How do I get my preorder bonuses?
Joining the Premiere Club by preordering the game gets you:
- The Golden Key - "Unlock a rare item in the mysterious Sanctuary Loot Chest."
- Vault Hunter's Relic - "Play solo or team up with friends and boost your gear hunting fortune with the Vault Hunter's Relic."
- Gearbox Gunpack - "A package of unique Gearbox Golden Guns to help you start your journey on Pandora."
- The Mechromancer class (when it is released)
I didn't start out with these items as far as I can tell. Do I need to unlock them somehow?
Quick version
If you bought it through Steam, check the Downloadable content (DLC) option from the in-game menu to confirm it's authorized for you (it should be). In that case just start playing and it will download while you're in-game. Note: My first character didn't get the starting bonuses at the beginning (Golden Guns and Eridian Artifact) since the DLC wasn't loaded immediately on launch, though they showed up later. My second character did get the bonuses from the start.
Details
When I first started the game this morning I checked for DLC in the in-game menu. It listed "Borderlands 2 Premiere Club" as purchased but not downloaded. Steam also showed it as purchased: from the game library right-click Borderlands 2 and choose View Downloadable Content.
After hunting around for a while in B2 and Steam looking for a way to install it I decided to just start playing. Now it shows as purchased an installed, and while playing I was notified via pop-up that I have the golden key. So apparently it installed itself while I played. I didn't need an activation key; I purchased it through Steam a couple of days before launch. Also, in Steam I now have two entries: Borderlands 2, and Borderlands 2 Premiere Club. This is the same way Steam DLC has worked for me in the past.
How to get the starting bonuses
My first character didn't get the two starting bonuses initially: a class-specific Eridian Artifact and a set of golden guns. Later in the game they showed up, though by that time the golden guns were no longer valuable (the artifact is still good). This happened because the Premiere Club DLC was still downloading at the time I started my first character.
If you want to be sure of getting the bonuses either:
create a temporary dummy character, wait for the Premiere Club DLC to install, then create your "real" character; or
wait at the in-game menu until the DLC installs before creating your character.
Fair warning: I'm not sure option 2 works since my process was different, but it's worth a try if you don't want to create a temporary character.
You were supposed to get an activation key that you have to use online through PSN or Xbox Live which unlocks all those things for you.
For example, if you bought it from Gamestop, the activation key should have been printed on the receipt. (Note: if you preordered from Gamestop, you'll have 2 activation keys - one for the club, and another for the Creature Slaughter Dome.)
I preordered the PC version through Amazon. Customer support told me that I'd get an email with the Premiere codes in the next two days.
I pre-ordered from Amazon for PS3. The game was delivered on Sept 18th, and about 1:30 that afternoon, I got an email with the code for Borderlands Premier Club. Signed into Playstation Store and selected Redeem Codes. The download was pretty small. After download was complete I started the game.
The Golden Key - I get a message that I have the golden key (I don't see it in inventory) but I haven't used it yet in Sanctuary - I haven't found where to use it and haven't really looked, since the higher your level the better the prize, so I'm waiting.
Vault Hunter's Relic - The first character created (and each subsequent character created) has a Vault Hunter Relic in their inventory. To see it, hit the Select button (or the equivalent on your platform) to view your inventory. On the left side where your equipped items are, scroll down past the weapons to where there are 4 slots in a grid. The 4 slots are for your Shield, Class Mod, Grenad Mod, and Vault Hunter Relic. It provides a boos to Rare Find.
Gearbox Gunpack - In Borderlands 1, each character started with a single weapon specific to their character class. In BL2, each character starts with 4 weapons, two equipped and two in inventory. That is your package of guns to get you started.
The Mechromancer class - not yet released, but you should have a message indicating that you are a premier club member and will get the Mechromancer when it is released (shows up in game lobby, lower left on the screen).
Update: I actually had used the Golden Key without realizing it. In Sanctuary, near the fast Travel station, there is a golden weapons crate. Use the Golden Key to open that. When I opened it as a level 9 Assassin, I got two purple weapons - a sniper rifle and an SMG. The sniper rifle is awesome (fast fire rate, large magazine, fire damage, good scope) and is my primary weapon, so it was worth it.