Among the thingsBorderlands 4will include, its DLC is easily among the most anticipated even before launch. In the past, theBorderlandsfranchise’s DLC expansions have brought fans some memorable NPCs, beautiful locations, and powerful new guns. However, some of the most memorable DLC in the franchise has added new characters to play around with.
Borderlands’character DLC additions have led to some of the most beloved character in the franchise, such as Krieg inBorderlands 2. Despite that, new playable DLC characters were not added inBorderlands 3. This type of DLC is something that Gearbox should bring back inBorderlands 4.
RELATED:Borderlands 3 Wasted One Feature That Borderlands 4 Should Capitalize on
Borderlands' Past Character DLCs Deserve a Comeback
Rather than DLC adding new character,Borderlands 3opted for a different approach by giving itsvault hunters new skill treesto work with. This turned out to be a good move for the game, allowing players to try out a character they previously enjoyed in a whole new way. This also allowed for a variety of different builds specifically tailored to new skill trees, acting almost like using a new character in practice. However, these additions did come with some downsides. For starters, because some of the skills added were not as strong as previous ones, many players chose not to use them. It also did not give some players the motivation to play the game all over again, as the characters still react the same to any given situation.
Borderlands 3faced a number of challenges, so with new skill trees having a positive reception it did turn out alright at the end of the day. However, this did not bring nearly as much to the table as a new character would have. In some ways, this also arguably betrayed theBorderlandsformula of introducing lovable characters. Krieg, a DLC character,is one of the most emotionally complex and beloved characters in the franchise. Skipping on the chance to do something similar is clearly a missed opportunity.
With a new character, not only would there be three times as many skill trees to work with,Borderlands 3also could have revolved new content around that character’s identity.Gaige and Krieg fromBorderlands 2added completely new themes and play styles while not taking anything away from the base characters. This added more replayability to the game as well, as players could choose to start over the game with a new character and see how they feel differently about the same events.
Bringing added characters through DLC inBorderlands 4would make way for more interesting stories. The little bits of dialogue that characters drop throughout a campaign and side missions can be among the funniest additions in anyBorderlandsgame.Characters likeBorderlands’Kriegcan even expand on more tragic sides of the universe. Character DLCs are a chance for the developer focus on different aspects of that universe without interrupting the flow of the main story.
While new skill trees were an interesting experiment, it was a bummer not seeing new characters added toBorderlands 3. Hopefully things will change in time forBorderlands 4, but only time will tellhow longBorderlandsfans will have to wait for the next installmentin Gearbox’s popular franchise.
