Captain Scarlett and her pirate Booty is the first DLC for Borderlands 2.
It's available to play from the very start of the game and has a recommended level of 15 however certain parts of the DLC match the level of your character. So if you're level 25 then you will come across enemies in certain areas that match you.
When you arrive the DLC starts off with a well rendered cut-scene narrated by an unidentified orphan and Marcus, the gun merchant from Sanctuary, telling a tail of a hidden pirate treasure buried by Captain Blade which holds unimaginable wealth, so naturally everybody is looking for it!
You arrive at The Dry Oasis after receiving a distress call from what turns out to be the only friendly inhabitant. You're tasked with killing a few pirates who have taken over the small port (or what was once a port before it became a desert) before actually meeting the aforementioned friendly who turns out to have a severe case of multiple personalities! After fending off said pirates and talking toy our new best friend you get an ECHO from Captain Scarlett herself asking to meet you in person.
Upon meeting her she tells you that the only way to find Captain Blades treasure is via a compass that has been split into 4 pieces. She also mentions that she will eventually betray you after you've done all the hard work! So at least she's being honest from the word go.
The main story of this DLC is finding the 4 pieces of the compass, putting them together and then finding Captain Blades Treasure.
The story is told in the usual Borderlands 2 style. It's a little bit off the wall with a unique style of humour and narration. For the most part it's ok and it gets the job done in making you travel from one area to the next but it gets pretty close to be a bit flimsy on more than one occasions.
While it only has a few stand-out characters they are interesting and memorable. But that said Captain Scarlett, who is the best in this DLC, feels a tad underused. Your interactions with her are limited and with a character like this, you do feel she should have had a more commanding presence or a lot more of hand in the story.
As with Borderlands 2 there are a lot of side missions to do along the way but while they carry the style, flair and sometimes comedic elements they lack variety and once stripped down they are mainly fetch quests. You do find yourself being sent on a fetch quest, only to find that you have to do a fetch quest in order to complete that fetch! Even the main story missions are pretty much fetch quests.
There isn't a lot of variety to be found in the enemies you fight either. The majority of the time you'll be fighting pirates who basically are bandits with pirate hats on (no, seriously!) who scream and utter a few pirates phrases while fighting and upon death. Even the midgets get this treatment as does everything else. There are a few unique human enemies but the majority of these are bosses or significant characters which are far too scarce.
The creatures don't fair much better. Spiderants heavily inhabit this DLC, none of them are new or unique and the other creature you encounter, such as skags, you would have seen before if you've spent any time playing through Borderlands 2. You do encounter a new creature called "Worms" but these only really occur in wide open spaces when you're in a vehicle and can be easily dealt with by running them over or just ignoring them and driving on. They are pretty similar to Threshers but less of threat.
Also there can be a big shift in enemy levels from one area to the next. Some are set at level 15 regardless of your level and other match yours. The issue is with the areas that are pre-set at 15 as fighting these enemies is not challenging at all. You feel you're wasting ammunition and time killing enemies that give you little if any XP and drop useless items. In areas where a large number of these enemies spawn it does become more of a chore working through a lot of weak enemies just to get to a location or retrieve and item.
You do get a brand new vehicle called a skimmer which is basically a hover boat. Apart from appearance it isn't anything special or new. As with a lot of things in this DLC it is just a re-skin and a slight model change.
The level design, both in layout and appearance does match those set in Borderlands 2. The lore behind the area matches the vast dry stretches of land that use to ocean, which impressive pillars of somewhat flimsy looking rock, supporting huge structures on to of them with rickety rope bridges connecting each one. There isn't as much variety but what is there is done well.
The DLC does introduce a new currency called Seraph crystals although don't expect to come across any of these unless you are either playing in True Vault Hunter mode or are fighting against raid bosses. As with Eridium Seraph crystals are used to trade with black market dealers but instead of offering upgrades, they sell unique weapons and items. But you can't even view these items until you get some Seraph crystals and seeing as you won't get any of these on your first play-thought it's a bit annoying to have something newly added which you cannot access.
So there is a lot of recycled content and it isn't really that much "extra" from the original Borderlands 2 but these aren't really "big" issues. There is one however that is.
Bugs.
Since this DLC graced my PC I've noticed a lot more "hidden walls" preventing me from accessing areas that I could previously squeeze into. Even areas that I should be able to access are more difficult to get to. Also the AI seems to be a lot dumber. It's now not unusual to be involved in a long range fire fight with a group of enemies and to have them suddenly stop firing at you and start strolling around as if you weren't even there or the previous fire fight never took place. I've also noticed a few issues with collision detection of some weapons, especially Torque manufactured ones.
It wouldn't be that bad if these issues were confined to the DLC but they seem to affect the whole game. It's not bad enough that it ruins or detracts from the game but it is something you notice and can, on occasion, slightly spoil things.
Another issue is a balance one. During this DLC I not only levelled up pretty quickly but I came across a lot of Eridium. This meant that when I completed this DLC and went back to the main story (just before you reach Overlook to get back to Sanctuary) my character was a little overpowered both in skills and equipment. Enemies weren't challenging (which again raises the issues of fighting weak enemies I mentioned earlier) and all the items found or dropped were useless. Even those special finds in hidden crates or dropped by bosses fell very short of what I needed. It took a while for the level or the enemies to catch up but until it did a lot of the challenge and excitement from finding new loot was watered down.
There is no clear point to leave the main story and undertake this one except the suggested level on the mission screen which suggests level 15. If you take it on when you reach level 15, you'll come back to the main story to find the enemies weak and equipment useless until they catch you up later on in the game. Leave it to the end of the game and you risk the same issue as large areas of the DLC spawn level 15 enemies and items regardless of your level.
Really it would have been better if this DLC was more integrated into the main story of Borderlands 2 rather than just being simply bolted on as an option. Or the DLC and game adjusted the level of enemies and or loot to match your own.
Overall Captain Scarlett and her Pirate Booty is a tad disappointing. It doesn't really add anything new in terms of content, recycling a lot of enemies you've already encountered, and with a scarce but interesting main protagonist the story can get a bit distant and unimportant. Bring in the issues with bugs and balancing and this DLC takes away slightly more than it gives.
It's a fairly enjoyable romp if you expect more of the same but if you're looking for anything grand or brand new, you will not get it with this DLC.