Borderlands 4's new vault hunters get a mixed reaction from fans: some say they're 'bland,' others defend their excitement

GamesFPSBorderlands 4Borderlands 4’s new vault hunters get a mixed reaction from fans: some say they’re ‘bland,’ others defend their excitementWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Borderlands 4 - Official First Look - YouTubeWatch On

Borderlands 4 - Official First Look - YouTube

What struck me about theBorderlands 4trailer shown atThe Game Awardsis that the graphical fidelity has advanced so far that the comic book art style that defined the first game is fading away. It looks like the characters are doing Borderlands cosplay, with black Sharpie lines on foam props, and in the daytime scene at the start of the trailer, the signature Borderlands style is almost entirely absent from the rocky terrain.

I still think it looks great, even if the style that once set the series apart—one of themost successful pivotsin videogame history—is becoming vestigial. Borderlands fans, however, had their eyes fixed on more substantial matters: the new vault hunters, whose reveal has divided opinions. The Borderlands subreddit is currently awash with both posts that call the new protagonists “bland” and counter-posts declaring that everyone is being too negative.

(Image credit: Gearbox)

Four new Vault Hunters

“The designs of the vault hunters might be my least favorite in the franchise,” readsone popular thread. One of the complaints is that they’re all human—no robots, no aliens. As they do the slo-mo shoulder-to-shoulder astronaut walk together in the trailer, they all have the same expression and their clothes are similar, so I get the complaint. But maybe we just haven’t seen enough of them to know what makes them distinct.

Plenty of fans are pushing back on the negativity, and in fact much of the conversation I’m seeing is more about the nature of reveals and fan reactions than expectations for the game itself. “One of the greatest things I’ve read on here is that if you love a game, don’t visit its subreddit,” saidone wise Borderlands fan.

It’s a pretty normal response to a big reveal from a long-running series—scattered feelings of disappointment countered with variations of ‘unpopular opinion: I liked it’—but it does speak to the challenge of keeping a long running series fresh. The Borderlands games have all been hits, but no series is bulletproof. There used to be armies of Halo fans who’d descend on you if you said a single bad word about the Chief, and back then I never thought I’d see the series as disrespected as it waswhen Halo: Infinite was revealed—that was brutal.

The Borderlands movie that finally came out this year wasn’t exactly a blockbuster—wecalled it “an irredeemable mess”—so Randy Pitchford and company are perhaps under a little extra pressure to prove they still have it. What little movement and shooting we saw in the trailer looked fun to me, and my gut says this one will do just fine.

Borderlands 4 is set to release sometime in 2025.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

More about fpsTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

More about fps

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

Money money money.

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

FBC: Firebreak

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

Latest

Dead By Daylight: The Junji Ito Collection

See more latest►

Most PopularPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod sceneSorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our faultTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KIs the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anythingIf you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 offAMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fabI tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bay

Most Popular

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals' latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Sorry everyone, Minecraft 2 is cancelled, and it might be our fault

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

Is the new RTX 5070 really as fast as Nvidia’s previous flagship RTX 4090 GPU? Turns out the answer is yes. Kinda.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is getting a closed network test, and I’m totally not fuming because PC players aren’t invited to the party, or anything

If you’re a content creator and gamer looking for a CPU upgrade, this Ryzen 9 9900X deal will get you $90 off

AMD is now reportedly making all-American Ryzen 9000 CPU dies at TSMC’s Arizona fab

I tried a sim racing rig that generates ‘wind’ at CES 2025 and it’s claimed to help keep VR nausea at bay

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals