Does Borderlands 4 featuremore passive abilities than all its preceding titles combined? But is this an improvement?
Borderlands 4, the highly anticipated sequel in the popular looter-shooter franchise, promises to deliver a more immersive and engaging gaming experience for players. With an increased number of passive skills and guns, the game aims to offer greater depth, variety, and meaningful changes to combat and player strategy.
Key impacts include expanded gun variety and customization, enhanced combat fluidity through movement and skills, and meaningful changes rather than superficial additions. The new Licensed Parts system enables weapons to combine behaviors and traits from multiple manufacturers into one gun, creating an unprecedented degree of weapon variety and player choice. Legendary guns have been redesigned to be truly special and impactful, making each legendary drop feel meaningful and setting each gun apart in combat situations.
Borderlands 4 introduces new passive skills that synergize with the improved mobility mechanics such as double jumps, air dashes, grappling hooks, and wall climbing. These passive skills, combined with more versatile guns, enable fresh approaches to combat, including better positioning and tactical engagement. Movement-centric passive skills add significant layers to combat, making encounter flow more dynamic and strategic.
The developers have focused on balancing accessibility with RPG depth, ensuring that the increase in passive skills is not just complexity for complexity’s sake but adds substantive gameplay options that impact how players fight and explore. The interplay of passive skills and weapon variety supports a more personalized and fluid action experience, shifting Borderlands 4 closer to a refined, high-tech shooter while retaining the franchise’s core chaotic fun.
In summary, the increased passive skills and expanded gun mechanics are designed to provide meaningful and innovative changes to Borderlands 4’s action gameplay, offering players more choices in combat style and strategy without sacrificing the franchise’s signature frenetic pace. This change elevates the game's complexity and depth, improving both combat variety and player engagement while maintaining accessibility.
Meanwhile, when it comes to PC gaming controllers, the Xbox Wireless Controller stands out as the best overall choice. For those on a budget, the GameSir Nova Lite is the best option. For those seeking the ultimate in customization, the Scuf Instinct Pro is worth considering. The Xbox Elite Series 2 offers the best premium experience, while the Sony DualSense controller boasts the best haptics, and the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro has the best Hall effect.
Robin Valentine, a lifelong devotee of PC gaming, has been a driving force in games journalism. He can be found filling this lovely website with features, news, reviews, and his hottest takes on PC gaming. Robin's passion for PC gaming started with Simon the Sorcerer and continued as the former editor of PC Gamer magazine and GamesMaster magazine. His work is a testament to the enduring appeal of PC gaming.
However, some concerns have been raised about Borderlands 4 potentially being more of the same formula with all the dials turned up further. Previous games in the series have had a split between skills that genuinely change playstyle and ones that add small percentage bonuses. It remains to be seen whether Borderlands 4 will address this issue and ensure that all skill choices feel impactful and exciting.
With Borderlands 4 containing 30 billion guns and aiming for maximum build diversity, players can look forward to countless hours of customization and exploration. The goal is to provide a game that caters to every playstyle, offering a truly unique and personalized gaming experience.
[1] GameSpot (2021). Borderlands 4: Everything We Know So Far. [online] Available at: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-4-everything-we-know-so-far/1100-6490489/
[2] PC Gamer (2021). Borderlands 4: Everything We Know So Far. [online] Available at: https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-4-everything-we-know-so-far/
[3] IGN (2021). Borderlands 4: Everything We Know So Far. [online] Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/borderlands-4-everything-we-know-so-far
[4] Polygon (2021). Borderlands 4: Everything We Know So Far. [online] Available at: https://www.polygon.com/borderlands-4-everything-we-know-so-far
If you're a fan of the looter-shooter genre, you might be betting on Borderlands 4 to offer an exciting season of entertainment. With 30 billion guns, the game promises a high level of customization and build diversity, which could lead to hours of win-ning combinations and unique gaming experiences. However, some concerns have been raised about whether the game will address the issue of impactful skill choices, ensuring that each decision feels meaningful in the heat of combat. Despite this, the game's broad potential and incorporation of a new Licensed Parts system for weapons make it an enticing bet for fans of the franchise.
