While Gearbox Software has ramped up the hype train for Borderlands 3, we’re still very much in the dark as to how the game will play, how — if at all — it’s evolved from the original games (not that it would be a bad thing if it hasn’t), and what we might expect from a broader experience built around cooperative play and looting.
One little tidbit we did manage to get from Gearbox was the way in which the looting system in Borderlands 3 has changed, and it may well completely redefine the co-op experience for the franchise. While games like The Division 2 allow players in the same squad access to similarly classified and ranked gear, Borderlands games in the past were designed around cooperative players essentially fighting over the same loot.
That’s set to change in Borderlands 3, and it could change the pacing, tone and overall cooperative experience for the game. The first Borderlands 3 trailer revealed a lot without showing much, but what we did initially get from the trailer however was confirmation of a number of leaks from a few months before the trailer hit, including the characters and classes of the game’s Vault Hunters, and also Borderland 3‘s villains.
In Borderlands 3, the looting system has been changed so that each player will have access to their own system of loot, meaning whatever loot you see, your co-op teammate may not necessarily have access to or see. This suggests the looting experience could be different from player to player, but also that you won’t be fighting over the best weapons with someone you’re supposed to be friendly with.
It also suggests that, at a time when you might pick up a legendary, powerful weapon, your co-op friendly may not see anything at all, or something of considerably less value. We don’t know how this ties into the system or functionality of the diamond loot chests, but it goes without saying that it would likely be consistent with how the broader looting system is being implemented.
Whether or not the Borderlands community embraces this change to the looting system is a different thing entirely: it may sound like a positive change, however it stands to break the immersion present in multiple players being active in identical worlds. If you suddenly have access to unique weapons and gear that only you can see, then suddenly you and your co-op friend are no longer in the real world.
Thankfully, if this is your line of thinking, Borderlands 3 will allow you to toggle this type of looting system off, so we can assume you’ll be able to adjust the looting systems so that the game world is identical across players from a looting perspective.
Gearbox detailed all of this and more on the official PlayStation Blog.
What are your thoughts on the changes to Borderlands 3’s looting system? Sound off in the comments below!