Ideas Borderlands 4 Should 'Steal' From The Pre-Sequel

Game ZXC

Borderlands

By Anthony Bussing

Published Jan 27, 2024

Highlights

Borderlands 4 should bring back a dedicated co-op character class like Aurelia from Borderlands the Pre-Sequel to enhance multiplayer gameplay and promote the Borderlands community.
The tradition of introducing new playable characters through DLC, like in Borderlands the Pre-Sequel, should be revived in Borderlands 4 to provide players with stronger and more diverse Vault Hunters.
Reintroducing laser weapons from Borderlands the Pre-Sequel as a full-time weapon type in Borderlands 4 would add variety and excitement to the game, building on the successful weapon variety of Borderlands 3.

As the Borderlands franchise continues to grow, expectations for future games also continue to stretch further. With this in mind, Borderlands 4 may want to tap into past games’ strengths and revive some retired features to live up to its name.

While Borderlands the Pre-Sequel may not be the community's favorite Borderlands game, it still has plenty of hidden gems among its unique features. After Borderlands 3 took a break from some of Borderlands the Pre-Sequel’s original features, Borderlands 4 should consider bringing these features back for good.

Borderlands 4 Should be More Like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands in One Big Area

Borderlands 4 could take a page out of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' playbook by incorporating and iterating on one of its major components.

Borderlands The Pre-Sequel Features That Should Return For Borderlands 4

Co-op Character Class

One Vault Hunter character archetype that Borderlands 4 needs is another dedicated co-op class, like Aurelia from Borderlands the Pre-Sequel. Investing in Aurelia’s Contractual Aristocracy Skill Tree allows players to access Contracts between Aurelia and another co-op player. These contracts grant both players various buffs, like extra shields, increased damage, and the ability to passively heal each other upon getting kills, among other advantages.

Not only should Borderlands 4 bring back a character class like Aurelia, but it should also expand this class by opening it up to allow up to all four co-op players to simultaneously take advantage of this character’s buffs. A feature like this could go a long way towards promoting and supporting the multiplayer community of the Borderlands franchise, which could naturally help the replayability of future games.

DLC Vault Hunters

While Borderlands the Pre-Sequel isn’t the first game in the franchise to introduce new playable characters through DLC, it was unfortunately the last game to do this. Hopefully, though, Borderlands 4 or other future Borderlands games will revive this beloved tradition. Considering that the majority of Borderlands’ DLC Vault Hunters like Krieg, Gage, and Handsome Jack’s Doppelganger are often considered some of the strongest Vault Hunters in the Borderlands franchise, this feature needs to make a comeback sooner rather than later.

Laser Weapons

When it comes to weapons in Borderlands games, Borderlands 3’s weapon variety is going to be hard to top. One way to bring in some extra help with this endeavor is to reintroduce retired weapon types from past Borderlands games. Specifically, the laser weapons from Borderlands the Pre-Sequel should come back as a full-time weapon type. Borderlands 3 eventually ended up including a few unique laser weapons, but this was nothing compared to how prevalent these weapons were in Borderlands the Pre-Sequel.

Oz Kits

It makes sense why Oxygen Kits, or “Oz Kits” aren’t needed in Borderlands 3, because the planets in this game all have their own oxygen-rich atmospheres. However, it’s still unfortunate that th player’s loadout couldn’t be slightly reworked to have been a returning feature for future Borderlands games regardless. Oz Kits provide players with extra air-maneuverability and the option to shoot off an enemy’s mask in combat to make them take suffocation damage, among the individual stats and benefits these items also provide. Consequently, the Relics that replaced Oz Kits ultimately meant that these passive benefits were lost, which is a shame.

Returning Characters as Vault Hunters

Plenty of sidelined characters haven’t gotten their dues in the Borderlands franchise, and making some of these characters playable Vault Hunters in future Borderlands games could be a great way to give them the spotlight they deserve. When Borderlands the Pre-Sequel did this with characters like Clap-Trap and Athena, this gave players a fresh look at these characters, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with some of the fan favorites in the franchise. Underutilized characters like Ellie, Moxxi, and Vaughn, for example, might be worth reintroducing as playable Vault Hunters for future Borderlands games.