There has been some trepidation around Borderlands 4 after the somewhat up and down performance of the series since Borderlands 2, but the most recent trailer shown off during State of Play, 2025 is promising. The gameplay of the series has rarely ever been a problem, with it improving from title to title, and it seems to have improved again with Borderlands 4, with the speed of the combat being highlighted in the latest trailer. It looks as vibrant and chaotic as one would expect from a Borderlands title, benefiting from current gen technology.
Although the movement, gunplay, and general speed of combat improvements are likely something that should be expected at the bare minimum, the trailer also gave players a look at the new Vault Hunters and their abilities. Players get to throw elemental axes, dual-wield, fire punch with a mechanical arm, and much more; however, none of these features are the most shocking additions to the series. Another, far more simple, feature is a series first that could have some interesting gameplay implications.
Borderlands 4 Lets Vault Hunters Finally Swim
Water Is No Longer Able To Slay Vault Hunters
Borderlands 4 lets Vault Hunters swim and the trailer at the newest State of Play (via YouTube) makes an effort to show this off, since it cuts when a Vault Hunter jumps into the water and plays again when they start swimming back out. This kind of small feature is a massive deal for Borderlands, since the series only ever had hydrophobic Vault Hunters. The likes of Zer0, Athena, and Krieg can face hordes of enemies, but once their toe touches a body of water, they instantly die. This new batch of Vault Hunters actually decided to take some swimming lessons.
A Vault Hunter group tends to have a Siren with specific powers, although there can only be six Sirens at any given time.
This isn't just a case of Vault Hunters being able to survive water, something no other Vault Hunter could survive before this batch, but there are animations for swimming. It is seen for just a moment after the trailer continues from the cut, and could mean that water is going to be a part of the level design. If so, Vault Hunters have come a long way from treating bodies of water like lava to using them to their advantage, possibly letting players stealthily approach through the water or diving into it from a great height when things get too tough.
Borderlands 4 Gameplay Looks Promising
The Writing Could Be The Limiting Factor
Gearbox has yet to show that it doesn't know how to make Borderlands gameplay fun, since the combat is the most praised aspect of Borderlands 3. It isn't known whether swimming is going to be a big gameplay addition or just added to alleviate the ridiculousness of god-killing Vault Hunters instantly dying to H2O, but it does show that Gearbox is continuing to add new things. Borderlands 4 may be the best game in the series, as expected, but this isn't where the concerns come from.
Borderlands 4: 5 Things We Want to See in the Sequel
Screen Rant looks into five different gameplay elements that the fans have been asking for the Borderlands four
As great as better gameplay and being able to survive a bath are, Borderlands has recently been criticized for its writing. With the lack of a charismatic antagonist (Handsome Jack) and the dud that was the Calyspo Twins, the series received a lot of criticism for its writing choices. If Borderlands 4 can bring the series back to form in this regard, the better gameplay will get to shine more, rather than feeling like a saving grace, and the series can go back to the acclaim it had once received.
Source: PlayStation/YouTube
Borderlands 4
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Rating Pending
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - all
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Platform(s)
- PC
