Few Borderlands characters are as divisive as Claptrap, the robotic Hyperion companion that welcomed them off the bus in the first game and has been sticking his nose into the business of Vault Hunters ever since. For some, Claptrap is hilariously obnoxious, with his many failures being a source of laughter. Others find the character and his shrill voice annoying, wishing he would be a bit less involved. Considering how varied the in-game characters’ responses are to Claptrap, this is likely the intended reaction.
Still, while opinions on Claptrap may be mixed, there is no denying that he has stuck by the Crimson Raiders through thick and thin - whether they wanted him to or not. He has accidentally been a huge help too, whether he was blocking Sanctuary’s exposed hole or delivering players a powerful artifact in the Guns, Love, and Tentacles expansion. This loyalty deserves to be rewarded, and righting one of Handsome Jack’s biggest wrongs could be the perfect way to do so.
Producing a New Line of Claptraps in Borderlands 4
Originally, Claptraps were all over the place in the Borderlands universe. The original game saw players rescuing different versions of the silly machine for storage deck upgrades, a tool that would go on to be distributed by vendors after a cruel act by Handsome Jack. In the outstanding Claptastic Voyage expansion for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Handsome Jack proved that he has become fully corrupt by wiping out every Claptrap model as a joke. However, the version of Claptrap fans know and love survived, becoming the only remaining model.
In Borderlands 3, Gearbox showed that it would be possible to rebuild the Claptraps with the necessary parts and enough engineering knowhow. Across the various maps and planets in Borderlands 3, gamers can collect parts from rusty old Claptraps, with the goal being to assemble Claptrap a girlfriend. Players do succeed in this goal once all the parts have been collected, and an entertaining scene plays out as a result.
Called VR-0N1CA, this female Claptrap immediately lashes out at the iconic yellow bot, saying that she does not need him because she is strong and independent. She then marches (or rolls) her way to Mad Moxxi’s bar, where she thanks the Vault Hunters for assembling her. Obviously, this is a funny moment meant to poke fun at Claptrap’s continued suffering, though with Borderlands 4 it may finally be time to give him a long overdue victory.
With Claptrap still likely to be lonely, he could seek to rebuild more Claptraps. This would be a noble goal for a selfish character, so perhaps he does this purely to get VR-0N1CA’s attention. Regardless, he could find a path to rebuilding the line of Claptraps by chatting with Mad Moxxi. Moxxi now has ownership of a Hyperion army of loaders aboard the Handsome Jackpot, and it can be assumed that there are some Claptrap models there as well. At the very least, the Scraptraps aboard the casino could be reprogrammed, meaning there are a few options available to Moxxi if she wanted to do Claptrap a favor.
With Claptrap being on his own for seven years - and potentially even longer if there is another time jump for Borderlands 4 - it would not feel cheap to bring back other Claptraps. Claptrap has suffered on his own for years, allowing Gearbox to explore stories where he is the only Claptrap that matters. Now, it can tell a tale where he needs to reintegrate with his own kind, with the opportunities for comedic moments being plentiful. Further, if more Claptraps came into existence, rescuing them for SDU upgrades like in the first Borderlands could be a thing again, with unique puzzles and Claptrap personalities on display. The groundwork has already been laid through the creation of VR-0N1CA, so a whole new line of Claptraps seems like a natural direction for the next game to go in.