In the Borderlands universe, few things are more important than guns and the companies who make them. As such, Borderlands’ many manufacturers have been focused upon through main quests and side quests alike. Players have seen Hyperion and Maliwan as major threats, while Atlas has been reformed under the leadership of Rhys. The Dahl Corporation’s mining efforts have been focused on, while Wainwright Jakobs and Mr. Tortgue have given insight into their respective brands.
Though fans of the Borderlands series have had the chance to learn quite a bit about all the aforementioned companies, a few have yet to be fully explored by Gearbox. Borderlands 4 should change that, focusing on two underdeveloped brands in Tediore and Vladof. With both manufacturers being very different from one another based on the little that is known about them, they would both be able to stand out without completely hogging the spotlight.
Exploring Vladof’s Might in Borderlands 4
Clearly based on Russia, the Vladof Corporation’s weaponry is known for its high fire rate and large magazines. The company uses fearmongering as a marketing tactic and constantly speaks of a revolution. Vladof also seems to have a formidable army of some kind, as the Borderlands 3 Vault Hunter Moze was part of the Vladof Ursa Corps, which is where she got her mech Iron Bear.
While Moze could be the key to learning more about Vladof in the future, right now there is very little lore about the company to dive into. This is interesting, as Vladof has been around since the very first Borderlands game released. Learning more about the revolution the company speaks of would be intriguing, as would more info on the brand’s military outside of the Ursa Corps. As of now, fans have no idea whether Vladof is morally corrupt or stands as one of the “good” weapon manufacturers in the Borderlands universe, with only its Russian theme and communist undertones being clear.
Highlighting Tediore’s Kindness in Borderlands 4
Tediore is arguably the most morally good manufacturer in the entire Borderlands series, even if fans have very limited information about them. While the company’s weapons have been regularly made fun by characters like Rhys and Katagawa Jr., there is actually a good reason behind their supposed lack of quality.
Aside from their strange throwable feature, Tediore guns are the everyman’s weapon. Designed to give regular people a chance to protect themselves on Pandora and other dangerous planets, the weapons are intentionally cheap - which explains why they are thrown away instead of being reloaded like every other manufacturer’s guns. With players able to get several Tediore guns for the price of one fancy Maliwan weapon, Tediore seems to be the most honest and considerate brand in the Borderlands universe.
With such an interesting purpose, it would be a lot of fun to see Borderlands 4 introduce a character from Tediore. This could be the current CEO or another high-ranking employee, and the character could be overly cheerful like Tales from the Borderlands’ Gortys. With kind figures always standing out since the franchise is full of lunatics and traitors, a Tediore representative could be a nice change of pace from the characters who work for other gun brands. Seeing what Tediore’s military looks like - if it has one - could be very entertaining, as the faction would likely be the punchline of several jokes. While the next Borderlands game could double down on popular companies like Hyperion, it would be great to see Vladof and Tediore become a lot more prominent than they have been thus far.