With Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands releasing very recently, Borderlands 4 is likely a fair bit away. As such, fans have no knowledge about what the game will entail, with only a search for Lilith set up for the sequel. However, it is still fun to speculate about potential Vault Hunters that could be a part of the next game’s lineup.
With the next Borderlands game being focused on finding Lilith, it would make sense if the Vault Hunters helping the Crimson Raiders had some attachment to her. While an entirely new cast is certainly possible, keeping with the trend seen in the other games, it would make sense to play as Tiny Tina, Ava, and other characters who already care about Lilith. Mr. Torgue fits this role, too, and he has a lot of potential as a playable character.
Why Mr. Torgue Would Work as a Vault Hunter
One great point in favor of Mr. Torgue becoming a Vault Hunter is that it would involve him more in the narrative of Borderlands 4. Much like Mad Moxxi and Tina, Torgue’s presence in Borderlands 3 was lacking, with the character not having any real importance to the main plot of the game. Torgue being playable would change this, as he would have dialogue and funny interactions throughout the entirety of the game.
Aside from giving Torgue more to do outside the Circles of Slaughter, his love for explosives is a great foundation for some skill trees. Torgue could deal more damage with grenades and explosive weapons, and with the latter made by Torgue, some great opportunities for jokes could be seen. Whenever Torgue uses a non-Torgue weapon, he could complain, insulting the manufacturer of the weapon brand he is using and pleading directly to Borderlands players to give him one of his company’s guns.
While the comedy opportunities regarding Borderlands’ weapon manufacturers are plentiful, Torgue’s moveset could also reference some of his past appearances in the games. For instance, he could summon the Wattle Gobbler from his Headhunter Pack, using the AI companion to help him fight and clear enemies out of an area. Some abilities can be tied to his impressive physique, too, such as reduced damage and status effects. As for cosmetics, Torgue’s heads could provide players with a large variety of wacky facial hair to pick from.
Perhaps the best aspect of a Mr. Torgue Vault Hunter would be his potential action skill. Gearbox could pull from his role as a bard in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, allowing him to bring his missile-launching lute to the real world. With this action skill, players could jam out to spawn in some rockets, with said rockets doing massive damage to everything in the area. As players upgrade this skill to add more rockets to the barrage or missiles that do a specific type of elemental damage, Mr. Torgue could play different songs on his lute. If Gearbox wants to keep the lute-playing in Wonderlands, it could add this functionality to Torgue’s air guitar.
Even a small touch could see the noise of Mr. Torgue’s censorship being adjusted, with players choosing between the bleeper heard in the Borderlands games or the sound that plays in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Mr. Torgue’s role in Wonderlands is a major highlight, serving as an excellent reminder of how funny and likable the loud character can be. Though the next Borderlands game should absolutely give him a larger role in the story, it could also be worth it to take things further and make Torgue a playable Vault Hunter.