Borderlands 3: First Thoughts

September 13 saw the release of the much anticipated Borderlands 3. Fans have been waiting for years for the next installment in the franchise. Here are some spoiler-free first impressions of Borderlands 3.

Gameplay

If you’ve played the other Borderlands games, you’ll notice that not much has changed. All the buttons are in the same place, and the HUD is practically the same. Some things have been altered to become more streamlined, but nothing that will leave you confused. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Classes

The new available character classes are: 

• Amara: The Siren.
• FL4K: The Beastmaster.
• Moze: The Gunner.
• Zane: The Operative

I’ve started my playthrough with FL4K, the Beastmaster, and he does not disappoint. Though, a few of the other characters didn’t seem as appealing. Other reviewers have had similar criticisms. I can only imagine that future DLC will add new, more interesting characters. 

Co-Op

Like previous installments, Borderlands 3 offers co-op play with friends. You have two modes to choose from. You can play with friends, collect loot together, and level up at a similar pace, or you can go head-to-head, challenging your friends, or random people from the internet (my favorite). This adds some interesting replayability.

Overall

Okay, this is strictly my opinion; unpopular as it may be. So far, there’s not too much of a difference in gameplay between this game and Borderlands 2. I was hoping for a radically new expirience, but it just feels like more of the same. While we get new characters, a new story, and more interesting weapons, I feel like this wasn’t worth buying on day one. Also, there are reports of bugs in some of the console versions. So maybe wait a month for the kinks to get sorted out. 

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