Six years after the release of Borderlands 3 and three years after Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, Gearbox Software and 2K Games are preparing for the launch of Borderlands 4 later this year. The next entry in the comedic looter shooter series will pick up where Borderlands 3 left off and give players four completely new vault hunters to choose from. Though Borderlands 4 will supposedly be aspiring for a more mature tone than previous Borderlands games, recent trailers have indicated that the game’s combat will still bring the level of chaos that fans have come to expect from the series.
There are currently two gameplay trailers out for Borderlands 4, and both have showcased some exciting ways that the series has evolved since Borderlands 3. New animations, new enemy types, new action skills, and new traversal mechanics give fans plenty to be excited about. However, if Borderlands 4 is looking to improve upon its predecessor, an easy leg-up could be pulled from a Borderlands spin-off game.
Related
Borderlands 4’s February 2025 State of Play Trailer Feels Like a Direct Answer to the Previous One
The latest gameplay trailer for Borderlands 4 seemingly addresses some of the criticisms surrounding the game’s previous showcases.
Why the New Weapon Type in Tiny Tina’s Wonderland Shouldn’t Be Forgotten
Gearbox released Tiny Tina’s Wonderland in 2022 between mainline entries. The game is based on an in-universe Dungeons and Dragons-esque tabletop game introduced in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep — a DLC expansion for Borderlands 2. Tiny Tina’s Wonderland takes the combat and humor of Borderlands and places it in a fantasy setting created by the titular explosives expert. While Tiny Tina’s Wonderland is a smaller-scale spin-off from the main series, it still made some interesting changes to the Borderlands formula.
The Introduction of Melee Weapons
Besides switching up the genre, replacing grenades with spells, and giving players the ability to create their own character for the first time in the series, one of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland‘s most notable additions was the introduction of melee weapons. Players have always been able to perform a melee attack in the Borderlands series, but Tiny Tina’s Wonderland was the first to let players equip a melee weapon of their own choosing.
Just like with guns in the game, players can loot and purchase melee weapons of different types and rarities. The types include one-handed swords, two-handed swords, axes, and blunt weapons like hammers or morning stars. Each melee weapon has unique perks regarding its crit chance, attack speed, and elemental damage type. Depending on which Wonderlands class is chosen, the equipped melee weapon can have as much of an impact on combat as a player’s guns.
Bringing Melee Weapons to Borderlands 4
Melee combat was simplistic in Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, but it was an interesting idea that helped the spin-off to stand out. While the melee system was designed with a medieval fantasy setting in mind, there’s no reason why it couldn’t make a reappearance in Borderlands 4. The Borderlands games have long encouraged players to get up close and personal with their enemies thanks to the melee skills of characters like Krieg, Athena, and Amara. Combining those skills with the ability to select a unique melee weapon whose stats and damage type mesh well with the player’s preferred skill tree would add some appreciated depth and allure to Borderlands 4‘s melee combat. Plus, with Borderlands 4‘s teased mobility enhancements, getting into and out of melee with an enemy will be easier than ever before.
Looter Shooter
Action
Adventure
RPG
- Released
-
September 23, 2025
- ESRB
-
Rating Pending