasha, and would have shot Fiona as well, and has now taken Sasha hostage. For a ruthless loan shark, he's surprisingly less of a psychopath than Vasquez. It all goes to show that August forgave them for screwing him over, simply because he's completely in love with Sasha.
  • If Fiona tells August Sasha is scared of him, he says that the man he killed in Episode 1 had been stealing from his family and him for years and kept piling lies upon lies until he didn't even know what the truth was anymore, And that he gave him plenty of chances to make things right. It can also double as heartwarming if Fiona tells August it was just a con to try and spare him any further anguish, as he seems horribly torn up about it.
  • It's also heartwarming if she instead tells him to try to work things out with Sasha, marginally increasing her sister's odds of escaping the whole mess alive even if Fiona doesn't survive the next few minutes.
• As Fiona, tell Scooter that he is awesome...because he is. Nice fella.
• Janey Springs greeting her girlfriend Athena, showing that they indeed hooked up after Elpis, and have been together for the 3 years following Jack's counter-attack on Elpis.
  • What's even better? She smiles when she hears "girlfriend." Athena, the incredibly stoic Gladiatrix who doesn't understand flirting, smiled. She also looks absolutely beautiful when doing it!
  • Also if you accuse Athena of trying to kill you, she looks so upset that she might lose Janey for breaking her promise to give up bounty hunting. It's easy to choose the "we were mistaken" option and watch Janey believe Athena kept her promise, saving their relationship. What makes it worse is that she is initially not the "angry" sort of upset but the "fearful and vulnerable" sort of upset.
  • The kiss Janey gave to Athena proceeded to make a lot Borderlands players Squee to the END OF THE UNIVERSE.
• Felix betrayed you to save you from a dangerous woman named Vallory, even knowing there was a chance that he'd be killed. So he left a large amount of money, some grenades and a multi-elemental aftermarket Jakobs pistol for Fiona, that's quite possibly a unique one. As well as a watch, that's probably not just a watch, for Sasha.]]
• After Sasha tosses Felix's last message aside because she's still so angry, Fiona can gently remind her that "I'm still here" or that "One day, you'll be looking down on Pandora from space." Adorable moment of sisterly bonding, right there!
  • Cue Episode 4:
    Sasha: It's so beautiful. I guess you kept your promise.
    Fiona: I always do when it's to you.
• If you told Loader Bot to evacuate in Episode 1, it is incredibly happy to see Rhys whenever it's reunited with him and Vaughn. It even has a bro-fist moment with them.
  Loader Bot: I missed you.
  Rhys: I missed you more!
• The fact that Fiona has been holding onto Rhys' shoe since he lost it, simply to return it later. Likewise, her and Sasha's concern over the guys being stranded in the desert. And if Rhys chooses to go to Hollow Point, the girls look delighted and relieved to see them safe and sound.
• While it is tempered by self-preservation, the fact that Jack willingly offers to help Rhys hack the Sentry Bots at the Atlas' facility]] while promising 'mostly no one' dies, is actually very charitable of the man. Doesn't take away from the creepiness if you choose to trust him, but its still very considerate that he offered.
• Vaughn's sheer happiness at how his adventures on a Space Western Death World have changed him and how that he and Rhys will tell the events as an adventure story to their children years later is just sweet. Then Vasquez ruins it.
• Sure, sure. Handsome Jack is an Orwellian Classic Villain who is the closest thing Pandora has to Big Brother or Josef Stalin. But, the man actually looks genuinely concerned and even horrified when Vasquez hits Rhys in the gut for laughs. It's nice to see that the man who is probably the worst antagonist in the history of the franchise does like you in his own twisted way.

Episode 3: "Catch a Ride"

• Rhys picking up Dumpy after he's damaged from the fight. He's later seen trying to repair the little drone that helped him save his buddies.
• If you choose to trust Jack at the end of the previous episode, the Stranger and Fiona will both ask him what he was thinking. One of the options is to have Rhys say, quite sincerely, that Jack is his hero. His faith is misplaced, but it is still rather sweet.
  • You have two options on who to save, too - Vaughn, your best friend, who's being threatened by the corporate Jerkass that has been nothing but a bully to you, or Sasha, the woman you're crushing on, who's arguing with an affable but ruthless Pandoran gangster that is also armed. Save the former and you've got your bro's back, save the latter and you got your potential love interest back.
• In comparison to the moody and chaotic openers of the first two chapters, this episode's intro sequence is practically a Good-Times Montage.
• Loader Bot and Gortys getting along with each other despite all their differences. Later in the episode, when the Dome is attacked, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it-moment Loader Bot protects Gortys from an explosion by hugging the ball-like robot and curling around it.
• For all the evil things Jack has done in the series, its rather heartwarming to see AI Jack and Rhys have a civil, almost friendly, conversation. Jack even mentions that he sees a lot of himself in Rhys, offers to help him in his long term goals and gives some helpful survival advice prior to the offer. The heartwarming drains with juxtaposition to the present with a silent downcast looking Rhys.
• If Rhys sides with Jack, there will be a scene in which Vaughn will admit to being jealous of Rhys and beg him not to leave him behind. One of the dialogue options is to promise him that will never happen and then Vaughn hugs Rhys.
  • Vaughn brings up a moment from their college years during which Rhys was allowed into a club (because of his good looks) and Vaughn wasn't (due to his lack of good looks). Rhys reminds him that he chose to stay out of the party when they wouldn't let Vaughn in.
• Athena and Fiona's developing friendship. Athena is able to slowly convince Fiona that she is a lot more capable than what she thinks she is and due to that Fiona starts to move away from wanting to be a con-woman and start to really consider becoming a Vault Hunter. She also goes back to try and save Athena from Brick and Mordecai.
• Rhys and Sasha get a lot of cute moments. Whether you take the option to go full-on with the Ship Tease or just keep it friendly, it's still cute. Especially if you're a shipper and decide to let Rhys put a flower in her hair.
• Athena calling Janey darling and sweetie.
• In a very, very, very twisted way, when Jack temporarily takes control of Rhys body, he gleefully rats out Dr. Cassius as an Atlas employee to Athena. Marrying his love of carnage and his desire to do something nice for his former Vault Hunter ally in one fell swoop.
  • Athena's Jack-Apedia entry is probably the most tasteful of the lot. Apart from genuine confusion of her actual age, Jack calls her badass, doesn't rate her hotness (which he does to the rest of your human allies if you scan them), and admits that he kind of misses having her around.
• Cassius seems genuinely appreciative if you defend him from Athena's vengeance, and he later demonstrates it by both freeing Vaughn and offering to help against the Traveler.
• Gortys is walking (rolling?) heartwarming, just for her sheer genuineness, enthusiasm, adorableness and likability. Rhys notes that her lack of sarcasm is refreshing.
• For players who ordered him to self-destruct in Episode 1, if you're worried about Loader Bot still disliking you, you can convince him to forgive you. He offers you a brofist then gets back to work.
• Felix hired Athena to protect Fiona and Sasha. His video message in Episode 2 was genuine.
• As weird as it might be watching Vallory scolding August like a child, it still shows they are family. Vallory doesn't shoot, slap, knife him or anything... but she does rip his nose ring for causing so much trouble, which is a very light punishment considering what she tends to do with people who defy her.

Episode 4: "Escape Plan Bravo"

• One of Vallory's goons hits Sasha. Rhys jumps to her defense and gets knocked to the ground.
  • If Fiona refuses to give in to Vallory's demands, Rhys will do so to stop the Cold-Blooded Torture being inflicted upon Sasha.
• The rocket lifting off is a CMOH all in itself. For the very first time since the Pre-Sequel, for the very first time since Jack rose to power and began his 3-year war, someone has done what everyone has been trying to do for years and finally gotten off the Space Western Death World that is Pandora, something that even the BL2 Vault Hunters couldn't do. There's a very high possibility that it passed Sanctuary, too, so all the current Vault Hunters and their friends could have seen it.
  • Sasha finally fulfills her dream of seeing Pandora from space.
• Bro-knee!
• Vaughn is safe and with Cassius (only if Fiona convinced Athena to back down in episode 3 instead of trying to convince her to kill Cassius; otherwise Cassius will turn Vaughn in to Vallory instead).
• You meet Janey Springs when visiting Scooter as Fiona, and have the option to offer her a white lie and tell her that Athena said that she loved her before her capture (in actuality, she didn't have time to say anything). Janey goes from dour and worried to pleasantly shocked, and vows to "rescue my girlfriend and marry the piss out of her" when she's done helping Fiona.
  • One of the consequences of the above moment is just as heartwarming in its' connotations. Choosing the 'white lie' option unlocks Athena as a potential party member in Chapter 5. Her reason for coming along? "Weddings are expensive". She said yes!
• When Scooter give his plan to fix the boosters on the ship, he makes an off-hand remark about how step three of the plan is to make out. Afterwards, he gets stuck on a rocket ready to explode and tells Fiona to leave him behind. One of your options is to do step three (which ends up being a rather sweet kiss on the cheek). This is extra poignant if you're aware of Scooter's established ineptitude at finding romance.
• During the rocket ride over, the sight of Gortys marveling over space while curled up next to Loader Bot is teeth rottingly adorable!
• Finch has Kroger hold his hand after the rocket to Hyperion takes off. It's strangely Adorkable.
• Jack telling Rhys who Angel is if you're allies with him. The tone in his voice really sells that Even Evil Has Loved Ones. Or at least, likes to think he does.
• All of Fiona's conversations with Scooter in this episode, right through to the bitter(sweet) end. Between his goofiness and how genuinely helpful he is, there's plenty to crack a grin at. Of note is when Scooter greets Fiona and Sasha by asking them how their racing career's going; the player can choose to have Fiona admit that she's not really a pro racer, and he cheerily says without missing a beat that he knew that all along, and that whether she was or wasn't had nothing to do with helping her out in Episode 2.
  • Scooter essentially telling Fiona to tell Moxxi and Ellie not to be sad, because he did some awesome shit.
  • Also realizing that Scooter got stuck before Fiona even started detaching her thruster, and that he calmly and cheerfully walked her through it while his hand was clamped painfully in the machinery knowing that she would have to come over and detach his own with him on it as soon as she finished.
  • Just how chill Scooter is about the whole thing. Most people would be just a little scared about realizing that they're about to die. But Scooter just gently reassures Fiona that it's okay, smiling all the while because while he's not going to make it, the others will.
• Jack kept Nisha's old hat. This is doubly heartwarming when you remember how indifferent he was to her death in Borderlands 2. Here? The text for Jack-A-Pedia simply says "I miss my girlfriend."
• The fact that Finch, Kroger, and August, who were willing to start shooting if Scooter launched his satellite early because it's Dahl tech and Hyperion hates Dahl tech, simply nod and agree with Fiona that they should launch it anyway to commemorate Scooter's Heroic Sacrifice.
• When Jack asks Rhys what he would do with the power of Hyperion one possible answer is have Rhys sincerely say that he'd use it to make life better for the people on Pandora. People he previously cared nothing about. Jack also notes, somewhat sadly, that that was what he wanted too.
  • If you choose the Vengeance option, Jack gets a subtle one:
    Rhys: I'd get revenge on Vallory and Yvette, for starters.
    Jack: We can do that together and then we rescue Vaughn.
• If Rhys chooses to side with Jack and rule Hyperion, you'd half expect Jack to turn on him the instant he's out of Rhys' head. Without missing a beat, Jack broadcasts to the whole station that Hyperion has a new president: Rhys. He sounds almost proud of Rhys, happily declaring they're rule the universe together.
  • Especially given the fact that it was a very possible scenario. He just genuinely likes Rhys enough at that point to not screw him over.
• The relationship between Jack and Rhys as a whole counts during this episode if you choose to trust him. For all their bickering in the previous episodes, they're working together near flawlessly. Jack even jokingly calls Rhys 'My Son'.
• When Rhys needs to hang up while paging Fiona and tells her to "hold tight", Gortys puts on her "happy eyes", starts hugging Fiona's legs, and chirps, "He said to hold tight!" D'awwwww.
• Some cut dialogue has Gortys and Fiona finding the Helios gift shop, in a moment that is hilarious and adorable in equal measure.

Episode 5: "The Vault Of The Traveler"

• When you meet up with Vaughn, he angles for a hug from Fiona. You can give him one, but it's arguably even sweeter to choose to give him a fist-bump instead - showing that for all Fiona's snarking about Rhys' and Vaughn's excessive bromancing earlier, they're all True Companions now.
  Telltale message: Girls can be bros, too!
• Everything about the series so far, everything the Stranger has been putting Rhys and Fiona through has been about Loader Bot reuniting the team so they can bring back Gortys and save her from the Vault Monster that she's bound to.
• The first battle against the Traveler. Fiona has just learned that she has to kill Gortys to save Pandora and she's been led to believe that Sasha is dead. Fiona has to use Vallory's rocket launcher to kill Gortys, but the launcher is just too big for her to aim properly. After Fiona misses the first, Sasha shows up and helps Fiona aim the launcher. Together, the sisters save Pandora.
• Picking Felix for the team will have him reveal via Echo device that he left you nine million dollars in the armoire in the caravan for Fiona and Sasha.
• When Gortys asks why are they fighting with the Traveler again, you can answer that you are not doing it for the Vault and riches in there - just that they all gathered there to save her from the monster. Her reaction is so heartwarming, that it becomes tearjerking.
  Rhys: We all came here to save you!
  Gortys: You did?
• Gortys and Loader Bot reunited. Even Fiona squees about how their interactions are so damn cute.
• Having both Athena and Janey on your team has them talking about their upcoming wedding.
• Speaking of Athena, if you told Janey that Athena said she loved her, Athena will be unlocked as one of the choices for your team, with the text stating that feels grateful for you helping to salvage her relationship.
• Rhys showing genuine sorrow over Sasha's "death", with him trying to drop his tears on her because he's aware of the Swiss-Army Tears trope and is hoping it's Truth in Television.
• Depending on dialogue choices, Fiona can actually give Rhys her blessing to try and pursue a relationship with Sasha.
• The last scene has Rhys and Fiona walking through the Vault together, now Fire-Forged Friends rather than reluctant partners.
• Finally getting August to join the gang is sweet, in a way.
  • And he thanks◊ Vaughn at the end, too...For shutting up. Not for saying his ma would be proud.
  • August is also thrilled when he realizes he gets to pilot Gortys, stating that he loved robot stuff as a kid. He also later says that despite not liking most of the group, that he enjoyed fighting the Traveler.
    T-This is awesome! I loved robot stuff when I was a kid.
  • If you bring both Cassius and August along to the final battle, Cassius will express his condolences about Vallory.
• When she has a moment alone with the pair of them, Gortys thanks Rhys and Fiona for saving her, for being cool about her driving the caravan that one time, for bringing everyone together and for being her friend, and that she hopes they'll stay friends for a really long time. Your heart will melt at her sweetness.
  Fiona: Gortys, you are too cute.
• Everyone of the main cast piling in to hug Sasha after she's healed. If you brought Janey, Cassius or Claptrap, they will also join in the hug.
  • Even those who don't join in can have a heartwarming moment.
    August: I knew you'd be alright.
    Sasha: Sure you did.
    August: I hoped you'd be alright.
• While chasing after Rhys as he makes for the Vault, Fiona can say the following:
  Fiona: We. Are going in. TOGETHER, dammit! Like a family! Or no one goes in!
• If you chose to bring Cassius along, he inquires Rhys about the change in management at Atlas, and asks him to let him know when they can start getting to work.
  • The kicker of all this? If you bring Athena, too, she doesn't even react to the thought of Rhys being the CEO of Atlas now! Fiona's words truly resonated in her.
• August's rescue of Fiona and Sasha if you appeal to him is sweet enough, but the best thing is that it shows just how much he stands out from the other members of Vallory's mob- he's still got a conscience and is willing to help, even if he doesn't really like the gang that much and is still grumpy.
• Sparing and imprisoning Handsome Jack, after all the shit he put you through and all the atrocities he committed in his previous life, after trying to kill you, you keep him imprisoned - in the right interpretation, that is. Depends on if you see this as And I Must Scream or giving him another chance later.