Borderlands 4 vs Borderlands 3

• Perspective: First-Person
• Multiplayer: 4-Player Online Co-op, 2-Player Split-Screen
• Setting: Planet Kairos
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
• Unique Feature: A truly seamless open world with a completely overhauled movement system (grappling hook, gliding) and unprecedented depth in character and gear customization.

• Perspective: First-Person
• Multiplayer: Up to 4-player Online Co-op, LAN Co-op, Cross-Platform Multiplayer (most platforms)
• Setting: Multiple Planets (Pandora, Promethea, Eden-6, etc.)
• Platforms: PC (Windows, macOS), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch (Ultimate Edition)
• Unique Feature: Bazillions of procedurally generated guns, four distinct Vault Hunter classes with deep skill trees, signature cel-shaded art style and humor, multi-planet exploration, robust co-op gameplay.

• Co-op Teammates: The game is built from the ground up for four-player co-op. Teammates can revive each other, combine their Action Skills for devastating effects, and trade loot. A new teleport feature allows players to instantly group up.
  Human (Player)
• Echo 4: A new robot companion that provides a navigation line to objectives, replacing the traditional mini-map for exploration. It can also scan the environment for loot and enemies.
  Robot

• FL4K's Pets (Skag, Spiderant, Jabber): FL4K, the Beastmaster, can choose one of three loyal pets to fight alongside them. Each pet has unique abilities, attacks, and can be upgraded through FL4K's skill trees. Pets can draw aggro, deal damage, and provide buffs. They are a core part of FL4K's gameplay.
  Various alien creatures
• Moze's Iron Bear: Moze, the Gunner, can summon her bipedal Iron Bear mech as an Action Skill. Iron Bear is equipped with customizable heavy weapons on each arm (e.g., miniguns, grenade launchers, railguns, flamethrowers, melee fists) and provides significant firepower and protection for a limited time.
  Mech Suit
• Zane's SNTNL Drone & Digi-Clone: Zane, the Operative, can deploy a SNTNL combat drone that flies around attacking enemies with machine guns or rockets. He can also deploy a Digi-Clone of himself that distracts enemies and fires at them; Zane can swap places with his clone. These are Action Skills with cooldowns.
  Robotic Drone / Holographic Clone
• Co-op Player Characters (Vault Hunters): In co-operative multiplayer, other players join as their chosen Vault Hunters, each with their own unique skills and abilities, acting as active companions.
  Human/Siren/Robot

• Typhon Logs & Dead Drops: Audio logs left by the first Vault Hunter, Typhon DeLeon, detailing his adventures and discoveries. Finding all three logs in a zone reveals the location of a Typhon Dead Drop, a hidden loot cache.
• Eridian Writings: Ancient alien texts scattered across the planets. After acquiring an Eridian Analyzer, players can decipher these writings to gain XP and Eridium, and uncover more lore about the Eridians and Vaults.
• Dead Claptraps: Parts from deceased Claptrap units that can be salvaged to help Claptrap build a new friend. Each part provides Eridium.
• Crew Challenges (Various Types): A category of collectibles and repeatable activities specific to different NPCs and planets. Includes: - **Legendary Hunts:** (Sir Hammerlock) Defeating unique, powerful creatures. - **Targets of Opportunity:** (Zer0) Assassinating specific high-value targets. - **Crimson Radio:** (Moxxi) Sabotaging Children of the Vault propaganda towers. - **Hijack Target:** (Ellie) Stealing specific vehicle parts to unlock them for the Catch-A-Ride system.
• Red Chests: Special chests containing higher-quality loot, often found in hidden areas or at the end of dungeons/challenges.
• Vault Symbols & Eridium Piles: Hidden Vault symbols that can be found, and destructible Eridium crystal piles that yield Eridium currency (used for cosmetics and end-game purchases).

• Sci-Fi
• Looter-Shooter
• Action RPG
• Dark Humor
• Co-op
• Space Western
• Procedural Generation
• Cel-Shading
• Revolution

• Loot & Mayhem
• Dark Humor
• Cults & Propaganda
• Space Exploration & Multiple Planets
• Corporate Greed (Weapon Manufacturers)
• Found Family
• Cel-Shaded Art Style
• Over-the-Top Action
• Satire
• Anarchy

• Procedurally Generated Guns: Varies (Pistols, SMGs, Shotguns, Assault Rifles, etc.)
  Over 30 billion guns with randomized parts, stats, and elemental effects. The new 'Licensed Part' system allows for traits from different manufacturers (Jakobs, Maliwan, Tediore) to appear on any weapon.
• Ordinance: Heavy Weapons, Grenades, Throwing Weapons
  A new, dedicated gear slot for ordinance. These items operate on cooldowns or charges instead of consuming ammo, encouraging more frequent use.

• Procedurally Generated Firearms: Varies (Pistols, SMGs, Shotguns, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Rocket Launchers, Heavy Weapons)
  The core of Borderlands: 'bazillions' of guns with randomly generated parts, stats, elemental effects (Incendiary, Shock, Corrosive, Cryo, Radiation), and special properties. Guns come in different rarities (Common to Legendary/Pearlescent). Anointed gear grants powerful bonuses tied to Action Skill usage.
• Weapon Manufacturers (Examples): Varies (Determines Gun Characteristics)
  Each manufacturer has unique traits: **Jakobs** (high critical damage, ricocheting bullets, old-west aesthetic), **Maliwan** (elemental damage focus, charge-up times, dual elements), **Tediore** (guns are thrown like grenades when reloaded, then digistruct a new one), **Hyperion** (accuracy increases with sustained fire, deployable weapon shields when aiming), **Torgue** (explosive projectiles, sticky mode), **Dahl** (alternate fire modes - burst, full-auto, semi-auto), **Vladof** (high fire rate, under-barrel attachments like rockets/shotguns), **Atlas** (tracker tags for homing bullets), **COV (Children of the Vault)** ('infinite' ammo with overheat mechanic instead of traditional reloads).
• Grenade Mods: Throwable Explosive/Utility
  Various grenade mods with diverse effects, including singularities, MIRVs (multiple explosions), transfusions (health stealing), elemental damage, and utility effects like teleportation or enemy grouping.
• Shields: Defensive Gear
  Provide a regenerating energy shield that absorbs damage before health is affected. Shields have various capacities, recharge rates, recharge delays, and can have special properties like elemental resistance/nova bursts, damage boosting, or health regeneration.
• Class Mods: Character Augment Gear
  Equippable items specific to each Vault Hunter class. They provide boosts to specific skills (even allowing skills to be over-leveled) and often grant passive stat increases or unique class-specific perks.
• Artifacts: Utility Gear
  Provide powerful passive bonuses, often affecting movement (like enabling slam or slide anointments), elemental damage, melee damage, or providing unique utility effects like health regeneration or loot quality improvements.

• Energy Shields: The classic Borderlands shield type. Absorbs burst damage and begins a fast recharge after a short delay of not taking damage.
• Armor Shields: A new shield type designed for brawlers. Armor regenerates segments constantly, even while in combat, but is more vulnerable to corrosive damage.
• Firmware System: A new gear set system. Equipping multiple non-weapon gear pieces with the same Firmware provides powerful set bonuses. Firmware can be transferred between items.

• Shields: Primary defensive gear. Shields have varying capacities, recharge rates, recharge delays, and can possess special properties from different manufacturers (e.g., Pangolin - high capacity; Anshin - elemental resistance; Hyperion - amp damage on depletion). Legendary and unique shields offer powerful, build-defining effects.
• Class Mods: Class-specific items that grant points to skills in the Vault Hunter's skill trees (potentially pushing them beyond their normal maximum) and provide additional passive stat bonuses or unique perks that synergize with specific builds.
• Artifacts: Equippable Eridian artifacts that provide significant passive bonuses and unique effects. These can include elemental damage boosts, improved slide/slam mechanics, increased luck, health regeneration effects, or anointments that trigger on action skill use or other conditions.

• Cosmetic Customization: A deep customization system is expected, allowing players to unlock and equip a wide variety of heads, body skins, color schemes, and emotes for their Vault Hunters to personalize their appearance.

• Vault Hunter Heads: Unlockable and purchasable cosmetic heads that change the appearance of the player character's head. A wide variety of styles are available, from serious to outlandish.
• Vault Hunter Skins: Cosmetic skins that alter the color scheme and patterns of the Vault Hunter's default outfit. Can be unlocked through gameplay, purchased, or obtained via special events and DLCs (e.g., Multiverse Final Form & Disciples of the Vault Cosmetic Packs).
• Weapon Skins: Cosmetic skins that can be applied to weapons to change their appearance without affecting stats. Examples include the Butt Stallion weapon skin or Gold Weapon Skins Pack (pre-order/deluxe bonuses).
• Weapon Trinkets: Small cosmetic charms that can be attached to weapons for personalization.
• ECHO Device Skins: Cosmetic skins to change the appearance of the player's ECHO communication device.
• Room Decorations (Sanctuary III): Players can find and place various decorations in their personal quarters aboard the Sanctuary III spaceship.

Character progression is deeper than ever. Each of the four new Vault Hunters has three massive skill trees with over 50 levels of progression. A new endgame system called 'Specializations' replaces Badass Ranks, offering meaningful gameplay perks instead of small stat increases. SDU upgrades for inventory and ammo are also available.

The game features a single, massive, seamless open-world planet called Kairos. This is a significant evolution from the zone-based maps of previous titles, eliminating loading screens between regions and allowing for greater freedom of exploration with a completely overhauled movement system.

• Outrunner: Light Buggy / All-Terrain Vehicle
  A fast and versatile two-seater buggy, a staple of the Borderlands series. Customizable with different chassis, weapons (machine guns, rockets), armor, wheels, and paint jobs via the Catch-A-Ride system.
• Technical: Armed Truck / Utility Vehicle
  A heavier, more durable vehicle often equipped with a rear-mounted turret. Can carry more passengers. Also customizable with various weapons and parts.
• Cyclone: Monowheel Combat Vehicle
  A fast, agile single-wheel vehicle capable of strafing and high speeds. Offers unique offensive capabilities and maneuverability. Customizable with different weapon systems and mods.
• Bandit Technical / COV Vehicles: Faction-Specific Armed Vehicles
  Vehicles used by enemy factions like the Children of the Vault. Often ramshackle, heavily armed, and can be commandeered by the player. Some can be scanned at a Catch-A-Ride to unlock their parts for player vehicle customization.
• Hover-Wheels (DLC - Moxxi's Heist): Specialized Vehicle
  Unique hover-capable wheels found in 'Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot' DLC, allowing vehicles to float over certain surfaces.
• Jetbeast (DLC - Bounty of Blood): Customizable Hoverbike
  A heavily armed and customizable hoverbike introduced in the 'Bounty of Blood' DLC, used for traversing the plains of Gehenna.

• Amon, the Forgeknight: Playable Vault Hunter
  A 'sci-fi Viking' class who can forge weapons with cybernetic drones and specializes in melee and elemental damage (cryo, fire, shock).
• Vex, the Siren: Playable Vault Hunter
  One of the six mystical and powerful Sirens of the Borderlands universe, with a new set of abilities.
• Rafa, the Exo-Soldier: Playable Vault Hunter
  A heavily-armed soldier class, likely focused on gunplay and explosives.
• Harlow, the Gravitar: Playable Vault Hunter
  A class likely focused on gravity manipulation, crowd control, and area-of-effect abilities.

• Amara (The Siren): Playable Vault Hunter
  A renowned hero from Partali, Amara is a powerful Siren who can summon ethereal fists to pummel her enemies. Her action skills focus on elemental damage, crowd control, and melee combat (Phasegrasp, Phaseslam, Phasecast).
• FL4K (The Beastmaster): Playable Vault Hunter
  An emergent AI robot on a quest of self-discovery, accompanied by one of three loyal pets (Skag, Spiderant, Jabber) that assist in combat. FL4K excels at critical hits, stealth (Fade Away), and commanding their beasts (Gamma Burst, Rakk Attack!).
• Moze (The Gunner): Playable Vault Hunter
  A former Vladof soldier who can digistruct and pilot her heavily armed Iron Bear mech. Moze's skill trees allow customization of Iron Bear's weaponry (miniguns, grenade launchers, railguns, etc.) and focus on explosives, shields, or infinite ammo.
• Zane Flynt (The Operative): Playable Vault Hunter
  A semi-retired corporate hitman from the Flynt family. Zane utilizes various gadgets like a SNTNL drone, a Digi-Clone, and a deployable Barrier. He is unique in his ability to equip two Action Skills simultaneously by sacrificing his grenade slot.
• Tyreen Calypso: Main Antagonist / Siren
  One of the Calypso Twins and a powerful Siren. She leads the Children of the Vault cult with her brother Troy, seeking to absorb the power of Vaults across the galaxy. Known for her live-streaming persona and ability to leech power.
• Troy Calypso: Main Antagonist / 'God-King'
  Tyreen's twin brother and co-leader of the Children of the Vault. He was born conjoined to Tyreen and possesses some Siren-like powers by siphoning her energy. He is ambitious and seeks to prove himself.
• Lilith (The Firehawk): NPC / Leader of the Crimson Raiders / Siren
  A returning character from previous Borderlands games and a powerful Siren. She leads the Crimson Raiders in their fight against the Calypso Twins and commands the starship Sanctuary III.
• Claptrap (CL4P-TP Steward Bot): NPC / Comic Relief
  The famously annoying but occasionally helpful Claptrap unit, a series staple. Provides introductory guidance and comic relief.
• Patricia Tannis: NPC / Scientist & Eridian Expert
  A brilliant but socially awkward scientist specializing in Eridian technology and Vault lore. She plays a key role in understanding the Vaults and the Calypsos' plans.
• Ellie: NPC / Mechanic
  Moxxi's daughter and a skilled mechanic responsible for the Catch-A-Ride vehicle system on Sanctuary III and various planets.
• Marcus Kincaid: NPC / Arms Dealer
  The owner of Marcus Munitions, the primary weapon vending machines throughout the Borderlands universe.

• Main Story Quests
  A cinematic campaign that follows the new Vault Hunters as they join a revolution to overthrow the tyrannical Timekeeper on the prison planet of Kairos.
• Side Quests
  A massive number of optional missions featuring the series' signature humor and eccentric characters. These provide XP, powerful loot, and SDU tokens.
• Dynamic World Events
  Repeatable, randomly appearing objectives like Airship Wrecks, Coliseums, and Meteor Events that offer tiered rewards based on performance.
• Rift Champions
  Randomly spawning open-world bosses that provide a significant challenge and a high chance for high-quality, world-drop legendary loot.

• Main Story Campaign
  A series of narrative quests following the new Vault Hunters as they join the Crimson Raiders to stop the Calypso Twins and their Children of the Vault cult from opening The Great Vault and gaining ultimate power. This journey spans multiple planets.
• Side Missions
  Numerous optional quests found on each planet, offered by various NPCs. These often involve unique stories, characters, and rewards, expanding the lore and providing XP and loot.
• Crew Challenges
  A set of planet-specific collectible and combat challenges issued by various crew members of Sanctuary III (e.g., Sir Hammerlock's Legendary Hunts, Zer0's Targets of Opportunity, Moxxi's Crimson Radio sabotage, Ellie's Hijack Targets, Claptrap's Dead Claptrap parts, Typhon DeLeon's Logs and Dead Drops). Completing these provides Eridium, XP, and contributes to area completion.
• Proving Grounds (Eridian Trials)
  End-game timed dungeon-like instances unlocked by finding Eridian Writings. Players fight through waves of enemies and a final boss within a time limit to earn high-quality loot. Different Proving Grounds offer unique challenges.
• Circles of Slaughter
  Wave-based survival arenas where players fight increasingly difficult hordes of enemies. Completing all rounds yields significant XP and loot. Examples include Cistern of Slaughter, Slaughter Shaft, Slaughterstar 3000.
• DLC Campaign Missions
  Each of the four main story DLCs (Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot, Guns, Love, and Tentacles, Bounty of Blood, Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck) features its own new campaign with unique storylines, locations, enemies, and bosses.
• Arms Race (Designer's Cut DLC)
  A roguelike game mode where players start with no gear in a new zone (Stormblind Complex), scavenge for weapons, and fight to extract high-quality loot before being killed by enemies or an encroaching storm (Murdercane).
• Ava's Murder Mysteries (Director's Cut DLC)
  A series of story-driven side missions where players help Ava investigate potentially paranormal happenings and uncover a conspiracy across multiple planets.
• Hemovorous the Invincible (Director's Cut DLC)
  A challenging end-game raid boss encounter, requiring Eridium to access. Defeating this massive Varkid offers some of the best loot in the game.

• Q: What is new about the world in Borderlands 4?
  A: It is set on a single, massive, and completely seamless open-world planet called Kairos. This is a first for the series, eliminating loading screens between zones.
• Q: How is movement different?
  A: The game has a completely new movement system with a double jump, glide, dash, wall climb, and a grappling hook, allowing for much more verticality and freedom than previous games.
• Q: How deep is the character customization?
  A: It is significantly deeper. Each of the four new Vault Hunters has three massive skill trees with over 80 passive abilities, inspired by the complexity of ARPGs like Path of Exile. A new endgame 'Specialization' system also adds meaningful choices beyond max level.
• Q: What is the new 'Licensed Part' system?
  A: It's a new loot feature where weapons can randomly drop with signature traits from different manufacturers. For example, a Maliwan SMG might have the Jakobs ricochet effect, creating a huge number of new weapon combinations.

• Q: When was Borderlands 3 released?
  A: Borderlands 3 was initially released on September 13, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (via Epic Games Store), with a Steam release for PC on March 13, 2020. It later came to other platforms like Stadia, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
• Q: Who are the playable characters in Borderlands 3?
  A: There are four playable Vault Hunters: Amara the Siren, FL4K the Beastmaster, Moze the Gunner, and Zane the Operative. Each has three unique skill trees and multiple Action Skills.
• Q: Who are the main villains in Borderlands 3?
  A: The main antagonists are the Calypso Twins, Troy and Tyreen, who lead the Children of the Vault (COV) cult and seek to harness the power of the Great Vault.
• Q: Does Borderlands 3 have multiplayer?
  A: Yes, Borderlands 3 supports up to 4-player online co-operative multiplayer. It also features local split-screen co-op on consoles. Cross-platform play is supported across PC (Steam/Epic), Xbox, PlayStation, and Mac.
• Q: What is Mayhem Mode in Borderlands 3?
  A: Mayhem Mode is an end-game feature that significantly increases game difficulty by applying random modifiers to enemies and gameplay, while also increasing loot quality and XP gain. There are multiple Mayhem levels (1-11 with Mayhem 2.0 update).
• Q: How many planets can you visit in Borderlands 3?
  A: Players can travel to multiple planets beyond Pandora, including Promethea, Athenas, Eden-6, and Nekrotafeyo, using the Sanctuary III starship as a mobile base.
• Q: What kind of DLC does Borderlands 3 have?
  A: Borderlands 3 has two Season Passes. Season Pass 1 includes four major story campaign add-ons. Season Pass 2 includes the Designer's Cut (Arms Race mode, 4th skill tree for each Vault Hunter) and the Director's Cut (new raid boss, Ava's murder mystery quests, behind-the-scenes content, Vault Cards).

• SPECULATIVE PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. As the game is a next-generation title built on Unreal Engine 5, these are hypothetical projections and do not represent official information.
• Laptop Performance Note: A future title like this would demand a high-performance gaming laptop. Actual performance would vary significantly based on the final game's optimization and the laptop's specific hardware configuration.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU would be essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5 and the chaotic, effects-heavy combat.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Next-gen games will require laptops with cutting-edge cooling solutions to prevent thermal throttling and sustain performance during intense firefights.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the procedural gun generation system, complex enemy AI, and physics calculations.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus would remain a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance and responsiveness in a co-op shooter.
• Game Name: Borderlands 4

• Official PC system requirements for 'Borderlands 3' (released in 2019). An SSD is recommended for better loading times and texture streaming, especially with higher settings. The game supports DirectX 11 and DirectX 12.
• Laptop Performance Note: Borderlands 3 can be played on a variety of gaming laptops. Laptop GPUs and CPUs perform differently than their desktop counterparts due to Total Graphics Power (TGP) and thermal constraints. The estimations below reflect hardware from around the game's release period or slightly newer equivalents for a good experience. **Always check specific laptop model reviews for performance benchmarks, especially TGP and cooling.**
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P Impact: The TGP of a laptop GPU significantly affects its performance. Higher TGP values for the same GPU model generally lead to better framerates.
• Laptop Consideration: Advanced Cooling Thermals: Good cooling is crucial for laptops to sustain performance during long gaming sessions and avoid thermal throttling, which can reduce framerates.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Performance Sustain: A capable mobile CPU is needed to handle the game's demands, especially in busy areas or during intense combat, without bottlenecking the GPU.
• Laptop Consideration: R A M Configuration Speed: 6GB is absolute minimum, but 16GB in dual-channel configuration is strongly recommended for a much smoother experience and to prevent stuttering, especially when many enemies or effects are on screen.
• Laptop Consideration: Display Panel G P U Pairing: Match your laptop's GPU power to its display resolution (typically 1080p for this era of requirements) and aim for a refresh rate the GPU can consistently support (e.g., 60Hz or higher).
• Laptop Consideration: Driver Updates O S Optimization: Using up-to-date GPU drivers and ensuring your OS (Windows) is optimized for gaming can improve stability and performance.
• Optimization Detail: A P I Choice: Offers DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 renderers. DX12 may offer better performance on some newer hardware but DX11 can be more stable on older systems.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Resolution, Texture Streaming, Material Quality, Shadows, Draw Distance, Volumetric Fog, Screen Space Reflections, and Anti-Aliasing options (FXAA, Temporal AA) are key settings affecting performance.
• Game Name: Borderlands 3

• A P I Choice: Offers DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 renderers. DX12 may offer better performance on some newer hardware but DX11 can be more stable on older systems.
• Key Settings Impact: Resolution, Texture Streaming, Material Quality, Shadows, Draw Distance, Volumetric Fog, Screen Space Reflections, and Anti-Aliasing options (FXAA, Temporal AA) are key settings affecting performance.

• G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU would be essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5 and the chaotic, effects-heavy combat.
• Cooling Thermals: Next-gen games will require laptops with cutting-edge cooling solutions to prevent thermal throttling and sustain performance during intense firefights.
• C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the procedural gun generation system, complex enemy AI, and physics calculations.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus would remain a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance and responsiveness in a co-op shooter.

• G P U T G P Impact: The TGP of a laptop GPU significantly affects its performance. Higher TGP values for the same GPU model generally lead to better framerates.
• Advanced Cooling Thermals: Good cooling is crucial for laptops to sustain performance during long gaming sessions and avoid thermal throttling, which can reduce framerates.
• C P U Performance Sustain: A capable mobile CPU is needed to handle the game's demands, especially in busy areas or during intense combat, without bottlenecking the GPU.
• R A M Configuration Speed: 6GB is absolute minimum, but 16GB in dual-channel configuration is strongly recommended for a much smoother experience and to prevent stuttering, especially when many enemies or effects are on screen.
• Display Panel G P U Pairing: Match your laptop's GPU power to its display resolution (typically 1080p for this era of requirements) and aim for a refresh rate the GPU can consistently support (e.g., 60Hz or higher).
• Driver Updates O S Optimization: Using up-to-date GPU drivers and ensuring your OS (Windows) is optimized for gaming can improve stability and performance.