Gearbox Software recently unveiled an exciting 20-minute gameplay showcase for Borderlands 4 during its State of Play event, offering a deep dive into the highly anticipated looter shooter set to launch in 2025. The studio promises that this new installment is their most grounded and innovative yet, featuring significant updates to gameplay mechanics, traversal abilities, and loot systems.
Movement Abilities
Borderlands 4 continues the series' tradition of enhancing player movement, introducing fresh traversal mechanics that promise to elevate the gaming experience. Players will enjoy a Destiny-inspired midair hover, enabling them to shoot while in the air or reach distant ledges. A new grappling hook adds versatility for both combat and exploration, complemented by a dash ability for quick evasive maneuvers. The game also expands on vehicle usage, allowing players to spawn vehicles, including the new Digirunner, at their chosen locations.
Guns and Manufacturers
The spotlight was firmly on gun manufacturers during the State of Play. Borderlands 4 introduces three new companies—Order, Ripper, and Daedalus—bringing the total to eight. Each offers unique weapon designs and abilities. The game innovates further with the Licensed Parts System, allowing weapons to combine parts from different manufacturers. This means players might find an assault rifle with elemental components from Maliwan, a Torgue ammo clip, and a Hyperion shield. The system adds depth to the loot chase, with higher rarity weapons featuring more parts.
Borderlands 4 State of Play Gameplay Screenshots
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Story
The narrative of Borderlands 4 follows two new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren and Rafa, a former Tediore soldier in an exosuit. Vex uses her Siren powers to summon allies in battle, while Rafa wields Ark Knives to dismantle foes. The showcased gameplay features the duo navigating the cold, expansive arenas of the Terminus Range on the planet Kairos. The game will blend familiar faces like Moxxi, Zane, Amara, and Claptrap with new characters such as Rush and the helpful robot Echo 4, who assists with scanning, hacking, and guiding players.
Multiplayer
Gearbox has streamlined the co-op experience in Borderlands 4, introducing an improved lobby system and crossplay at launch. Players can enjoy instanced loot and dynamic level scaling, ensuring flexibility across different platforms. Customization extends to individual difficulty settings within parties, and split-screen co-op and fast travel options enhance the multiplayer experience.
Borderlands 4 also introduces a lower Legendary loot drop rate, new dense skill trees, Rep Kit gear for quick revives or combat buffs, and Ordnances for unique heavy weapons. Enhancements replace Artifacts, offering bonuses to specific manufacturer guns.
The release date for Borderlands 4 on PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S has been moved up to September 12 from September 23. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is expected later in the year. Despite fan speculation, Gearbox's Randy Pitchford clarified that the date change isn't related to Grand Theft Auto 6's release. More details about Borderlands 4 will be revealed during an upcoming hands-on gameplay event in June.
