Summary
- The evolution of skill trees in the Borderlands series shows significant improvements from previous titles to Borderlands 4.
- Fans can expect greater build variety in Borderlands 4 with more freedom to customize characters than ever before.
A Borderlands fan online has shared images comparing all the skill trees across the mainline titles in the series, from the 2009 original to the upcoming Borderlands 4. The comparison shows the increased options players will have to create their build in Borderlands 4.
Ever since its debut in 2009, the Borderlands franchise has been a massive hit for developer Gearbox. The franchise features some of the best looter shooters ever made, standing out with its cel-shaded visuals and millions of weapon variants. Borderlands has arguably come to define the looter shooter genre, which is why its popularity has endured over the last 16 years. Even if each game has had its ups and downs, every Borderlands title has made positive advances to improve on what came before, and it seems as though Borderlands 4 is set to follow the same path.
New Borderlands Code for May 2025 Gets You 3 Golden Keys
As hype builds for Borderlands 4's release, Gearbox releases a new SHiFT code that can be redeemed for 3 Golden Keys across the franchise.
A thread on Reddit started by user Qushu92 has compared all the skill trees across the Borderlands series, starting with the 2009 original and ending with a screenshot from the upcoming Borderlands 4. The jump from Borderlands to Borderlands 2 was quite significant, although the considerable improvement between the third and fourth iterations is arguably the most impressive. Although some fans complained that the new UI takes them out of the world and into a menu compared to previous games, most agreed that the new options will allow for greater build variety going forward.
This is How Skill Trees Have Evolved in the Borderlands Series
There are plenty of reasons for fans to get excited about skill trees in the upcoming title. A few months back, a Borderlands 4 developer hyped up the game's skill trees, claiming players will have more freedom than ever to customize their character. It was pointed out in the thread that players "might get builds that invest in just one tree entirely, which is something we’ve realistically never had on a bl game."
With Borderlands 4 set to release in September, Gearbox is now starting to ramp up the full marketing for the game. This gives gamers a much better idea of what they can expect from the title upon its launch, with a recent Borderlands 4 gameplay deep dive offering an in-depth look for fans to enjoy. The game recently brought forward its release date by 11 days, and is now arriving on September 12, one day short of the sixth anniversary of Borderlands 3.
Borderlands 4
-
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
