Everything Announced at the Borderlands 4 State of Play Deep Dive
And away we go!
More Borderlands 4 isn’t what I came into this week expecting, but who could say no?
If Pitchford is to be believed, though, such things would be a mere coincidence.
“I love criticism and, thankfully, I have never been in short supply.
Dont gaslight me on his post.
Its toxic for people killing themselves for your entertainment, so fuck that noise.”
On that note, who is looking forward to the stream later, eh?
What’s caught my eye for later is the promise of seeing what the gameplay will bring.
Not as much related to gameplay, but we may also get a glimpse of the game’s tone.
You don’t need to take my word for it, however!
(Spoiler alert: Borderlands 2 is the best one.)
A very specific kind of looting, shooting, and humor.
Is more of that enough in 2025?
I don’t know!
Not too long now to wait until we collectively find out!
Only an hour to go until the actual Borderlands 4 State of Play kicks off in earnest.
As a reminder, expect about 20 minutes of information.
The sooner we launch, the sooner well also get feedback.
15 minutes to go!
This is the moment to hit the bathroom, grab a drink, and generally make yourself cozy.
Less than 10 minutes left!
What are you most excited to see?
Less than 5 to go!
Last chance to get any predictions out there.
If it’s just Borderlands 3 But More, what are we even doing here?
And here we go… We’re on the countdown now.
Right off the batt: this was captured on PS5 Pro.
Trailer with a mix of cinematics and gameplay.
“What use if a Vault Hunter?
What use is a killer?”
“You are in a word, mayhem.
I take that personally.”
The gameplay part of this is highlighting loot and shoot, as expected.
Also a purple cat?
OK that Akira slide with the bike was good.
Enemies look pretty varied too, which has been an issue before.
“It’s the perfect entry point for new players,” adds Pitchford.
More grounded tone, culmination of years of hard work.
“Enough talk; let’s get it!
This is Borderlands 4.”
Slowing things down a bit now.
Life is cheap and guns are plentiful in the world of Borderlands.
Vex is the new Siren Vault Hunter.
She can use energy to empower herself or channel to conjure minions like that purple giant cat.
Borderlands 4 takes place on Kairos, an all-new planet.
Timekeeper runs things with a synthetic army.
Rogue moon teleported from Borderlands 3’s Pandora hit Kairos, disrupting the Timekeeper’s plans.
Now there’s people rising up and rebelling!
That’s where the Vault Hunters come in.
“A planet ready to explore, and you’re the spark.”
Zane and Moxxi return!
Also new folks like Rush.
Also Claptrap is back because of course.
While the art direction here is very distinct, it also seems somehow less brightly cel-shaded than before.
Full cross-play at launch.
Four zones on Kairos that players can “endlessly” explore; next-to-no loading times.
Frozen tundra being shown from one zone as the Vault Hunter uses glide to get around.
Part traversal, but also useful in combat.
Dynamic weather and events!
There’s “new activities” like the silo being shown.
Crimson Resistance can use the goods hijacked from the silo.
Love to high-level dungeon with serious loot.
“Digirunner” (?)
with guns that can be customized to make it truly your own.
Lots of world events like border patrols and bosses.
“Always something to shoot and loot.”
Little buddy drop Echo 4 (?)
can help you figure out where to go, which is nice.
Former Vault Hunter Amara from Borderlands 3 is back in Borderlands 4, though this time as an NPC.
Two-player split-screen returns for couch co-op.
Also there’s… some kind of mushroom creature named Tim being shown off?
And now we’re checking out an air vent, as one does.
Creepy black site area is creepy.
Each bit of loot in Borderlands 4 comes from eight different manufacturers with their own features.
Enhancements replace artifacts and bring bonuses to specific manufacturers.
Also, drop rates have been tweaked!
Rarity matters with legendaries at the top.
“In Borderlands 3, they dropped too often.”
This devalued them, and now all guns feel great and legendaries feel like “truly special events.”
I want to believe.
New ordinance gear slot is for heavy weapons.
No ammo associated, apparently, it’s all about cooldowns.
Three kinds of capstone action skills with their own trees featuring passive and so on.
“Near-endless freedom to experiment” by swapping around.
(Also, yes, you could pet the cat.)
Full mission and boss replay!
“No more save loading to run bosses.”
Not much shown here, so hard to have many takeaways.
Hands-on gameplay event “this June,” which sure sounds like Summer Game Fest or something similar.
…that’s it!
Sure looks like the fourth mainline entry in the Borderlands video game franchise!
