Guardians are bio-mechanical defenders of The Vault in Borderlands, The Vault of the Sentinel in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and various other vaults in Borderlands 3. They are made in the image of Eridians with their technology, using to powerful shields to protect their fairly weak bodies underneath, or even consisting of pure energy. Primarily encountered later in the story, guardians will often be found fighting against the forces of the Crimson Lance in Borderlands and alongside the Lost Legion in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, or on their own in Borderlands 3.

Quick Answers

What is the purpose of the Guardians in the Borderlands series?

In the Borderlands series, Guardians are bio-mechanical constructs that defend various vaults, including The Vault and The Vault of the Sentinel. Created with Eridian technology, they appear later in the game, providing high XP rewards for their defeat. They employ melee attacks or plasma bolts, and in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, they have the ability to slag Vault Hunters.

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How do Guardians in Borderlands protect themselves?

Borderlands Guardians utilize formidable shields that recharge over time for protection. They can become semi-cloaked, blending into surroundings to surprise Vault Hunters. If melee attacks aren't possible, they resort to firing plasma bolts. They can also slag Vault Hunters, a status effect similar to that in Borderlands 2. Against Badass Guardians, shock weapons are particularly effective due to their shield-based durability.

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What are the Guardians in Borderlands made of?

Guardians in Borderlands are bio-mechanical entities, created in the likeness of Eridians using their advanced technology. They are not composed of flesh and blood, but can be classified as flesh targets. Guardians utilize potent shields for protection and may be comprised of pure energy. Certain Guardians bleed a blue substance upon being attacked.

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Who do the Guardians often fight against in Borderlands?

In the Borderlands series, Guardians, bio-mechanical defenders of The Vault and other vaults, frequently engage in combat with Vault Hunters. They employ melee attacks or resort to firing plasma bolts if their target is inaccessible. In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, they have the ability to slag Vault Hunters.

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What is the connection between Guardians and the Eridians in Borderlands?

Guardians in Borderlands are bio-mechanical entities designed to protect The Vault, The Vault of the Sentinel, and other vaults in Borderlands 3. They were crafted in the likeness of Eridians, using Eridian technology. These guardians, including the Guardian Spectre and Arch Guardians, are usually encountered later in the game's storyline.

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Appearances

• Borderlands
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
• Borderlands 3
• Takedown at the Guardian Breach
• Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck

Involvement

The guardians are beings left on Pandora, Elpis, Promethea, Eden-6, and Nekrotafeyo by the Eridian race to protect important Eridian artifacts and locations. One such location is the mine underneath the Dahl Headlands, in which three guardians (one spectral and two wraiths) have been left as protectors for an Eridian Artifact. Another, more prominent locations are The Descent and Eridian Promontory where the guardians have been set up in defensive positions covering the entire approach to The Vault.

The guardians of Elpis revealed the secrets of the Vault of Sentinel to Colonel Zarpedon and her Lost Legion, and fight alongside them to keep it a secret in Vorago Solitude, Outfall Pumping Station, Tycho's Ribs and Eleseer.

Guardians seem to be robotic in nature and are made in image of the Eridians themselves.

Tactics

In general, Guardians are vulnerable to shock damage, as Shields are their primary means of defense, and once that is gone they are easily defeated. Eridian weapons work just as well as shock. The Hunter has an edge with the Trespass skill at level 5 or above, as it allows his weapons to ignore said shields.

The unusual pattern, speed of their movement and slender bodies can make guardians difficult to target effectively, so using an automatic weapon or a shotgun can be useful in many cases.

Their heads hang in front of their chests on long, lanky necks and are quite small, making it difficult to achieve critical hits from a distance. However, with the position of their heads, it can be quite easy to score accidental critical hits from body shots when the guardian faces towards the attacker. The region to aim for is the area where wings are connected to the body, or the upper back.

Most guardian types can turn semi-cloaked while approaching their targets. Although still visible, they can blend into the background, and in the heat of the battle sneak up on unaware Vault Hunters.

Guardian Types (Borderlands)

The Dahl Headlands

• Guardian Spectre
• Guardian Wraith

The Descent and Eridian Promontory

• Arch Guardian
• Sera Guardian
• Principal Guardian
• Badass Guardian

Guardian Types (Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel)

Staff welding

• Guardian Cheru
• Guardian Wraith
• Guardian Spectre
• Guardian Reaper

Flying

• Sera Guardian
• Principal Guardian
• Dominant Guardian
• Arch Guardian

Summoners

• Opha
• Elder Opha
• Virtuous Opha
• Opha Superior

Other

• Putti
• Guardian Pondor

Turrets

• Kestros
• Onager

Bosses

• The Sentinel (enemy)
• The Empyrean Sentinel

Guardian Types (Borderlands 3)

Regular

• Sera
• Spectre
• Wraith
• Badass Wraith
• Herald
• Possessed Sera
• Possessed Spectre
• Possessed Wraith
• Elder Spectre
• Elder Wraith
• Fallen Guardian
• Reaper
• Revenant

Takedown at the Guardian Breach

• Schismatic Diadem

Unique

• Grave
• Ward
• The Berserker
• The Summoner

Bosses

• The Graveward
• Anathema the Relentless
• Scourge the Invincible Martyr
• The Seer

Notes

• Borderlands
  • Guardians are hostile to Crimson Lance units, and when they appear together in Crimson Enclave, The Descent and Eridian Promontory, they will fight each other. This can be used tactically by lending assistance to the weaker side, or players can alternatively watch for opportunities to snatch a kill in order to gain a substantial XP reward.
  • Guardians grant very high XP rewards in comparison to their difficulty, making them ideal to use for experience point farming.
  • If the guardians that use melee attacks are unable to reach their target, they will start firing plasma bolts instead until a target becomes accessible.
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
  • Guardians can slag Vault Hunters. While it is not referred to as slag, it is functionally similar to the status effect in Borderlands 2.
• Borderlands 3
  • Unlike in previous games, Guardians' shields can now also recharge if simply left untouched for some time.

Trivia

• The origins of the Guardians were open to speculation since their first appearance in Borderlands (see the talk page). However, The Holodome Onslaught DLC for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's gave some insight, with Athena confirming that the guardians fought throughout Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel "are biomechanical constructs – but not flesh and blood.".^[1]
  • This is also reflected in-game where some Guardians are categorized as flesh targets.
• The Borderlands strategy guide states that the theories on the backgrounds of the Guardians differ radically from one another (even the name “Guardians” is hotly debated, as it implies that they’re guarding something, which is not known for certain). One version proposes that they are robotic defenders left behind by the Eridian race to prevent the Vault from being found and opened. Another claims that the Eridians placed their brains into these metallic bodies to achieve immortality, and that they simply wish to be left alone. Scooter, however, maintains that they’re cyborgs sent back from a dystopian future to impregnate his mother, thus creating an offspring capable of preventing the horrible future they came from, which is why he refuses to call them “Guardians” and insists referring to them as “Impregnators”. Scooter’s theory, though not widely accepted, is included for completeness.
• The names of various guardians make reference to the Christian Hierarchy of Angels but with reversed significance:
  • Sera — Seraphim
  • Cheru — Cherubim
  • Opha — Ophanim
  • Dominant — Dominions
  • Virtuous — Virtues
  • Principal — Principalities
  • Arch — Archangel
  • Putti — Putto, which isn't an angel, but an image of a child similar to Cupid in Renaissance and Baroque art.
• Guardians appear in the fifth episode of Tales from the Borderlands — The Vault of the Traveler, where they guard the Traveler's teleportation gland.
• Concept artist Keith Thompson is responsible for Eridian Guardians and Eridian weapons designs.
  • For Borderlands he made the concept art for both Sera Guardians and Arch Guardians, with the game only using the Arch Guardian design, with various wings and other attachments added to differentiate the various types. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel uses new models based on both of these designs, using a similar approach to differentiate each type from one another.
  • The description for Eridian Guardians from Thompson's official site: "Ancient alien robots left behind to administer and guard abandoned cities. Faces reform to approximately mimic the appearance of whatever species it interacts with." ^[2]
• In Borderlands, guardians bleed blue liquid when attacked. In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, when Nvidia PhysX is enabled, they bleed purple liquid similar to slag from Borderlands 2.
• In the game files for Borderlands are unused models and animations for a "Cherub" Guardian. The similarities in appearance reflects that these unused Cherubs eventually became Putti in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

References