Information revealed aboutBorderlands 4has proven that the game is not afraid to go against tradition. Though it remains true to theBorderlandsseries,Borderlands 4positions itself as a true evolution in the formula, cutting out the shortcomings of previous titles whilst elevating the many factors which made the franchise so beloved by many.
As new information is slowly being revealed, players are able to learn 4’s new cast of playable Vault Hunters. Each of them seems to have character quirks that will be familiar to fans of the pastBorderlandsgames, but one seems to have much more in common with the recentTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsspin-off.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Players Will Enjoy Amon
Wonderlands Introduced Melee Weapons
TheBorderlandsseries is known for its near-endless variety of guns for players to loot and shoot throughout each game. Despite being aspin-off,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsdoesn’t stray too far from this path, giving players a bevy of fantasy-themed assault rifles, shotguns, and rocket launchers to choose from. This kept the game experience similar to the mainline games in the series, while leaning further into the tabletop RPG-inspired setting.
However, there is one major change made toTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsthat deviates from the rest of theBorderlandsgames, and that’s the addition of melee weapons. InBorderlands, players can use a single melee attack for low damage, and some characters like Athena and Amara have skills that give them more melee capabilities, butTiny Tina’s Wonderlands’ melee weapon typegives players the chance to wield these close-ranged weapons regardless of class or build.
Amon Gives Melee Combat More Variety
Recent gameplay has emerged ofBorderlands 4’s Amon, and forTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsplayers, he may be the perfect choice. As isBorderlandstradition, players can equip four guns at any time, with an additional Ordnance slot reserved for grenades and heavy weapons. However, Amon can bridge the gap between ranged and melee with his Action Skills, and can excel at the melee capabilities of past Vault Hunters. With the Crucible Action Skill,Amon carries two axes inBorderlands 4, which are imbued with Fire and Cryo elemental properties.
As opposed to brutish characters like Krieg, Amon players will need to be more considerate of the elements they use, as this seems like a crucial aspect of his moveset.
While Amon’s axes have been shown prominently throughoutBorderlands 4’s promotional materials, this isn’t the only way he can be built. Onslaught is another of Amon’s Action Skills, forgoing the axes entirely to use his fists instead, gaining movement speed in the process.
This encourages players to be much more aggressive by getting closer to enemy swarms, further emphasized by its AoE hammer ability as Onslaught’s secondary action. Amon’smelee options inBorderlands 4could surpassTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsfrom the variety alone, giving players more ways to creatively build the character to allow for more unique playstyles.
Amon also has access to the Scourge Action Skill, which has been seen in action during the Official Gameplay Trailer. Rather than an overtly offensive weapon, players gain access to a shield. While this is often used as a defensive option in most games, it seems like players will be able to use skills to unlock its combat capabilities. TheSaw Shield fromDoom: The Dark Agesproved that shields can be as much of a weapon as the rest of the game’s artillery, and it seems likely thatBorderlands 4will be following in its footsteps.
What Amon Could Mean for Future Vault Hunters
On his own, Amon seems like an evolution of the melee system introduced inTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, givingBorderlandsplayers more potential to get up close to enemies in fights and deal massive damage. However, his arrival could be a trial run for how far melee builds can go in the series’ future. There are characters in past installments with melee skills, but Amon is seemingly the first to be fully built around them.
As theSuper Deluxe Edition ofBorderlands 4confirmed that more Vault Hunters will be added to the game as DLC, it’s possible that Amon will not be the only melee-centric character in the game. Amon’s melee moveset makes him work a lot like a tank, being able to deal heavy-hitting attacks with his weapons whilst also shrugging off damage received. In contrast to this, another Vault Hunter could take inspiration from the Swifft swords fromTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, trading slower attack for higher attack speed.
Amon could also mean thatBorderlands 4could give the melee-skilled Vault Hunter of pastBorderlandsgames a rework. Whether this would be new Vault Hunters inspired by those of the past or breaking tradition and adding theplayable characters of previous games toBorderlands 4, Amon shows that more emphasis could be given to these playstyles by reimagining their kits. A faster character like Zer0 could stand in contrast to Amon, using melee weapons differently by having players engage with the system differently.
Like Zer0, a new Vault Hunter inBorderlands 4could give more focus to critical hit points on enemies, but use a sword instead, requiring fast but thoughtful combat.
At its core, theBorderlandsfranchise has been and always will be about guns.Borderlands' identityrelies on its ability to provide powerful, over-the-top weaponry to take down equally strong and strange enemies. However,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsproved that it doesn’t have to limit itself, allowing players more opportunities for close-ranged combat.
