Every open world needs some form of navigational assistance for players, and while Borderlands 4 isn't technically fully open world, its map of Kairos is undeniably massive, meaning players may often need plenty of help getting from one point to the next, especially if they hope to complete and retrieve every activity and collectible in the game. Until now, the Borderlands series has offered players navigational aids like traditional waypoint markers and a compass, but Borderlands 4 gives them Echo-4 — a Dahl companion robot that not only lets players perform a variety of functions no matter where they are, but it also provides occasional navigation by temporarily revealing to players the optimal route they should take to get to their objective.
One point of implementing Echo-4 into the game was to put the player's attention on the beauty and expanse of Borderlands 4's Kairos, as opposed to merely having regard for their destination, but also so that the route to the player's destination would be laid out clearly in front of them. This way, players wouldn't get stuck trying to find a collectible item or an underground lair, and instead, they'd be able to keep the flow of gameplay moving. However, in many ways, Echo-4 has proven to share one of the worst traits with modern-day technology. In short, it's great when it works, but when it doesn't, it's very inconvenient.
Echo-4's Navigation Reflects the Frustration of Real Tech
Borderlands 4's Echo-4 Is Helpful in Theory, Frustrating in Practice
The biggest issue isn't that Borderlands 4's Echo-4 isn't completely unreliable, but more that it's just reliable enough to trust it. The same way a phone or computer might work when it's not needed all that much, and then immediately give its user issues when it's a necessity, Echo-4 seems to be just as inconsistent. Whether players are pursuing a quest objective or simply trying to get that last collectible before they leave the room and forget about it forever, Echo-4 is pretty picky about when it works.
That doesn't mean it never works, though, and it's far from completely useless. There are times when Echo-4 will be so efficient with navigating Borderlands 4's Kairos, the path it draws for players might seem like it's going on for miles. Valuable items like Survivor Caches and worldbuilding items like Echo Logs will sometimes lie at the end of Echo-4's path, proving the robot really is a valuable companion to the Vault Hunter's journey in Borderlands 4. But there are other times when that path will go straight into the ground, or it just won't appear altogether, showing the unfortunate similarities it shares with modern-day tech.
Echo-4 Is a Borderlands Tool That Mirrors Real Life
There's a bit of a satirical edge to Echo-4's flaws, whether it's intentional or not. Borderlands has never shied away from parody, and Echo-4 is somehow one of Borderlands 4's most relatable punchlines. If nothing else, it's just a reminder that technology isn't perfect, even if it does make life significantly easier. The fact that Echo-4 is still usable, despite its faults, just speaks to how ingrained these tools have become in both the real world and the Borderlands universe.
Perhaps giving Echo-4 a bit more personality would have helped these frustrations to sit a little better, perhaps even making them more endearing than anything else. Instead, the robot occasionally drops the ball, getting reduced to nothing more than a reflection of modern-day technology in the process. At the very least, it's nice to have around for when it does work as intended, especially for Borderlands 4's most dedicated completionists.
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
