First Impressions: Borderlands 3 – hello again, friend

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The Borderlands series may possibly be my favorite series of all time. I got into the first game late but instantly fell in love with the graphics and characters and guns. Borderlands 2 came out shortly after I discovered the series, and with it came improvements to literally everything the first game had to offer.

The Pre-Sequel never really did it for me, so as the release date of Borderlands 3 approached, I was nervous. Will 2K and Gearbox try to change too much? Will the humor still work? Will the guns still feel unique?

Now, with approximately 20 hours into the game, I can confidently say that the Borderlands formula is still intact and it still works. It is simply more Borderlands and exactly what I was hoping for from the series.

The story and the humor

The Borderlands series excels at interesting, fun characters that also present some depth and BL3 is more of the same. Some of the depth isn’t there yet, but like 2, I believe we’ll see more of that with the introduction of the various DLC offerings.

Borderlands humor can be hit-or-miss. Sometimes the memes that were fresh during the production cycle come off as stale and – dare I say – cringy once in players’ hands, but BL3 manages to keep those moments to a minimum, while still offering plenty of funny moments. I really could do without the Rick and Morty humor, however. The internet killed that for me, and BL3 did nothing but add more dirt to the top of the grave.

EXPLOSIONS?!

A looter shooter is only as good as its loot and Borderlands 3 again knocks it out of the park with its weapon selection. Guns feel unique and it will not take long for you to figure out what manufacturers you prefer.

In addition to unique, fun weapons, grenades, shields, class mods, and artifacts all feel unique and if you like creating the perfect build, there will be plenty of unique ways to make a build that works for you.

At the end of the day, Borderlands 3 is simply more Borderlands 2 – more story, more characters, more guns. New updates to skills and skill trees are all interesting, and I’m sure some min-maxers will make some absolutely bonkers builds in the weeks and months to come. It doesn’t push any boundaries, but for me, that is ok.

Borderlands 3 is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC through the Epic Games Store. Make sure to check out our character guides listed below!

Are you playing Borderlands 3? Are you enjoying it? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Borderlands 3: Your guide to Zane – trickster spirit, roguish assassin, and Pandora’s Han Solo
• Borderlands 3: Your guide to FL4K, masters of pets, invisible hunter, and solo specialist
• Borderlands 3: Your guide to Moze, the gunner with a mech, bringer of explosions and heavy firepower
• Borderlands 3: Your guide to Amara, the phase blasting, face-punching, bonafide badass