Borderlands 4: The Case of the Resetting Runes – Are New Vault Hunters a Chore or a Charm?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Borderlands 4 players are, shall we say, less than thrilled with the new character experience, finding the lack of progression carryover (maps, gear, specializations) makes starting a fresh Vault Hunter feel like a tedious chore, despite a level-30 skip, according to Game Rant's Matthew Schomer.
Right, so you know that feeling when you've finally mastered a spell, blown a respectable hole through reality, and then you try to cast it again, but all your hard-earned magical energy just… poofs? Yeah, well, apparently, a fair few Borderlands 4 players are getting a similar vibe, but with their Vault Hunters, not cosmic incantations.
Less than a week after Borderlands 4 burst onto PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 – with a Nintendo Switch 2 version set to follow suit on October 3rd – the echoes from the community aren't quite the celebratory war cries Gearbox might have hoped for. While the critics, bless 'em, have largely given it a nod of approval, the players are, shall we say, a bit less chuffed. And according to a recent report by Matthew Schomer over at Game Rant, the biggest sticking point seems to be the rather… *uninspired* experience of starting a new character after you've already saved Pandora (or wherever the heck we're off to this time).
Now, I'm all for fresh starts, mate. Sometimes you wanna roll a new build, try a different class, or just see the world through a different pair of blood-splattered goggles. But Borderlands has always had that tantalizing promise of *some* shared progression. You know, making that grind just a *smidge* less grindy the second, third, or bloody tenth time around. But here's the rub, straight from the digital tea leaves Game Rant has been reading: players are finding it a proper chore.
Despite the game offering a level-skip to 30 once you've polished off the main campaign with one character, it seems that's less a boon and more a... well, a bit of a limp handshake. The real issue, the one that’s got Vault Hunters collectively scratching their heads, is the alarming lack of carryover for things you’d *think* would be account-wide. We're talking about the dreaded 'fog of war' returning to your previously explored maps – are we meant to be legendary Vault Hunters or glorified digital cartographers, constantly re-mapping known territory? It’s like forgetting where you left your magic portal key every single time you step through a new door.
Then there's the gear. Oh, the gear. Landing at level 30 but with severely under-leveled equipment? That's not a head start; that's just a slightly less painful head *bonk*. And the storage deck upgrades, those glorious expansions that let you hoard all your shiny trinkets and legendary loot? Character-specific. Bloody hell, it’s like having to re-enchant your magical backpack every time you swap out your trusty familiar.
But perhaps the biggest eyebrow-raiser, the one that’s sparked the most chat, is the specializations. Apparently, some in-game text has been interpreted by players to mean these would be shared across all Vault Hunters on the same account. A perfectly reasonable assumption, you'd reckon, especially in a game built around re-playability and trying out diverse builds. Instead, they're locked to the individual. It's almost as if Gearbox cast a spell that was supposed to share the loot, but accidentally made everyone forget the formula for sharing the *knowledge* of the loot.
Let's not forget the colourful cast of characters we're meant to be dipping into: Amon the Forgeknight, Vex the ranged commander, Harlowe the run-and-gun master, and Rafa with their turrets and lightning-quick melee. Each offers a unique flavour, a distinct skill tree, and a whole new way to experience the chaos. But if the thought of doing all that progression legwork *again* for each one makes your eyes glaze over, well, then the game's inviting variety quickly loses its lustre, doesn't it? What's the point of offering a buffet if half the dishes require you to re-harvest all the ingredients?
It’s a curious stumble for a franchise that, let’s be fair, usually nails the whole ‘more, bigger, better’ loop. The essence of a good looter-shooter, especially one with multiple character classes, often lies in the balance between fresh progression and respecting the player's time investment. If starting a new character feels less like an exciting new adventure and more like a tedious administrative task, then something’s gone a bit sideways.
The community, being the ever-clever bunch they are, isn't just complaining; they're offering solutions, which is always a good sign. Players are suggesting some sensible tweaks: open up the map and all those glorious teleport points that have already been unlocked. Make specializations and storage deck upgrades shared among all Vault Hunters on the account. These aren't outlandish demands; they're quality-of-life improvements that would smooth out the experience and encourage players to actually *engage* with all the different character options.
This early feedback, coming so swiftly after launch, gives Gearbox a golden opportunity. Performance issues aside (and yes, those are also making waves, which isn't ideal), this character progression kerfuffle seems like a fixable design choice. It’s a chance to listen to the wizards and warriors in the community, perhaps recalibrate their spell-casting, and ensure that trying out a new Vault Hunter feels less like re-paving the same old road and more like opening up a whole new magical pathway. Here’s hoping they take heed, mate, before the enthusiasm fizzles like a misfired elemental blast.
Source: Game Rant, authored by Matthew Schomer.
Tags: Borderlands, Looter-Shooter, RPG, Player Feedback, Game Design
Original article: Game Rant