Borderlands 4 Overhauls Grenades and Heavy Weapons with Game-Changing Feature

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Summary

  • Borderlands 4 introduces ordinance slots for heavy weapons and grenades, adding a cooldown effect.
  • Players can now choose between heavy weapons or grenades, improving practical use in gameplay.
  • Changes in Borderlands 4 attempt to address player feedback, enhancing combat and adding more combat opportunities.

In the upcoming game, Borderlands 4, there’s a shift in how grenades and heavy weapons perform, potentially making them more useful. Fervent fans of the franchise were given an exclusive look at the title during a dedicated State of Play on April 30th. This presentation brimmed with fresh insights about the game and its mechanics. Among the many changes announced, Borderlands 4 is indeed parting ways from some established practices, based on player suggestions. One of the most notable innovations could be the “ordinance” feature, which might prove to be one of the game’s most impactful alterations.

In the recent overview, State of Play provided an in-depth examination of Borderlands 4’s four fresh vault hunters, focusing especially on Vex, the game’s siren. Initially highlighting character-specific skills, the detailed exploration also highlighted modifications and enhancements to the overall mechanics of combat and loot distribution. A notable aspect that caught attention is the ordinance slot.

According to discussions on the Borderlands 4 subreddit, fans have observed that the ordinance now occupies the spot previously held by grenades. This isn’t just a replacement for grenades though, it also allows players to equip a heavy weapon in this slot. This means launchers will no longer consume a standard weapon inventory space. Instead of ammo, it uses a cooldown timer. Although this change forces players to choose between carrying grenades or a heavy weapon, it also makes each choice more feasible because running out of explosives or heavy ammunition will be less frequent. This new system seems well-suited for the expansive zones in Borderlands 4, allowing players to destroy more objects and create chaos, rather than saving powerful equipment exclusively for boss battles.

Grenades and Heavy Weapons Use a Cooldown Instead of Ammo in Borderlands 4

The ordinance slot may take inspiration from the franchise’s Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands spin-off, where rechargeable spells largely took the place of grenades. Regardless of where the idea came from, though, it’s a nice change for fans who use explosives frequently or like heavy weapons but struggle to find enough ammo to make these weapons usable through multiple firefights. Not having to sacrifice a weapon slot for an infrequently used heavy option is useful, too. Whether that’s enough to make up for Borderlands 4 not including some fan-favorite weapon manufacturers has yet to be seen, though.

Following some criticism from players after the launch of Borderlands 3, it’s reassuring that Gearbox is planning numerous adjustments. Notably, the anticipated wait for these changes won’t be as prolonged as initially thought, as the release date for Borderlands 4 has been advanced to September 12, 2025, instead of the 23rd.

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2025-05-01 16:53