Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt is a campaign add-on for Borderlands 2, developed by Gearbox Software with Triptych Games and published by 2K. It is not a standalone game: you need Borderlands 2 access before you can play it, and this guide stays inside the Aegrus hunt with Sir Hammerlock.
Content warning: This Mature-rated add-on sits inside Borderlands 2’s violent, crude, alcohol-referencing looter-shooter world. This guide keeps the advice non-graphic and focused on play.
Use this as a spoiler-light first-run plan. It covers when to enter, how to handle Hunter’s Grotto, why the fan boat matters, and how to approach side missions without turning the DLC into backtracking. It does not cover other Borderlands 2 add-ons, Torgue Tokens, Tiny Tina systems, Headhunter packs, Borderlands 3, or broader base-game builds.
Essential Tips
1. Start This as Late Normal Mode Content
Hunter’s Grotto is not tuned like an early detour. Treat this DLC as a post-story or near-post-story campaign unless you are deliberately overgeared on another playthrough. Bring a Vault Hunter with a stable build, upgraded survivability, and weapons that can handle groups, armored targets, flying threats, and tough beasts without relying on one lucky drop.
2. Confirm You Are in Hammerlock’s DLC
Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt is the Aegrus swamp campaign, not the Badass Crater tournament, pirate DLC, fantasy tabletop campaign, Commander Lilith add-on, or a Headhunter pack. The correct opening should point you toward Hunter’s Grotto, Hammerlock, a lodge, a Catch-A-Boat station, swamp travel, rare creatures, and Professor Nakayama’s scheme around the crashed Hyperion ship.
3. Clear the Lodge Before You Wander
The opening pushes you through Hunter’s Lodge before the DLC properly opens up. Do not sprint away just because the map looks explorable. Clear the enemies, restore the lodge power, follow Hammerlock’s immediate instructions, and get the Catch-A-Boat station repaired. That early structure gives you the movement tool the rest of Aegrus expects.
4. Use the Fan Boat as Your Default Travel Plan
Aegrus is built around water, swamp channels, and broad outdoor movement. Once the fan boat is available, use it whenever the route makes sense instead of trying to cross everything on foot. Keep its weapon mod in mind: elemental boat weapons can soften groups and creatures before you dismount, but the boat is a tool for travel and opening pressure, not a replacement for a complete loadout.
5. Pick Up Side Missions While Routes Overlap
After Hunter’s Lodge opens, several side jobs become available around the same early hub. Grab them before pushing deeper so creature kills, eggs, cages, and travel objectives can progress while you are already moving through the swamp. This DLC has fewer total missions than a full campaign, so efficient overlap matters more than rushing the next story marker alone.
6. Watch Rare Creature Variants as You Travel
The rare-creature side work asks for specific versions of familiar enemies, such as unusual boroks, scaylions, drifters, skags, and spores. Do not leave this cleanup until the very end if you can avoid it. Check enemy names and appearances during normal travel, take the rare kills when they appear, and remember where you saw promising spawns.
7. Be Patient With Hunter’s Grotto Spawns
Some creature variants are easier to hunt from Hunter’s Grotto than from deeper DLC areas. If you are cleaning up rare targets, return to a known spawn area, check both sides of the lodge route, and reload only when you are sure the target did not appear. It is a repetitive task, so combine it with side objectives or a short session instead of forcing it during story momentum.
8. Do Not Kill Every Objective Creature Immediately
Not every side objective is a simple kill list. One creature-trapping task asks you to lure a target into a cage instead of burning it down, and some special encounters have positioning rules that can punish close-range habits. Read the objective text before opening fire, especially when a named beast appears in a side mission.
9. Respect Distance Against Shielded or Invulnerable Targets
This DLC has beasts and bosses that are not solved by standing point-blank with your favorite shotgun. If a target stops taking meaningful damage, changes behavior at close range, or controls the space around it, back off, reset your angle, and test safer ranges. Bring at least one reliable mid- or long-range option for creatures that punish crowding.
10. Keep a Flexible Element Spread
The DLC mixes mutated wildlife, swamp enemies, and organized humanoid groups around the crashed Hyperion wreck. Carry enough weapon variety that you can adapt instead of draining one ammo type. A practical kit has a general-purpose gun, something accurate at range, a burst-damage option for large targets, and elemental coverage for enemies that resist your first answer.
11. Treat the One-Time Treasure Room Carefully
The DLC includes a treasure-room reward tied to the story. Before entering major story spaces late in the campaign, make backpack room, sell junk, and decide what you can safely leave behind. A full inventory during a one-time loot moment is the wrong kind of problem, especially in a loot game where every pickup asks for a comparison.
12. Separate Story Completion From Raid Goals
Hammerlock’s Hunt includes optional and hidden high-end boss content, but that does not mean your first run should become a raid-boss project. Finish the story, unlock the practical routes, and clean side missions first. Save Voracidous, Dexiduous, Omnd-Omnd-Ohk, Seraph gear chasing, and exact boss farming for a dedicated setup.
13. Use Co-Op for Coverage, Not Chaos
Co-op can make the swamps smoother, especially when one player drives or draws attention while another clears enemies. Still, groups should avoid splitting too far in large outdoor spaces. Stay close enough for revives, call out rare variants before killing them, and agree before turning in objectives that may advance shared side chains.
14. Keep Your First Pass Spoiler-Light
The campaign is short enough that a full checklist can flatten the surprise of new spaces, creatures, and Nakayama’s story beats. On a first pass, focus on sound habits: enter prepared, open the lodge and boat, stack side missions, watch rare variants, restock before big story pushes, and leave detailed boss routing for cleanup.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
-
Do not enter underleveled just because the DLC is installed - bring a late Normal Mode character or a playthrough-ready build.
-
Do not follow advice for another Borderlands 2 add-on - Aegrus does not use Torgue Tokens, pirate routes, fantasy systems, or Headhunter structure.
-
Do not wander away before repairing Catch-A-Boat - the fan boat makes the swamp campaign far less tedious.
-
Do not ignore side missions when the lodge opens - early pickup lets objectives overlap with normal travel.
-
Do not leave all rare-creature hunting for the final cleanup - watch for variants while moving through regular missions.
-
Do not kill named objective creatures before reading the task - some side missions need trapping, positioning, or a special interaction.
-
Do not stand point-blank when a target stops taking damage - back up and test range, angles, and different weapons.
-
Do not bring one damage type and hope it covers everything - wildlife, humanoids, spores, and bosses reward flexible gear.
-
Do not enter late story spaces with a full backpack - make room before major rewards and treasure-room moments.
-
Do not turn a first run into raid-boss farming - finish the campaign and side route before chasing endgame targets.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Scope | Play this as the Aegrus swamp campaign with Hammerlock, not the full Borderlands 2 package |
| Entry | Treat Hunter’s Grotto as late Normal Mode or post-story content |
| Opening | Clear Hunter’s Lodge and repair Catch-A-Boat before wandering |
| Travel | Use the fan boat to reduce swamp backtracking |
| Side Missions | Pick up early side jobs so objectives overlap naturally |
| Creatures | Watch for rare variants during normal movement |
| Combat | Carry flexible range and elemental options |
| Cleanup | Save raid bosses and exact farming for a dedicated pass |
Did this answer your question?
Your feedback helps keep the useful answers visible.Sources
7 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt.
Next answers
Community notes0
No community notes yet.
Sign in to contribute