Borderlands 4 is Going to be the Elden Ring of Looter Shooters

The Borderlands franchise is the most influential looter shooter series out there. It practically started everything, and never cheapened out on its innovations between titles. For instance, the first Borderlands game feels like a prototype when stacked against its timeless sequel, Borderlands 2. From there, Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands refined the most minute aspects of their gameplay, from movement to gun intricacies and even redefining how the grenades worked. After over 15 years deep into the series, you would think Gearbox would run out of steam, but they have not, as Borderlands 4 is aiming to retake its throne and raise the bar beyond the limits.

After a middling announcement of the next installment, Gearbox has pushed Borderlands 4 into the limelight proper. The gameplay deep dive in April of this year lifted the veil on what is changing. From better movement, a more expansive world, replayable bosses on demand, and a redefined grenade system similar to Wonderlands, the game started to look like it was reinventing itself. This was later reaffirmed by the wealth of previews and streams we got of the game.

However, the leap in quality is not as significant as that of Dark Souls 1 to Dark Souls 3; it feels more like an Elden Ring–inspired pivot after Dark Souls 3. With actual changes in direction for so many important aspects of the game. It appears that Borderlands 4 will be one for the ages.

A Darker Tone in a Grittier World

Borderlands 4 is leaving Pandora and the many worlds we played through in Borderlands 3 behind. This newest installment will be taking place in a mysterious world named Kairos. Kairos is under the boot of the menacing “Timekeeper”. He rules all of Kairos with a Legion of soldiers that bear the resemblance of Guardians. Elpis, which got teleported by Lilith at the end of Borderlands 3, has crashed into the space near Kairos, breaking the illusion the Timekeeper has formed around it.

In the recent story trailer for Borderlands 4, it’s shown that the newest Vault Hunters, Rafa, Vex, Amon, and Harlowe, are prisoners on Kairos. They were most likely hired by Sanctuary in their hunt for Lilith, and are now stuck in a three-way war. The Timekeeper, some exiled faction, and the bandits/psychos.

This story seems to be much darker in tone, which is very welcome at this point. Considering Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands leaned way too much into humor.

The Brave New World of Borderlands 4

Kairos in Borderlands 4 is going to be a fully seamless open world. Gearbox has advertised in the Gameplay Deep dive that there will be no loading screens between zones. Seeing as it is a game that is built fully for current generation consoles, this may be the first true test of next-generation hard drive promises made by Sony for the PlayStation 5. This may be the game that removes the loading screens many of us Borderlands fans have been accustomed to for so many years.

This will not just be a sprawling, empty open world to play in, however. As Gearbox has stuffed Kairos to the brim with much to do between story missions and side quests. Such as Destiny 2’s public event style, random happenings while exploring. As well as hidden bosses, and even Vaults, which will be dungeons with enemies and a boss at the end.

There are two big changes coming to the gameplay for this open world and beyond (outside of the cool new grappling hook originally teased in Borderlands 3). The first is the ability to summon a vehicle on command. No more having to go to a kiosk to summon a vehicle and hope it doesn’t die in the middle of nowhere. This will no doubt alleviate a lot of frustrations for going to and from locations. The other is the replayability of bosses on command.

In all Borderlands games, you would have to exit your session and load back in to refight bosses. Instead, there will be a button in Borderlands 4 to refight bosses as many times as you want. This button will be outside each boss room to boot up the fight for that sweet, sweet loot.

Deeper Vault Hunter and Gun Customization

Gun customization in Borderlands 4 is taking it to the next level, instead of just getting subtle stat boosts and different sights for all types of guns. Gearbox is taking the randomness to new heights with a “licensing” system for all gun manufacturers. Every type of gun can now roll with different parts. The gameplay deep dive gave an example of a Vladof gun rolling with Torgue rockets, Maliwan elemental barrels, and the Hyperion shield on its sides. What all this means for the various new gun manufacturers and legendaries is yet to be seen, but this idea seems absolutely crazy. Especially for a looter shooter.

All of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4 are going to have more depth for buildcrafting. Not only are the skill trees bigger, but so are the other facets that affect them. Class mods will still exist in the. But they will now be focused on Vault Hunter stats instead of having gun buffs rolled into them. That will be a separate equippable item on top of relics. This is to ensure you can focus on farming exactly what class mod you need. Without the unnecessary stats, you might not make use of.

Going alongside all of this is a dedicated healing item, which feels like a fresh take on the consumables from Borderlands 1. You will be able to customize it, similar to a dedicated “ordnance” slot. Ordnance will take the place of grenades. Ordnance can be throwing knives, grenades, rocket launchers, or heavy machine guns. Tie all of this together with the new movement in Borderlands 4, and you have one of the biggest leaps a sequel can deliver on.

Borderlands 4 is Not Just New and Improved, But Brand New

Circling back to the comparison for Elden Ring and Borderlands 4. I recently played Dark Souls 3, and after finishing it and its DLCs (didn’t kill Midir, but I did kill Gael). I felt like a part of me was left behind as I entered Elden Ring. It had everything Fromsoft is known for, but polished beyond belief. Its approach to open-world design, not excluding the Dark Souls grit and difficulty, was excellent. Ensuring movement got all it needed for moving to and from locations without losing the appeal of discovery was difficult to pull off. But FromSoft did it with finesse.

Now, moving on to Borderlands 4, they are taking a similar approach to everything. Refining all of the gameplay elements the series is known for while moving into a full open-world (co-op included). Adding even further depth for buildcrafting across the board for both Vault Hunters and the guns was no small feat. Everything being shown in recent previews and streams still looks, feels, and sounds like Borderlands. All that needs to be knocked out of the park is its story, and Borderlands 4 will be looked upon as the next generational Elden Ring leap for Gearbox, and the genre as a whole.