Borderlands 4 has had a rollercoaster six months. Since launching in September final yr, Gearbox’s looter shooter has suffered numerous controversies, largely to do with extreme PC efficiency points. Outspoken CEO Randy Pitchford went on the offensive, responding on to complaints on social media to Claptrap again at disgruntled followers. Strauss Zelnick, boss of Gearbox dad or mum firm Take-Two, mentioned Borderlands 4 gross sales suffered “a bit bit of softness” because of this of the technical points, however expressed confidence “it’ll all be made up” given sufficient time. All the whereas, Borderlands 4 stays on a ‘blended’ consumer evaluation score on Steam. After launching to over 300,000 concurrent gamers on Valve’s platform, Borderlands 4 now averages a concurrent peak in the 4 digits. Steam numbers don’t paint the total image of a recreation’s reputation, but it surely’s clear Borderlands 4 wants a shot in the arm.
Story Pack 1, titled Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned, is, Gearbox hopes, that shot in the arm. This premium DLC, out in the present day, provides a brand new playable character, C4SH, a brand new map zone, two new main boss fights, 16 minibosses, and way more. All the whereas, Gearbox has labored to enhance PC efficiency, and says it has made important enhancements to border fee. So, is now the time to leap again in?
In an interview with IGN forward of the DLC’s launch, lead recreation designer Josh Jeffcoat and managing producer Eli Luna made the case for C4SH and co to persuade lapsed followers to return to Borderlands 4, and even perhaps persuade newcomers to lastly give it a shot.
IGN: When Borderlands 4 got here out, I feel I put like 25, 30 hours into it, and then I ended enjoying for a spread of causes. However the launch of this story pack is tempting me again. Is that this a very good alternative for individuals who may need dropped off not even began enjoying in the first place to both come again or bounce in for the first time?
Josh Jeffcoat: It is positively a very good cause to come back again. It is a model new space of the recreation. It is all new content material, plus with the new Vault Hunter. In case you had been on the lookout for a unique type of gameplay, you can begin the DLC instantly with a brand new Vault Hunter immediately. You do not have to go degree anyone up or play via any of the mainline missions, in the event you did not need to should take care of doing that. You are greater than welcome to.
However we all know that there is tons of totally different prospects that play the recreation for various causes. Some individuals are actually into the story and then when the story’s accomplished, they’re accomplished. So for these individuals, that is completely a cause to come back again as a result of we bought hours and hours of new story content material right here. Some individuals are simply in it for the grind. They’re simply on the lookout for gear. We bought loads of new gear in the DLC, so we bought loads of stuff for them. Some individuals simply need to do endgame boss fights. We bought a complete bunch of new boss fights for them on this DLC as properly. So if that is engaging you to come back again, I feel that sounds nice as a result of that is what we would like. We’re at all times looking for methods to maintain individuals entertained and simply make experiences that they need to come and work together with.
IGN: It will be nice to enter extra element on the story facet of what the DLC is bringing, what followers like me who’re invested in that, can count on from it?
Josh Jeffcoat: I feel we’re fairly well-known for doing tons of large story DLC content material traditionally all through Borderlands. We have had large story DLCs for all of the Borderlands video games, and some of them ended up doing so properly they bought spun off into their very own video games. The unique Tiny Tina’s DLC for Borderlands 2 grew to become Wonderlands. So after we’re in DLC land after the important recreation ships, is the place we regularly get a bit bit extra experimental, the place we’re keen to take some dangers or attempt some issues that we would not do for the scope of a full dimension recreation.
And so as an example, Mad Ellie right here, we’re making an attempt a bit bit of a horror taste, extra so than we have ever accomplished earlier than. And there’d be no means we might commit to creating a full size horror Borderlands recreation. That will be insane. That is not likely what individuals are on the lookout for. However in the DLC realm the place we are able to inform these shorter tales, we are able to experiment with these items. We are able to attempt new gameplay strategies. And the issues that work, perhaps they get introduced ahead, the issues that do not will get left behind. However we’ve a very lengthy historical past of simply experimenting and making an attempt issues right here.
I am actually glad that I bought to have the ability to lead one of these experiments because it had been, and I am fairly pleased with what we ended up with. So in the event you’re actually into story content material — I play Borderlands for the story, that is who I’m. That is the s**t that I actually care about, and I actually liked placing all this collectively for these varieties of gamers particularly.
IGN: What kind of scope does the DLC have? I do know builders hate attaching hours to those issues!
Josh Jeffcoat: Yeah. That is at all times going to be totally different for everyone. An individual that is simply doing mainline story, nothing else, goes to complete this loads quicker than somebody who’s doing the open world exploration like, “Oh, hey, what’s that over there? Let me go discover. Oh, right here was a secret cave and this tunnel took me to this space I’ve by no means seen earlier than.” We constructed a model new massive landmass. It is a new open world chunk. It is not instantly connected to mainland Kairos. We needed to be away from Kairos and away from The Order to inform a unique story. However it’s a fairly sizable chunk of content material. In case you keep in mind in important recreation, Fadefields is that very first biome that you just get to discover, the grassy space on the southern facet of the metropolis. Fadefields is split into two separate halves, east and west, and we’re about half the dimension of Fadefields West, a bit bit greater than that. However we have as many hours lengthy important marketing campaign, tons of facet missions, tons of micro missions, and we attempt to discover fascinating methods to fluctuate up gameplay between all these issues.
I began my profession right here at Gearbox as a degree designer one million years in the past, 25 years in the past. Oh, it is loopy! For me, storytelling and exploration are the causes that I make video games. They’re the issues that I need to do as a participant, and these are the issues that I at all times have felt compelled to make. And so getting this big land mass and then carving a narrative via it and taking the participant via all these totally different environments and making an attempt to determine like, “Hey, after we come round this nook, we need to have this wonderful new vista that units up this new space and sort of exhibits you and hints about issues to come back,” I like planning all that stuff up and seeing it come to life. It takes loads of individuals to do all that. And so directing all that at the excessive degree for the first time was a very thrilling expertise for me and I hope all that sort of comes throughout everytime you’re enjoying via it.
IGN: Timeline smart, you are not persevering with on from the finish of the mainline story, proper?
Josh Jeffcoat: Yeah. So as a result of we did not need to require gamers to should have accomplished the important story earlier than they may then begin any of our DLC content material, we bought the mandate from on excessive, from a storytelling standpoint, it has to make sense that it is taking place contemporaneously as important recreation. You possibly can’t depend on any of the occasions in important recreation to have or haven’t occurred as a result of we do not know what gamers have accomplished, and we at all times need to give gamers the choice to play the recreation at their very own tempo, in their very own means, nevertheless they need. That participant freedom was actually, actually necessary at a excessive degree for the complete recreation, and so we needed to proceed that right here.
IGN: It’s been 200 days since Borderlands 4 got here out. How a lot has modified since launch? And it will be nice to get some perception into what it has been like for you guys having to react to the suggestions.
Eli Luna: I might say clearly there was loads of suggestions on the subject of efficiency and what we may do higher. I really feel like in the case of constructing worlds this huge, and particularly after we’re… Borderlands hasn’t had this seamless world earlier than. And so there was loads of stuff that we had been making an attempt to do. However we did not need to take away the essence of what Borderlands 4 is, on the subject of how insane and loopy and over the high every little thing is. And so there have been loads of challenges for us on the subject of preserving that world there, preserving efficiency up on loads of issues. And so there have been loads of issues that we knew we may do higher, and we already had a plan to deal with these issues going ahead. So while you’re getting suggestions and you are seeing stuff on-line, there’s worth in some of that, when you may see the constructive criticism and issues which can be there.
We had already initiated a plan on what we had been going to do. So each time we had been discovering good points and each time we had been discovering stuff that we knew we may do higher over that point, and we knew that we would be able to begin including to the patches, it made us really feel higher as a result of we knew that if something, it is simply going to assist with the immersion of the world.
However on the subject of how all that went, I really feel like we had simply the mission to attempt to actually herald as a lot as we may on the subject of the optimization and issues we may have accomplished there. So it has been … I might be mendacity if I mentioned it wasn’t a bit anxious, however at the identical time, I really feel like that is half of what our jobs are. While you’re organizing these teams of individuals and nothing’s actually accomplished in an meeting line, we do not watch for one half to be accomplished, then we hand it off to the subsequent half. Everyone’s working concurrently. And so making an attempt to steadiness all that as we’re shifting alongside is at all times going to be an actual problem it doesn’t matter what.
However I really feel like we did a fairly good job, as taking a look at the 200 days. We roughly bought about 20% improve in FPS on simply our rec spec. So I really feel like we’ve accomplished a fairly good job of taking the suggestions, seeing what’s there, making an attempt to deal with it as greatest as we are able to. We’ve got loads of work to nonetheless do this we’re doing all through the relaxation of the yr as a result of we’ve extra content material popping out. And half of that steadiness is giving individuals like Josh and their groups the alternative to have that capacity to do these issues. So yeah, it has been loads. However it’s been good. It is enjoyable. It is half of the problem of recreation growth.
IGN: PC efficiency virtually got here to dominate the complete dialogue round the recreation at launch. Did the efficiency of the recreation shock you? What had been the issues that got here collectively to make it occur in that means? Clearly no developer desires to make a recreation that finally ends up having that kind of discourse round it at launch. So was there one thing about the very nature of what you are making an attempt to do with Borderlands 4 that made the efficiency of it battle at launch? Was it one thing else that contributed to it?
Eli Luna: I feel, particularly when you’ve got a big seamless world, and we’re not loading ranges the means that you’d historically do, or the load that we’re placing in a four-player co-op, loads of these issues while you’re doing it in that scale… we’re concentrating on the greatest strategy that we are able to for this. May it’s 120 frames at the next decision? Yeah, I imply, these issues are at all times going to be a problem to hit, as a result of we’re additionally desirous to guarantee that we hit a large viewers of gamers as properly, which is why we’ve our min spec and our rec spec.
However I might say it isn’t a lot that we had been shocked. We labored actually onerous to attempt to make {that a} playable expertise. I feel that the expectations of gamers, particularly these days and shifting ahead with how rapidly {hardware} is coming on-line, that is at all times going to be a problem simply to attempt to keep on high of, like making an attempt to get every little thing in line for all these new options, however at the identical time, not abandoning our min spec gamers and our rec spec gamers.
And so it is such as you had been saying earlier, that suggestions we get comes from a big ocean of individuals coming from either side of that. And so we’re at all times making an attempt to steadiness that, particularly on the PC facet. Clearly on the console it is a bit totally different as a result of it is extra fastened in. However at the finish of the day, you may maintain noodling and making an attempt to make it good for a really very long time, however at a sure level, you are actually holding again the enjoyable for individuals to simply sort of bounce in and begin enjoying. Clearly, we need to proceed to positive tune as we go, however we additionally do not need to maintain the total factor again simply because of sure features of it.
IGN: You’re elevating the degree cap as half of this replace too, proper?
Josh Jeffcoat: Yeah, there’s loads of issues popping out of the DLC that are not strictly associated to simply the story or that new marketing campaign. However yeah, degree cap improve, we’ve 10 new ranges for gamers. 10 extra ability factors into your character builds to be even crazier. It simply provides gamers one other objective to set for themselves as a result of totally different gamers reply to various things. We’ve got the shared development in order that gamers who need to play via the recreation a number of occasions or experiment with a number of characters can maintain issues like their SDUs (Storage Deck Upgrades), principally their ammo backpack stuff, the areas that they’ve unfogged on the map in order that they don’t seem to be blind after they’re beginning over a brand new recreation, if all they actually need to do is attempt a personality out and experiment. We’re simply making an attempt to be much more consumer pleasant with kind of sharing, like not having to redo collectibles with each new character. So if you wish to end a collectible hunt, you possibly can begin a brand new character and expertise the complete recreation a complete totally different means whilst you’re cleansing up these previous couple of issues whilst you’re on the market on that hunt. So we’re looking for methods to offer individuals a greater expertise after they’re enjoying the recreation.
IGN: How does C4SH change the recreation?
Josh Jeffcoat: So Tommy Westerman [senior game designer] was the designer for C4SH and he is been right here at Gearbox for a really very long time. One of the first participant characters he truly developed was playable Claptrap in the Pre-Sequel. And so there’s a bit bit of continuity there as a result of each of these participant characters are about random likelihood and not realizing precisely what is going on to occur while you press your motion ability button. So Tommy had a blast with the ability to revisit that top degree idea. Clearly Claptrap is about playing around and chaotic and annoying your mates, and C4SH isn’t in any means these issues. One of his motion abilities, he has the Deck of Kanansi, and each time he attracts a card, you do not know what card he is going to attract, however every time he throws it, like no matter that card was, you are going to get a unique impact every time he hits an enemy with it or does an motion there.
And as you make investments extra abilities in that Talent Tree, it provides extra playing cards to the deck. And so it will increase the randomness, however the threat reward is there as a result of you do not know what is going on to come back up. In order that’s not a playstyle for everyone, however for those who love the like, this might go actually proper or this might go actually fallacious and simply making an attempt to outlive when it goes actually fallacious for me, is admittedly, actually enjoyable. I liked enjoying Claptrap in the Pre-Sequel as a result of of that particularly, and our inside playtesting for C4SH has confirmed very, very talked-about. So I feel gamers are going to love it.
IGN: You’re in a position to simply bounce straight into the DLC with C4SH, proper?
Josh Jeffcoat: Oh sure. That was truly actually necessary to me. I’ve at all times been a fan of video games that launch these large story DLCs, however these at all times take a very long time to construct and they at all times come means after the relaxation of the recreation. And coming again to a recreation after you’ve got been away from it for some time and making an attempt to recollect, how do I play this? How do I get into it? Okay, I’ve bought the DLC put in. How do I get to it? What do I must do to get to the half that I care about? So we truly simply baked into the important menu, in the event you click on new recreation, you will have the choice to begin the important recreation or you can begin instantly into Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned. You possibly can simply select your character proper there from the important menu, together with C4SH. And everytime you click on begin, it is going to actually simply begin you proper at the very first second of the DLC. It’s going to offer you a degree 13 character with all of the expertise factors so that you can spend nevertheless you need. We offer you a handful of SDUs to get you began.
And what this truly does is it skips the first 4 missions in the important recreation, as a result of these are required to get you to the level the place sufficient of the world is open that we all know that you just’re free to journey wherever. You’ve got accomplished all of the important recreation tutorial stuff in order that we do not have to fret about like, “Oh, do you’ve got a automobile? Sure, you’ve got a automobile.” All these varieties of issues. So on the off likelihood that it is the first time that you have ever performed Borderlands and you determined to begin the recreation by going instantly into Mad Ellie, it would be loopy, however somebody’s going to do it. Everytime you return again to any of the important recreation areas, we’ve a giant recap video that goes over these 4 missions that you just skipped. As a result of from that time you may simply return to important recreation and proceed enjoying important recreation. So it is a actually good method to begin with C4SH. It is virtually like dishonest a bit bit as a result of in the event you begin at degree 13, you get 12 factors to spend instantly. So you may instantly begin exploring the ability bushes a bit bit greater than you’ll in the event you simply began from the very, very starting. So it is simply a good way to shortcut instantly into content material.
IGN: To wrap up, do you’ve got a message to lapsed followers about why they need to return to Borderlands 4 now? And is there any reassurance for the neighborhood questioning whether or not to speculate their time and vitality into getting again into the recreation?
Josh Jeffcoat: I feel I might simply say, come take pleasure in a brand new journey. As a result of that is actually what the level of constructing all this was. That is the half of the recreation that at all times speaks to me, is the exploration, the journey and the story. I am not an individual that is involved with endgame or grinding out gear or getting an ideal construct. I need to meet characters and I need to have questions on what is going on on and then attempt to assume like, what is going on to occur subsequent? After which see one thing cool on the horizon and then work my means over to it and have some large story reveal. And that’s what the story packs are all about. It’s extremely, very particularly for chatting with these prospects that need that journey. And so I liked with the ability to construct it and I hope individuals find it irresistible.
I like that we bought to mess around with horror this time. That is truly one thing that we do not contact on very a lot. Mancubus is returning on this. Mancubus has beforehand been in a Borderlands 3 DLC for Weapons, Love, and Tentacles, and there’s tons of kind of spooky stuff happening there, but it surely wasn’t essentially horror so far as the participant expertise was. So we’re making an attempt new issues, new methods of exploring the world round you. I used to be actually glad that we bought actual swimming in the DLC lastly, as a result of it was necessary to me to have the ability to discover worlds in a brand new means. And we’ve very restricted swimming in important recreation, however we’ve like total underwater areas which you can discover and go discover secrets and techniques in now.
So, come again for the journey! That is why I constructed this, as a result of I need to give individuals that chance to inform a narrative and go see a brand new place and have enjoyable in it.
Eli Luna: I might say simply maintain asking. Maintain commenting and placing extra into this, as a result of it actually does assist form the total world and what the future of Borderlands might be. It is at all times good to listen to that. So yeah, if individuals are captivated with issues, we need to hear about that.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You possibly can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.