Borderlands 4 is not only bringing fresh content but also changing how guns work and tweaking the series’ established lore.
The biggest update is the Licensed Parts system, which revamps how weapons are created.
How Does the Licensed Parts System Change Weapon Customization?
Guns can now have parts from different brands instead of being limited to one manufacturer, resulting in Frankenstein-like combinations.
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+ 2This introduces new possibilities like explosive rounds with ricochet crits, fast-fire barrels combined with elemental under barrels, and hybrid mechanics that let one weapon work as two.
It’s arguably one of the boldest changes Gearbox has ever made to the series’ iconic loot formula, and on a gameplay level, it’s already turning heads. But these improvements come with a lore downside that fans aren’t completely happy about.
Some longtime manufacturers are no longer offering full weapons. For instance, Hyperion and Atlas are now relegated to being “parts-only” brands. In Hyperion’s case, the downgrade makes perfect sense. After the fall of Handsome Jack and the destruction of Helios Station in Tales from the Borderlands, the company all but vanished.
When Borderlands 3 came out, Hyperion barely had any presence or power. So, turning them into spare parts in Borderlands 4 makes sense story-wise. The collapse was already happening, and this new system reflects that. However, Atlas is where things become more complicated.
Players literally helped Atlas survive and thrive in Borderlands 3, battling through a corporate war and watching Rhys take the reins. That story made Atlas a major force, but Borderlands 4 quietly turns it into an optional parts supplier.
How Do Fans Feel About Atlas Being Reduced to Parts?
Since there’s no in-game explanation, it feels like the gains from the last entry were silently erased.
Fans of the company’s smart-bullet tech and sleek gear are confused and hope the game at least offers some lore justification to make the change feel earned.
To offset these shifts, Gearbox rolls out three new manufacturers: Ripper, Order, and Daedalus. Each features a new twist where Ripper weapons build up before firing full-auto, swapping a short delay for heavy firepower.
The order uses charged shots that deal high burst damage, while Daedalus lets you switch ammo types so one gun can serve multiple combat roles based on your loadout.
How Do the New Manufacturers Interact With Legacy Parts?
They become more interesting because they combine with legacy parts, like a Jakobs revolver that tracks targets or a Vladof pistol that changes damage type during a fight.
click to enlarge+ 2I’m all in on the combo potential, envisioning loadouts that bring together the best gear from every manufacturer, but at the same time, I miss having Hyperion, Atlas, and Dahl fully playable.
The new system can recreate old favorites by fusing parts, but nothing really replaces the feeling of finding a full Hyperion gun or an Atlas SMG that made every bullet count. Borderlands 4’s weapon overhaul is bold and sure to split opinions. It perfectly captures the idea of modular chaos, which is what the franchise lives for.
In doing so, it wears down the brand loyalty and story consistency that bonded the community to these gunmakers. It’s a solid step up mechanically, yet Gearbox faces some narrative baggage to clear. If done right, it might end up being the best of both worlds. If not, it risks leaving parts of its legacy behind.
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