The Arms Race game mode from Borderlands 3’s Designer’s Cut expansion introduced a game mode that is heavily reminiscent of a battle royale. The Arms Race game mode is missing PvP, but otherwise, it's a solid battle royale experience in the Borderlands franchise. With all the gunplay and signature features that Borderlands has to offer, the need for dedicated PvP has never been higher in the franchise, especially for a battle royale game mode.
The only current form of PvP in any Borderlands game is peer-to-peer duels. While this is a great feature for wagering loot in a competitive manner, PvP in a Borderlands game could be so much more at this point in the franchise. Especially considering the foundation for a battle royale that the Arms Race game mode introduced to Borderlands 3, future Borderlands games should give dedicated PvP the spotlight it deserves.
Borderlands 3's Call to Arms Paves the Way For PvP in Future Borderlands Games
The game mode from the Designer’s Cut Borderlands 3 expansion is already a great foundation for a battle royale game mode in the Borderlands franchise, although it still has plenty of room to grow. While it may be missing PvP, the other battle royale influences in Arms Race are instantly recognizable for anyone familiar with the genre. Arms Race is a survival game mode where players start with no gear or skills and must escape an expanding storm by eventually extracting themselves along with their loot. Ultimately, this game mode is quite the change of face for the franchise, and it arguably deserves further exploration in future Borderlands games, potentially even warranting a standalone game.
Among the weapon variety and Vault Hunters throughout the Borderlands games, there is a lot that the franchise could bring to the Battle Royale genre. While Arms Race doesn’t allow players to use their vault hunter’s abilities, this might be worth changing, especially in a dedicated PvP game. Vault Hunters in the Borderlands franchise are a big part of the experience, so not being able to use their signature abilities in Arms Race leaves much to be desired. Not to mention, the Mayhem levels, loot tiers, and weapon anoints in Borderlands 3, on top of the seemingly infinite amount of weaponry in the franchise offer a lot that could make PvP in Borderlands a fun experience.
The Borderlands Franchise Should Explore PvP in Future Games
A PvP Borderlands battle royale ultimately has the option of being its own title or coming alongside a future mainline Borderlands game again. Arms Race is from an expansion that requires the Borderlands 3 base game, so a dedicated battle royale could very well repeat this in future Borderlands games without compromising on anything that it could offer. On the other hand, given how much unexplored potential there is for PvP content in the Borderlands universe, a battle royale and other PvP content could just as well be a spin-off. At any rate, it’s time that the Borderlands franchise tries its hand at dedicated PvP content in any way, shape, or form.
A dedicated PvP game in the Borderlands franchise has a lot to explore, especially after the Arms Race from Borderlands 3 introduced the foundations of a battle royale. Part of the draw for playing Arms Race in Borderlands 3 is that players can extract their loot and then use it throughout the rest of the game. Even if a future Borderlands PvP game is a standalone experience, it should still consider the possibility of integrating extracted loot and other rewards into a mainline Borderlands game. Borderlands games also already have matchmaking features, but since there is no dedicated PvP, the matchmaking is generally exclusive to PvE, like the circle of slaughter and Takedown endgame content.
Borderlands 3 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
