Borderlands 4 reinvents itself with an interconnected world full of secrets and collectibles

Borderlands 4 bets on the largest and most vertical open world in the saga.

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Borderlands 4 is taking shape as the most ambitious project in the series to date. Although there are still weeks to go before its release on consoles and PC (it launches on September 12), the development team has begun to reveal essential aspects of the game, such as the complete redesign of the world, new movement mechanics, and an additional layer of exploration that promises to reward the most curious players.

Randy Pitchford, founder of Gearbox, has published an extensive thread on social media where he reveals how the design philosophy for Borderlands 4 has evolved. This time, the goal has been to build a truly interconnected, vertical, and secret-filled map, where players can take advantage of new abilities such as double jumping, gliding, sprinting, and grabbing onto ledges.

Vertical exploration and secrets in unexpected places

“We designed a huge world and committed to filling it,” explains Pitchford. The team faced the challenge of allowing players to reach almost any corner of the map, which forced the designers to reimagine the layout of zones, heights, and connections. This freedom has led to unexpected situations: some playtesters managed to reach areas that, in theory, were not designed to be accessible. Instead of blocking them, the studio decided to take advantage of them.

The response was creative: placing Marcus heads as collectibles in the most remote areas, inspired by the exploration of journalist Andrew Reiner (ex-Game Informer), who discovered multiple hidden routes during his playtesting sessions. These objects will not only serve as rewards but also tell small stories within the Borderlands universe.

“We wanted something that players would find when they reached remote areas. Something simple, recognizable, and that fit with the game’s universe.” — Randy Pitchford

The story behind these collectibles adds context: during a cataclysm on the moon of Elpis, a box of heads was accidentally launched towards the planet Kairos, where they now remain scattered as hidden treasures for the most attentive players.

A change of direction in Borderlands design

The bet on more free and vertical exploration marks a change from previous, more linear and fragmented installments. Gearbox’s ambition is not only noticeable in the size of the world but also in how the player can interact with it: moving with agility, climbing structures, gliding long distances, and using every corner as an opportunity to discover hidden rewards.

Borderlands 4 aims to raise the bar for the series not only in technical terms but also in the way players explore and inhabit its universe. For now, not all details have been revealed, but everything points to exploration being one of the fundamental pillars of this new installment.