Borderlands 3is a truly interesting game, as in many ways, it towers over the other entries in the franchise. Movement feels great, the Vault Hunters have far more depth than those seen in the other games, and quality-of-life features allow players to gather lost loot or send friends items through the in-game mail system. The game’s visual style was perfected in this entry too, and gun variety is excellent. However, there were areas whereBorderlands 3lacked a bit, with one being map design.
Upon release, one thing that many were quick to point out is how hard Sanctuary 3 is to traverse, as unlike the previous version of Sanctuary, it is easy to get lost and hard to determine which direction is the right one. These complaints extended to the various maps onBorderlands 3’s planets, with many feeling that areas like The Droughts are too easy to get lost in while also lacking the personality of Lynchwood, Caustic Caverns, or Frostburn Canyon. However, one advantageBorderlands 3’s play spaces do have are Crew Challenges, something thatBorderlands 4can take to new heights.
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The Benefits of Borderlands 3’s Crew Challenges
The best way to think about Crew Challenges inBorderlands 3is to picture the checklist-style objectives seen in Ubisoft’s open-world games. On each map, players have to find Claptrap parts, go on rare hunts for Sir Hammerlock, or carry out an assassination forthe lovable and mysterious Zer0. While Crew Challenges are nothing new to gaming, they are fresh for theBorderlandsseries specifically, and the brief little objectives have a few clear strengths.
One obvious benefit of theCrew Challenges inBorderlands 3is that they add depth to each map, giving players some legitimate things to do in each location. In otherBorderlandsgames, players have no reason to return to a map when its quests are complete besides boss farming, which typically only sees them reloading one small chunk of a map. With Crew Challenges, players have a few different things to do whenever they load into a new place, which pushes them to be thorough when clearing out a map.
The bigger upside toBorderlands 3’s Crew Challenges is that they feel genuinely rewarding. Players receive strong weapons after doing all the hunts for Hammerlock and assassinations for Zer0, while they are treated to a funny narrative moment for puttingClaptrap’s would-be girlfriend together. Even seeing Hammerlock’s room fill up with Trophies or Zer0’s bounty board get checked off is satisfying, with Gearbox making sure that all the Crew Challenges have satisfying payoffs.
How Borderlands 3’s Crew Challenges Can Be Expanded for Borderlands 4
Obviously,Borderlands 4can and should bring back the existing Crew Challenge types, especially the replayable fights against hunt and assassination targets. However, Gearbox should not stop there, as it could add additional Crew Challenges to the mix. For example, if a character likeNew Tales from the Borderlands’ Octavio returns, he could ask players to collectVaultlandersfor him. Sticking with the trend of Crew Challenges offering meaningful rewards when completed, each Vaultlander that is turned into him could reward gamers with a skin based on the character the toy is depicting.
Alternatively,Borderlands 4could take inspiration fromDestiny 2and its Patrols. Players could receive money drops for taking on little missions that ask them to get headshots or brand-specific kills, and they could occasionally see a random activity appear that feels like aDestiny 2public event. Lost Sectors in particular would be very interesting, as challenging and replayable content that feels built for just one player would be new forBorderlands. If the rewards were good enough, players could be motivated to run through a Lost Sector-like side area between their boss farms, adding some extra variety toBorderlands 4’s gameplay loop.
Borderlands 3is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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