Borderlands Setting Timeline — borderlands

This is a historical timeline of major events of the Borderlands setting.

Eridian History

The exact timeline of Eridian history is unclear, so events are presented in approximate order.

The Eridians arrive in the Six Galaxies. The first planet they settle is Nekrotafeyo.
The Eridians discover The Destroyer, a powerful creature capable of destroying the entire universe.
To cage The Destroyer, the Eridians begin the construction of a planet-sized Vault (Pandora) with a moon-sized Vault Key in orbit (Elpis).
- As part of the Eridian's plan, a false Vault is created on Pandora to lure in those who seek it out and feed them to the Destroyer. This false Vault is eventually opened at the end of Borderlands.
- Numerous other Vaults are constructed throughout space, some defended by colossal creatures that are also their prisoners.
- A portion of these vaults are technological treasure troves. Others are designed to train future intelligent life that may have to battle the Destroyer themselves.
- Artificial creatures called Guardians are constructed by the Eridians to safeguard the vaults.
Civil war breaks out between the Eridians in favor of capturing The Destroyer and those opposed, who attempt to destroy Pandora. The Eridians supporting the plan eventually win through the use of a creature known as The Warrior.
While still learning to use her powers, the siren Nyriad is pulled to Kairos via a one-way portal. She spends months to years on the planet, exploring the ruins of an ancient civilization and eventually meeting The Timekeeper, before she manages to escape with the help of another siren named Iris.
Nyriad works with the Eridians to capture the Destroyer. The creature is lured to Pandora using the entire race as bait, and the siren utilizes her powers to transfer the life force of every Eridian to The Pyre of the Stars on Nekrotafeyo, locking The Destroyer away.
Nyriad returns to Nekrotafeyo to record her story and die in a Vault, where her life-leeching powers will be contained instead of allowed to pass to another. Millennia later these powers find their way to the Calypso Twins.^{[note 1]}

Human History

All dates are relative to Borderlands 4.

The Colonial Era (326–113 years ago)

Humanity discovers faster-than-light travel and colonizes many planets in multiple star systems over several hundred years, all under a single central government.

Revolt of the Corporations (113–77 y.a.)

Major megacorporations revolt against humanity's central government.

The Thirty-Year Accord (75 y.a.)

The megacorporations achieve victory over the government and appoint themselves the new rulers of humanity.
Twenty-six megacorporations sign a trade and defense agreement called the Thirty-Year Accord.

The Corporate Wars (74 – 65 y.a.)

The Corporate Wars break out less than four months after the signing of the Thirty-Year Accord. Jakobs, uniquely, avoids open hostilities, instead barricading itself on Eden-6 for the war's duration.
The wars end after nine years with the victory of an alliance of weapons manufacturers, who acquire many of their smaller competitors. The alliance includes Atlas, Dahl, Hyperion, Jakobs, Maliwan, S&S Munitions, Tediore, Torgue, and Vladof. S&S survives by means of many precarious contracts.

An in-universe dramatization of Typhon DeLeon's discovery

Discovery of the First Vault (43 y.a.)

Typhon DeLeon discovers the first Vault, and Vault Key, on Promethea. Rather than opening it himself, he chooses to sell the location and key to the Atlas corporation.
Atlas reverse-engineers the advanced Eridian technology found in the Vault on Promethea, greatly advancing their weapon designs, increasing their corporate profits, and becoming the dominant megacorporation.

Discovery of Eridian Ruins on Pandora (41 y.a.)

The discovery of Eridian ruins on Pandora leads the Atlas corporation to occupy the planet in search of a new Vault.

Atlas Abandons Pandora (35 y.a.)

Atlas abandons Pandora after six years of fruitless search for a new Vault. Many colonists are left behind. Life on the planet becomes increasingly difficult without corporate support.

Dahl on Pandora (30 y.a.)

Dahl occupies Pandora, openly for eridium mining, but discreetly in search of the Vault Atlas never found themselves.

The Crackening (21 y.a.)

Dahl operations to mine methane deposits on Elpis end in "The Crackening," a disaster that fractures the moon's surface and destroys its atmosphere. Those with the means to flee do so, but Dahl leaves many of its soldiers and workers, including imported prison labor, behind. This includes the military unit that will come to be known as the Lost Legion.

Dahl Abandons Pandora (20 y.a.)

Dahl abandons Pandora having never found a Vault, as Atlas had before it. As Dahl did with Elpis, they leave behind settlements, equipment, employees, and imported prison labor.