Borderlands 4 Brings Massive Overhaul to Co-Op and Loot Systems

Gearbox CEO has spoken briefly about the huge changes they are making to Borderlands 4’s co-op and loot systems.

Borderlands 4 Co-Op and Loot Changes

During a panel at PAX East (thanks PCGamesN), Randy Pitchford spoke about the new features for the co-op experience. Pitchford said that “co-op is a religion to us” and Borderlands 4 will offer “best-in-class co-op by far”. Starting with the revamp to the lobby system, players will find it easier than ever to connect with others. It now features Drop-in and Drop-Out so players can instantly get in or out of multiplayer lobbies.

Next up is the fast travel to friends feature, allowing players to instantly teleport to any of their friends in the party if they are lost or too far away to track back. The developers have created a massive world with no load times for Borderlands 4, and this co-op feature will provide more freedom to players during exploration. You can always fast travel back to any of your friends when you need to take on a boss, as there will be “no load times” here either.

Then we have Dynamic Level scaling. If some party members are at a high level and you are at a lower level, the game will balance the level to suit both types of players. Even if the players want to play on different difficulties, “the game will handle it,” said Pitchford. Also, there’s instanced loot, meaning each player will receive their private drop for weapons.

Moreover, the associate creative director for Borderlands 4, Grant Kao, stated that the loot chase has a more natural progression, so players feel they are adding more things as they progress into the game, and are not instantly overwhelmed with various gear choices and rarities. Also, Legendary rarity drops have decreased to increase their value. However, players will now feel more of an impact from a Legendary item when they come across it. Lastly, Dedicated Drops can be found for every boss and mini-boss across the whole game.

In other news, check out what was revealed during the Borderlands 4 State of Play showcase. What are your thoughts on Borderlands 4’s co-op and loot changes?