It’s been over a decade since we first set foot on Pandora, and in that time the looter-shooter genre its creators pioneered has been stretched, copied, and reimagined. To return to Borderlands now requires more than just a new set of guns and a pithy one-liner; it needs a reason to exist. Astonishingly, Borderlands 4 doesn’t just find that reason—it builds a monument to it with a million irradiated, electrified, and incendiary bullets.
A Universe Expanded, A Legacy Honored
Picking up after the events of Borderlands 3 and the various tales in between, the story finds the galaxy in a precarious state. The Crimson Raiders are legends, but they’re scattered, tired, and dealing with the weight of their own mythos. The new villain, a rogue Eridian historian named Kael who believes the universe must be “pruned” of its instability (namely, all free-willed life), provides a terrifyingly logical threat.
What makes the narrative work so well is its focus on legacy. This isn’t about erasing the past; it’s about building upon it. Your new vault hunters—the sharp-witted Glam (a pop-star-turned-anarchist Operative), the hulking B.O.R.I.S. (a Loader Bot with a heart of, well, more guns), the mystical Shade (a Siren who communes with the dead), and the feral Talon (a Beastmaster who is part beast himself)—are all directly connected to the series’ history. Their interactions with returning icons like a grizzled Mordecai, a now-responsible Tina, and a wistful Lilith are filled with warmth and genuine character growth. The writing is sharp, self-aware without being cynical, and for the first time, it made me care about the world of Borderlands as much as the loot within it.
The Class Fusion Revolution
While the story is a victory lap, the gameplay is a quantum leap forward. The headline feature is the “Class Fusion” system. At a certain point in the campaign, you don’t just choose one Action Skill; you choose a secondary class. This isn’t a simple sub-class—it fundamentally merges your skill trees.
Want to play as Glam the Operative but infuse her holographic decoys with the Siren’s Phaseforce abilities to create reality-bending traps? You can. Want to combine B.O.R.I.S.’s arsenal of shoulder-mounted cannons with Talon’s pack of mutated skags to create a one-robot army? Go for it. The system is dizzyingly deep, encouraging endless experimentation and respecs. My end-game B.O.R.I.S./Operative build, which focused on deploying automated drones and turrets, felt completely different from anyone else’s I’d seen online. It’s the ultimate expression of Borderlands’ “a billion guns” philosophy, applied to gameplay itself.
Feel the Boom
Gunplay has received a significant next-gen upgrade. The haptic feedback on the DualSense controller makes every weapon type feel distinct—the slow, powerful thump of a Jakobs shotgun, the high-frequency buzz of a Maliwan beam, the chaotic, rattling clatter of a Bandit assault rifle. It’s more visceral and satisfying than ever. The new weapons continue to innovate; my personal favorite is a Tediore pistol that, when reloaded (thrown), digistructs into a small, angry robot that chases enemies before exploding. It’s pure, unadulterated Borderlands madness, perfected.
The planets you visit, from the familiar rusty dunes of Pandora to the glistening fungal jungles of Eden-6 and the cyberpunk metropolis of Promethea, are breathtaking. The shift to Unreal Engine 5 is immediately apparent in the stunning lighting, incredible particle effects during firefights, and vastly improved character models that finally bring the iconic art style into a new era of clarity and detail.
A Few Misfires
It’s not a perfect vault run. The opening few hours are slightly sluggish, taking a bit too long to introduce the Class Fusion system and unleash the full potential of its combat. And while the humor is largely on point, a few of the more juvenile gags feel like relics from a bygone era, clashing slightly with the game’s more mature narrative tone. These are minor quibbles in a otherwise supremely polished experience.
Verdict
Borderlands 4 is a triumphant return. Gearbox Software has listened, learned, and crafted an experience that respects its past while fiercely charging into the future. The groundbreaking Class Fusion system alone would make it a standout, but when combined with a heartfelt story, jaw-dropping visuals, and the most refined combat in the series, it becomes something truly special. It’s the ultimate looter-shooter, back on its throne and more confident than ever. Welcome home, Vault Hunter. Your billion guns are waiting.
Disclaimer: This is a fictional review created for the purpose of this exercise. Borderlands 4 has not been announced by Gearbox Software or 2K Games at the time of writing. All details, including character names, mechanics, and story points, are purely speculative.
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