Borderlands 4 Review – Best Loot, Best Shoot and Compile Shaders

Borderlands 4 brings the Borderlands franchise back to a more grounded, serious and yet quirky fun baseline we expect from the franchise. Bringing better gun-play, insane build-crafting and a ton of quality of life upgrades.

But underlining a terribly good game is the bad performance that has an impact on all platforms, yet it was still hard to put the game down, as once we got into that tight loop of looting and shooting, our brains were eager for more.

TL;DR

Borderlands 4 is back to the peak days of Borderlands 2. Better writing, better build-crafting, better movement and more interesting guns to shoot. Performance will range from terrible to acceptable on all platforms, with several issues plaguing the experience. But Borderlands 4 has a bright future ahead with updates, extra vault hunters and potentially good DLC.

Borderlands 4 Review – A Spark of Hope for the Franchise

We were super excited to try out Borderlands 4 as it looked like Gearbox Software and 2K Gaming took previous feedback from Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland to heart. Even going as far as restarting some of the writing during development to get it to a point that catered more to their Premium fans for this Premium game.

We won’t be going over some of the controversy brought forward by Randy Pitchford, his X threads, but if you want, you can check them out here. One man never represents the vision and effort of a whole company or studio.

The Balance Between Comedic and Intriguing – Story, Setting, Writing

Our latest Borderlands franchise review was about Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, which we like but struggled with online play and some weaker points. We didn’t end up loving it, but it was sure fun to play and used what made the Bunkers and Badasses DLC from Borderlands 2 so fun. And it really was way better than what Borderlands 3 brought in terms of story and writing.

Borderlands 4 really took a huge step up from Borderlands 3 on many levels. The main villain, The Timekeeper, is a more serious threat and not some laughing stock villain from Aldi. Yet not even close to how Handsome Jack dominated Borderlands 2 with his unhinged dialogue and extreme behaviour. The Timekeeper felt more like a real threat, a mastermind watching your every move and having a dominating force on the planet.

After our band of Vault Hunters lands on Kairos, we are captured and bolted. A bolt that is a control module that allows the Timekeeper to watch your every move and even take over your body and use it like a puppet for his goals. We are rescued by Arjay, a lone Crimson Raider Vault Hunter, who claims they have a way to override the bolt and give free will to bolted people. It’s soon clear that this is done through Echo, the main net from other Borderlands games that is in charge of your HUD, inventory, etc. But in Borderlands 4, ECHO is an actual robot flying around taking care of Arjay.

After a stand-off with the prison warder, Arjay transfers ownership of Echo from him to us in order to save us from the control of the Timekeeper. As a form of punishment, the Timekeeper takes over Arjay and uses Arjay’s body to mortally wound Arjay himself before we are blown off the prison platform. And this scene just set the bar for writing for this entry in the series already at a higher point than Borderlands 3 or even Tiny Tina’s ever did. The Timekeeper means business, and he won’t shy away from drastic measures to hurt you physically or mentally.

The Open World of Kairos

After a quick cutscene of our Vault Hunter stranded on a beach and being rudely awoken by Claptrap, Borderlands 4 starts off for real. A bit of Claptrap dialogue and introduction to safe-houses, and the world is actually open for us to explore. Having several side-activities at the ready and a main story to pursue, once you walk out that door, there is nothing holding you back from going anywhere and searching for side-quests or just exploring.

Kairos truly is an open-world map, a first for the Borderlands franchise. No loading screens, no separate zones to load into unless you go into major dungeons. Kairos is divided into 4 major zones that require no loading to get into and explore; they are all seamless transitions, and each of them has its unique biome, set of enemies and side-quests. The first three zones have major main story quest lines divided into several acts. The fourth is the Timekeeper’s main city and is only accessible when you complete the other zones.

During our time on Kairos, we did feel like the setup was kinda familiar. It all seemed very similar to things we had done in other games. Finding safe-houses, climbing towers for rewards, clearing caves and opening up silos that point us to certain rewards over the map. Going to loudspeakers spouting raider propaganda and turning them off. It all seemed similar to the way Ubisoft kinda builds up their worlds. In combination with the Timekeeper as a dictator villain on a prison planet, it felt a lot like Far Cry 6.

Rebuild the Crimson Resistance

Each major zone introduces you to a faction under the subjugation of the Timekeepers’ oppressive regime. These factions are yours to convince to join the Crimson Resistance and rise up against the Timekeepers’ forces, The Order.

In every zone, you’ll follow a separate storyline that shares a similar structure: complete quests, fetch items, and ultimately persuade the local faction to join our cause.

After completing the first zone, where you meet Claptrap and the Outlanders, the main quests for the remaining two zones unlock, allowing you to tackle them in any order.

The best part of these separate storylines is how they all build toward a grand finale mission that truly feels like an endgame moment. It’s a massive assault on a heavily fortified base, with NPC allies charging with you through the front gates in a chaotic, all-out battle.

These moments pushed us to play harder, longer, and further than we planned. It captured that classic “just one more mission” feeling as the tension kept building.

Be the Vault Hunter of Chaos and Destruction

Borderlands 4 features a ton of NPCs who are key to both the zone-specific stories and the main storyline. Add in the unique characters from side quests, each with funny personalities or the typical quirky Borderlands humour, and you end up with a huge cast to keep track of across the four main storylines.

At times, it can be overwhelming. With so many characters introduced so quickly, it’s easy to lose track of who’s who. You might even forget you met certain people earlier in the game. The pacing can jump from point to point so fast that some NPCs don’t get enough development to leave a lasting impression.

At one point, a certain NPC returned in a cutscene, and I was sure I had seen them earlier, but I couldn’t remember who they were until halfway through the scene. Some characters do stick around longer, but usually only because they’re returning faces like Moxxi or Claptrap.

As for the cutscenes and your Vault Hunter, there seems to be a ton of unique dialogue options during quests and cinematic moments. Your character doesn’t just stand around silently. They actually react, speak, and contribute to the story, each with their own unique flair. On top of that, your cosmetic choices are fully visible during cutscenes, which can lead to some truly hilarious moments.

The Best Borderlands 4 Has to Offer

The true pinnacle of any Borderlands game is the combat loop, and Borderlands 4 takes it to another level. The new movement set, featuring the glide-pack, makes combat feel incredibly smooth and fast. It’s downright addicting.

Our main Vault Hunter was Vex, and her shadow-clone ability, combined with the enhanced movement, made it feel like we were an entire army converging on the enemy. The clones would distract and disorient opponents while we jumped, glided, and slid into a flanking position, blasting from all sides with nonstop chaos.

Guns Galore and Building Around Chaos

Borderlands 4 brings back the signature arsenal of absurd weaponry that puts the U.S. military to shame. And yes, it once again adds to the insanity of weapon combinations and wild perks you can discover and build around.

One of the biggest new features is the ability to combine perks from different manufacturers into a single gun. For example, you might find a Vladof weapon with a high fire rate and a large magazine, enhanced with a Jakobs perk that causes bullets to ricochet on critical hits. It’s a ridiculous and awesome blend that opens up tons of possibilities.

Borderlands 4 also introduces Firmware perks, which are basically set bonuses that grow stronger the more matching pieces you have equipped. Combining these with manufacturer-specific perks adds a new layer of depth to looting and planning your Vault Hunter build.

The promise that legendaries would once again be truly unique was also delivered. Each legendary item comes with its own special perk that can significantly change how your build or the item itself functions.

One of our favourite drops came from a boss called Splashzone. The legendary shield we got was a perfect fit for our army-themed build. Its perk launched missiles from defeated enemies, or whenever our shield broke, hitting nearby enemies with explosive force. It created a mortar-style effect that turned the battlefield into a chaotic bullet hell, almost like Vampire Survivors from the enemy’s perspective. When everything clicked, it felt not just powerful but absolutely epic to witness.

Quality of Life Features We Desperately Needed

The looter-shooter genre has seen several great features come and go over the years. Some games introduced mechanics we loved, only for newer titles to leave them behind. For example, in Outriders, a standout feature was the “loot all” option after finishing an arena, letting you collect everything without running around. It turned out to be something we never knew we needed.

While Borderlands 4 doesn’t include that specific feature, it does introduce plenty of quality-of-life improvements that help smooth out the gameplay loop.

You can now mark items as trash instantly, without having to open your inventory and do it manually. When you’re near a vendor, selling all marked trash takes just one button press. It gets you back to shooting and looting in no time. The new movement system, mentioned earlier, also adds a huge boost to combat flow and fluidity.

Another great improvement is the instant restart option in boss rooms. Once you’ve finished a boss, you can restart the fight immediately without loading screens. Just pay the fee and jump back in. Fast travel is also more convenient than ever. You can now fast-travel from anywhere, without having to hike back to a travel station. Vehicles can even be summoned from anywhere, including mid-air. There’s even a tongue-in-cheek comment in-game poking fun at the outdated need to walk back to a Catch-a-Ride.

The most heavily marketed new feature in Borderlands 4 was the grapple hook. While it’s used for pulling levers, opening doors and grates, or reaching certain areas during quests, that’s about the extent of it. Yes, you can grapple onto barrels and throw them at enemies, but your gun will almost always be the better option. It ends up feeling more like a utility than a core gameplay mechanic.

One area where Borderlands 4 takes a noticeable step back is the user interface. Sorting items feels clunky, comparing gear is a hassle, and overall, the UI lacks the unique style and clarity of previous games.

Performance, The Biggest Dud

By now, plenty of videos and discussions have circulated regarding the performance of Borderlands 4 on high-end PCs and even consoles. The overall consensus is clear: Unreal Engine 5 strikes again. But in reality, the issue lies more with Borderlands 4 being poorly optimised.

We tested the game on a powerhouse setup: RTX 5080, 32 GB of RAM, NVMe SSD, and an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, running on a 1400p ultra-wide 165Hz monitor. This rig can handle Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing enabled and DLSS Quality, delivering a steady 70 to 90 FPS while looking absolutely stunning.

Borderlands 4 doesn’t come close to Cyberpunk 2077 in visual fidelity, yet it performs significantly worse. Frame rates are lower, and stuttering is a frequent issue. DLSS Quality mode also introduces distracting ghosting effects, especially when aiming down sights with certain weapons, breaking immersion entirely.

After tweaking the settings extensively, we managed to get the game running between 60 and 80 FPS. However, performance fluctuated heavily depending on the zone. Achieving a smoother experience required lowering overall settings, reducing render resolution, and sacrificing foliage and shadow quality.

As a result, Borderlands 4 no longer looks like the trailers or gameplay footage that were advertised. Gearbox is reportedly working on fixes, but for a Premium title targeting Premium players, this level of performance is disappointing. Even the RTX 5090 struggles to maintain a consistent frame rate, and console versions are facing similar issues.

Borderlands 4 Review – Conclusion

Yes, Borderlands 4 is a really good entry in the series. It builds on what we loved from previous games and tightens up the writing in meaningful ways. We’re having a blast farming for loot and experimenting with new builds that break the game in all the best ways.

However, it’s unfortunate that, at the time of writing, optimisation and performance are still major issues in Borderlands 4. If you’re a fan of the series and can look past these shortcomings, we definitely recommend picking it up and jumping into the action. The upcoming Vault Hunter class looks incredibly promising, and we can’t wait to try it out.

That said, waiting for future performance patches and more stability could lead to a much better experience overall. It may reduce frustration and help you get more enjoyment out of everything Borderlands 4 has to offer.

Thanks to CD Media for sponsoring our review!