Other - Circles of Slaughter and Trials | Borderlands 3 Side Quests Borderlands 3 guide, walkthrough
Last update: 03 October 2019
On this page of our guide to Borderlands 3 you will find descriptions of side missions that are not connected to any planet. These are the Circles of Slaughter arena battles and the Trials proving grounds that have a form of a raid.
Arena battles - Circles of Slaughter
Circles of Slaughter arenas have already appeared in the previous games of the Borderlands series, although in the 3rd installment they are completely separate locations, in which you fight against waves of enemies. You must first find out about the existence of each of the three arenas:
- Visit the Meridian Metroplex region on the planet Promethea. You will find a passage to the location of the Cistern of Slaughter.
- Visit the Konrad's Hold region when you return to Pandora planet (once the Blood Drive main quest has been started). You will find a passage to the location of The Slaughter Shaft.
- Visit the Desolation's Edge region on the Nekrotafeyo planet. Locate the news board in the picture above and pick up the Welcome to Slaughterstar 3000 side quest. Return to Sanctuary and use the navigation computer. Fly to the Slaughterstar 3000 location.
Once you have reached each location with the arena, you need to talk to the person who organizes the arena battles. This will add the right side quest to your log. It is also worth taking advantage of the opportunity to use slot machines to replenish stocks.
Arena battles will only start after you have entered the arena and pressed the button.
Each battle in the Circle of Slaughter arena has several rounds and in every round you have to defeat a few waves of enemies. You can also receive optional targets, such as those related to killing enemies based on Slam attacks.
Circles of Slaughter arenas are a great place to collect large quantities of xp and gain valuable loot. If you manage to complete all the battles in every arena, you will unlock the Slaughterhouse 3 trophy.
Eridian Proving Grounds - Trials
Trials can be described as a kind of raid, although in the game they are also called Eridian Proving Grounds. These are locations in which a series of battles with enemies are fought in order to reach the lair of the mini-boss.
You can learn about Trials by finding exclamation marks of related side quests. Not all exclamation marks appear during the first visit to a planet. The best way to get interested in this topic is to advance to the endgame phase, that is, to complete the main storyline.
- Trial of Cunning - Find the exclamation mark in The Splinterlands region of Pandora planet.
- Trial of Discipline - Find the exclamation mark in the Meridian Outskirts region of the Promethea planet.
- Trial of Fervor - Find the exclamation mark in the Jakobs Estate region on planet Eden-6.
- Trial of Instinct - Find an exclamation mark in the Floodmoor Basin region on planet Eden-6.
- Trial of Supremacy - Find an exclamation mark in the Desolation's Edge region on the Nekrotafeyo planet.
- Trial of Survival - Find an exclamation mark in the Devil's Razor region on the Pandora planet.
After adding each quest to your log you must return to the Sanctuary and use the computer on the Captain's Bridge to count the flight to the location associated with the raid. Use the drop pod in the cargo bay to get to the surface.
When you get to the proving ground, you need to talk to the designated NPC. A raid will begin.
Due to the high level of challenge and the high risk of knocking down the hero it is advisable to complete raids when playing in a group with other players.
Every proving ground has the same rules:
- You have a limited amount of time to finish the raid. It can also be failed if you leave the location before the mission is completed. Fortunately, it is enough to talk to the NPC again at the entrance to the proving ground to restart the raid.
- In the initial part of each raid you have to visit several large areas with opponents. The game forces the elimination of all of them.
- Raids may offer optional objectives like completing a specific raid in shorter time or trying to avoid deaths. You don't have to take care of them to get the trophy associated with proving grounds.
The main premise of the raid and the most important part is the mini-boss fight. This is usually a stronger variety of some known monster. Bosses may have several health bars as they can mutate during the battle.
At the very end of each raid you have to open chest with a random high quality loot. You can repeat raids as many times as you wish, but for achieving the 100 Proof trophy it's required to complete them just once.