Posted: Sep 4 2019

When warping around the Borderlands 3 universe visiting different planets in pursuit of the nefarious Calypso Twins, you need a sweet ride worthy of your badass Vault Hunter. Fortunately, Lilith and the Crimson Raiders have just the thing: Sanctuary III, a full-on spaceship that can cross the galaxy in mere moments and has plenty of room for your ragtag crew. Think of Sanctuary III as your main base of operations in Borderlands 3, where you can chat with crucial characters, take a quick break between intense missions, or marvel at the majesty of entire planets viewed from orbit and dream about how much loot must be down there.

Sanctuary III will change with you over the course of Borderlands 3's story campaign, as you recruit new allies and complete Crew Challenges for a host of friendly faces who'll be instantly familiar to Borderlands veterans. Poking around the ship might even turn up a few ECHO logs that provide precious bits of backstory for our intrepid Vault Hunters Amara, FL4K, Moze, and Zane. There are three main levels to Sanctuary III, and we're taking a look at the ship from top to bottom so you can get a sense for its best hotspots and hangouts.

Deck A - Upper level

At the top of Sanctuary III, you can survey the wonders of space from the Bridge and do your best impression of a spaceship captain. You'll usually find Lilith, renowned Siren and commander of the Crimson Raiders, hanging out on the Bridge and planning your team's next move. This is where you can use the hologram-projecting Hyperspace Terminal to chart a course for planets like Promothea, Eden-6, and Athenas, then watch the stars scream by as your ship makes an interstellar jump to your destination.

The Infirmary doubles as a laboratory for the eccentric Patricia Tannis, an expert on Eridian artifacts and all manner of unorthodox research. Tannis' weird science often takes precedence over your personal health, so if you need to top off your HP, you'll need to help yourself to Tannis' spare supply of HP-restoring hypos or hit up the nearby Dr. Zed's Meds vending machine.

Relive the adrenaline highs of past hunts in Hammerlock's Trophy Room, where Sir Alistair Hammerlock sips tea and admires all the creature heads mounted on the walls. Every time you encounter and slay a particularly rare beast for Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt missions, you'll be adding a new showpiece to the collection that comes complete with a little description highlighting your hunting prowess.

Deck B - Mid level

Kick back and admire all the magnificent loot you've collected in the Crew Quarters, where your Vault Hunter has a room all their own. In the Crew Quarters' common area, you'll find a Fast Travel station that acts as your landing pad whenever you return to Sanctuary III, along with a Quick-Change Station so you can easily tweak your Vault Hunter's appearance or respec your skill points to try out a fresh build. There's also the brand new Lost Loot Machine, which stores an assortment of precious items you might've forgotten to pick up in the heat of battle, then spits them out on command so you don't have to miss out on would-be item upgrades.

Inside your room, you'll find your very own Player Bank vault, where you can store items to free up inventory space or transfer them to another character—perfect for those times when you pick up a powerful Class Mod your current Vault Hunter can't use. If you have a personal favorite weapon you don't intend to wield for the moment, it doesn't need to sit in your bank gathering dust: you can mount a curated collection of items on the walls. Each of the four Vault Hunters have laid out their rooms in a unique way; FL4K has a litter box for their pet Spiderant, Amara made sure to pack a punching bag, and so on. But you can customize your crib even further by adorning your room with various decorations that you can buy from vendors or even pick up during your travels. Conveniently, the Crew Quarters floor plan has four rooms—one for each player during co-op, so you can check out how your fellow Vault Hunters have made their lodgings feel like home.

Every experienced mercenary knows Marcus Munitions, the storefront of profits-obsessed arms dealer Marcus Kincaid. You'll find Marcus flanked by his signature GUN$ and Ammo Dump vending machines for all your arsenal needs, but he's added some crucial items to his wares in Borderlands 3: Storage Deck Upgrades. By purchasing SDU chips with cash, you can expand your carrying capacity for all ammo types and grenades, along with adding more slots to your backpack inventory, bank, and even the Lost Loot Machine. Purchasing SDUs as your Vault Hunter grows stronger is a must, which is fantastic news for Marcus and his money-grubbing ways.

Below Marcus' shop, you can visit the shooting range, a gunslinging minigame that gives you a limited time to blast a series of creature cutouts. Aspiring sharpshooters can try for high scores in Normal and Challenge modes, or you can just fire off a few rounds and test a new weapon in a low-stakes setting. Marcus Munitions is also near the Golden Chest, a glimmering treasure trove that always offers a bundle of great loot suited for your Vault Hunter's current character level. The Golden Chest can only be opened with Golden Keys, which you'll find sprinkled around the Internet's many Borderlands-related spaces.

After a rough day on the battlefield, a trip to Moxxxi's is all you need to lift your spirits. This combination bar/nightclub/casino is one of the many establishments owned and operated by Moxxi, who entertains her guests while doling out frequent flirtations and endless innuendos. If you're in the mood for some intergalactic games of chance, you can try your luck at Moxxi's slot machines; Loot Boxer, Cash Trap, and Tink's Hijinx take cash for a chance at various rewards, while the Vault Line machine can only be played by spending precious Eridium. Big risk, big rewards, so the saying goes.

Deck C - Lower level

The Cargo Bay is the biggest room on Sanctuary III, housing three wildly unalike crew members living in semi-harmony. It mainly serves as a makeshift garage for your unmatched mechanic Ellie, who will proudly display any vehicles and upgrade parts you collect in the field. Claptrap has his own closet-sized room down in the Cargo Bay, where he's assembling a new friend piece by piece using salvaged parts from the dead Claptrap units that litter the galaxy.

You'll also find a strange stowaway who's barricaded himself behind a giant door: Crazy Earl, the babbling, big-headed vendor who only deals in Eridium shards. Crazy Earl sells all manner of cosmetics in Borderlands 3—Vault Hunter Heads and Skins, Emotes, ECHO themes, Trinkets, Weapon Skins, and Room Decorations—purchasable exclusively with the Eridium shards you’ll discover during your adventures through the Borderlands. He's also done you the kindness of putting the Veteran Rewards vending machine just outside his door, which only takes Eridium but offers some supremely powerful weapons with the Anointed trait, offering improved Action Skills that might only apply to a specific Vault Hunter.

That's a general overview of who and what you'll find aboard Sanctuary III, but your crew will expand and grow along with your Vault Hunter throughout Borderlands 3. For more need-to-know info ahead of Borderlands 3's launch on September 13, check out the Official Guide to the Borderlands.