As what could be argued is the franchise’s last chance to innovate,Borderlands 4has the weight of the world on its shoulders. Fortunately, it seems to know that, which is why it’s taking such strides to not only ensure that it’s not just anotherBorderlandsgame but also that it doesn’t repeat the mistakes of its past — particularly those that have inspired criticism. By and large,Borderlands 4does seem to beBorderlandsat heart (which is important), but many of its new features suggest it will feel like a fresh experience and perhaps even grow the fanbase as a result.
OfBorderlands 4’s new features, the new planet Kairos is probably its biggest. It’s not the first timeBorderlandshas introduced new locations, but it is the first time it has featured a vast seamless world with almost no loading screens separating zones. To complement this fresh approach to world design,Borderlands 4brings a number of new additions and changes to the table as well — including the Digi-Runner, a vehicle that can be summoned from anywhere. Its combat is changing a bit as well, with one of the most significant changes involving grenades and heavy weapons. However, unlike many of the other changes, this is one thatBorderlands 4absolutely needs to get right, perhaps more than anything else.
Borderlands 4’s Ordnance System Could Make or Break Its Combat Loop
Ordnance Is a Big Swing, but It’s Replacing Two Major Tools
In previousBorderlandsgames, players have been known to horde grenades and heavy ammo, saving them for bosses and otherwise “impossible” combat scenarios. That’s whereBorderlands 4’s new Ordnance systemcomes in, as it aims to change the way players use these items in combat. Rather than relying on ammo and a limited number of grenades, the Ordnance system effectively replaces that by tying grenades and heavy weapon ammo to a cooldown instead.
The purpose of the Ordnance slot is to make grenades and heavy weapons more a regular part of gameplay inBorderlands 4, as opposed to them being solely used against bosses and other challenging enemy encounters.
In other words, this means players can use these items as often as they want, granted their Ordnance isn’t on cooldown at the time they want to use it. For some players, this is going to mean triggering Ordnance as often as they might unconsciously reload their weapons. Others might even forget that it’s there if they’re too focused on what their weapons are capable of. Regardless, this change toBorderlands 4’s heavy weapons and grenadeshas the potential to lean into an extreme that could either leave combat as a whole feeling unbalanced or the new Ordnance system being irrelevant altogether.
Ordnance Has to Be Fun, Tactical, and Worth Using Without Overpowering Everything
Firstly,Borderlands 4’s Ordnance slot has to be worth using for its inclusion to actually mean something. This means that grenades and heavy weapons will need to be powerful enough to merit pressing whatever button or key is necessary to trigger Ordnance. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, is the possibility that heavy weapons and grenades could end up being too powerful. This, coupled with the fact that the Ordnance slot essentially makes their use unlimited, could lead to combat being unbalanced and most or all normalweapons inBorderlands 4being trivialized as a result.
Rather than relying on ammo and a limited number of grenades, the Ordnance system effectively replaces that by tying grenades and heavy weapon ammo to a cooldown instead.
This is why it’s so important thatBorderlands 4nails the balance of its new Ordnance slot. After all,everyBorderlandsgamehas been about the weapons that players can acquire, and if those are left in the dust of grenades and heavy weapons due to the Ordnance slot’s cooldown-based structure, that part ofBorderlands' identity is lost in the upcoming entry. On the other hand, grenades and heavy weapons need to be powerful enough to merit their use inBorderlands 4, but time will tell what the long game for Ordnance ends up looking like.
