Summary
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Borderlands 4 will likely introduce new gameplay ideas like its predecessors, such as unique skill trees.
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Skill trees are essential to defining the identities of Vault Hunter's playable hunters, and concepts like co-op nodes should not be abandoned.
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Borderlands 4 could benefit from character specific skill trees with co-op nodes or adding co-op specific skill trees for all vault hunters.
It is not unusual for Border a game that introduces new gameplay ideas with each new release, such as Slag in damage Borderlands 2 or Oz sets and gravity slams in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequeland Borderlands 4 will probably do the same. Speaking of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequelwhile it was arguably one of the weaker entries in the series, it has its fair share of unique mechanics that never made a comeback. Outside of the huge plot threads that still hang over the franchise like The Watcher's War, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel had a unique skill tree designed for Aurelia the Baroness. It introduced a nice concept that should come back Borderlands 4albeit in a different form.
Skill trees can be a big part Border games because they often define the identity of the playable vault hunters beyond their story and place in the plot—and Borderlands 4 will not be an exception. For example, Iron Bear by Moz is built-in Borderlands 3 they were all the rage when the game launched, and have evolved even further with the release of its new skill tree, which revolves around Iron Cub. A unique concept like Aurelia's cooperative tree Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel may seem niche, but should not be left behind.
Related
What to expect from Borderlands 4 in 2025
With Borderlands 4 set to launch sometime in 2025, fans can expect a lot from it as it aims to offer a substantial Borderlands experience.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel's Co-Op Skill Tree deserves another shot in Borderlands 4
Border the games usually have co-op for players to take down the big baddies together and get some shiny new loot in the process, and even offer ways to trade items with other players. As such, the concept of a skill tree with multiple nodes focused on co-op is a good idea to grow the franchise in new ways, but there are few ways to do it better than Borderlands: The Pre-SequelThat's what Aurelia did. Several ways to introduce the concept of co-op skill trees Borderlands 4 include:
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Creating character-specific skill trees like any other Border game and then add the ability to buy points from shared skill trees that focus on other parts of the game
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Adding multiple co-op nodes to each skill tree without compromising their identity or making them a dedicated co-op tree to maintain character diversity
Either option would work in this context, and Borderlands 4 it would be wise to introduce one of them. In fact, while some players enjoyed Aurelia's co-op nodes and possibly her entire skill tree Borderlands: The Pre-Sequelthere may be other fans who wished for a different tree that didn't require friends or multiplayer and co-op modes to get the most out of it.
Why non-character specific multiplayer skill trees would work wonders in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 could avoid this problem entirely by creating skill trees even smaller compared to those created specifically for BorderVault Hunters that focus on otherwise narrowly defined parts of the game loop. This could be healing, bonding with allied players to boost shields or health, using weapons from a given manufacturer to increase damage and stats, and so on. There could even be a skill tree that would give players more and better loot when playing together, which would both incentivize the use of these hypothetical skill trees and create new game paths.
How co-op perks could be added to Vault Hunters Borderlands 4
A second option would be to add small, optional nodes to each Vault Hunter's skill trees that work in co-op, as this would avoid the problem of everyone who wanted to focus on multiplayer abilities having to choose a specific character in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Having wide access to this kind of talent would mean that those who play Border solo doesn't need to worry about choosing these skills, but those who enjoy the multiplayer side of it have some options no matter which character they choose. Either way, it would be a good thing Borderlands 4's Vault Hunters to have access to, and either option would be a win-win scenario for players regardless of how they want to play the game.
Borderlands 4
See if you have what it takes to make history as the legendary Vault Hunter as you search for secret alien treasure and blast everything in sight.
Looter Sagittarius
Action
Adventure
RPG
- Franchise
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Border
- Released
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2025-00-00
