
Borderlands 4 is the latest entry in the legendary looter shooter series, following the Borderlands movie. It brings intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons to an all-new planet. The game takes place on Kairos, a world ruled by a tyrant, where Vault Hunters must reclaim Silos to find Vault Key Fragments while fighting Order patrols and world bosses.
This game changes gameplay based on feedback from Borderlands 3, making legendary weapons harder to get and removing the mini-map to encourage exploration. Players can now swim in water for the first time in the series, use double jump abilities, and employ elemental abilities like throwable fire and ice axes. The game features a slightly darker tone while keeping the signature Borderlands humor.
Core gameplay includes the new Licensed Parts System, where guns combine parts from different manufacturers; an assault rifle could have Maliwan elemental components, a Torgue ammo clip, and a Hyperion shield. Higher rarity weapons come with more parts, making loot drops more crucial. Three new weapon manufacturers (Order, Ripper, and Daedalus) join the usual Tediore, Maliwan, Jakobs, Vladof, and Torgue.
Movement has been completely upgraded with double jumping, gliding, dodging, grappling, and midair hover that lets players shoot while airborne or reach faraway ledges. A grappling hook works for both combat and exploration, while dash helps with last-second dodges. Boss fights are more mechanically involved, requiring grappling objects to drop vulnerability phases and air dodging to avoid big attacks.
Vehicles remain a major component, with the new Digirunner that players can spawn wherever they please instead of using catcher ride stations. The game is much more vertical, with grappling, gliding, and climbing mechanics encouraging adventurous exploration beyond point A to B.
Fans of looter shooters and action games
Players who enjoy co-op with friends (solo or up to 4 players)
Gamers who love collecting billions of unique weapons
Beginners, thanks to individual difficulty settings and optional robot ECHO-4 guidance
Couch gamers with split-screen support at launch
Crossplay available at launch with instanced loot for each player
Each party member can have separate difficulty settings
Fast travel to buddies if someone gets lost
Six elemental damage types (Kinetic, Incendiary, Shock, Corrosive, Cryo, Radiation) for strategic combat
No loading screens between areas, making getting around better than in previous games
Midair hover for shooting while airborne or reaching ledges
Grappling hook for combat and exploration
Double jump, glide, dash, and dodge abilities
First-time swimming in water for the Borderlands series
Lateral dash and quick double-jump to escape harm during boss fights
Guns are comprised of parts from different manufacturers
Assault rifle with Maliwan elemental components, Torgume ammo clip, Hyperion shield
Higher rarity weapons come with more parts
Three new manufacturers: Order, Ripper, Daedalus
Bazillions of guns with six elemental damage types
Kinetic: Baseline damage, same hurt regardless of enemy type
Incendiary: Effective against enemies with red health bars (health)
Shock: Effective against enemies with blue health bars (Shield)
Corrosive: Effective against enemies with yellow health bars (Armor)
Cryo: Freezes enemies, effective against Armor
Radiation: Causes enemies to explode, effective against Shield
Crossplay available at launch
All loot is instanced for each player
Dynamic level scaling for freedom with friends on any platform
Individual difficulty settings per party member
Split-screen couch co-op at launch
Fast travel to buddies if someone gets lost
Online Co-op, Cross-Platform Multiplayer support
Spawn Digirunner vehicles wherever you please
No catcher ride stations anymore
Reclaim Silos to aid search for Vault Key Fragments
No mini-map to encourage exploration
Optional robot ECHO-4 guides you to objectives
Much more vertical gameplay with grappling, gliding, and climbing
Zipline up to hacked communications balloons for gliding
Billions of weapons with unique combinations
Lower chance for Legendary loot drops (harder to get)
Dense new skill trees
New endgame encounter with powerful new loot
1 new Pearlescent weapon, 4 new Legendary items
5 new Class Mods (one per Vault Hunter)
1 new Firmware
Rep Kit gear: choose quick revive or temporary combat buff
Ordnances: cooldown weapons slot with grenades or unique heavy weapons
Four new badass Vault Hunters to choose from
Elemental abilities, including throwable fire and ice axes
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