Borderlands 4’s New Planet Kairos Explained

At long last, more details about Borderlands 4 have emerged via a gameplay trailer shown at the 2024 Game Awards ceremony. While the gameplay trailer still didn’t reveal an extensive amount of information about the game, 2K and Gearbox unveiled some of Borderlands 4‘s most notable features alongside the release of the trailer, which included some details about the game’s new planet, Kairos.

Based on what was shown in the latest gameplay trailer for Borderlands 4, as well as what 2K and Gearbox have already disclosed, the game’s planet of Kairos is set to be unlike any location Borderlands fans have visited so far in the series. With what already looks like a more menacing villain than Borderlands 3‘s Calypso Twins, an expansive open world, and new traversal features, Kairos aims to impress as the primary setting for Borderlands 4.

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Kairos Serves as the Primary Setting for Borderlands 4

Kairos Is Under the Oppressive Rule of the Timekeeper

At the top of the food chain on Borderlands 4‘s planet of Kairos is the ruthless Timekeeper, the game’s primary antagonist who serves the planet’s oppressive dictator. As Kairos’ authoritarian ruler, the Timekeeper has no respect nor time for the opinions of others on the planet, and he maintains perfect order by suppressing the freedom and individuality of the planet’s inhabitants. His synthetic army, the Order, is the hand that he uses to keep all of Kairos under his thumb, although his oppressive rule has brought widespread unrest to the planet.

As shown in both trailers for Borderlands 4, Pandora’s moon, Elpis, has entered Kairos’ orbit, after it was teleported there by Lilith in an attempt to keep it from crashing into Pandora at the end of Borderlands 3. Unfortunately, the arrival of Elpis broke through a cloaking veil that had kept Kairos hidden for quite some time, triggering an uprising on the planet against the Timekeeper’s tyranny. This is where Borderlands 4‘s Vault Hunters come in, whose mission is to free Kairos from the Timekeeper’s rule and restore the freedom it once possessed.

Kairos Offers a Seamless Open World With Diverse Landscapes

Mechanically, Borderlands 4‘s planet of Kairos will differ greatly from previous locations in the franchise, and likely for the better. Firstly, Kairos offers seamless exploration with absolutely zero loading screens, which will allow players to travel across its landscapes uninterrupted. It hasn’t yet been disclosed how large Kairos is in comparison to previous locations in the series, but given the fact that 2K has called Borderlands 4 the “most ambitious” entry in the series yet in a 2K Newsroom article, that sentiment could apply to Kairos’ size and diversity, implying it will be much larger than any location players have set foot on in the series so far.

Speaking of Kairos’ diversity, while the latest gameplay trailer primarily shows a desert landscape on the planet, the very fact that it is a seamless open world suggests it will feature multiple biomes for players to discover. Kairos’ aesthetics have previously been described as “high-tech but lo-fi,” which suggests a mixture of advanced technology with touch of retro. Apart from a desert biome, the latest gameplay trailer for Borderlands 4 also shows a sprawling green landscape with at least one massive city for players to explore, although there may be even more urban environments.

Borderlands 4‘s planet of Kairos also features a more dynamic world than fans of the Borderlands series might be used to, with a variety of events and side missions to encourage exploration, making venturing off the beaten path and out into the wild a more engaging and rewarding experience. Finally, a new vehicle system allows players to summon a mount from almost anywhere, which will enable them to travel across Kairos’ expansive landscapes, not just more quickly, but also in style.

Borderlands 4‘s planet of Kairos is clearly looking like it will indeed be the series’ most ambitious setting yet, with a seamless open world, massive potential for plenty of diverse biomes, and a blend of retro-futuristic aesthetics that may deliver a fresh experience for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. These features, along with the Timekeeper’s oppressive rule, a cultural rebellion ignited by the arrival of Pandora’s moon Elpis, and the Vault Hunters’ mission to restore freedom to the planet, Kairos is shaping up to be a worthwhile setting to spend some time in.

Looter Shooter

Action

Adventure

RPG

Franchise

Borderlands

Released

2025-00-00