Borderlands was released in 2009, and it could have been drastically different from the final release. The cel-shading was added to make it stand out from other shooters, and the rest is history. For decades, between main games and spinoffs, fans have been looting and shooting in this franchise either alone or with friends.
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.
That said, the last main game, Borderlands 3, was released in 2019, and it got a divisive response from fans and critics alike. Is Borderlands 4 a make-good to help bring back old fans and invite new players to the chaotic universe of the series? The easy answer, for many reasons, is yes, and here’s why.
A Bigger World To Explore
More Open Than Any Planet
The biggest change to Borderlands 4 is also its best feature: the open world. Previous entries were all open world, technically, but they were divided into zones with lots of lengthy load times in between the action and shooting mayhem.
Borderlands 3 made things a bit more complicated, as there were multiple planets to travel to, which did admittedly make for some diverse exploration. Still, it’s better to have one planet, Kairos, be the central location, with bigger landscapes to explore and more freedom in how players approach it.
Digirunners
Behold The DigiDestined
The Borderlands series is no stranger to adding vehicles to its games; they've been around since the first entry. While the cars were fun and became a staple, the Digirunners in Borderlands 4 are a lot more fun and accessible to drive than anything found in the previous titles.
Players can simply hit right on the D-Pad to summon their Digirunner after they progress far enough. It’s good advice for players to ignore the open-world stuff until the Digirunner is unlocked, as it will make traversal faster and more enjoyable.
No More Spaceship
Borderlands Was Never Mass Effect
Mass Effect changed space RPGs in 2007 for many reasons, the biggest being the central hub of the N7 spaceship, the Normandy. Players could converse with their crewmates to advance their stories, and that was seemingly the idea behind the spaceship seen in Borderlands 3.
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.
However, it was a bit too big to get around, and the conversations with crewmates weren’t as deep as those seen in Mass Effect. Thankfully, there is no ship in Borderlands 4, and the hub areas are easier to get around.
Ordnance Weapons
Gear Up To The Max
Every Borderlands game requires players to level up to unlock all four weapon slots. Besides that, players could also equip grenades to diversify their arsenal. Borderlands 4 now places grenades and other big weapons like rocket launchers into a fifth category called Ordnance weapons.
Instead of getting ammo for these weapons, they now recharge like cooldown skills. It’s a good way to encourage players to keep using them in battle. It also avoids taking up a weapon slot on something bulky like a rocket launcher, which was a persistent problem in Borderlands 3 and other games in the series.
The Grapple-Grabber
A Swing And A Hit
Another great combat upgrade in Borderlands 4 is the Grapple-Grabber. It’s introduced to players as a traversal ability, allowing them to grapple onto specific points to zip around environments. However, the Grapple-Grabber can also be used in combat, with prompts from the R3 button, to use the PS5 controller as an example, indicating when it can be activated in battle.
Players can grab gas canisters to throw at enemies to get an extra edge on top of all the other weapons at their disposal. Borderlands 3 and other entries always had environmental options to damage enemies, like shooting toxic barrels, but the Grapple-Grabber is an improvement for sure, and it's one of the better grappling hooks in games.
Starts On A High
No Claptrap Or Apocalyptic Wastes
Borderlands 3 starts on Pandora, which is something that happens in most mainline and spinoff Borderlands games. Claptrap will greet players and then take them through a slow tutorial mission against a group of raiders. It’s been done so many times that Borderlands 4’s intro feels like a breath of fresh air.
What to Do First in Borderlands 4
If players want to get the best start possible in Borderlands 4, then here's a list of things to keep in mind when they land in Kairos.
Players will go through the tutorial much quicker, and this time without any input from Claptrap. Arjay is a much better character for guidance purposes anyway. Claptrap will greet players soon enough, and when players encounter Claptrap, it will be in a lush, coastal area, which is a more visually pleasing area than the arid wastes of Pandora.
Gun Handling
From Shooting To Reloading
Despite their faults, Gearbox can at least be thanked for evolving the traditional Borderlands gameplay between each iteration. The gunplay felt better between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, Borderlands 3 improved things further, and Borderlands 4 obviously has the best-feeling combat yet.
The guns handle better, from reloading to aiming to shooting. Playing both games back to back is almost like night and day, especially in terms of reloading. Granted, some guns naturally handle better than others depending on manufacturers and stats, but overall, the guns are just better in Borderlands 4.
Replay Most Missions
A Fan Request For Ages
Borderlands fans have been wanting this feature for a while, even before Borderlands 3. Upon completing a mission, it will be added to the replay menu in the options. At any point, players are able to replay most missions, which are treated as one-off situations.
Players can now relive their favorite missions and moments without having to fully restart the campaign. It’s also a good way to get loot and to level up quickly if players don’t want to mess around with random missions or World Events on the map. Hopefully, more open-world games will take inspiration from what Borderlands 4 has set up.
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
