While Borderlands fans haven't been without major content in recent years, with spin-offs like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and New Tales from the Borderlands keeping them occupied, Borderlands 4 is still nowhere in sight. Borderlands 3 was released in 2019, so players are more than primed for another mainline entry for the beloved FPS series. While there's not been any official news regarding Borderlands 4, the developers have been dropping hints that the next installment is in the works, and fans are already debating what they'd like to see in the inevitable sequel.
Borderlands 3 hit many of the right notes when it came to celebrating what players loved about the previous games while still adding newer elements, and finessing others to improve upon its predecessors. One of the main aspects where gamers saw plenty of improvement was in the build variety of Vault Hunters. Although each Borderlands entry introduces its own special blend of classes and characters, Borderlands 3 really gave gamers the most options, and Borderlands 4 has the opportunity to carry this forward a step further.
Vault Hunters In Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 brought back some familiar faces like Moxxi and everyone's favorite annoying robot Claptrap, but it also introduced some new characters as well. With returning classes like the Siren, Borderlands 3 was able to capture elements of the previous games while also bringing them together with new ones like its powerful Beatsmaster class. Players were able to choose between the predesigned characters of Amara, FL4K, Moze, or Zane in classic Borderlands fashion, but this didn't mean they couldn't put their own twists on their chosen protagonist too.
Picking a character didn't necessarily mean gamers were locked into a certain playstyle. Within each class, there were initially three Skill Trees for players to choose from as well as different Action Skills which could all combine in various ways depending on how gamers wanted to approach combat. The Skill Trees were detailed and diverse and consisted of Passive Skills, Capstones, and Augments which all pushed players to carefully strategize how they were investing their skill points as they leveled up throughout the game. Having multiple Skill Trees – each with different focuses – offered so much variety just within one class and increased Borderlands 3's replay value as well, especially with new Skill Trees added in DLC.
How Borderlands 4 Could Top This
The Vault Hunters of Borderlands 3 were a masterclass in providing the right avatars for big bombastic gameplay with plenty of scope for players to get creative as well. Thanks to the variety of customization options and Action Skills that gamers could choose from, Borderlands 3 helped to set the bar for how much freedom the FPS franchise could give players. Expectations for Borderlands 4 are already fairly high given the gap between entries and the exciting steps the series has already taken into new territory with its spinoff titles, and there are many fans out there that are hoping the next game tops its predecessors in significant ways.
Gearbox Software might have an uphill climb ahead of it when it comes to pleasing its fans, but Borderlands 4 has an opportunity to really deliver a solid FPS experience and push boundaries while still staying true to the franchise. Duplicating and improving on Borderlands 3's build diversity could be key, and there could even be a character creation feature like in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Even if the characters are predesigned like the previous mainline entries, building complexity and creativity into the way players can customize them is a must.