There are a lot of chests in Borderlands 3. You’ll want to open as many as you can as each typically contains an assortment of loot, ammo, and health. There are, however, a few chests in Borderlands 3 that just cannot be opened from the start of the campaign. Many of them are tied to certain quests–the T-marked chests can only be opened by finding Typhon de Leon’s audio recordings, for example–but there are some Eridium-encrusted ones that don’t seem tied to anything. You can actually open these chests though. You just have to be patient.
Borderlands 3 doesn’t explain this, but you actually unlock the ability to do certain actions by completing story missions. The Eridium-encrusted chests are one such example, as you can’t chip away at the Eridium keeping them closed (or mine Eridium deposits you find in the world) until the campaign gives you the tool that allows you to break Eridium. You’ll acquire this tool at the end of the campaign’s first act, so you’ll have to beat all of the story missions on Pandora, Promethea, and Athenas before you earn it.
Borderlands 3 News
Another action you’ll unlock just from doing story missions is the ability to equip grenade mods (which you acquire in the tutorial so the wait on that one is short). Further along in the story, you unlock the ability to equip character mods, and then relics too. You will most likely start discovering a lot of these items before you gain the ability to equip them, much like you run into Eridium-encrusted chests before you acquire the tool to unlock them. If you run into or find something new in Borderlands 3 and the game doesn’t allow you to do anything with it, chances are the answer you’re looking for is to just be patient. Just keep playing through the story and you’ll learn what you want to know.
If you’re still on the fence about the game, read GameSpot’s Borderlands 3 review. If you’re already planning on picking up the game, we have a beginner’s guide as well as a guide for which Vault Hunter best fits the playstyle you want. For those looking for something even more granular, we have individual write-ups that detail the ideal builds and best skills for each character. Those are linked below.
Borderlands 3 Character Builds And Skills Guides
- Amara Guide: Best Skills To Unlock
- Moze Guide: Best Skills To Unlock
- Zane Guide: Best Skills To Unlock
- FL4K Guide: Best Skills To Unlock
Borderlands 3 is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The game is scheduled to release for Google Stadia later this year.
