Summary
Through a compelling overarching storyline, epic boss fights, and humorous conversation,Borderlands' popularity has seen steady growth with each release – even leading to a highly successful spin-off inTales from The Borderlands. Although the franchise’s ecosystem got two new spin-off additions in 2022, the wait for the next mainline entry inBorderlands 4is dragging on, so for now it’s unclear what new features Gearbox will build the next game around. Looking at other leaders in the RPG genre raises a few ideas forBorderlands 4to implement;Diablo 4’s Aspectsparticularly hold a lot of promise forBorderlands' loot focus.
Borrowing features from other franchises is a common theme in gaming, as the ever-increasing competition drives developers to make changes to stay relevant. One ofBorderlands' most endearing dynamics is its fixation on the comical number of weapons it provides gamers, posting billions of weapon combinations in its latest installment inBorderlands 3. While the buffet of weapon choices is always welcome as players search for customization in their gameplay,Gearbox can improve its strategy to maintain balance. Instead of scaling the weapon pool as the franchise did in previous games,Borderlandscould take a leaf out ofDiablo 4’s page with the Aspects mechanic to provide gamers with variety at half the expense.
Diablo 4’s Aspects Could Take Borderlands 4 to New Heights
Aspects are Crucial for Customization in Diablo 4
Many hopedDiablo 4would be the macabre series' crown jewel, and despite its rocky path with Season 1, theSeason of Blood has rightedDiablo 4’s shipthrough massive gameplay improvements. After waiting for about a decade for the next installment in the franchise, fans were enamored withDiablo 4in the early days before its popularity dropoff, and the initial positive reaction was due to the flurry of new features. A list ofDiablo 4’s best features would mostly include the Season 2 tweaks, but Aspects has been a remarkable addition from the onset.
Aspects can be directly linked to the push for customization in the gaming community, as the feature adds an extra layer of unique gameplay when battling againstSanctuary’s frightful monsters. Aspects provide a way for players to boost their abilities by imprinting Legendary powers on weapons and different types of gear.Diablo 4has a vast selection of these items, as gamers can choose from over 100 options, although some Aspects only provide boosts for certain classes. It’s common practice to leave imprinting Aspects until mid-game when builds start to take shape.
Aspects Could Tame Borderlands 4’s Weapon Needs
The customized gameplay Aspects offersDiablo 4can be pipelined intoBorderlands 4’s features, simply due to the unrealistic weapon scaling goal the title would have to meet to maintain the franchise’s trend. The originalBorderlandshad around 18 million weapon combinations available for players to tweak to their liking, and later mainline editions each built on the already massive foundation from the debut installment.
ForBorderlands 4, the time may have come for Gearbox to explore more innovative options to give the same weapon variety it desires for itsVault Hunters. Instead of hunting for new weapons all over the map to give the slightest advantage, players might direct their attention to farming Aspects to deal distinct levels of damage from another player with the same weapon.
For instance, the Cadaverous Offensive Aspect inDiablo 4increases the damage for two-handed weapons by 100% and that of amulets by 50, but has little impact when applied to 1H weapons, gloves, or rings. Similarly, in aBorderlandssetting, each Aspect could improve some weapons more than others, adding a much-needed complex layer to loot farming. Since the feature has worked so well inDiablo 4, it stands to reasonBorderlands 4could see similar results, so Gearbox should consider incorporating Aspects in the upcoming title.
