For the last few months, I’ve been wondering what the endgame of Borderlands 4 might look like, and a new tweet has me thinking more about it. For some time now, Gearbox has kept quiet, and now they’ve shared a load of information. What I like the most is the fact that I can rest assured that they did listen to the players. For one, I am delighted to learn that there is something called a “loot chase,” which not only sounds amazing but also the “best something loot chase we’ve built.” Since the rest of the tweet is very detailed, I’d like to dive into it as well as the other tweet they posted.
To start, Vault Hunter Mode is coming back, and I’m glad it is because that mode was the real starting point for previous titles. I am also looking forward to Weekly Big Encore Bosses and Wildcard Missions, which sound like end-game content with thematic rotating missions to keep the content fresh. On top of that, Gear Sets, formerly referred to as Firmware, sounds interesting because one of the improvements over random legendaries everywhere is that they’re implementing true set bonuses for gear, which is an excellent improvement.
The Specializations System follows and is presumably Advanced Hash Trees or Vault Hunter Customization past the base game. Confirming Dedicated Loot Drops is a massive win, as that means players no longer have to farm 30 iterations of the same gun on the same boss. It’s a simple algorithm: put the specific loot in the specific place. That is probably the single best quality of life improvement for the franchise.
The reactions from fans have been all over the place, with some people pre-ordering, the one guy named Architect saying that after a long break he is itching to come back to Borderlands, and, on the flip side, Stuhlinger calling it “lame endgame.” How is ‘lame’ the first word coming out of your mouth when, hours into the reveal, was it? Oh yeah, that’s Twitter for you.
Fixating on the details of the system is, in my opinion, the most curious aspect. Another user, J, was appalled at the idea of a ‘double dip’ campaign on every character or an easier Ultimate Mode that required campaign completion for just one character. In the same vein, a user named Lanna was worried that weekly bosses would be a grindy timed locked co-op feature which locked the ability to do co-op bosses into a grind. It’s nice that the community is thinking about basic fundamentals of the system and the more annoying small details of the integration.
Then there is the whole issue about the pearlescent weapons. Aaron Mathews said, “Aren’t pearlescent weapons a thing?” Someone else reminded him that they weren’t in BL3, which was indeed a strange omission. More people are asking for white whales and super rare loot to chase because they think that is what makes the grind satisfying.
This game clearly has a lot of buzz around it. There are many people stating that it will be incredible and, frankly, after going through every promised feature, it is hard to resist the excitement. Rotating content weekly, dedicated loot drops, gear sets, and specializations — it is almost as if every request after Borderlands 2 has been noted.
But there is always that one cynical person — like Yami who, after spending $130 on this like it was done with BL3, will be crying if this fails, which kind of, I guess, sums up the sentiment. People are justified in their hesitance to get hyped considering the issues that BL3 had at launch. This endgame reveal, however, is the most promising thing they’ve shared so far.
One of the new details that is really promising is the assumption that they are actively listening to their previous titles. This benefit is clear since games from earlier recently undertook newer, refined editions. The fact that they’re specifically naming dedicated loot drops means they got every last gripe about BL3’s loot system being too random. And the return of Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode proves that they know the real game phase begins after the campaign for the majority of the hardcore players.
The thread also had some hilarious moments like someone asking why no steelbook edition which like … priorities people come on. And another person begging for Torgue and Tiny Tina to return because let’s be real those are like the best characters in the entire series.
Overall, the vibe is overwhelmingly positive. People are excited about the direction they’re taking the endgame, and honestly, it sounds like Gearbox might actually deliver on their promise of the best loot chase they’ve ever built. The combination of weekly content, gear sets, specializations, and dedicated drops creates a framework that could keep players engaged for hundreds of hours if executed properly.
We’ll need to wait for the actual gameplay, but my guess is that Borderlands 4 is more than what players have been anticipating. The endless hours of speculating and talks about the endgame have created a lot of buzz, and this is, for sure, the loot shooter that could get everything right.
