After the disappointing Borderlands 3 and the flop of the Borderlands film, the series looks to be getting back on track with Borderlands 4. Indeed, one could make the case that Borderlands 4 is going to be a major leap forward for the franchise, majorly iterating upon its core mechanics rather than just getting them right, as it were.
Many of these iterations could be found within Borderlands 4's build-crafting system, as it turns out: according to lead designer Nick Thurston, Borderlands 4 will put a premium on build variety. Speaking to Polygon, he said, "when I play an action RPG, I want to hit the end game and be doing billions of damage, but I want to do it in the way I want to do." He went on to note that previous Borderlands games had diversity across different character archetypes, but not within them, and this is something the BL4 team wishes to change. Notably, Thurston pointed to Baldur's Gate 3 and Path of Exile as specific influences for these mechanics, signaling a great deal of ambition for this aspect of the game.
Can Borderlands 4 Match Baldur's Gate 3's Build Variety?
What's Been Revealed About Borderlands 4's Build-Crafting
Naturally, Baldur's Gate 3 is a very different sort of game than Borderlands 4, so it would be folly to make too absolute a comparison between the two. At the same time, BG3 is renowned for its approach to character builds, effectively representing the gold standard for RPGs in this respect. To invoke it as a direct inspiration sends a rather strong message, one that appears to be supported by what Gearbox has unveiled about Borderlands 4's ARPG elements.
Each playable Borderlands 4 character will have three distinct skill trees:
- Vex – The Fourth Seal, Vexcalation, Here Comes Trouble
- Rafa – People Person, Remote Agent, This Year's Gimmick
- Amon – Calamity, Vengeance, Cybernetics
- Harlowe – TBA
As one might imagine, each of these trees has a particular focus. For example, when Vex has The Fourth Seal tree active, she will have access to a wide range of summoning powers and related perks, while the wonderfully-named Vexcalation encourages a high-damage magic build. Ideally, these distinct skill trees will mean that each player-character can have, at the very least, three different builds, which Thurston hopes will lead to radically different gameplay experiences.
Looking at what skills Gearbox has made public, these endeavors seem well-wrought; rather than offering small, straightforward stat buffs or resistances, most skills have a tangible, synergetic impact on gameplay. For instance, Vex's The Fourth Seal tree has a series of kill skills—boosts or perks that activate upon killing an enemy—and the Blood Sacrifice passive will activate kill skills when one of Vex's minions is killed. So, in theory, Vex players could craft kill-skill-builds, favoring these particular abilities and subsequently rewarding an aggressive playstyle.
This would mean that there would be variance within each character's skill tree, not just across them. In other words, multiple players could invest in Vex's The Fourth Seal tree, but still have wildly different builds. Multiply this flexibility by every character's triad of upgrade trees, and Borderlands 4 could have staggering build variety.
Borderlands 4 will allow players to switch between active skill trees mid-playthrough; the game won't hogtie anyone to one particular progression path.
Whether these ostensibly robust build-crafting systems can compete with the likes of Baldur's Gate 3 is a different story, but Borderlands 4 appears to be off to a good start. With the addition of Borderlands' signature focus on gear and loot, the possibilities for distinct playstyles in Borderlands 4 are virtually endless—a compelling prospect indeed.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
Borderlands 4 brings intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons to an all-new planet ruled by a ruthless tyrant.
Crash into Kairos as one of four new Vault Hunters seeking wealth and glory. Wield powerful Action Skills, customize your build with deep skill trees, and dominate enemies with dynamic movement abilities.
Break free from the oppressive Timekeeper, a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high. Now a world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect Order, unleashing Mayhem across the planet.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - all platforms
- Prequel(s)
- Borderlands 3, Borderlands 2, Borderlands
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- PC Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- October 3, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- Local Co-Op Support
- Yes
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
