Borderlands 4's Latest Patch: When Your Performance Fix Casts a Stuttering Hex
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Borderlands 4's latest patch, intended to fix performance woes, has ironically introduced more stuttering for some players, prompting Gearbox to suggest shader compilation fixes, all while also bringing new weekly activities, gear balances, and delayed Vault Hunter buffs.
Alright, gather 'round, folks, because we've got a classic tale unfolding from the chaotic plains of Pandora – or rather, the digital ones. It seems Gearbox, bless their cotton socks, have been at it again with Borderlands 4, trying to iron out those pesky performance wrinkles that have, let's be fair, been clinging to the game like a particularly stubborn skag since launch. This whole glorious mess, by the way, was initially brought to our attention by the ever-observant Mark Warren over at Rock Paper Shotgun, and honestly, mate, he deserves a medal for tracking these digital shenanigans.
You know that feeling when you're trying to cast a simple 'Mend' spell to fix a leaky bucket, and instead, you accidentally summon a small, incredibly confused storm cloud? Yeah, that's pretty much what's happened with Borderlands 4's latest update. The *aim* was noble: to deliver more performance fixes, especially for our PC brethren who've been battling frame drops and hitches like they're the true final boss. The *reality* for some players? A rather unfortunate uptick in stuttering. Bloody hell, it's like two steps forward, one step back, then accidentally tripping over your own feet and face-planting into a pile of lag.
Now, in fairness to Gearbox, you can't say they haven't been *trying*. This isn't their first rodeo with post-launch performance patches; it's the third one in just a couple of weeks, apparently. One was even famously (or infamously) noteless, which, if you ask me, is a bold strategy. Like releasing a wizard's spellbook with half the pages blank. But hey, at least this one came with notes, and diving into them reveals a mix of good intentions and, well, the aforementioned 'stuttering hex.'
Beyond the performance woes, the update did bring some other bits and bobs to the party. Weekly activities got a shake-up: the big encore boss has been swapped for a tougher version of an existing one (which, naturally, means more loot – always a win in Pandora), the weekly wildcard mission shuffled, and Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine did its usual migratory dance. For console players, there's a welcome addition of an FOV slider – a quality-of-life improvement that should have been there from the start, but hey, better late than never, right?
On the fix front, Gearbox cited rectifying “various instances of hitching, low FPS, and crashes,” which sounds lovely in theory. They also tackled those dreaded “infinite loading screens during crossplay” (because nothing says 'fun with mates' like staring at a static image while your mates are off nabbing legendary loot). Characters should also load faster in menus, and their animations have been updated to match these fixes. All great stuff, on paper.
Then comes the kicker. The stuttering. Gearbox acknowledged it pretty quickly in a follow-up tweet, suggesting that these issues *should* resolve themselves over time as shaders compile in the background. If 15 minutes of continuous play doesn't magically fix it, then clearing your shader cache via your video card manufacturer's approved method is the next step. If that doesn't work? Well, grab a cuppa and settle in to file a support ticket. It's a bit like being told your broken spell will fix itself if you just keep trying to cast it, or you could try tapping your staff three times and spinning counter-clockwise. A classic PC gaming dance, that one.
The update also tossed in some changes to rewards and progression, along with minor tweaks to individual Vault Hunters. And, because what's a looter-shooter update without some gear rebalancing? We saw Hellwalker now always spawning with the Fire element, Tediore weapons getting a sweet +10% Damage and +10% magazine size bump, the Order Pistol Lucky Clover (Rocket Reload) seeing an increased fire rate, and the Order Sniper Rifle Fisheye getting a damage boost. These sorts of changes always get the theory crafters buzzing, wondering how their beloved builds will fare in the new meta.
Interestingly, creative director Graeme Timmins dropped a tweet revealing that a much heavier balancing patch, particularly for Vault Hunter buffs, is coming soon. Apparently, there were too many to safely cram into this update, so they're targeting an early-next-week release. Which, if you're a glass-half-full kind of wizard, means more good stuff is on the way! If you're a glass-half-empty type, it means they're splitting crucial updates, which can sometimes feel like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces in a different box.
One thing we can all probably agree on is a collective sigh of relief that CEO Randy Pitchford seems to have, for now, stopped dishing out impromptu setup advice on social media. Sometimes, the less said, the better, eh? Overall, while Jasmine Mannan over at Rock Paper Shotgun generally liked what Borderlands 4 had to offer, it's clear the journey to a silky-smooth experience is still a bumpy one. Here's hoping Gearbox can cast that elusive 'Perfect Performance' spell soon, and without accidentally turning any more players into stuttering puddles of pixels.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun by Mark Warren.
Tags: Borderlands 4, Gaming News, Game Updates, Performance Issues, Looter Shooter
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun