When players think of Borderlands 4, they think of the potential bosses and loot drops they can get from hours of grinding. After all, the Borderlands franchise is famously built off of its great looter-shooter experience. However, there are other lesser known mechanics that have stayed in the shadows for far too long.
In Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the player could find Cult of the Vault symbols dotted across the map. They were not incredibly popular with players, and Gearbox Software acknowledged this by not including them in Borderlands 3. However, Borderlands 4 can see them returning bigger and better than ever before.
Borderlands' Cult of the Vault Symbols Can Become More
Players could find Cult of the Vault symbols on just about every map. There were typically up to five symbols per zone, and they were exceedingly difficult to find. This may have been the cause of their lack of popularity, as players were likely more concerned with farming Borderlands' best legendary weapons. This made them much more of an occasional find, rather than something all players intentionally looked for. Their removal in Borderlands 3 made sense, as they were replaced with Typhon DeLeon's voice recorded logs. However, it was somewhat of a missed opportunity as well, as much more could have been done with them.
The main appeal of locating all the Cult of the Vault symbols in the previous Borderlands games was that they gave players Badass Ranks. Though this did offer some benefit, these ranks were incredibly incremental, so they didn't matter too much in terms of gameplay until much later. If Cult of the Vault symbols were to return, they should provide much more unique benefits limited to them. One example of this could some type of legendary guns that are of Eridian design. Like most legendary guns, they could have their own special effect limited to them. Not only would this play into Borderlands defining features, but it could fairly reward the player's efforts as well.
Another way it could reward the player is by simply repeating what its previous game did. In Borderlands 3, Typhon DeLeon's logs provided dialogue that added small bits of lore while also giving a rundown of Typhon's backstory. The cult of the vault symbols could do the same thing in Borderlands 4, providing a storytelling incentive to investigative players. It could begin by explaining who exactly has been drawing these symbols, as many of them appear on more recent architecture. It could even provide some context to future events, such as Borderlands' upcoming war.
Out of all past features, Cult of the Vault symbols are one feature that Borderlands 4 should capitalize on the most. It would be a return to form that many fans may miss. After all, mysterious vault symbols found all around the map would be a callback to why Vault Hunters donned their title in the first place. It could also serve to solve the longstanding mystery of who exactly has been scribbling vault symbols everywhere, and who or what the Cult of the Vault really is. It could even have some relevance to enigmatic figures such as the Seer, who was revealed in Borderlands 3 to have been influencing individuals to shape future events.
The potential for Cult of the Vault symbols are virtually limitless in every aspect. Borderlands 4's vaults need to feel more grand, and the vault symbols would help do just that. As fans continue to wait for Borderlands 4, hopefully Gearbox Software thinks about re-instating this forgotten but potentially huge feature.