Summary
By and large, it seems thatBorderlands 4is doing everything in its power to revitalize itself by taking the series to greater heights with new features and improvements it has long needed. On the one hand, this ambition is good, asBorderlands 4might be the franchise’s last chance to innovate, so it needs to explore new territory where possible. On the other hand, it risks losing diehard fans if it changes too much, so it needs to approach it in a balanced way. Regardless of the outcome, however, it is making some big shifts that will hopefully pay off for its sake, with one of the most significant shifts involving its genre.
More than anything else, theBorderlandsseries has been an action first-person looter shooter at its core, with some RPG elements sprinkled in here and there. Things like character progression, skill trees, and a randomized loot system helped add some strands of RPG DNA to its identity, but these systems were always much more shallow than traditional RPGs. Now,Borderlands 4appears to take the series' RPG focus even further, with deeper skill trees, modular weapon systems, and more agency in its exploration than ever before, effectively embracing a genre the series has really only flirted with up to this point.
The Borderlands Are Starting to Blur in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4’s Skill Trees Are Built for RPG Fans
Skill customizationis one of the loudest heartbeats of an authentic RPG, andBorderlands 4is headed down that road with the most in-depth and customizable skill trees in the franchise’s history. Based on what has been revealed so far, especially duringBorderlands 4’s recent State of Play deep dive, the upcoming entry will offer the deepest and most diverse selection of abilities yet, giving players an unprecedented amount of agency over their character’s build and playstyle.
More than anything else, theBorderlandsseries has been an action first-person looter shooter at its core, with some RPG elements sprinkled in here and there.
Each Vault Hunter inBorderlands 4will have access to three distinct Action Skills, each of which also has its own branching skill tree. These trees offer a wide variety of passive abilities, augments, and capstone skills, which, in turn, allow players to craft unique builds for their characters. For instance, Vex the Siren has a Trait that alters her Action Skill’s elemental effect based on the currently equipped weapon, encouraging more strategy when it comes to gameplay and weapon choices and making it perfect for RPG fans.
The Licensed Parts System Makes Loot More Player-Centric
The new Licensed Parts system inBorderlands 4is one of its most significant additions, as it turns loot drops into modular experiments for weapons. Instead of a weapon strictly being from onemanufacturer,Borderlands 4features weapons that can have traits from multiple manufacturers, like different firing modes, reload animations, and even special perks. This means players have an even greater personal selection when it comes to the weapons they find, and it increases the uniqueness of their game in comparison to everyone else’s — another characteristic of a good RPG.
Kairos Could Be the Most RPG-Like Setting in the Franchise
Finally, there’sBorderlands 4’s new planet Kairos, which could be the most RPG-like setting in the franchise. What makes Kairos so unique in the series is that it has been designed around player curiosity. For the most part,Borderlandshas featured locations that are linear in their design and essentially hold the player’s hand the entire way. Kairos, on the other hand, doesn’t guide players using quest objectives and markers. Instead, players are largely driven by their own interests, with quests even only appearing after players discover an area, rather than requiring them to pick up quests beforehand. This effectively increases their agency in exploration and gameplay, makingBorderlands 4feel even more like an RPG.
IfBorderlands 4follows through on what it’s promising, then it may finally step into a genre it has spent years only flirting with. With skill trees that encourage deeper builds, aloot systemthat rewards player creativity, and a world that responds to curiosity rather than linear design,Borderlands 4could mark the series' biggest genre shift yet. Whether it redefines the series moving forward or simply adds a new layer to its identity,Borderlands 4is clearly setting its sights on something bigger than the status quo.
