Borderlands 4 lead character designer Nick Thurston has revealed a surprising source of inspiration for the upcoming looter-shooter: Baldur’s Gate 3. While Gearbox’s franchise is far removed from Larian’s massive CRPG, the development team has looked at the flexibility of character progression in Baldur’s Gate 3 and similar RPGs to shape Borderlands 4’s approach to player builds.
In the months leading up to its release, Gearbox has steadily revealed more details about its Vault Hunters. But in a recent interview, Thurston offered a deeper look at how these characters are designed to feel more customizable and replayable than ever before.
Speaking to Polygon, Thurston explained that the team wanted to avoid the one-dimensional focus that sometimes defined Vault Hunters in past games. He specifically cited Baldur’s Gate 3 and Path of Exile as examples of titles that successfully allow players to experiment with diverse approaches.
As a self-described min-maxer, Thurston explained that he enjoys pushing toward the endgame in action RPGs and dealing billions of damage—but always on his own terms. In earlier Borderlands games, some characters leaned too heavily into one playstyle, but he stressed that a “really cool character” should work in multiple different ways.
He went on to expand on this idea, saying the new philosophy is meant to bring more variety to co-op groups. In the past, players who picked the same character often ended up stuck with similar builds. With Borderlands 4, the goal is to make different builds of the same Vault Hunter feel genuinely distinct.
When talking about RPGs in general, Thurston added that he usually avoids picking the same class as a friend. His reasoning is simple—if someone is already filling a role, there’s no need to duplicate it.
He pointed out that in earlier Borderlands games, two players picking the same character, like Zero, would essentially end up doing the same thing. While that might be enjoyable for some, he emphasized that his vision is different—wanting a scenario where four players could all choose Amon, yet each one would have a distinct build.
If successful, this design approach could make Borderlands 4 one of the most replayable entries in the series. Fans will soon find out for themselves, as Gearbox’s latest looter-shooter edges closer to release.
That said, things aren’t quite as exciting for Switch 2 owners, as Borderlands 4 will come with noticeable limitations on the console—likely due to its hardware constraints. Whether these compromises will significantly affect the overall experience remains to be seen, though Switch players are already accustomed to lower performance compared to platforms like PlayStation and Xbox.
Still, Borderlands 4 is shaping up to be an exciting release. What about you—will you be diving in? And if so, which platform are you most looking forward to playing on? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
More News:
Chris Hansen Confirms Investigation Into Roblox’s Child Safety Failures
TranZit Returning In Black Ops 7 With A Major Twist, Says Tom Henderson
