Where Does New Tales From The Borderlands Take Place In The Series Timeline?

The long-awaited sequel to Telltale Games' critically acclaimed "Tales from the Borderlands" is finally here. This time, instead of Telltale Games tackling the sequel, the game was developed in-house at Gearbox Software. This decision was met with a rather mixed reception from fans of the original game. Fans of the series liked the idea of the sequel, but they weren't fans of Gearbox spearheading the project.

But after launch, critics have agreed that Gearbox delivered a solid sequel in the form of "New Tales from the Borderlands." But because the game features new characters and locations, some may be wondering where the game fits into the "Borderlands" timeline, especially since Gearbox is known for making prequels and squeezing things into the timeline out of order. Does this pick up after the battle against the Calypso Twins, or is there more in-line with the "Pre-Sequel?" Here's where "New Tales from the Borderlands" fits into the "Borderlands" timeline.

Like in the case of "Tales from the Borderlands," all five chapters of "New Tales from the Borderlands" takes place shortly after the events of a mainline series entry. This new entry takes place after "Borderlands 3." Specifically, the story picks up a year after the Children of the Vault War and the Tediore invasion of Promethea. This has been confirmed by James Lopez, Director of Production at Gearbox, in an interview with GamesHub.

So that means the series continues in order, with no confusing flashbacks or flashforwards necessary to understand the storyline. Again, though, gamers won't be playing as previously established characters. Instead, in "New Tales from the Borderlands," there are three all-new protagonists: Octavio, his scientist sister Anu, and frozen yogurt shop owner Fran. Alongside introducing new characters, "New Tales from the Borderlands" also thrusts players onto new planets. Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't the occasional familiar face or reference to previous "Borderlands" games.

According to critics, players also don't need to play "Tales from the Borderlands" or any mainline "Borderlands" games to understand and enjoy this new story. However, when talking to GamesHub, James Lopez said that the main goal of "New Tales from the Borderlands" was "always that returning fans enjoy it, and notice easter eggs and references to previous games." In other words, there is still a reason to play the first game before diving into the sequel, even if it's not strictly necessary.