In the Borderlands community, 2019's Borderlands 3 is often regarded as a step-down in quality from its predecessors. While the core gameplay loop of Gearbox Software's hit title is perhaps the best the series has ever seen, the humor, antagonists, and quality of the game's writing have been widely criticized by fans. Many have argued that Borderlands 3's over-reliance on bullet-spongy enemies and boss fights has significantly hindered the tactical depth of its combat. Others, meanwhile, have been critical of the game's somewhat unbalanced endgame, messy UI, and excessive amount of paid DLCs.
If there's one aspect of Borderlands 3 that hasn't received much criticism, though, it's the game's playable characters. Like every mainline Borderlands title, Borderlands 3 has four Vault Hunters to choose from, each of which comes with their own unique skills and abilities. From a gameplay perspective, the game's cast of characters is incredibly versatile, ranging from Amara the Siren, who excels at close-quarters combat, to Moze the Gunner, who is heavily reliant on explosives. While Borderlands 3's Vault Hunters are all pretty distinct from each other, there is one character in the game, FL4K the Beastmaster, who was initially going to look and play very differently from the rest of the cast.
Borderlands 4 Is Bringing Back Its Most Hated Character, and I Couldn't Be Happier
Though it remains to be seen how much screentime Borderlands 3's Ava will receive in BL4, I’m just glad Gearbox isn’t giving up on her.
Borderlands 3's Scrapped FL4K Character Designs Shouldn't Go to Waste
FL4K is a Robot Who Loves Animals in the Final Version of Borderlands 3
In the version of Borderlands 3 that Gearbox released, FL4K is portrayed as a mysterious robot who has a fondness for animals of all shapes and sizes. Prior to the events of the game, FL4K served as something known as an Indexing Unit under a person called the Grand Archivist. After gaining self-consciousness and a lust for blood, however, FL4K's employment was cut short, and they decided to go off on a soul-searching journey across the galaxy. FL4K, who usually keeps an animal companion by their side, follows a hunting-based lifestyle in order to please Mistress Death, their personified concept of death itself.
It is not known why FL4K gained consciousness, or what exactly they were archiving when working for the Grand Archivist.
FL4K Had Several Fantasy-Inspired Character Designs, Which Were Scrapped by Gearbox Mid-Development
Although FL4K has a fairly interesting backstory, they weren't always meant to be a robot. In The Art of Borderlands 3, Gearbox Software revealed that the character underwent a lot of changes during the game's development. FL4K was first conceived as a high-tech Robin Hood-like character with a theatrical personality and a preference for sniper rifles. Later on, however, the character received several fantasy-inspired redesigns, one of which looked a bit like an elf. The only thing that remained constant throughout all these versions of FL4K was the character's love of animals.
Out of all the incarnations of FL4K that never saw the light of day, the elf-like version of the character is arguably the most interesting one. In one of the early concept arts for FL4K, which can be seen in the Art of Borderlands 3 book, the character is depicted as a blue-skinned, pointy-eared individual with a scythe in their hand, some spikes on their clothes, and a dragon-like creature by their side. While it did look great, this design for FL4K, along with all the other fantasy-themed iterations of the character, was discarded by Gearbox because it didn't fit in with the sci-fi setting of the game.
Gearbox Could Use FL4K's Scrapped Elf-Like Concept for a Character in a New Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Game
Although it makes sense why Gearbox decided to make FL4K a robot instead of an elf, the character's scrapped concepts don't need to stay on the cutting room floor forever. A Vault Hunter that looks similar to these older versions of FL4K might seem out of place in a mainline Borderlands game, but they would fit perfectly in a new Tiny Tina's Wonderlands installment. The first Tiny Tina's game is set within the world of a fantasy-themed TTRPG, and since Tiny Tina's Wonderlands sold fairly well, the chances of a new entry being released in the series are pretty high. If Gearbox ever makes a Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2, hopefully it will use some of the scrapped character designs from Borderlands 3 in the game in some way.
Borderlands 3
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 78%
- Released
- September 13, 2019
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
The original shooter-looter returns, packing bazillions of guns and an all-new mayhem-fueled adventure! Blast through new worlds and enemies as one of four brand new Vault Hunters – the ultimate treasure-seeking badasses of the Borderlands, each with deep skill trees, abilities, and customization. Play solo or join with friends to take on insane enemies, score loads of loot and save your home from the most ruthless cult leaders in the galaxy.
A MAYHEM-FUELED THRILL RIDE
Stop the fanatical Calypso Twins from uniting the bandit clans and claiming the galaxy’s ultimate power. Only you, a thrill-seeking Vault Hunter, have the arsenal and allies to take them down.
YOUR VAULT HUNTER, YOUR PLAYSTYLE
Become one of four extraordinary Vault Hunters, each with unique abilities, playstyles, deep skill trees, and tons of personalization options. All Vault Hunters are capable of awesome mayhem alone, but together they are unstoppable.
LOCK, LOAD, AND LOOT
With bazillions of guns and gadgets, every fight is an opportunity to score new gear. Firearms with self-propelling bullet shields? Check. Rifles that spawn fire-spewing volcanoes? Obviously. Guns that grow legs and chase down enemies while hurling verbal insults? Yeah, got that too.
NEW BORDERLANDS
Discover new worlds beyond Pandora, each featuring unique environments to explore and enemies to destroy. Tear through hostile deserts, battle your way across war-torn cityscapes, navigate deadly bayous, and more! QUICK & SEAMLESS CO-OP ACTION
Play with anyone at any time online or in split-screen co-op, regardless of your level or mission progress. Take down enemies and challenges as a team, but reap rewards that are yours alone – no one misses out on loot.
