Borderlands 4 Steals Skyrim’s Best Exploration Feature!

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Summary

  • Borderlands 4 releases on Sept 12, 2025, adopting Skyrim’s exploration concept.
  • Players can explore anything they see in Borderlands 4’s new world Kairos.
  • Randy Pitchford highlights seamless exploration in Borderlands 4, similar to Skyrim’s concept.

The long-awaited game from Gearbox, titled “Borderlands 4“, has officially set its release date for September 12, 2025, previously scheduled for September 23. In preparation for its launch, fans were given a comprehensive glimpse of the new world and gameplay during a dedicated State of Play event for “Borderlands 4“. Following this showcase, Randy Pitchford shared an intriguing tidbit about exploration in “Borderlands 4“, which seems strikingly similar to one of the most renowned examples of the same concept.

As a gamer eagerly anticipating Borderlands 4, I’ve heard whispers that it won’t fully embrace an open-world format like some of the legends, but it seems to have borrowed a beloved trait from one such legend – The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. It’s not groundbreaking for a game to follow in Skyrim’s footsteps after all these years, but the way exploration might unfold in Borderlands 4 hints at some intriguing aspects that align with what we already know about it. With Borderlands 4 gearing up to be one of the most intriguing worlds I’ve ever stepped into, its decision to mimic Skyrim’s standout feature feels spot on.

Borderlands 4 Is Borrowing One of Skyrim’s Oldest Tricks

Skyrim Lets Players Explore Anything They Can See

One aspect that truly sets apart Bethesda’s game The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is undoubtedly its namesake, the expansive world of Skyrim. Over the past 14 years, this open world has become iconic in the gaming industry, significantly influencing the design of other open-world games.

Although other open-world games might surpass it now, “Skyrim” played a crucial role in establishing a strong framework that subsequent open-world games have built upon, earning it a place among the most impactful open-world games in history.

The reason why Skyrim stood out significantly in its era was because players weren’t just spectators of a vast open world and its intricate landscaping, they could actively explore and traverse it at their leisure. This feature was a major attraction for the game during an age when “larger is superior” truly held weight. As the open-world genre has evolved since then, the spirit of Skyrim‘s open-world concept continues to endure.

Players Can Explore Anything They Can See in Borderlands 4

In the fresh world of Kairos introduced in Borderlands 4, one standout feature is its expansive and largely uninterrupted exploration. Although Gearbox has verified that loading screens won’t be completely absent from the game, “seamless” refers to there being only a minimal number of such interruptions. Essentially, this enhancement in Borderlands 4 makes exploring feel much like the open-world experience that Skyrim pioneered more than a decade ago when it was first released.

In simple terms, in Borderlands 4, if players spot something from afar, they have the potential to reach it with some effort. During a panel at PAX East on May 9, 2025, Pitchford mentioned, “Whether it’s far off on the screen or high up in the sky, you’ll be able to make your way there.” This concept is reminiscent of what Todd Howard said during Skyrim’s promotional phase many years ago, when he emphasized, “That mountain doesn’t just serve as a backdrop; you can actually hike all the way to its summit.

Among the notable features of the fresh landscape in Borderlands 4, known as Kairos, is its ability to encourage uninterrupted discovery and wandering.

It’s quite intriguing that Pitchford makes this distinction about Borderlands 4’s new planet Kairos, given that the game isn’t an open-world title in the traditional sense. However, it’s worth noting that his comments emphasize the strategy of generating player interest by sparking curiosity, rather than overloading them with map markers – a tactic often used in open-world games. It seems that Gearbox is aiming to make exploring Kairos feel more organic compared to any previous Borderlands locations, and Pitchford’s recent statements further emphasize this point.

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2025-05-23 17:40