Tear Jerker / Borderlands

• Listening to Tannis' ECHO logs. She starts of as a sane woman, yet you could already hear tinges of sadness and resignation, which is to be expected since her first set of tapes details being the only survivor in the death world that is Pandora. You explore how the combination of isolation and ubiquitous danger has permanently damaged her brain, to the point where she tried making friends with the bandits. Whenever you set off for your next mission after speaking with her, she softly says "Oh, you're leaving?" You're the first person, perhaps friend, that she's made and she doesn't want you to go just yet,
• The story and eventual fate of Hank Reiss in the Zombie Island DLC. His ECHO logs detail his love for his wife and children, one of whom made a macaroni hat for him that he wears every day. He ends up transforming into a were-skag and killed in self-defence.
• TK Baha's death.
  • Thankfully, the Zombie Island DLC brings him back. As a zombie. But at least he is funny and allied, and naturally, incredibly cheerful.
• Every time you defeat a Rakk Hive. Shortly after collapsing, their innards appear to, quite literally, explode from the inside, exposing their ribcage and pulsating organs for all to see.. and the poor creatures are visibly still breathing.
• Anytime you come across a damaged Claptrap unit. The poor thing will be writhing and crying in pain on the ground, presumably after being tortured by bandits. Thankfully you can help repair the poor guys and gain some nice rewards in the process.
• Mr. Shank's death in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx. When Moxxi finds out that the Vault Hunter actually kills him, she's on the verge of tears. This is a rare vulnerable moment for her, and hearing her about to cry is just...heartrending. You get the feeling that they may have actually loved each other, and that she regrets sending the player to kill him.
• General Knoxx as a whole. After having worked for his position in the hope of fighting for a good cause, he realized he ended up being in charge of a military force where rank-and-file is incompetent, the high command is corrupt, and the boss is a five year old due to "goddamn nepotism". This, combined with having to work on a planet inhabited by dangerous wildlife and psychotic bandits, causes him to fall into nihilistic despair and is Driven to Suicide. To make matters worse, he's probably the least evil antagonist in the franchise since he bears no malice to anyone, even to the Vault Hunters he's supposed to kill. And when he's finally killed in his own DLC, he's resurrected twice in the Claptrap Robolution DLC before dying for good. The poor man just wants to die to escape the madness, but it can also make the player think that he deserved better. Either way...damn...

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