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Wilhelm is a cyborg who serves Handsome Jack, and who nearly killed the original Vault Hunters after the events of Borderlands. He is one of the bosses in Borderlands 2, and is the "Enforcer" class playable character in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

Background

As a child, Wilhelm had a mild case of Bone Waste that required him to get cybernetic implants at an early age, which would develop into a full-out addiction to cybernetics and a desire to become a full-on robot later in his life. With his aggressive tendencies he became a mercenary and would go on to become the galaxy's most famous mercenary, having fought for every corporation. Gaining a kill count equivalent to the population of a small country, though his failure to protect either a president or an orphanage, made it harder to get jobs in the inner worlds. At some point, he was hired by Jack as a Vault Hunter on Elpis for a few million dollars, helping him in his rise to power and eventually becoming his right-hand man.

Involvement

During the events on Elpis in The Pre-Sequel, Wilhelm was a Vault Hunter, working for Handsome Jack. At this time, Wilhelm was a tall muscular man, sporting a thick beard and slicked back hair, both containing white streaks due to his advanced age. He wore a Hyperion uniform with one of the sleeves missing. His right eye was replaced with a cybernetic one, and during this time he also replaced his left arm and right leg.

Wilhelm is the first major boss of Borderlands 2. He is mentioned multiple times by the Guardian Angel, with considerable trepidation, before he is fought at the End of the Line.

By the time of Borderlands 2, he physically he has become part Hyperion loader, with his body from the waist down replaced with loader legs. From the waist up, Wilhelm resembles an engineer, losing his hair and beard, with a constructor's optic sensor in the place of his right eye. Wilhelm also bears a shoulder-mounted mortar, which he uses for ranged attacks.

Appearances

Skills

Action Skill: Wolf and Saint.

Base Cooldown is 42 seconds, base Duration is 35 seconds. Activation of this skill will deploy Wolf, a floating red combat drone, and Saint, a white support drone. The robots can be recalled, and both of them can receive various upgrades from skills.

Wilhelm has three skill trees:

Strategy

Main article: A Train to Catch

Quotes

Main article: Wilhelm/Quotes

Notes

Trivia

Wilhelm Screamed

Wilhelm Screamed achievement

  • In Borderlands 2, Wilhelm has no intro cutscene, as he is meant as a surprise during the mission.
  • Defeating Wilhelm unlocks the "Wilhelm Screamed" achievement, a reference to the stock sound recording used in many movies, television shows, and video games.
  • Wilhelm is first mentioned in the mission Handsome Jack Here!, when he is heard murdering a train full of refugees on their way to Sanctuary under orders from Handsome Jack.
  • An unused ECHO recording from Handsome Jack exists in which Jack says that he poisoned Wilhelm prior to his fight with the Vault Hunters, weakening him in order to ensure the power core he carried would be recovered without making the find seem too easy.
  • Wilhelm is the German version of the name William.
  • Wilhelm is revealed to be from the planet Hera, as briefly mentioned by Moxxi in The Pre-Sequel when first met in Concordia. This planet was also mentioned by Krieg in one of his idle voice clips.
  • Investing in skills in the "Cyber Commando" tree changes Wilhelm's voice and his appearance, adding audible distortion to his voice and robotic upgrades to his body.
  • In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Wilhelm tends to reply to statements made to him with stern, to-the-point responses. He is known for stating a single "No." when asked questions he dislikes.

Gallery

References

  1. The Worlds of Borderlands. p. 85
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