Borderlands 3: 5 Things We’d Love To See

It’s been seven years since the release of the hugely popular Borderlands 2 and nearly five years since the release of the slightly less revered Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. While this isn’t an outrageous amount of time between series entries, fans have been less than patiently awaiting the third mainline addition in the flagship Gearbox series. Between The Pre-Sequel and now, all we’ve really gotten of Borderlands 3 is a tech demo of a new engine at GDC in 2017.

However, if Gearbox’s tweets are to be properly assessed (to be fair, it seems extremely obvious), we will finally be getting a proper Borderlands 3 reveal at PAX East 2019. As a massive fan of the series, this game could release with little substantial change to the tried and true formula, and I would be more than happy.

The genre in which this series resides (a name I mustn’t say or else our editor will get shouty, but it rhymes with ‘Mooter Dooter’) has evolved in many significant ways since these original releases. Unless Gearbox wants Borderlands 3 to be met with similar fan and media reactions as this years release of Crackdown 3, we can only hope the mechanics have changed somewhat to keep things relevant and fresh. Here are five things we’d love to see in Borderlands 3.

1) Weapon Upgrades & Customization

One of the worst decisions that I came up against more times than I’d like to admit in this series is whether or not to sacrifice a favorite gun for something that is less enjoyable, but more powerful. Perhaps it was silly of me to fall in love with that Tediore rifle or Jakob’s revolver. As much of a personality that all the game’s weapons have, you can’t get attached to anything. It’s never too long before your current weapon will be too under powered for rising enemy levels. What I would love is the ability to upgrade or enchant a weapon to raise it above its base power level. This way I could hang onto and enhance my favorites for as long as I like. I get that this is a series about experimentation and toying with as many tools of destruction as possible. But with four weapon slots, there is more than enough room to hang on to one or two favorites, and use two other slots as revolving doors of gun porn.

2 ) Armor Sets

Given that Borderlands has always positioned itself as being all about the guns, this may be a bit of a long shot. But how cool would it be if we could outfit our Vault Hunters with more than just oddly named skins? There is so much personality in the weapons, shields, and grenade mods of the series, and it would be great to see that extended to different armor sets. An addition like armor sets would add a new layer of customization and a massive amount of new loot for which to grind. Armor pieces could be modeled after the different gun manufacturers and provide set bonuses when wearing a complete outfit of Maliwan or Vladof gear. This would be a very intriguing way to both evolve and expand on the outrageous loot in the series, and help Borderlands 3 stay current with the modern crop of looter- I mean, other games in the genre.

3) Better Mission Structure & Flow

Shortly after the PAX East tease of Borderlands 3 from Gearbox, I jumped back into the Pre-Sequel and Borderlands 2. For the most part, both of these games have aged pretty well. But one area that feels like it can improve is the down time between accepting a mission and actually getting into the action. It felt like I was spending too much time traveling through different areas and loading screens just to get to an objective. In the Pre-Sequel, as an example, it would have made much more sense to concentrate all of Janey Springs’ optional missions in Serenity’s Waste. Instead, a handful of these missions have the Vault Hunter traversing through multiple load screens to get to Concordia or Regolith’s Rage. This can also be remedied by larger playable areas which, keeping in mind none of the previous titles in the series have been developed for this generation, is more than possible with the current selection of hardware.

4) More Interaction with Vendors

Given all of the humorous back and forth our Vault Hunters have with important characters and quest givers in the game, it’s a shame that so many of the vendors are seemingly introduced and then relegated to the background. I’ve never understood why vendors such as Marcus Kincaid and Nurse Nina are reduced to prerecorded voices in vending machines. Or why Crazy Earl is hiding behind his door only visible through an eye slot that he slams open with his classic line “Whatchu Want!?” I’d love to have more dialogue with these characters outside of the introduction in each game – there is no doubt they have outrageous things to say. Further to this point, manufacturer specific vendors would help build the identity of each weapon maker. We’re all very familiar with Mr. Torgue, but some of the other manufacturers seem to have no face to their corporate name. Having a handful of manufacturer specific vendors in each main hub area world with a real voiced character behind it would go a long way in helping the player develop a connection to different builds and weapon types.

5) More of the Same Humor

This is one aspect of Borderlands that needs no change or altercation. Just give us more of it. Some of the most outrageous, random, and unexpected little moments in recent gaming memory have come from this series. Seriously, Ashley and Anthony Burch are geniuses and need to return to Borderlands 3 (if you haven’t indulged in the web series “Hey Ash, Watcha Playin’?” you need to, now). I will never forget the infamous “Shoot This Guy In The Face” mission, which is impressive given that this is a completely optional, stumbled upon mission with no significant reward or impact to the game (here’s hoping the Face McShooty has a son set to make an appearance in Borderlands 3). The seemingly innocent but obviously psychopathic pyromaniac Tiny Tina had more unforgettable one liners than anyone else in the game. And there’s something oddly relaxing about the aforementioned Mr. Torgue screaming simple instructions and badass motivational tips at your Vault Hunter.

Just more. Give me more.