Bloody Hell, Borderlands 4's Taking Cues from Baldur's Gate 3? Character Builds Just Got Spicy!
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
In a surprising twist, *Borderlands 4* is taking design cues from *Baldur's Gate 3* to create vastly more varied and player-driven character builds, aiming for true replayability where no two Vault Hunters of the same class need to play alike.
Right then, gather 'round, mates, because I’ve been tinkering with some news that sounds wilder than a Claptrap trying to file its taxes. Apparently, *Borderlands 4* – yes, that glorious, chaotic looter-shooter we all love – is taking a leaf out of *Baldur’s Gate 3*’s spellbook. You heard me. The game where you fire bazookas at space goblins is now looking at the one where you spend three hours deciding if your half-elf bard should be Lawful Good or Chaotic Neutral.
Fair dinkum, my first reaction was probably the same as yours: *"What in the name of Moxxi's Bar are they smoking over at Gearbox?"* But stick with me, because this isn't just some marketing PR bluster trying to piggyback on Larian’s well-deserved success. This is about something genuinely interesting, something that could actually shift how we play *Borderlands* forever.
**Original scoop courtesy of Daniel Morris over at Game Rant.**
So, what's the big reveal? It comes from Nick Thurston, the lead character designer for *Borderlands 4*. He dropped this little bombshell in an interview with Polygon, explaining that the team is specifically looking at *Baldur's Gate 3* (and, rather appropriately for the min-maxers among us, *Path of Exile*) for inspiration on how to make character builds *more varied*. And honestly, that’s where my ears perked up like a skag hearing a fresh meat delivery.
Thurston, bless his cotton socks, sounds like one of us. He's a self-proclaimed 'min-maxer' who wants to hit the endgame, doing 'billions of damage,' but – and this is the crucial bit – 'in the way I want to do.' This isn't about finding *the* meta build and cloning it for every character. This is about *player agency*. It's about letting your inner digital wizard conjure up something truly unique, even if you’re playing the same Vault Hunter as everyone else.
Think about it. In previous *Borderlands* titles, while skill trees offered choices, sometimes the optimal path felt… pretty straightforward. You'd pick a Siren, and chances are, your Siren would end up doing something fairly similar to another Siren, give or take a few skill points here or there. Thurston himself admits this, saying, "In previous Borderlands titles, you could be like ‘If you’re going to be Zero and I’m going to be Zero then we’re both going to do the same thing.’ Maybe that’s fine and fun for you, but I really want to be like, we have four Amons in this group and every single one of them has a different build." Now, *that's* a juicy concept.
It’s a bit like when you try to cast a teleportation spell, and instead of just moving across the room, you accidentally open a portal to a dimension where all the loot is sentient and talks back. You might have intended one outcome, but the possibilities suddenly exploded. That’s what Thurston is aiming for with *Borderlands 4*’s character builds.
The implications for replayability are massive, aren't they? If you can genuinely have four Vexes (the new Siren-like character, reckon) in your co-op group, and each one plays a fundamentally different role – one focused on elemental damage, another on healing, a third on crowd control, and a fourth on raw gun damage – then the entire dynamic of the game shifts. It's not just about finding new guns; it's about finding new *ways to use those guns* with your unique character. This moves *Borderlands* away from being just a 'looter-shooter' and nudges it closer to being a truly deep 'action RPG with guns.'
Now, a dash of Jeff's patented gentle skepticism. Building genuinely diverse, viable character paths in a game as fast-paced and loot-driven as *Borderlands* is no small feat. *Baldur's Gate 3* thrives on turn-based combat and intricate rule systems that allow for incredibly granular decision-making. Translating that depth into real-time, chaotic gunfights while keeping balance and preventing frustrating 'dead builds' – that’s the real magic trick. It's easy to *say* you want variety; it's another thing entirely to design and implement it without making a large chunk of the choices feel like traps for unsuspecting players.
But if Gearbox pulls this off? Bloody hell, it could be fantastic. It signals a move towards empowering players with more meaningful choices, which is always a win in my book. It’s a good decision from a big studio, and that's something I’m always genuinely excited to see. It’s not about flashy new tech (though Unreal Engine 5 is looking pretty slick, mate), it’s about thoughtful game design that serves the player experience.
It also highlights a broader trend in gaming: the growing appreciation for player freedom and expression, even in genres where it wasn't traditionally paramount. The success of games like *Baldur's Gate 3* has clearly sent ripples through the industry, reminding developers that deep systems and player-driven narratives aren't just for niche CRPGs. Everyone wants to feel like their character, their choices, and their playstyle genuinely matter.
So, as *Borderlands 4* barrels towards its September 12 release (with a Nintendo Switch 2 arrival in October, funnily enough – talk about covering all bases!), I’m cautiously optimistic. If they can deliver on this promise of truly varied builds, then we’re not just getting another *Borderlands* game; we're getting one that understands the itch for creative expression that drives min-maxers and role-players alike. And that, mates, is something worth digging into. Let’s hope they don’t accidentally summon a Varkid instead of a truly unique build.
Tags: Borderlands, Baldur's Gate 3, Character Builds, Looter-Shooter, RPG
Original article: Game Rant