Borderlands 3 kept its promise of taking players to different planets in their search for Vaults, and some memorable locations were explored. Promethea saw Borderlands players fighting through a gorgeous, advanced city, while Eden-6 offered gamers a chance to explore a jungle setting. While small, Athenas was gorgeous, and the Eridian homeworld of Nekrotafeyo felt as special as it should have.
Though there is a chance that the next Borderlands game sticks to this lineup of planets, as Pandora alone has provided plenty of content over the years, the addition of more planets through Borderlands 3’s DLC indicates that Gearbox has plans to continue expanding the series’ universe. As such, it would make sense if Borderlands 4 introduced even more areas to the mix as players progress through the story.
Why More Planets Are Likely To Appear in Borderlands 4
As revealed in the Director’s Cut DLC for Borderlands 3, Lilith is still alive, with the character seemingly lost in space somewhere. This is the biggest piece of evidence for more planets being introduced, as she likely would have been found quickly if she had gone off to Promethea, Eden-6, or the other planets that gamers visited in the third game.
The other interesting thing to keep in mind happens once players have seen Borderlands 3’s final cutscene and go to turn in the mission. A unique red chest is found in Lilith’s room, with Tannis saying that Lilith “had her own secrets” before she Phaseshifts the chest open. She also says that she has “no idea where” Lilith may have gotten it, indicating that this odd chest comes from a planet that players have not yet visited. With even the genius that is Tannis being confused by the weapon crate, it must be more than just some thowaway dialogue.
Whether it comes from some kind of secret Siren planet or another forgotten Eridian location, it would make sense if Lilith went to wherever she found this chest after she saved the day. With Lilith leaving the chest for the Vault Hunters to find, too, she is likely telling them where to find her. This means that at least one more planet will likely be introduced in Borderlands 4, and it is shaping up to be a memorable one. However, Gearbox should not stop there.
Several interesting Borderlands planets have been mentioned in the series’ lore but have not yet been explorable. Future games could change that, adding some truly unique locations to the mix. One such location is Junpai-7, which is supposedly full of deep-sea creatures that hunters like Hammerlock love to fight. Being able to engage in some underwater combat with these creatures would make for a Borderlands planet that stands out from all the others, and it would be an exciting way to build off some lesser-known lore. Certain characters’ planets of origins would also be fun to see, while planets that highlight underused weapon manufacturers like Tediore and Vladof would be a joy to explore as well.
While more can certainly still be done with planets like Promethea, Gearbox struck gold from a gameplay perspective through Borderlands 3’s new planets. Each location introducing new wildlife and characters is exciting, and that same freshness should be present within Borderlands 4. While fans could be waiting a bit for the next mainline Borderlands game to debut, hopefully it will bring some more planets along with it once it finally arrives, as there have been a lot of worlds mentioned but not shown.