Borderlands has always thrived on the sheer thrill of absolute chaos. Explosions, inappropriate humor, endless guns, and that signature cooperative madness have always defined the series since the first game, but movement was never really part of that excitement. Sprinting and crouching got the job done initially, and Borderlands 3, in particular, added sliding and vaulting up objects. Yet, these mobility tools always felt like background functions rather than tools that transform a firefight battle, methods to get you to the next shootout.
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Borderlands 4 changes this up in a big, impactful way. For the first time, how you move is just as important as how you shoot. Gearbox has introduced new abilities that turn mobility into a significant feature that affects core gameplay, shifting fights from simple ground-level firefights into full-blown playgrounds of verticality and speed.
The New Mobility Toolkit
Borderlands 4 gives players a set of tools that instantly transform how combat feels from the moment you start the game. The double jump alone changes the rhythm of fights, letting you soar above cover and reach high vantage points. It even lets you close gaps in ways that were never possible in the series before. Flat arenas now open into layered battlefields where enemies can no longer rely on high ground to dictate how you, the player, approach combat.
The new grappling hook pushes that sense of freedom even further. With a quick launch, you can zip across arenas with ease, swing straight into the action, and/or pull yourself out of danger in a flash. Grappling is fluid, giving players a sense of control over the environment that the series has never had before. While it is limited to specific grapple points to utilize, combined with gliding, the tool still dramatically affects how you approach battles. Double jump into the air, hook your way higher, then speed into a glide while carpeting unsuspecting foes from the skies above. These mechanics link together naturally, creating a system where movement itself becomes central to the fighting, instead of an afterthought.
Together, these additions, along with sliding and vaulting introduced in Borderlands 3, give Borderlands 4 a new identity. You are no longer a grounded mercenary tied to cover. Now you play more like an over-the-top action hero whose arsenal extends beyond weapons to include the freedom of mobility. The enhanced toolkit is not a minor quality-of-life feature but a substantial upgrade that opens every fight to improvisation and creativity. Combat is now about how stylishly you can control the battlefield while doing it, and it feels amazing once you get the hang of the new toys and using them in tandem.
How Movement Changes the Flow of Combat
The Borderlands formula has always been about chaotic firefights and piles upon piles of loot. With Borderlands 4, that hasn’t changed at all. But, with the new mobility systems, the arenas in which the core formula persists no longer play out as predictable shootouts. With the changes and additions to mobility, combat evolves into dynamic playgrounds where your choices of height and positioning matter almost as much as the weapons you carry. In a bandit camp that once might have been a slog of ducking behind cover, you can now vault onto a rooftop and glide down like a gun-toting Batman, ambushing enemies below from a high vantage point. Mobility changes the game. Encounters feel alive, more like improvisational performances than seen-it firefights.
Enemy design also feels sharper because of these changes. Borderlands 4 throws foes at you that use verticality in ways older games couldn’t, because you were stuck much more to the pavement. Snipers on ledges and heavy enemies that try to lock down space all force you to think differently. Instead of camping in one spot and trading fire, you are constantly moving to counter new threats and outmaneuver enemy positioning. Levels are built to match this energy, with plenty of layered structures and open skies for gliding that reward creativity.
The mobility in Borderlands 4 keeps encounters fresh by constantly asking you how you want to engage. Do you snipe from high ground or dive straight into the chaos with grapples and glides? Regardless of your choice, each one rewards you in some way that is satisfying and makes you want to do it again. Better yet, because he mobility plays so well together, the volume of options of how you approach an encounter adds to that longevity. Many areas now feature several vertical layers, encouraging you to constantly reposition and explore vantage points. Secret paths and hidden loot often require clever use of double jumps or grappling hooks to reach, making traversal feel like part of the reward structure.
By seamlessly weaving movement into every part of the gameplay, Borderlands 4 ensures its firefights stay engaging for the long term, while still delivering the signature Borderlands DNA we’ve all come to adore.
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm.
