The main focus of the Borderlands franchise is shooting and looting, and Borderlands 3 is no different. The 2019 title sees players gunning down different foes across the galaxy, searching for strong gear and laughing at funny NPCs along the way. However, Borderlands 3 also features a memorable hub area in Sanctuary 3.
While it can be tough to get used to the layout of the Crimson Raiders’ spaceship for new and experienced players alike, the location is full of fun things to do so that players can have a break between quests. Borderlands 3 fans can play Moxxi’s slot machines, practice at a shooting range, or mess around with the Borderlands Science arcade machine. They can also customize their Vault Hunter’s room aboard Sanctuary, personalizing their own area on the ship. While this was a nice little feature, it would be great to see a more extensive version added in Borderlands 4.
Expanding Borderlands 3’s Room Customization In Meaningful Ways
In Borderlands 3, players can have one of four room designs, with each of the four looks matching a certain Vault Hunter. Moze’s room includes tools so she can work on Iron Bear, while Amara’s is more peaceful and fitting of a Siren. While this is a nice touch, it would be great to see players have more freedom when it comes to their room’s decor once the eventual sequel releases.
This could start with letting players choose the colors of the floors and walls in their rooms. Players could represent their favorite Borderlands weapon manufactures, with paint jobs based on brands like Atlas or Maliwan. From there, they could focus on additional decorations. In Borderlands 3, players are limited to three wall items, but a sequel could take things to the next level. Not only could there be wall slots available to customize, but players could add items that go on the floors of their rooms, personalizing the entirety of the area. Customizable safe designs would also be a nice touch considering that players spend a lot of time storing gear.
Alongside an approach to rooms that gives players full control over the decor, Gearbox could add a radio to each room. This could allow gamers to set their music of choice, letting them hear the Revenge of the Cartels music or “Hold On” from the Promethea drive with Maya whenever they walk into their room. More importantly, this radio could allow players to replay all the ECHO logs they have collected. This way, if the recordings are cut off by mission dialogue, or if players simply want to hear the lore again, they can access it from their rooms whenever they please.
One of the best features of player rooms sees gamers having the option to display their favorite Borderlands 3 loot on one of the walls, something that should absolutely return. However, even this can be improved, as Gearbox can add some extra details to each chosen item. If players display a piece of gear, they can be told exactly when and where they got it, with the date of the drop and the enemy it dropped from being included. If it was collected in a co-op session, the players that were there could be listed, making the displayed guns a time capsule for gamers’ favorite Borderlands memories.
If Gearbox wanted to take things one step further, special pets could be bought with Eridium in Borderlands 4, giving players a friend to visit each time they return to the hub area. From Pippie the Pollygrog to Ava’s pet Hermes, there are plenty of tiny critters in the Borderlands universe that would fit this role well. Petting or feeding them often could see players unlocking new skins for them, with a rare chance for the pet to give them a weapon or item from time to time.
If Gearbox puts some thought into customizable areas for the next Borderlands hub area, gamers could have the chance to make the hub feel like a proper home they actually want to return to.
Borderlands 3 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.