As the self-touted original looter shooter franchise, Borderlands has a special place in many's heart. Whether it's the original, Borderlands 2, The Pre-Sequel, or Borderlands 3, the franchise has seen its fair share of heavy hitters, but when it comes down to it, many will say that Borderlands 2 is the height of the franchise. Handsome Jack, the Crimson Raiders, and the looter shooter mechanics all make it stand out as a giant, but that's not to say it's perfect.
In fact, despite Borderlands 3 suffering from UI and performance issues (some of which still persist) and the notable absence of Handsome Jack, there are a few ways that it is better than its predecessor. Hopefully, these could also carry over into Borderlands 4, should the franchise continue to expand.
Guns, Guns, and Of Course, More Guns
Borderlands 2 has a whopping 17.75 million guns, which is nothing to scoff at, but Borderlands 3 pushed the envelope with that number hitting and surpassing 1 billion. Quantity isn't the only detail, though. When it comes to quality, Borderlands 3 has a ton of memorable guns, ranging from the Elon Musk flamethrower and the fan-favorite Lyuda (pre-nerf) to the more recent Ion Cannon in Mad Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot. Sure, Borderlands 2 had its fair share of memorable weapons, but Borderlands 3 takes the cake.
Alt-Fire
When it comes to the quality of guns, there's one major change in Borderlands 3 that takes it to the next level: alt-fire. A Borderlands 2 gun had one trick up its sleeve in order to cut down psychos and disable Hyperion loaders, but that cannot be said for Borderlands 3. Most of its guns have a secondary alt-fire, depending upon the manufacturer, and these secondary abilities add a nice touch of flair to its otherwise standard gameplay.
Downloadable Content
Given that Borderlands 2's DLC run has been completed and Borderlands 3's has barely begun, this may not be the fairest of comparisons, but Borderlands 3's DLC seems to be far more expansive than Borderlands 2. The second game set the bar for the third's story DLC, but beyond basic additions and DLC characters, that's all it has going for it. So far, Borderlands 3 has released a story DLC of the same caliber, but also an intense event that was mostly enjoyable and new endgame content in the form of Takedowns. And it's set to continue this trend, so much so that many are excited to see Borderlands 3's 2020 roadmap.
Mayhem Mode
In Borderlands 2, players would need to start True Vault Hunter Mode in order to challenge themselves even more in terms of game content, and while there's nothing wrong with this system, there are some—those who prefer to play for story—who lamented having to do another playthrough of the game just to hit the level cap and earn more loot. For these players, Mayhem Mode is a blessing, as it essentially adds more challenge to the end of the game, while those who still want to playthrough the game after beating it can add even more challenge. Essentially, it's a feature that's win-win for players.
Playable Characters
Borderlands 2 has some great core DLC characters: Maya, Zero, Axton, and Salvador. But in comparison to Borderlands 3's Amara, Moze, FL4K, and Zane, they're not as interesting. It's pretty clear that the most popular characters (design-wise) came back, Maya and Zero, but there's little fanfare for Axton or Salvador to return as NPC Vault Hunters in future Borderlands 3 DLC (even if they were fun to play). They're simply not as interesting as the other two and pale in comparison to Borderlands 3's characters. Not to mention, each Borderlands 3 playable character has three action skill trees, which is a huge boon for replayability and variability in the looter shooter threequel.
Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
