Borderlands 4 is Already a Step Behind Borderlands 3 in One Area

With each passing month, the hype for Borderlands 4 has continued to build, with no signs of stopping. Since its first reveal, players have been given new pieces of information to gradually keep their excitement for Borderlands 4 growing.

The gameplay and story trailers have helped to introduce players to the world of Kairos before stepping into the game for themselves, but even smaller pieces of information have kept fans excited, such as the recently discovered Claptrap volume slider in Borderlands 4. To generate more hype, there is one more thing to help tide players over as they wait for Borderlands 4 to release: a free item unlock for the game. However, it falls short when compared to Borderlands 3.

Borderlands 4’s Pre-Release Content Doesn’t Match Borderlands 3 So Far

Borderlands 4’s Free Weapon Skin

Borderlands 4 carries on the weapon customization trend introduced by Borderlands 3, giving players the opportunity to wrap their favorite guns in unique Weapon Skins. While it can be assumed that some of these will be found in the game, others can be earned by other means, such as the white and gold Weapon Skin from the Gilded Glory Pack, which players can receive by pre-ordering Borderlands 4.

There is a way to unlock one of the game’s weapon skins right now, though. After logging onto the SHiFT website and linking to their preferred platform of choice, players can sign up to receive newsletters and rewards. They will later receive an email containing a SHiFT code for Borderlands 4 for the Hazard Pay Weapon Skin.

Though this cosmetic won’t give players an advantage when starting the game, it can help to make the game’s earlier weapons stand out visually before players eventually upgrade to the distinctive Legendary guns. Some players might dislike Borderlands 4’s newsletter sign-up requirements for this cosmetic, but those who are not discouraged by this can unlock this now in preparation for the game’s launch.

BL3 VIP Gave More Rewards

In comparison to Borderlands 3’s pre-launch, however, Borderlands 4’s Weapon Skin could seem disappointing. Borderlands 3’s Vault Insider Program – abbreviated to VIP – gave players access to much more content than a single Weapon Skin. From exclusive Heads and Skins for each of the game’s Vault Hunters to four weapons that could be accessed earlier in the game, Borderlands 3 VIP kept players excited for the game’s launch with multiple rewards.

Borderlands 3’s VIP also incentivized players to engage more with the game’s content prior to release. Players received points for every trailer they watched, article they read, and visiting the social media pages for the game. These points could then be redeemed for in-game content, ready for players to use immediately upon release. It encouraged fans to become actively involved in the pre-release content, as opposed to Borderlands 4’s more passive approach.

If players claimed eight rewards from VIP, they would be given access to an exclusive legendary weapon. Though it was locked at Level 12, the Vault Hero gun helps players through the early stages of the game. Now that the VIP service has shut down, this weapon has become one of the rarest guns in Borderlands 3, and though it may not be useful late into the game, it is a weapon that players would be proud to display in their room in Sanctuary III.

BL4’s Newsletter Reward Is Hopefully Just the First of Many

Borderlands 4’s Hazard Pay Weapon Skin is still a great reward for players, but it seems lackluster in comparison to its predecessor’s free pre-launch content. However, this may just be the start for Borderlands 4’s pre-release freebies. The Weapon Skin is confirmed as the reward for signing up to the newsletter, but this doesn’t rule out other rewards being given to players. While the Vault Insider Program has now shut down, this doesn’t stop Borderlands 4 from taking inspiration from VIP, giving players more rewards to redeem in the future.

One way that Borderlands 4 could improve upon the strategy of the last mainline game is by offering a wider variety of content. Borderlands 3 introduced Trinkets to attach to weapons and Body cosmetics for the Vault Hunters, but these were not offered as part of the VIP service. It wouldn’t be completely out of the question for Borderlands 4 to give character customization options and weapon accessories to players as part of a pre-release campaign.

Borderlands is known to include many, many guns in each title, and Borderlands 4 seems to be no exception. Some players might enjoy gradually building up to some of the game’s more powerful weapons, but others may want access to higher firepower from the start of Borderlands 4. Like with Borderlands 3, it’s possible that Borderlands 4 could give players the ability to unlock guns immediately as a pre-release reward. These could be some basic weapons that can also be found in-game for all players, or could be timed-exclusives for early supporters.

Borderlands 3’s Vault Hero gun is a nice reward for players that ultimately sees no use once they reach a high enough level. Gearbox Software has the option to subvert this while still giving players the ability to gain access to a higher-level Legendary gun, which seems to be much rarer in Borderlands 4. Rather than have the pre-release reward Legendary be stuck at level 12, it could instead be restricted to the game’s max level. Players would own the gun, but would not be able to use it until they see the rest of the game’s content. This could be a great incentive for players to be rewarded for their support without the special item quickly becoming redundant.

The launch of Borderlands 4 is slowly approaching, with new information being dropped to keep fans excited. However, this pre-launch phase is noticeably less rewarding to players than Borderlands 3. Other than playing through the Borderlands series to pass the time, there is little players can do as they wait when compared to the last game’s launch. There is a small chance this could change, though, so players should look out for any promotions as Borderlands 4’s release approaches. However, this close to release it’s highly unlikely for something as involved as the VIP program to be released, which feels like a big missed opportunity.