Fans of Gearbox Software's Borderlands recently welcomed the third numbered entry with open arms. The series has garnered such a loyal fan base due to its potent mixture of RPG mechanics and first-person shooter game play.
Fans of either genre can find something to love in this looter shooter, but it begs the question: which of the two does it do better? It's really all a matter of opinion, but the following list will describe five ways Borderlands 3 works better as an RPG, and five ways it is more enjoyable as a first-person shooter. At the end of the day, however, it is an all round fantastic experience.
10 RPG: Numbers!
Every time bullets or explosives hit a target, a number pops up indicating the amount of damage done with the attack. The satisfying loop comes from acquiring better weapons and seeing the numbers get bigger and bigger. Throwing grenades or having some sort of corrosive effect is doubly satisfying, as either a bunch of enemies get numbers, or smaller numbers slowly trickle out over time. Fans of RPGs know how thrilling the satisfaction of doing high damage is in the genre.
9 Shooter: Side Quests
While an abundance of side quests is par for the course for open ended RPGs, Borderlands' offerings almost always involve one thing - shooting. If it's a fetch quest, the items are always surrounded by hordes of people wanting the main characters eliminated. It's part of the reason why people love it, and why others aren't too hot on it. The shooting feels great, but some want a little more from the quests than going some place, fighting a bunch of baddies, and then getting some experience, cash, and maybe equipment.
8 RPG: Loot
Anybody who likes loot knows exactly where to go if they want as much as possible. If treasure chests aren't packed with ammunition, they are filled with new guns to check out and test. A single play sessions will turn up literally hundreds of new guns. While few of them are worth anyone's time, it's the search and anticipation of something better that inspires many to keep playing. The system of sorting through loot could definitely stand to see improvement, but it's hard to complain when a game offers literally millions of possible guns.
7 Shooter: No Narrative Choices
Granted, this is not a feature present in every RPG, but it is a staple in open world titles of the genre. The Witcher, Fallout, and Dragon Age all allow the player to impact the story through dialogue choices. Borderlands 3, despite its role playing mechanics, has no such feature. The narrative plays out the same regardless of how on tackles the narrative. There is one choice, but it is done as a joke and allusion to Tales From the Borderlands. Ultimately, this feature's absence isn't felt too hard. Not every game needs to have branching paths and numerous endings. Sometimes, shooting everything in sight is more than enough.
6 RPG: Leveling Up
While many modern first-person shooters may have a leveling system of sorts, they have little bearing on the game play. Usually, they are used to increase some passive abilities and maybe give the player more health. Gearbox's trademark series makes leveling up a priority.
Each level grants the player more health and access to better equipment. In addition, they get an additional skill point which grants an upgrade to any number of stats, whether it be health, accuracy, or critical hit damage.
5 Shooter: It's All Guns
While not the most apt comparison, people often put the series side by side with the likes of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls on account of its first-person perspective. One major difference between it and the Bethesda titles is the focus on guns.
All the weapons in Borderlands 3 are guns. Fallout allows one to play with melee weapons, and Elder Scrolls focuses on swords and magic. There is a melee button, but it is supplemental. The same thing goes for the action skills; they get one activation before needing to cool down.
4 RPG: Importance Of Stats
Shooting skills are not enough to get one through the game. Even the most supremely talents player in the genre won't get far against super powered enemies if they don't have the right equipment or aren't at a high enough level. Stats are vital to a battle's success and can make an encounter a cakewalk or a nightmare. As the story progresses, enemies never get too far ahead of the player, but just far enough to encourage side quests for the extra experience. In prior games, the level discrepancy used to be a problem in online play, but Borderlands 3 offers an option to balance it out so low level players can conveniently join high level friends.
3 Shooter: Everything Is In Real Time
A lot of RPGs where combat is in real time will offer certain moves or menus that slow down the action, giving players time to think about their next move. Fallout, for example, has the classic V.A.T.S. mechanic.
This game has nothing of the sort, and the way only to slow down the haphazard battles is by pausing it if one is playing by themselves. In this way, it is all about the moment to moment action, making sure one stays on their toes.
2 RPG: Open World
Instead of one interconnected map, like in the first two entries, Borderlands 3 is split up into several large maps. This is because the adventure takes players to different planets. Despite the separate worlds, it is still very much open world and offers opportunities for exploration. It's not anywhere near the level of Breath of the Wild or The Witcher 3, but several collectibles offer incentives for snooping around. In addition, some side quests take players off the beaten bath.
1 Shooter: Enemies Adjust To The Character's Level
No matter what level one is at in the story, the next main mission will always be marked at the same level or slightly above. The same goes for enemies. Regular fodder will be evenly matched for the player, while tougher encounters will probably be one or two levels higher. It's a smart design decision to constantly keep the game engaging, but it also makes levels feel less important in general. If it all adjusts during the next story beat, then what is the point of having levels at all? Still, the feeling of leveling up and gaining new skill points is extremely satisfying.