Summary
- Borderlands 4 is introducing changes to the loot system and new Vault Hunter movement tools.
- Borderlands 4 shares similarities with Destiny 2 in traversal mechanics, vehicles, and companion drones.
- The similarities even include open-world events, buildcrafting, and more.
There is quite a lot of common ground between the Borderlands series and Bungie's Destiny 2, and they are currently the most iconic looter-shooter games in the industry by a huge margin. Borderlands 4 is going to be Gearbox's latest effort in the franchise, and it's now coming even sooner than anticipated, thanks to its release date being moved from September 23 to September 12. Not a lot was revealed about the game in the first few months after its announcement, but the recent gameplay deep dive trailer for Borderlands 4 finally gave players a taste of what's coming - and there's a lot of Destiny 2's DNA in it.
Destiny 2's next chapter will be revealed shortly, on May 6, and it's too early to say exactly how this will change its current looter-shooter formula, if at all. As for Borderlands 4, things are a bit clearer, with Gearbox stating that it will make changes to loot, the frequency at which Legendary weapons drop, and how meaningful each drop can be. Not only that, though, as Borderlands 4's new Vault Hunters will also have never-before-seen movement tools that will reshape the open-world sections. Based on the State of Play presentation, Destiny 2 fans may want to keep an eye on BL4, as the games seem to share more than their genre.
Borderlands 4 May Have Tipped Its Hand About DLC Vault Hunters
Borderlands 4's deep dive trailer unveiled the looter-shooter's gameplay loop, and in the process, it may have revealed a secret about Vault Hunters.
How Borderlands 4's Traversal Mechanics Compare to Destiny 2's
Borderlands 4's new traversal mechanics are one of the most interesting points of comparison with Destiny 2. Vault Hunters will be able to use a grappling hook that either pulls objects toward the player or vice versa, with Destiny 2's Strand subclasses introducing the equivalent of grappling hooks to the game with the Grapple ability. Likewise, players can slide around in both games, and Borderlands 4 now adds the ability to glide while mid-air, which is eerily similar to the Warlock and Titan jumps, whereas the double jump is more like the Hunter.
Borderlands 4's Digirunner is Basically Destiny 2's Sparrow
More importantly, Borderlands 4's new gameplay trailer also revealed a vehicle that Vault Hunters will be able to use, which is called Digirunner. This is pretty much the equivalent of Destiny 2's Sparrows, as it is a floating land vehicle that can be summoned virtually everywhere, and it is also customizable. The main difference here is that, unlike Sparrows, Digirunners also have a mounted turret for shooting enemies.
Borderlands 4's New Echo-4 Drone Shares The Same DNA With Destiny 2's Ghost
That is not all, as the newly introduced Echo-4 character in Borderlands 4 is the equivalent of Destiny 2's Ghost, as the drone buddy accompanies players on their adventures, guides them to a specific location, helps them unlock doors and decrypt data, and can be summoned out of nowhere. There is a feature that is unique to Echo-4, though, and it's to upgrade how much ammo players can carry around or even act as a portable customization station, allowing players to change their appearance on the fly.
How Borderlands 4 and Destiny 2 Compare in Open World and Gameplay
Even Borderlands 4's Kairos planet and open world have several traits in common with Destiny 2, such as world events, like the Silo in the gameplay trailer, which can essentially feel a lot like Public Events in Bungie's looter-shooter. Gearbox's upcoming game will also feature bosses bigger and more threatening than ever, which, from the looks of it, seem a lot like Destiny 2's Raid bosses. BL4's new co-op features allow players to fast travel to their friends, which is also similar to how Destiny 2 allows Guardians to travel to their teammates. Last but not least, Borderlands 4's new multi-part weapons can open up a lot of doors for buildcrafting, which was always part of the series, but arguably not to the same degree as Destiny 2. In this case, however, the games will be more on the same level, sharing a lot more than just their basic gameplay loop.
Borderlands 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
