Borderlands 4 devs knows they were ‘too generous’ with Legendaries in BL3. Here’s how they’re fixing it
One of the most vocal complaints about Borderlands 3 was how easy Legendary weapons were to acquire, and Gearbox Software knows that full well and is looking to fix it in Borderlands 4. In my handful of hours playing BL4 at a preview event in May, I got four Legendaries to drop in a variety of activities, much to the surprise and shock of the Gearbox devs watching me play. Because, in general, the loot chase is designed to be more satisfying and "viable" this time around, even with green and blue weapons equipped. Screenshot by Destructoid "People felt that we were a bit too generous whenever it came to Legendaries in Borderlands 3," senior project producer Anthony Nicholson told me. "So, we took that and said 'ok, what is the actual message that's here? And why were we taking that approach to being so liberal with the drops?' And so our approach [in BL4] has been to make it where the loot chase is stronger by making the lower level tier gear more viable." Nicholson highlighted that in past games, players would reach level five or six and basically begin trashing all Common or green guns. But now, the combination of features like Licensed Parts (multiple distinct weapon manufacturer parts on the same gun) and Enhancements that provide buffs depending on equipped manufacturers, has made it to where the devs feel "a lot more confident with being able to balance out and make all of the guns and any of the gear feel viable." "If we make the non-Legendary gear more viable and we don't have to supplement with so many other stronger, more powerful Legendaries, then now we can take those and do what we want and intended to do, which is put those dedicated drops in for our fans in our community who just love farming things," Nicholson said. Moxie's Big Encore Machine is a big change in BL4, Nicholson noted, where you can pay a fee to replay a mission or boss fight to try and target-farm its dedicated drops more easily. I tried it myself, and I can see it being a core gameplay loop for the series' most hardcore grinders. It makes the loot farm faster and easier than ever, which is what the game truly is all about for its most dedicated players. Screenshot by Destructoid Borderlands 4 launches on Sept. 12 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Lodging and travel for the Borderlands 4 hands-on event was provided by 2K. The post Borderlands 4 devs knows they were ‘too generous’ with Legendaries in BL3. Here’s how they’re fixing it appeared first on Destructoid.
One of the most vocal complaints about Borderlands 3 was how easy Legendary weapons were to acquire, and Gearbox Software knows that full well and is looking to fix it in Borderlands 4.
In my handful of hours playing BL4 at a preview event in May, I got four Legendaries to drop in a variety of activities, much to the surprise and shock of the Gearbox devs watching me play. Because, in general, the loot chase is designed to be more satisfying and "viable" this time around, even with green and blue weapons equipped.
"People felt that we were a bit too generous whenever it came to Legendaries in Borderlands 3," senior project producer Anthony Nicholson told me. "So, we took that and said 'ok, what is the actual message that's here? And why were we taking that approach to being so liberal with the drops?' And so our approach [in BL4] has been to make it where the loot chase is stronger by making the lower level tier gear more viable."
Nicholson highlighted that in past games, players would reach level five or six and basically begin trashing all Common or green guns. But now, the combination of features like Licensed Parts (multiple distinct weapon manufacturer parts on the same gun) and Enhancements that provide buffs depending on equipped manufacturers, has made it to where the devs feel "a lot more confident with being able to balance out and make all of the guns and any of the gear feel viable."
"If we make the non-Legendary gear more viable and we don't have to supplement with so many other stronger, more powerful Legendaries, then now we can take those and do what we want and intended to do, which is put those dedicated drops in for our fans in our community who just love farming things," Nicholson said.
Moxie's Big Encore Machine is a big change in BL4, Nicholson noted, where you can pay a fee to replay a mission or boss fight to try and target-farm its dedicated drops more easily. I tried it myself, and I can see it being a core gameplay loop for the series' most hardcore grinders. It makes the loot farm faster and easier than ever, which is what the game truly is all about for its most dedicated players.
Borderlands 4 launches on Sept. 12 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Lodging and travel for the Borderlands 4 hands-on event was provided by 2K.
The post Borderlands 4 devs knows they were ‘too generous’ with Legendaries in BL3. Here’s how they’re fixing it appeared first on Destructoid.
