Borderlands 3 has quite a few things going for it, even though it does have its fair share of technical issues. There's more variety in the game's environments than Borderlands 2, far better weapon selections, and a great cast of characters. And while Borderlands has always been about earning the best loot, the bosses have a massive effect on how enjoyable actually earning that loot is. Luckily, the boss fights in Borderlands 3 bring out some of the best aspects of the game.

It's hard to nail down just one aspect of the encounters that make them feel so solid. It's a delicate balance of bosses that are an equal mix of unique, interesting, and challenging. Take a look at a boss like Killavolt. At the surface level, Killavolt is a standard video game boss encounter. Enemies trickle in throughout the fight, Killavolt is capable of dishing out a lot of damage on his own, and the arena's geometry is fairly simple.

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However, there's a deeper level of nuance at play here. Take another look at Killavolt. The boss has one of the best sidequests designed around him, making players more engaged while facing off against him. The level design in the chamber is simple, but the electric floor adds another layer for players to have to worry about without overcomplicating things. Finally, the Killavolt fight is radically different depending on a player's build, making it all the more replayable in Borderland 3's Mayhem mode.

This is a brilliant formula: simple geometry with an interesting modifier, narrative engagement that raises the stakes, and a different experience for each playthrough. All of this combines to create a boss that is interesting, engaging, and replayable. It keeps the game from feeling overwhelmingly tedious, and Gearbox has applied the formula to just about every other boss in the game. This is especially important as players advance to the endgame and begin trying to farm legendaries in Borderlands 3.

Speaking of legendaries, bosses in Borderlands 3 also give out a satisfying amount of rewards. Killavolt himself even drops the 9-Volt, one of the best Borderlands 3 guns to get early on. These rewards only increase the rush that a player feels after downing a boss. Sure, it's still possible to find a Destiny-style loot cave and simply farm that way, but the bosses are far less tedious, and will undoubtedly keep players coming back for more well into the game's future.

The boss fights also amplify the other aspects of Borderlands 3. This is most evident in Borderlands 3's gunplay, which players will get to fully experience in boss fights. The prolonged encounters are great ways to test out a player's arsenal, especially against bosses that use armor, shields, and regular health, as it allows them to explore weapons with a variety of elemental effects.

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Of course, boss fights aren't perfect. Borderlands 3 fans have been vocal about a lack of ammo in the game, and that problem feels even worse during long boss encounters. Some boss fights also have fewer side enemies and larger arenas, which can make it difficult to get a second wind in the event of players going down. That can lead to replaying bosses multiple times for the perfect run, which is frustrating but likely an intentional design aspect. Ammo can also be fixed with quality of life updates, and it doesn't seem likely that players will be without ammo for too much longer.

There are quite a few other games that could take notes from Borderlands 3 in this regard. Although, it's also easy to see the fingerprints of other games, like Diablo, at play here. Borderlands 3's boss fights aren't just a testament to Gearbox's talent, but to the decades of work that have gone into the medium as a whole. It just so happens that Borderlands 3 is one of the best examples of that work culminating into something magical.

There's still quite a bit of content in the pipeline for Borderlands 3. The game's season pass is promising a fair bit of content in the future, and that content will almost certainly include a healthy roster of new bosses for players to blast their ways through. Hopefully, they'll also keep the same formula, which is already making for some wonderful experiences - even with some technical issues getting in the way.

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