The Borderlands series has long built its cult following within the looter-shooter fandom by leaning into its signature brand of humour, an absurdly vast arsenal of guns, and the visceral satisfaction of a well-placed shot. That said, while its predecessor, Borderlands 3, was praised for its top-tier combat mechanics, it drew plenty of flak from fans for a lacklustre endgame and a story that felt, frankly, rather underwhelming.

Now, the next chapter, Borderlands 4, is set to arrive on the 12th. Following reveals at The Game Awards 2024, various media showcases, and Pax West, we have had a look at the new Vault Hunters, the primary setting, and the big bads waiting for us. With just a week left until launch, here is everything you need to know.

The stage for Borderlands 4 is the planet 'Kairos'. In the final moments of Borderlands 3, Lilith risked everything to shunt the moon Elpis into deep space. It eventually crashes into Kairos, a world long ruled by a dictator known as the 'Timekeeper'. The Timekeeper had shrouded the planet in a massive barrier, isolating it for a millennium, until the sudden collision with the moon shattered the veil.

With the barrier gone and the planet finally exposed to the wider universe, the residents of Kairos began to look outward. One woman rose up to challenge the Timekeeper, dismantling the 'Vault'—a machine used to control movement and consciousness—and forming a faction called 'Reaper'. Known as 'Queen Callis', the leader boasts formidable power, wielding a giant mechanical arm and commanding a legion of fanatical followers.

Among the other revealed villains is 'Zealot Sol'. Acting as the Timekeeper’s lieutenant, Zealot Sol greets players at the Indomita Fortress. Adhering to a philosophy that the weak exist solely as sustenance for the strong, Zealot Sol is fiercely loyal to the Timekeeper. Despite a lumbering, pot-bellied appearance, Zealot Sol boasts a tough exterior that deflects bullets and moves at breakneck speed.

To take down Zealot Sol, analysing the combat patterns is crucial. You will need to utilise various mobility skills, dodge incoming melee attacks, and always keep an eye on that massive weapon crafted from a severed right arm. Once the health bar is depleted, the boss meets a grisly end as one arm detonates, causing the entire body to melt away.

At launch, Borderlands 4 will feature four playable Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, Rapa the Exo-Soldier, Halo the Gravita, and Amon the Forge-Knight. Two additional Vault Hunters are planned to join the roster via DLC post-launch.

Vex is one of only six Sirens in the universe, though Vex started out as an ordinary girl working at a grocery store. When a violent mob swarmed the store, Vex’s Siren powers awakened under extreme stress, causing a chaotic outburst. Vex eventually fled to Kairos. Vex’s skills include summoning a 'Phase' panther, calling forth a clone, or using the 'Avatar' action skill to trigger explosions while boosting health regeneration and movement speed.

Exo-Soldier Rapa is a former soldier for the manufacturer Tediore. Born in a low-gravity environment, Rapa struggles to walk on standard planets, a limitation compensated for by a Tediore-enhanced exoskeleton. When the company decided to scrap the project to cut costs and attempted to eliminate Rapa, Rapa barely managed to escape. Rapa wields 'Arc Knives' on both arms, summons 'Peacekeeper Cannons' on the shoulders, and fires charged plasma barrages with the 'Apophis Lance'.

Halo is a scientist for the giant corporation 'Maliwan' and a member of the Traunt family. Unable to stand by while their inventions were misused as weapons of war, Halo stole the technology and ran. Halo’s toolkit includes the 'Chroma Accelerator', which fires unstable energy orbs that bounce between targets, the 'Zero Point' to trap enemies in gravity bubbles, and the 'Flux Generator' to deal cryo damage.

Amon is a warrior who makes a living hunting Vault monsters. Amon carries the tragic past of losing an entire tribe to a Vault. Despite a rugged and imposing physique, Amon is surprisingly intellectual, often reciting poetry during conversation. Using nanomachines integrated into the body, Amon can forge weapons like the 'Crucible' axe, the 'Retribution' shield, and the 'Fierce Slaughterer' power fist.

The core of the Borderlands series remains its bizarre weaponry, and Borderlands 4 is no exception. Existing manufacturers like Jakobs, Maliwan, Vladof, Tediore, and Torgue return, with new additions: Reaper, Daedalus, and Cultist. Atlas, Hyperion, and COV appear as parts, while Dahl is absent. While most legacy manufacturers retain their quirks, Daedalus weapons can toggle between two ammo types, and Cultist gear can be charged for a more powerful shot.

A fresh addition is the Weapon License system. A single gun can now roll with random manufacturer parts. Imagine a Jakobs revolver that uses Atlas homing rounds, or a Maliwan gun that ricochets on critical hits. This opens up weapon combinations we have never seen in previous entries.

The 'Armament' system has also been overhauled. Grenades and heavy weapons (launchers and large ordinance) are now consolidated into the Armament slot, featuring an auto-recharging ammo system. This allows for diverse attachments on grenades, including unique additions like Jakobs daggers. A new health injection kit has also been introduced, allowing for active healing in a pinch even without life-steal weapons.

Overall combat mobility has been ramped up significantly. Dashes, gliding, and double jumps are now standard, vastly improving traversal. Players can also summon vehicles on command and use a grappling hook to reach higher vantage points.

The true meat of Borderlands is the endgame, and the developers are bringing in several new systems. First, the 'Specialisation' system replaces the previous 'Guardian Rank'. Instead of unlocking perks at specific levels, players can now invest points to equip up to four specialisation skills.

The Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM) has been revamped. Departing from the third playthrough structure, it now functions more like the 'Mayhem' mode of Borderlands 3. After finishing the main story, players complete challenges in Kairos to unlock higher tiers. There are five tiers in total, which scale up enemy difficulty significantly while boosting item drop rates.

Quality-of-life improvements are also front and centre. Once you have cleared the first run, you can create a new 30-level Vault Hunter without replaying the story. Furthermore, 'Moxxi’s Encore Machine' is being introduced. In older games, fighting a boss again meant quitting to the main menu and reloading the game; now, simply pay in-game currency at the machine to respawn the boss instantly.

Some weekly single-player and community missions were also teased. 'Moxxi’s Big Encore Run' is a co-op raid where specific boss drop rates are boosted for a week, though the difficulty is turned up to match. 'Maurice’s Black Market' returns, appearing somewhere on Kairos after the credits roll, and future updates will see the return of the fan-favourite 'Invincible' raid bosses.

Borderlands 4 launches on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on the 12th (Switch 2 version releases October 3rd), with full Korean subtitles and voice acting supported.