Originally announced in August, Borderlands 4 has released an official first look trailer for the next entry in the long-running franchise. It doesn’t seem like the team is straying from the formula established in the first three games, but hopefully the writing, story, and characters will be better than those in Borderlands 3. This time around, players are breaking free from the oppressive Timekeeper, who is a dictator ruling the masses of Kairos from on high. Those familiar with Borderlands lore will notice Pandora’s Moon, Elpis, in the atmosphere above Kairos. The collision of the moon with the planet created a hole in its protective barrier, resulting in meteorites and bandit masks raining down from the sky. Years later, Kairos is now home to a horde known as the Rippers, led by their Queen, Callis. The first look trailer shows those Rippers facing down with The Timekeeper and his army of soldiers known as The Order.
This establishes the ongoing conflict on the planet, as Vault Hunters crash-land on Kairos, causing full-scale Borderlands mayhem. The team promises it is evolving the franchise’s looter-shooter gameplay in new ways but is focused on delivering the quintessential Borderlands experience. We see some free-form combat and exploration in the trailer, but for the most part, it’s what you’d expect from a Borderlands game. More information will be released next year, and it will definitely be a title we’re keeping an eye on, given that we’ve spent hundreds of hours playing Borderlands 2.
