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Gearbox just launched a huge update for Borderlands 4, but it sounds like they had even more in the works.
Creative Director Graeme Timmins shared this update on Twitter:
As a note, we had too many Vault Hunter buffs to safely fit into today’s big update. Instead, we broke up them into their own balance update that we’re targeting to release early next week instead.
This Was All Foretold A Week Ago
Streamer Gothalion revealed that he used to be a forum mod on a Gearbox fan forum when bee shield got balanced. So he argued that balancing was an inevitability for Borderlands 4.
Of course, from the game developer side, they would have to make changes sometimes even to things that the fans like. And you don’t have to be a developer yourself to understand it.
Simply, if you get powered up too quickly, you could get bored playing the game quickly too. Getting overpowered can tilt the scales too far from making an engaging experience players will return to.
It may sound counterintuitive, but developers do need to add some layer of challenge or friction to keep players engaged. Otherwise, they’ll stop playing, and maybe find another game to fill that need.
What Balances Do We Have For A Game That’s Already This Good?
We do have to remember the broad consensus that this is one of the best Borderlands games we’ve seen in a while. In fact, some say it’s the best in the franchise for some time now.
Part of that is how much the players have been enjoying this batch of Vault Hunters. For those who don’t know or remember, the Hunters have always been broadly based on common playstyles from other shooters.
Gearbox’s version of dps characters, magic users, etc. have been the most polished that they have been in the franchise’s history. The Specialization and other gameplay systems have helped polish the experience even further.
Maybe some players will recognize what balancing is necessary, but we suspect a lot of more casual players are enjoying the game as it is.
So we won’t venture to declare what changes Gearbox is actually bringing to next week’s patch. It definitely sounds like they already know what they want to change, and they just need everyone to get through this earlier patch first.
Depending on what the rebalancing does, it could elevate or sink the meta and the game’s reputation. So the tides could turn for Borderlands 4 early next week.
