Borderlands 4’s New Zones Demand a Vehicle Upgrade Revolution

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Summary

  • Borderlands 4 will shift towards a more mature tone, with a darker villain and action on a new planet, Kairos.
  • The game promises a larger, more seamless world, demanding a substantial upgrade for vehicles.
  • Borderlands 4 should offer greater accessibility and customization options for vehicles in order to match its new scope.

The highly anticipated Borderlands 4 is set to release this Fall, specifically on September 23rd. After six long years since the last installment, Gearbox Software has unveiled several details about the upcoming game and how they aim to enhance certain aspects for its launch. Essentially, Borderlands 4 aims to perfect and build upon the series’ signature loot-shooting mechanics while steering away from some of the earlier lowbrow humor that didn’t resonate as intended, opting instead for a more mature approach.

One aspect of the upcoming vision involves certain elements, such as The Timekeeper, a darker and sinister villain in Borderlands 4, and the majority of the action happening not on Pandora, but on a new planet named Kairos. Gearbox Senior Producer Anthony Nicholson has emphasized that while Kairos isn’t an open-world per se, moving around within it and transitioning between areas will be smooth and uninterrupted. At this point, the specifics of how this works are still uncertain, but it seems that a related feature—vehicles and their enhancements—may need to be more readily available from the beginning due to these changes.

In “Borderlands 4”, screenwriter Miles Luna, famous for his work on “RWBY” and “Red vs. Blue”, was enlisted to contribute to the scriptwriting.

Borderlands 4’s Bigger World Needs to Come With an Equally Bigger Upgrade For Vehicles

Borderlands 4’s Setting of Kairos Will be its Largest Map Yet

As a dedicated fan, I’ve always appreciated the substantial size of the maps in previous Borderlands games, even though they were divided by distinct sequential regions. Excitingly, Randy Pitchford, the CEO of Gearbox, has hinted that Borderlands 4 will be “the most open and free game” yet, although he didn’t label it as a fully open-world title. This implies that the territories in Borderlands 4 could be significantly larger than those in previous games. If Kairos, the setting for Borderlands 4, is indeed more expansive, the methods of travel across these vast areas will become crucial. Consequently, it seems logical to assume that the vehicles in Borderlands 4 will be designed to handle this new open-world layout.

How Borderlands 4 Can Ensure Vehicles Keep Pace With its World’s Larger Scale

In contrast to earlier game titles where vehicles were typically less appealing than walking or fast-traveling options, it appears that vehicles in Borderlands 4 may take on a greater significance. Gearbox has hinted at summonable vehicles almost anywhere within the game, suggesting they could play a more prominent role in Kairos’ expansive setting. To maintain this enhanced status, these vehicles should be dependable, relevant, and above all, highly customizable to enrich the player’s overall experience.

In other words, if Borderlands 4 does not include the Catch-a-Ride system, it might compensate by frequently offering upgrades in various forms, such as new weapon types, speed boosters, armor, and cosmetics. This could be achieved through a system similar to SDU purchases, allowing players to customize their vehicles directly using their ECHOs. Additionally, providing easily swappable vehicle loadouts for greater versatility would enable players to adapt quickly to different situations and quests that might require them.

An alternative approach could be offering players a chance to test various pre-upgraded vehicles from the get-go, possibly during a tutorial session set in an area specifically designed to familiarize them with different models and their functions. Although they may eventually lose these vehicles for narrative purposes, this initial exposure would give them a sense of what fits their style when they finally acquire one and are allowed to customize it freely. Given that Kairos is slated to be the largest setting in the Borderlands series, it seems logical to assume that the vehicles will need to be enhanced to align with this expansive vision.

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2025-04-27 14:38