6 Things We Want to See in Borderlands 3

The expectations are high, but if Gearbox does it right, we could be on the verge of playing one of the best loot shooters of all time.
6 Things We Want to See in Borderlands 3

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Gearbox just dropped a teaser trailer for Borderlands 3, and the company is about to officially reveal the game. Sure, we'll probably have more questions after the game is officially shown off to the world, but hopefully, the game delivers on the years of built-up excitement from players.

But what is it that we're hoping for from a new Borderlands game? The expectations are high, but if Gearbox does it right, we could be on the verge of playing one of the best loot shooters of all time.

1. Loot, Loot, and More Loot

Part of what makes Borderlands so much fun is the variety of loot offered. Because of the way the guns randomized, it truly felt like each one you received was different than anything else out there. Sure, it might have the same core mechanics, but the roll you got feels like it's yours and yours alone.

This type of design makes it so there's always something new to look for. You never feel like your character is "maxed out" because there's always a new, possibly better, gun on the horizon.

For Borderlands 3, we want to see Gearbox build on this with lots of loot. Between guns, armor (hopefully armor that visually changes your character) and everything else, there's an opportunity to create a game where the goal of growing your character lasts for hundreds of hours.

2. A Heavier Online Focus

Another way Gearbox can greatly increase the life of Borderlands 3 is by increasing the focus on online play. While previous Borderlands games have had multiplayer, it wasn't in the MMO-like style of games like Anthem, Destiny 2, Warframe, and Division 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVdmu7Qbeyw

In a world where these games exist, Borderlands 3 would feel disappointing without the persistent online features offered by those games. Hopefully, there's some soft of public space where players can come together to show off their awesome drops and missions where working together is encouraged.

Basically, I guess what I'm looking for is the gameplay and personality of Borderlands, with the online play of Division 2 or Destiny 2.

3. A Steady Flow of New Content

One of the issues these sorts of games often run into is a spot where players run out of things to do. When this happens, they tend to move onto something else. If they really like the original game, they might come back. But they might not.

Hopefully, Gearbox has a roadmap for releasing new stuff to keep players engaged with the game for the long haul, be it with paid DLC or free addons.

4. Borrow From Other Loot Shooters

Since the last Borderlands game came out (back in 2014 when The Pre-Sequel hit the market), a lot has changed in the world of loot shooters, and there are plenty of lessons to be learned from other games that have hit the market.

Games like Warframe have evolved to offer more than 30 different character classes.

Destiny 2 has figured out a way to make both PVP and PVE modes entertaining and balanced. Bungie also found a way to develop elaborate raids that force players to work together strategically in ways never done in a shooter before.

Division 2 has hit the market with a near-perfect launch, something most other games in the genre haven't even come close to. Both Division games introduced a PVP/PVE hybrid mode that truly changed the game.

Gearbox would do well to borrow a little bit of what worked from each of these games. Imagine a Borderlands experience with lots of different classes where you run mechanic-rich raids all while working perfectly at launch. What if other players were out in the world who could kill you at a moment's notice? Yes, the world of loot shooters has changed for the better, and hopefully, Borderlands 3 is able to take what it needs to become the game we all want it to be.

5. Ignore Other Loot Shooters

Gearbox should also look at some of the loot shooters that haven't done things right. For example, Anthem is suffering from issues right now with not providing players with enough meaningful loot to make playing the game feel like it's worth their time. The Borderlands games never had a problem with this, as they've always handed out plenty of drops, so hopefully, they keep that going with Borderlands 3.

Even successful shooters like Destiny and the first Division have had issues at launch. Yes, they eventually rebounded, but it would be smart of Gearbox to learn from these mistakes and launch the game without any of those problems.

6. More Personality

One of the main things that make the Borderlands franchise stand out in the crowded world of first-person shooters is the game's incredible personality. There's a colorful cast of characters everywhere you turn. There are the interesting playable characters that serve as more than just a class, the charming friendly NPCs, and absolutely insane enemies all packed into each Borderlands release.

For Borderlands 3, we'd love to see the power of the new consoles and more powerful PCs exploited to bring even more personality to the experience. Based on the teaser trailer that was just released, it looks like many of the crazy characters are returning, so it doesn't seem like we have anything to worry about in this area.

It's Not Hyberpably...

I've honestly never been as excited for a game as I am for Borderlands 3. If Gearbox does it right, it could be the game we play for months at a time without needing anything else, and that's exciting!