Even Borderlands 4’s Side Content Keeps One of The Game’s Biggest Promises

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Before Borderlands 4 came out, a major concern was whether it could recapture the series’ signature tone. Many fans felt Borderlands 3 strayed too far from the successful blend of humor and storytelling, and Gearbox appears to have listened to that feedback. Even when the game is at its most lighthearted, Borderlands 4‘s story feels genuine and emotionally resonant.

Many fans felt that *Borderlands 3* was enjoyable to play, but its story relied too heavily on constant jokes, which ultimately detracted from the experience. The team making the next game, *Borderlands 4*, has listened to this feedback and is taking a different approach to storytelling.

Borderlands 4’s New Narrative Tone Shines, Even in Its Side Quests

With the official launch of *Borderlands 4*, the game delivers on its promise of a different tone, and the developers deserve credit for taking such a bold approach. The game features few familiar faces from past *Borderlands* titles, but still manages to create engaging stories in every area. Remarkably, *Borderlands 4* doesn’t lose the series’ signature humor in the process, and this is immediately apparent in a couple of the early side missions.

These two optional quests are different lengths and complexities, but both strike a great balance between funny and touching. While it’s unlikely every side quest in the game will be this well-developed (given the series’ focus on humor), they represent a step in the right direction. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford mentioned wanting to improve side quests in *Borderlands 4*, and these two definitely deliver. Both quests are located in the game’s starting area, the Fadefields, and, interestingly, both involve helping robots.

Borderlands 4’s Ready to Blow Side Quest Balances Humor and Heart

One standout quest is called “Ready to Blow.” It’s still early days, but it could become one of the most memorable side quests in Borderlands. Players start by finding a broken missile in a village after accepting the mission at the Launchpad. Surprisingly, the missile is actually alive and *wants* to explode, believing that’s its purpose. The quest involves helping it achieve that goal, and while the situation is funny because it’s so ridiculous, the story is surprisingly moving as you play through it.

As players gather the pieces to rebuild Gigi’s missile, the AI begins to grapple with questions about its existence. Gigi wonders if fulfilling its intended purpose is really what it wants, especially after failing to explode as it was originally designed to do. It’s surprisingly moving to consider the search for meaning, made even stranger by the fact that it’s a missile doing the thinking – and this all unfolds within a side quest in *Borderlands*.

Ready to Blow effectively highlights the better dialogue in *Borderlands 4*. The player character’s voice lines now feel like a natural and important part of the game.

Borderlands 4’s No Place Like Home Side Quest Does The Impossible

One particularly impressive side quest actually gives Claptrap, the often-silly leader of the Crimson Resistance, a surprisingly touching story. “No Place Like Home” tasks players with gathering keepsakes from Pandora for him. What seems like a basic item-collecting mission ultimately adds a lot of depth to Claptrap, giving this well-known *Borderlands* character a fresh and welcome new side.

Claptrap has always been the classic silly character in *Borderlands*, but some players have gotten tired of his antics. *Borderlands 4* even lets you adjust how much you hear him! The ‘No Place Like Home’ quest explores the reasons behind Claptrap’s personality, and as you collect items, he reflects on the things he’s done that make people dislike him. It’s both funny and surprisingly touching, and the story builds to a very satisfying conclusion that brings those emotions full circle.

The “No Place Like Home” side quest includes a fun reference to VR-0N1CA, a robot character players created in a side quest from *Borderlands 3*. It’s a nod to the robot-building experience in that previous game.

Two Borderlands 4 Side Quests Show Gearbox’s Commitment to a New Narrative Approach

These two quests together show that Gearbox really listened to player feedback. Players were worried about the direction of the *Borderlands 3* story, and these quests suggest Gearbox took those concerns to heart. Importantly, they were able to address those concerns without sacrificing the franchise’s signature humor, which is a great sign.

While Borderlands 4 isn’t without its flaws – players are currently experiencing some technical problems – it’s important to recognize the work put into telling the story in a fresh way. One of the biggest criticisms of Borderlands 3 was its tone, and Gearbox seems to have successfully addressed that. If they can keep up this level of quality, the story expansions for Borderlands 4 look very promising.

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2025-09-14 21:04