Gearbox Software recently unveiled a thrilling 20-minute gameplay showcase during its Borderlands 4 State of Play, offering fans a deep dive into the much-anticipated looter shooter set to launch in 2025. The presentation kicked off with a bold promise: this latest installment will be the studio's most immersive and innovative outing to date, featuring significant updates to gameplay mechanics, traversal, and loot systems.
Movement Abilities
Borderlands 4 continues the tradition of enhancing player movement, introducing exciting new abilities that promise to revolutionize how players navigate the game world. Among the highlights are a midair hover feature, reminiscent of Destiny, allowing players to shoot while airborne or reach distant ledges. Additionally, a grappling hook offers versatile utility for both combat and exploration, while a new dash ability enables last-second evasions. Vehicles, a staple of the series, see further enhancements with the ability to spawn rides, including the new Digirunner, at will.
Guns and Manufacturers
The spotlight shone brightly on the game's weaponry and manufacturers during the State of Play. Borderlands 4 introduces three new gun manufacturers—Order, Ripper, and Daedalus—bringing the total to eight. Each brings unique designs and abilities to the table. A groundbreaking addition is the Licensed Parts System, allowing guns to be composed of parts from different manufacturers, such as an assault rifle with Maliwan's elemental components, Torgue's ammo clip, and Hyperion's shield. This system adds depth to the quest for high-rarity weapons, making every loot drop an exciting prospect.
Borderlands 4 State of Play Gameplay Screenshots
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Story
The narrative of Borderlands 4 follows two 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 employs innovative tools like Ark Knives for quick enemy takedowns. The gameplay showcased their adventures in the cold, expansive arenas of the Terminus Range on the planet Kairos, one of four zones players will explore.
The story weaves familiar faces like Moxxi, Zane, Amara, and Claptrap with intriguing hints about Lilith's role. New characters include the formidable Rush and the helpful robot Echo 4, who will assist players throughout their journey by scanning environments, hacking, and guiding lost Vault Hunters to their objectives.
Multiplayer
Borderlands 4 enhances the multiplayer experience with an improved lobby system and seamless friend joining. Crossplay will be available at launch, ensuring that loot and level scaling are instanced per player, allowing for flexible play across platforms. Customization extends to individual difficulty settings within parties, and split-screen couch co-op will be available from day one. A fast travel feature enables players to quickly reunite with friends if they get separated.
The game introduces lower chances for Legendary loot drops, dense new skill trees, and new gear systems like Rep Kit gear, Ordnances, and Enhancements, which replace Artifacts and provide manufacturer-specific bonuses to guns.
Borderlands 4 has moved up its release date by 11 days, now set for September 12 on PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is planned for later in the year. Despite speculation, Gearbox's Randy Pitchford clarified that the date shift is unrelated to Grand Theft Auto 6's release. Stay tuned for more details as Gearbox prepares for a hands-on gameplay event in June.
