Borderlands 4 arrives with a monumental task: to evolve the beloved looter-shooter formula while course-correcting from the narrative missteps of its predecessor. For the most part, it succeeds spectacularly, delivering the best-feeling, most mechanically satisfying combat in the series' history, even if its new world and characters don't quite capture the magic of the past.
Story & Setting: A Tale of Two Planets
The decision to move the action from the familiar, dusty plains of Pandora to the hidden, technologically advanced planet of Kairos is a bold and welcome one. The cataclysmic arrival of Pandora's moon, Elpis, has shattered Kairos's protective veil, setting the stage for a conflict against the tyrannical Timekeeper.
Mixed Narrative: While the premise is strong, the narrative execution is a mixed bag. The new cast of allies is serviceable but largely forgettable, lacking the charm and history of characters like Lilith or Scooter. The story takes a more grounded, less "terminally online" approach to its humor, which many will find refreshing. However, the Timekeeper, while imposing, fails to reach the iconic villain status of Handsome Jack.
It's a competent story that serves as a great vehicle for the gameplay, but it won't be what you remember most about Borderlands 4.
Gameplay Evolved: The Best-Feeling Borderlands Yet
This is where Borderlands 4 truly shines.
The addition of a dash, double jump, and grapple hook fundamentally transforms traversal and combat, making firefights more dynamic and vertical than ever before. Quality-of-life improvements are everywhere, from equippable healing Repkits that remove the reliance on random health drops to Moxxi's Big Encore machine, which finally eliminates the tedious save-quit-reload loop for boss farming.
The gunplay itself feels tighter and more responsive, and the new "Licensed Parts" system, which allows guns to spawn with traits from multiple manufacturers, adds even more variety to the "bazillions of guns" promise.
The Class of '25: A Roster of All-Stars
Gearbox has delivered arguably the best starting lineup of Vault Hunters in the franchise's history. Each of the four new characters—Vex, Rafa, Amon, and Harlowe—feels distinct, powerful, and viable from the early game through the toughest endgame challenges.
Build Diversity
Their skill trees are diverse and encourage genuine build-crafting, offering more meaningful choices than simply picking the next passive damage increase.
Playstyle Variety
Whether you want to command an army of spectral minions as Vex or become an unkillable melee Forgeknight as Amon, every playstyle feels incredibly well-supported.
The Loot Loop & Endgame Grind
The core loop of shoot, loot, repeat is as addictive as ever. The move to a true open world, while ambitious, creates a more seamless experience of exploration and discovery. The endgame structure is a massive improvement, offering a clear progression path through Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode's multiple difficulty tiers.
Long-term Engagement: The addition of Specializations and Firmware gear sets provides long-term goals for dedicated players to chase, ensuring that the grind for the perfect build will last for hundreds of hours.
Final Verdict
Borderlands 4 is a confident and impressive evolution of the series. While its story and characters may not reach the heights of Borderlands 2, it surpasses it in nearly every aspect of gameplay, from movement and combat to build diversity and endgame design.
It is an outstanding looter-shooter and a triumphant return to form that lays a fantastic foundation for the future.