Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Gearbox has made a very strong case for Borderlands 4’s endgame – even if they’re passing on some things we wanted to hear.
Gearbox has promised future paid and free DLC. There’s also at least one promised storyline campaign in the future. While other looter shooters like Destiny have normalized regular story campaigns, it’s not clear if Borderlands is following suit
And maybe they shouldn’t be eager to become Destiny. But even if that doesn’t happen, what Gearbox has promised seems to be enough to keep fans happy, even if they won’t be playing forever.
The Big Pitch: No More Tedious Loot Farming
For this one, we think it’s best to let Gearbox speak for themselves:
In Borderlands 4, the act of loot farming has been improved to offer more variety and more predictable goals—including dedicated drops, another inclusion inspired by player feedback.
Instead of fighting the same bosses over and over again in the same part of the map, you’re now incentivized to take the fight across Kairos and fight a wide variety of enemies in the pursuit of the specific loot you’re looking for.
Gearbox didn’t explain how this system works, but it will be a big deal if they pull it off. Will there be some level of procedural generation to ensure the variety? And how much will they remix the game’s different elements?
They also made that other pitch to compel players to challenge themselves. Take on huge challenges and you can expect huge rewards.
And Now, The Finer Details
Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, the franchise’s version of New Game Plus, will scale appropriately to you. There are five levels that will require you pass through severe challenges, but there’s also no rush.
Contracts will ensure you get big rewards for beating bosses. However, Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine will save you time by letting you jump to your chosen boss immediately.
There will be Weekly Wildcard Missions that players can study together, a new gear set system called Firmware, a streamlined build system called Specializations, and more.
Big Rewards For Big Challenges
But it seems the most daunting tasks waiting players in the endgame are Invincible Bosses. They aren’t literally invincible, but their health pools are so massive that it will feel like it. You’ll probably want to squad up for them.
Subsequently, to meet the need for ever escalating rewards, Gearbox is bringing back Pearlescent gear, the tier above Legendary.
Both Invincible Bosses and Pearlescents will come up once in a blue moon. The combination of all of these may be what compels Borderlands faithful to keep coming back.
We don’t think Gearbox is trying to win over the Destiny fans or other looter shooter fandoms. But if they do pull off everything they’ve promised, it could happen on its own anyway.
