Ways That Borderlands 4 Is Better Than Borderlands 3

Originally released in 2009, *Borderlands* almost looked very different! The distinctive cel-shaded art style was added to help it stand out in the crowded world of shooter games, and it proved to be a hit. Since then, for over a decade, players have been enjoying the franchise’s signature looting and shooting, both solo and with friends, across numerous games and spin-offs.

The last major installment, Borderlands 3, came out in 2019 and received mixed reactions from both players and critics. With Borderlands 4, is the series aiming to win back longtime fans and attract new ones to its famously wild world? For a lot of reasons, the answer is yes, and here’s a breakdown of why.

A Bigger World To Explore

More Open Than Any Planet

The most significant improvement in *Borderlands 4* is also its strongest point: a truly open world. While past *Borderlands* games had open areas, they were broken up into sections with long loading screens between all the fast-paced combat and chaos.

While *Borderlands 3* offered a variety of planets to visit, it also made things more complex. A single, larger planet like Kairos would be preferable, offering more expansive areas to explore and giving players greater freedom in how they play.

Digirunners

Behold The DigiDestined

Vehicles have been part of the *Borderlands* series since the very beginning. While the cars in earlier games were enjoyable, the Digirunners in *Borderlands 4* are significantly more fun and easier to control.

Once you’ve made enough progress in the game, you can easily call your Digirunner by pressing the right button on the D-Pad. It’s best to focus on the main story until you unlock it, because the Digirunner will make getting around the world much quicker and more fun.

No More Spaceship

Borderlands Was Never Mass Effect

The game *Mass Effect* revolutionized space-based role-playing games when it launched in 2007, largely due to the Normandy-a spaceship that served as the game’s central hub. Players could build relationships with their crew through conversations that developed their personal storylines, and this concept appears to have heavily influenced the spaceship featured in *Borderlands 3*.

Honestly, the ship in the last game felt a little clunky to navigate, and I didn’t really connect with the crew the way I did in *Mass Effect*. But I’m super relieved to hear there won’t be a ship in *Borderlands 4*! From what I’ve heard, the hubs will be much easier to get around, which is a big win in my book.

Ordnance Weapons

Gear Up To The Max

In every *Borderlands* game, you need to gain levels to unlock all four spaces for equipping weapons. You can also use grenades to add more variety to your attacks. Now, in *Borderlands 4*, grenades and powerful weapons like rocket launchers have their own separate category called Ordnance weapons.

Okay, so instead of constantly scrambling for bullets, these weapons now have a recharge system, kind of like a skill cooldown. Honestly, I think it’s awesome because it pushes you to actually *use* the cool weapons in fights. Plus, it solves that annoying problem we had in *Borderlands 3* and other games where you’d waste a weapon slot on something huge like a rocket launcher just to carry the ammo. It’s way cleaner now!

The Grapple-Grabber

A Swing And A Hit

One of the cool new features in *Borderlands 4* is the Grapple-Grabber. While it lets you quickly move around the game world by grappling to different points, it’s also useful in fights. The game will give you cues – like a prompt on the R3 button of a PS5 controller – to show you when you can use it during combat.

In addition to their regular weapons, players can use gas canisters to damage enemies. Previous *Borderlands* games featured ways to harm foes using the environment, such as exploding barrels, but the Grapple-Grabber is a significant upgrade and stands out as one of the best grappling hooks available in gaming.

Starts On A High

No Claptrap Or Apocalyptic Wastes

Borderlands 3 begins on the planet Pandora, a common starting point for most games in the Borderlands series. Players are initially greeted by Claptrap and then guided through a rather lengthy tutorial involving a fight with bandits. Because this introduction has been used repeatedly, the beginning of Borderlands 4 feels noticeably new and exciting.

The tutorial will be faster this time, and thankfully, Claptrap won’t be guiding players through it. Arjay is a much better guide. Players will meet Claptrap soon after, but in a beautiful, coastal setting – a welcome change from the dry landscapes they’ve been exploring.

Gun Handling

From Shooting To Reloading

Even though the *Borderlands* games aren’t perfect, Gearbox deserves credit for consistently improving how they play. The shooting mechanics felt noticeably better going from the first *Borderlands* to *Borderlands 2*, and *Borderlands 3* refined them even more. Naturally, *Borderlands 4* boasts the most polished and satisfying combat experience so far.

The weapons in the game feel much smoother and more responsive – everything from reloading and aiming to actually firing them is improved. Playing this game immediately after the previous one highlights just how much better they are, particularly when it comes to reloading. Of course, some guns are always better than others based on how they’re made and their stats, but generally, the weapons in *Borderlands 4* are a significant upgrade.

Replay Most Missions

A Fan Request For Ages

For a long time, including before *Borderlands 3* came out, players have been asking for the ability to replay missions. Now, once you finish a mission, it will appear in the replay menu. This lets you revisit most missions as standalone experiences whenever you want.

Now, players can replay their favorite parts of the game without starting over from the beginning. This is also a fast way to earn rewards and gain experience, especially if you want to skip the unpredictable nature of side missions and world events. Hopefully, other open-world games will follow the example set by *Borderlands 4*.

2025-09-14 09:05