The following contains spoilers forBorderlands 3.
After the ending ofBorderlands 3, one of the biggest questions surroundingBorderlands 4’s plot has revolved around the whereabouts of Lilith, who saved Pandora by teleporting its moon, Elpis, away just as it was about to collide with the planet. AsBorderlands 4’s trailershave already shown, Elpis has now broken through a protective cloak surrounding the planet of Kairos, causing chaos to erupt on its surface as the order once maintained by its oppressive leader, the Timekeeper, has begun to break down as well. However, where Lilith ended up after Elpis crashed into Kairos' atmosphere is still unknown.
As such,Borderlands 4has likely been saving the answer to that question for its story, which just increases its value as a plot point all the more. Given how important it is that players find and potentially rescue Lilith during the story, though, it will need to unfold at the proper time to keep from falling flat. If it happens too soon,Borderlands 4risks one of its biggest revelations being undermined by everything that follows. If it happens too late, the story inevitably becomes more about Lilith than anything else. Fortunately,Borderlands 4’s April State of Play deep dive quietly revealed the potential timing of Lilith’s presumed return, and it’s the game’s best news yet.
Borderlands 4 Quietly Revealed the Potential Timing of Lilith’s Presumed Return
Borderlands 4’s April State of Play Showed Players Searching for Lilith
If there’s one thing that’s certain aboutBorderlands 4based on what was revealed during its April State of Play, it’s that it hasn’t forgotten Lilith. While there have been some concerns raised about whether the next entry would continue where the last story left off, those concerns can largely be laid to rest, as the gameplay deep dive for the game briefly showed players doing a mission called “Dark Subject,” where the objective was “Find Lilith.” This confirms that Lilith, whether she is alive or dead, will somehow be included inBorderlands 4’s story, despite the fact that it has been touted as a great entry point for new players.
The Best News About Lilith’s Potential Return Is Its Timing
However, while Lilith’s inclusion inBorderlands 4’s narrative is good news, the best news about her potential return is its timing — as long as everything shown in the State of Play still holds true for the game’s full release. During the mission shown in the footage, the player character reaches Level 25 shortly after an encounter with a group of enemies. That doesn’t necessarily provide concrete details about when Lilith might make an appearance inBorderlands 4, but it does offer a pretty good idea.
If there’s one thing that’s certain aboutBorderlands 4based on what was revealed during its April State of Play, it’s that it hasn’t forgotten Lilith.
IfBorderlands 4’s initial level cap is 50, as it has been in previous installments, this would mean that players could be searching for Lilith somewhere around the mid-point of the game’s story. Of course, this is assuming the player character in the footage reached Level 25 organically and got there by focusing more on completing the campaign than by doing everything else in the world of Kairos. If that’s the case, and Lilith really will be more of a focus around halfway through the story, then she won’t rob the spotlight from othercharacters inBorderlands 4, for one thing, but she won’t be the peak of the plot either.
That timing could end up being one ofBorderlands 4’s smartest story decisions. By letting players search for Lilith at a point where the story has already had room to establish itself as a distinct entry in the series, her potential reappearance can still mean something without it overwhelming everything else. It ultimately allows the story to build around her rather than hinge entirely on her. That kind of restraint might be exactlywhatBorderlands 4needsto balance honoring the overarching narrative while also attempting to kick off something new.
