Borderlands 4 Review: A Looter-Shooter Legend Returns? My journey with the Borderlands franchise, from the 2009 original to the divisive Borderlands 3 and beyond, has been a rollercoaster. While spin-offs like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and the Borderlands movie left me questioning the future, a few hours with Borderlands 4 reignited my passion. Discover if this latest installment recaptures the magic of Borderlands 2 and whether it's worth revisiting the vibrant, co-op looter-shooter world of Pandora and beyond
Borderlands 4's humor: a refined approach. Gone are the constant pop culture references and meme jokes of previous installments. Instead, Borderlands 4 delivers a drier, more character-driven comedy through natural dialogue, letting the personalities shine. Don't worry, though – the game is still hilarious! Claptrap alone provides plenty of laughs. This refined comedic style enhances the narrative and key characters, making for a more engaging Borderlands experience
Borderlands 4: New Vault Hunters Confront the Timekeeper on Hidden Planet Kairos! After the events of Borderlands 3 shattered its protective barrier, the concealed planet Kairos is revealed, ruled by the tyrannical Timekeeper. Enslaving its people in his quest for "perfect order," the Timekeeper's reign of terror is challenged by a fresh team of Vault Hunters and a desperate rebel faction. Experience thrilling looter-shooter action, explosive combat, and darkly humorous storytelling in this highly anticipated Borderlands sequel
Borderlands 4: Seamless Exploration and Epic Looter-Shooter Action
Experience the next generation of Borderlands! Explore a vast, seamless world, blasting enemies with powerful new weapons and enjoying improved traversal mechanics. Building on the core Borderlands formula, Borderlands 4 delivers enhanced exploration with fewer loading screens and exciting new movement options, making it the most fluid and satisfying Borderlands game yet. Relive the thrill of cooperative looter-shooter action, updated with a refined sense of humor
Borderlands 4 enhances the acclaimed looter-shooter gameplay, building on player feedback from Borderlands 3. Gearbox prioritized player experience, refining movement mechanics and focusing on features fans loved. The developers meticulously analyzed player data to ensure intuitive and engaging gameplay, creating a sequel designed for maximum player enjoyment
Borderlands 4's Grappling Hook Revolutionizes Movement and Combat: Experience seamless traversal and exhilarating combat with the new grappling hook in Borderlands 4. Glide, sprint, double-jump, and slide through Kairos' vibrant environments, then use the hook to reach new areas and grab objects to hurl at enemies. Combine this innovative ability with existing moves for devastating attacks – grapple to high ground, glide towards foes, and unleash grenades followed by a powerful ground pound. This upgrade makes previous Borderlands games feel outdated
Borderlands 4: Revolutionary Exploration and Epic Weaponry! Experience vastly improved world traversal and exploration, but the legendary Borderlands gunplay remains the star. Uncover incredible, fun weapons with every chest and defeated enemy – the loot is better than ever!
Borderlands 4 Weapon Variety: Surprisingly Viable Loadouts
Experimenting with Borderlands 4's arsenal was a thrill. I swapped weapons, testing their suitability for my quick-select slot, and was amazed by how effective almost every gun felt. Even if I disliked a weapon's handling or abilities, the existing guns in my inventory – regardless of rarity – remained reliable. The exhilarating hunt for new weapons and exploring the game world kept me hooked during my two-hour playthrough
Customize your Borderlands 4 gameplay! Keep and enhance your favorite weapons, optimizing your build around them and other valuable gear. Every loot drop is strategically balanced for progression, ensuring rarity and viability throughout your adventure
Borderlands 4: Revamped Inventory, New Manufacturers & Action-Packed Gameplay
Experience the next generation of looter-shooter action in Borderlands 4! Enjoy a streamlined inventory system with grenades, ordnance, and heavy weapons sharing the same slot. Mix and match manufacturer parts for unprecedented weapon combinations. Say goodbye to health kits – replenish health by defeating enemies and utilize your Repkit, a cooldown-based healing and buffing ability, for on-the-fly combat healing. Discover new manufacturers, licensed parts, and intense battles on the newly revealed planet Kairos
Borderlands 4 Hands-On: Exploring the New Vault Hunters, Rafa & Vex
Dive into the action with Borderlands 4's new Vault Hunters! This hands-on preview explores two distinct characters: the Exo-Soldier, Rafa, and the Dark Siren, Vex. Rafa offers a classic run-and-gun experience, customizable with Action Skills like the piercing Apophis Lance (think Samus' arm cannon!) and the auto-firing Peacebreaker Cannons. Switch to his Arc-Knives for intense melee combat. Vex, meanwhile, provides diverse tactical options. Her Dead Ringer skill summons Reapers or Specters for distraction and damage, while Phase Familiar unleashes the powerful, teleporting Trouble. Finally, Incarnate empowers Vex with explosive damage and buffs. Experience the diverse gameplay and unique abilities of these exciting new characters in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 Gameplay: A Level 5 Fadefields Adventure
My longest Borderlands 4 session began in the Fadefields region with a level 5 character. The initial mission? Aiding the Outbounders, the first group to join Claptrap's Kairos-wide resistance against the tyrannical Timekeeper. This early gameplay showcases the compelling narrative and humor, with Claptrap's recruitment drive setting the stage for a fight against the Timekeeper's forces
Borderlands 4 Gameplay: Explosive Action & New Vehicles! Join the fight against the Timekeeper's forces on Kairos! Use grapple hooks, arc-knives, and sniper rifles to take down synthetic enemies, including Pinheads and Incendiary Breach Armaments. Earn a Digirunner vehicle after assisting the Outbounders, unlocking seamless exploration of this vast, new world. Experience intense looter-shooter combat and hilarious Claptrap moments in this exciting Borderlands adventure
Borderlands 4 Gameplay: Intense Horace Boss Fight! After navigating the Fadefields, I infiltrated Horace's stronghold – a challenging room-by-room battle culminating in an epic boss fight. New traversal mechanics shine during this intense solo encounter against Horace, the "murder-pervert" (Rafa's words!), his scythe, and his summoned synths. Mastering mobility and Repkit cooldown is crucial for survival, especially with the Second Wind mechanic offering tactical revivals amidst overwhelming odds. Thirty minutes of thrilling combat and strategic gameplay proved Borderlands 4's action is back and better than ever
Borderlands 4 Hands-On: Looting, Shooting, and a Hilarious Claptrap Questline! My Borderlands 4 gameplay revealed powerful loot, like the ricochet-critical-hit Looming Muki pistol – the best handgun I've found so far! After defeating Horace, I dove into a Claptrap quest, putting my early-game skills to the test against waves of enemies and badass variants. Exploring Kairos' open world was a blast, chaining together abilities for satisfying combat. Switching to the Vex Vault Hunter for my next session has me eagerly awaiting more!
Stepping into the shoes of a level 20 Vex, my mission is simple: conquer the Fadefields Primordial Vault. This challenging dungeon threw me from platform to platform, each offering multiple waves of difficult enemies. The chaos involved not only staying alive but also chipping away at the insistent hordes of enemies, which range from standard beasts and gunmen to Badass creatures. It brought me right back to the perpetually moving, chaotic scenes that made me fall in love with Borderlands in the first place. When things got too hectic, I used Vex’s ability to summon beasts and phantoms to take the heat off me and provide some much-needed support.
After surviving all of the Primordial Vault’s challenges, I was faced with the Vault boss, the Primordial Guardian Inceptus. This massive beast wildly swings its whip-like tail and lunges forward to slash me with its big claws. I can do nominal damage by shooting Inceptus, but the best way to put real dents in its health is by using the grappling hook to rip open its weak spots.
Due to his restless stream of attacks, I am downed more than a couple of times, but thankfully, some smaller minions are easily picked off to let me stand back up. After I do enough damage, Inceptus crawls onto the ceiling and summons a pool of poisonous liquid that floods the arena. My only recourse is to use my grappling hook to climb to the stalactite-like mushrooms that grow out of the ceiling when it does this move. Grappling from mushroom to mushroom like Spider-Man while blasting his revealed vulnerable targets feels great, and through staying alive long enough to outlast it, I am able to bring Inceptus down and reap the rewards.
Following my victory, I had the opportunity to team up in two-player cooperative play. I had a lot of fun playing Borderlands 4 in single-player mode, but co-op is clearly the definitive way to experience Borderlands. I’m sad I didn’t have the opportunity to run wild in the open world, but just taking on the boss fight with Inceptus gave me a sense of the fun to be had there. Maybe it was the fact that we had both taken on this leviathan solo and knew how to approach the battle, but the fight went so much smoother when there was a second player to distract the boss some of the time. Though I was disappointed to only have a small amount of time with the co-op play, it was a fitting way to end my first hands-on experience with Borderlands 4.
When trying to bounce back from a polarizing release, nearly every studio will tell you that they’ve learned from recent games and are listening to fans. With Gearbox, it truly feels like Borderlands 4 is taking those steps to change the direction of a franchise that had been drifting away from me for more than a decade, while still remaining staunchly true to its overarching identity. I can’t wait to explore Kairos and take down the Timekeeper when Borderlands 4 arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 12. It will come to Switch 2 at a later date.
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