There are many well-established traditions in the Borderlands franchise. However, not all of them are as beloved as others. For instance, the level cap in the Borderlands games is considered a fun tradition and a staple in the franchise. On the other hand, the tradition of not having Vault Hunters from past Borderlands titles return as playable characters in later games is something that should change.
Future Borderlands games have the opportunity to break the tradition of Vault Hunters only being playable once by bringing back some of the best Vault Hunters as playable characters. With modern gaming's focus on regular balancing changes and the gameplay advancements from the latest Borderlands games, reintroducing past playable characters could give them plenty of new life. Additionally, it would be a treat for franchise veterans to spend more time with some of their favorite Vault Hunters again.
Borderlands 4 Should Make Past Vault Hunters Playable Again
Given how involved the Vault Hunters are in the Borderlands franchise’s ongoing story, these characters are already expected to return for multiple games. However, players have never been able to play as these returning characters across separate games. Instead, each game has introduced a variety of new Vault Hunters to the franchise. This is arguably a missed opportunity, considering that Borderlands games could have the best of both worlds, mixing a selection of a couple original characters with a few returning characters at the same time.
Arguably, any character that wouldn’t retcon Borderlands’ ongoing story deserves the opportunity to come back, which would practically include every Vault Hunter who is still alive as of New Tales From the Borderlands. The Borderlands franchise has come a long way with new weapons, abilities, and overall gameplay elements, so bringing back some of Borderlands’ best Vault Hunters could truly showcase how far the franchise has come since the original game.
This doesn’t have to mean that some of the most familiar Vault Hunters need a complete rework, considering that this would somewhat defeat the appeal of having these characters return again compared to adding new characters. Instead, any returning Vault Hunter should generally keep a similar class identity to what they have previously had, except for a few minor changes and additional abilities to keep them up to date with the latest and greatest Vault Hunters. Additionally, there is one big area of improvement that future Borderlands games could bring to past Vault Hunters.
Future Borderlands Games Should Learn From Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Despite some Vault Hunters having dedicated melee skills and abilities, there have never been proper melee weapons in the Borderlands franchise, only in the spin-off game, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Consequently, this tradition should also be broken, especially if past Vault Hunters come back again as playable characters. This alone could provide a fresh experience to playing as familiar characters, aside from other recent QOL changes.
New Tales From the Borderlands’ Vault Hunters Deserve an Upgrade
While this isn’t quite the same as bringing back past Vault Hunters from the mainline games, making some of the Vault Hunters from the Tales From the Borderlands games playable in the other games could be a worthwhile change. In general, the characters from the Tales From the Borderlands series are some of the weakest Vault Hunters in the Borderlands franchise. Consequently, the returning characters that have shown up so far are relatively underutilized in the mainline Borderlands games. Making these Vault Hunters playable characters in the mainline games could be the best way to bring them back into the picture and give them the upgrade they deserve, instead of making them side characters.