The Borderlands series has been around for over a decade, meaning that there have been plenty of opportunities to jump in and enjoy it alone or with other players. It was one of the first looter shooters that paved the way for games like Destiny. However, there’s no denying that the newest game, Borderlands 4, changes some things to make it feel different from the other games in the series.
Borderlands 4 offers players four classes to choose from, each assigned to a specific character. While they are preset, players can unlock small customization tweaks, such as faces, clothes, and colors. Besides knowing it’s a first-person shooter RPG, let’s get into the more specific details as to why it's a great game for newcomers to the franchise.
Borderlands 4: Beginner Tips & Tricks
These beginner tips in Borderlands 4 will help guide new and returning players through the wonderfully chaotic world of Kairos.
A Reset On The Lore
But There Are Returning Favorites
Similar to Final Fantasy games, most Borderlands titles aren’t connected that much. There are plenty of recurring characters throughout the series, including in Borderlands 4, but that's not going to hinder a new player's enjoyment of the game. They are bonuses for longtime fans, but the narrative setup is new.
Kairos is a planet that was closed off to the rest of the galaxy, until the end of Borderlands 3 changed all that. This means new villains, new gun manufacturers, and most importantly, new locations. It’s perhaps the biggest reason why Borderlands 4 is welcoming to new players, as there is no burden common to many numbered sequels.
A True Open-World Experience
A Popular Genre At The Moment
The open-world genre is bigger than it has ever been before, prompting avid fans to seek out new and old games alike. For the first time in the franchise, Borderlands 4 is a fully open-world game with a map that is bigger than every other biome in the series to date. There are plenty of ways to get around too, which are all new for the game.
Where to Farm Weapons Early in Borderlands 4
You'll get plenty of guns during the Borderlands 4 campaign, but if you need some more, here are some spots you can try farming in.
Players can summon a digital bike called a Digirunner, which looks and operates like the Sparrow from Destiny. There’s also a grappling hook called the Grapple-Grabber, which can also be used to grab objects in combat. Finally, players can glide from high peaks, similar to gliding systems in other open-world games, except players don’t use an item. All of these traversal abilities make exploring fun for all players.
ECHO-4’s Many Uses
Find Your Way
Borderlands 4 has a bigger world to explore with lots of quests to tackle. However, there is a new feature that is perfect for helping keep players from getting lost. ECHO-4, a little robot partner, will accompany every player after the tutorial. It can do various tasks like scan equipment or maps for story purposes.
It’s a robot that doesn’t talk (unlike Claptrap, thankfully), and its best use in terms of gameplay is the navigation system. If players have a waypoint or mission selected, ECHO-4 will lead players to their destination. It’s not a new mechanic for games, as Dead Space helped pioneer this technology back in 2008, but it is a great tool to help new players get accustomed to the world of Kairos.
Play Your Way, And Look Your Way
Tweak Your Vault Hunter On The Fly
Character customization is important to a lot of RPG players, and Borderlands 4 has more options than any other entry in the series. In previous titles, players could customize their characters with different colors and perhaps some clothing schemes. They could do this at specific vending machines scattered throughout the game.
In Borderlands 4, players can do this from the menu at any time. As players get through more of the game, they'll unlock more options. Players cannot go fully wild with the feature, but it is more freeing than any other entry. For some players, this will be enough to help them feel like they stand out from the crowd online.
Skipping The Prologue
Easier To Create New Characters
Players can choose between four Vault Hunters from the start of Borderlands 4: Rafa, Vex, Harlowe, and Amon. Every character is unique, and they have three branching skill trees, making for a total of twelve possible classes in the game. Players can respec their character at certain locations if they want to switch skills. They cannot, however, choose a new character to swap between on the fly.
Best Weapon Manufacturers in Borderlands 4
Here's a look at all the available weapon manufacturer and the unique traits of the guns they make in Borderlands 4.
Most RPGs don’t allow this, but there is one feature that more class-based RPGs should try. After getting through the tutorial with one character, up to the point where players meet Claptrap, players can then start the game with a new character. This will prompt the game to ask if players want to skip the intro, which is huge. This tiny feature could get more players to test out the four characters to see which one fits them best, instead of feeling stuck with their choices.
Repkits Make Single-Player Easier
Heal Away Solo God
Borderlands was a series created to be played as a co-op shooter, but it allows players to go it alone. While this was completely doable in previous campaigns, it could be challenging even on easier difficulties due to the sheer number of enemies and bullets flying around at all times. There were health drops players could find to refill their HP, a Shield that could recharge defenses over time, and some classes had skills that could regain health. Plus, if players were about to die, they could kill an enemy to get back up again, which was, and still is, a cool mechanic.
Borderlands 4 takes steps to welcome solo players even more with the introduction of the Repkit. Players can equip Repkits like Shields, and they all have different stats and bonuses. Players can use a Repkit in the field, and it will recharge over time like abilities. Some can refill not only HP, but also Shield energy. They’re great to use in a pinch alone or with partners, as players can’t always rely on friendly revives. It’s hard to believe Gearbox took over a decade to add manual health-based items in an RPG, but better late than never, as they say.
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
