Borderlands 4 Review

A Legacy to Uphold

Borderlands has always been the series that defined the looter-shooter genre. The first game proved the concept: tiered loot systems inspired by RPGs like World of Warcraft, combined with the frantic gunplay of an FPS. The promise of millions of guns was a marketing hook more than reality, but it was enough to show the idea had legs.

Borderlands 2 expanded on that foundation and, for many fans, remains the franchise’s high-water mark. With a stronger villain in Handsome Jack, more memorable characters, deeper abilities, and zanier humor, it proved the genre could go mainstream. The Pre-Sequel, Tales from the Borderlands, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands all experimented with tone and structure, but the series began to drift. Borderlands 3 modernized combat and movement but was criticized for its cringeworthy humor and uneven story. For many, the franchise felt like it was losing its way and were unsure if it would ever fully realize its potential.

But much to my pleasant surprise Borderlands 4 arrives as both soft reboot and course correction. It pares back the slapstick, reclaims the darker edge of the original game, and injects fresh ambition into the looter-shooter genre.

The New Borderlands

Borderlands 4 is the first fully open-world entry in the series, and the leap feels transformative. Regions range from sweeping meadows and lakes to snowy mountains, deserts, oceans, and authoritarian cityscapes. Each biome feels distinct, filled with patrols, bases, and side activities that tempt you off the critical path. Exploration is seamless and rewarding, echoing the freedom of Elden Ring or Diablo IV.

Traversal has been overhauled with double jumps, grappling hooks, dashes, mantling, sliding, gliding, and summonable vehicles. For the first time, Vault Hunters are fully voiced, distinct in personality, and present in cutscenes. They react differently to characters and situations, giving weight to your choice of protagonist. The sense of presence is stronger than ever. No longer are you simply a bystander as you attempt to save the world around you, now you are the driving force behind the galaxy saving narrative.

And I haven't even mentioned the changes to build crafting like the new ordnance slot which replaces traditional rocket launchers and grenades, instead letting players equip everything from heavy machine guns to throwing knives. These weapons are tied to cooldowns, encouraging you to use them strategically rather than saving them for emergencies. It is one of several systems that pushes players toward experimentation and variety.

A World Without Walls

Perhaps the biggest shift is tonal in nature. The main story is darker and more grounded than Borderlands 3 or Wonderlands. While humor remains, it is reserved for side quests and quirky NPCs. One side quest about reuniting a man with his estranged legs captures the trademark weirdness, but the central narrative keeps its focus on rebellion against an oppressive regime.

This rebalancing makes the story more compelling. While the villains lack the iconic presence of Handsome Jack, the writing, acting, and pacing are the strongest the series has seen. Dialogue is sharper, and the Vault Hunters themselves feel like true participants rather than silent errand-runners. For the first time, Borderlands truly has a narrative that can stand alongside its gameplay.

The nonlinear structure, however, introduces tradeoffs. Being able to tackle zones in any order gives freedom, but it also fragments the storytelling. Characters rarely reference events outside their own arcs, and narrative cohesion suffers compared to a more linear design. Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 have shown how difficult yet rewarding true branching narratives can be, and Borderlands 4 doesn’t fully realize this potential. Still, the story succeeds overall, and its structure sets up replayability and future tales well.

Loot, Builds, and Broken Combos

Loot remains the lifeblood of Borderlands, and Borderlands 4 delivers in spades. The familiar tiers of common, rare, epic, and legendary return, with pearlescents promised in future updates. Each Vault Hunter has three fleshed-out skill trees, offering action skills that dramatically alter playstyle. Once you hit level 50, a post-cap system allows continued progression with percentage bonuses, similar to Guardian Ranks. While not as deep as Diablo IV’s Paragon system, it adds longevity to the grind.

The new ordnance system reshapes combat flow, forcing choices and encouraging creativity by allowing you to have powerful weapons on cooldown rather than saving ammo for a rainy day. Meanwhile, world bosses introduce MMO-lite design, complete with phases and mechanics that demand coordination. Builds can lean into melee, critical hits, status effects, or team buffs, offering staggering variety. For co-op, the synergy is thrilling, filled with laughs and cheers as you mow through the Timekeeper's forces.

Across 75 hours, split between solo play and co-op with Melch, the game proved endlessly engaging. We cleared vaults, farmed bosses, tackled side quests, and still felt like we’d only scratched the surface. Borderlands 4 is stuffed with content, with DLC and expansions already on the horizon. There is easily 100s of hours of content here for those that want to seek it out.

Beauty With a Price Tag

Built on Unreal Engine 5, Borderlands 4 is visually stunning but technically rough. High-end PCs and consoles alike struggle with frame drops, stuttering, and crashes. Performance issues were severe enough to indefinitely postpone the planned Switch 2 version at launch. History offers hope, as Borderlands 3 launched rocky but now runs smoothly, however for anyone looking to be an early adopter, patience may be required.

When it runs well, though, the game looks fantastic. Enemy variety is higher, environments are richly detailed, and combat effects pop without overwhelming clarity. The presentation feels like a true generational leap.

Borderlands as an MMO-Lite?

Borderlands 4 feels like the game Destiny players always wanted Destiny to become. Its shared world, seamless zones, and large-scale encounters evoke the shift from Diablo 3 to Diablo 4. Seeing other players in the wild, fighting world bosses together, and speculating on raids or PvP makes it easy to imagine Gearbox pushing toward an MMO-lite Borderlands Online. It would not surprise me if this ended up becoming a future project as the Borderlands team introduces more and more post launch support and live service esque content.

Whether that happens or not, Borderlands 4 already sets the blueprint. It reclaims the looter-shooter crown and shows there is still life in a genre many considered stagnant.

The Vault Opens Again

For me, Borderlands 4 is both a soft reboot and a triumphant return. It balances a darker, more grounded story with the zany humor fans expect. It modernizes combat and progression while preserving the thrill of loot. And it builds an open world worth exploring, whether solo or with friends.

Performance issues definitely hold it back from being truly great at launch, and its nonlinear story isn’t perfect, but the core experience is excellent. For newcomers, it is a great entry point. For veterans, it is the Borderlands they’ve been waiting for.

Borderlands 4 is the strongest the series has ever been, and it reclaims its place at the top of the looter-shooter genre. It is an easy recommendation to nearly all prospective players and I am sure many Vaults will be raided for years to come. Thanks for reading and happy hunting!