Summary
Since its humble beginnings, theBorderlandsseries has stuck to its guns, so to speak, leaning heavily on certain traditions to carry the weight of each new game and propel the series into its future. One suchBorderlandstraditionis the iconic Catch-a-Ride system, which originally saw players materialize new vehicles to use after they interact with a Catch-a-Ride terminal. However, despite how long the system has been in use,Borderlands 4may be doing away with it once and for all, based on a recent gameplay trailer and some concrete information released alongside it.
Borderlands 4appears to be pulling out all the stops to improve in many areas where its predecessors have fallen short and revitalize the series for veterans and newcomers alike. While the Catch-a-Ride system may potentially be gone, it appears players may be introduced to an even better vehicle system inBorderlands 4that will help them explore the game’s new planet of Kairos.
Borderlands 4 May Be Shifting Away From Catch-a-Ride
Borderlands 4 Features Vehicles That Can Be Summoned Almost Anywhere
The main reason it seems as thoughBorderlands 4may be doing away with its longstanding Catch-a-Ride system is becausea recent 2K Newsroom articlepublished alongside the release of the game’s latest gameplay trailer at the 2024 Game Awards mentions “a vehicle that can be summoned almost anywhere.” It’s unclear whether this new vehicle system will come with limitations of any kind, although the word “almost” in that statement suggests that it does. However, given thatBorderlands 4’s vehicles can be summoned almost anywhere and summoning a vehicle via a Catch-a-Ride requires players to be at a Catch-a-Ride terminal to do so,Borderlands 4’s vehicle system should, theoretically, be a bit more flexible.
That being said, any time a vehicle is shown being summoned inBorderlands 4’s gameplay trailer, it appears to be near a tower of some kind, almost suggesting that the new vehicle system could function similarly to Catch-a-Ride. If it does function similarly, in that players need to first either interact with the tower or be near it before they can summon their vehicle, then the fact thatBorderlands 4’s vehicles can be summoned almost anywhere implies that Kairos' landscapes will be filled with these towers in order to allow enough opportunities for vehicles to be summoned that players don’t feel any geographical limitations.
Borderlands 4 Doing Away With Catch-a-Ride Would Make Sense
While it might be sad to see it go,Borderlands 4doing away with the series' Catch-a-Ride system would make sense, given the game’s setting and its seamless world design.Borderlands 4’s new planet, Kairos, has been intentionally designed to allow for seamless exploration with absolutely zero loading screens, which alone implies that Kairos will be a sizable world. Just how large Kairos' explorable area will be has yet to be confirmed by Gearbox, but seamless exploration being one of its most notable features implies that it will likely be larger than locations in previousBorderlandsgames.
Given thatBorderlands 4’s vehicles can be summoned almost anywhere and summoning a vehicle via a Catch-a-Ride requires players to be at a Catch-a-Ride terminal to do so,Borderlands 4’s vehicle system should, theoretically, be a bit more flexible.
In light of Kairos' intentions to offer seamless exploration, it would make sense forBorderlands 4then to do away with the iconic Catch-a-Ride system. After all, ifBorderlands 4wants players to be able to explorewithout interruption, making them stop at specific locations just to grab a vehicle might ruin the immersion it’s attempting to foster. Furthermore, if Kairos truly is a much larger location than theBorderlandsseries has seen previously, requiring players to run between Catch-a-Ride terminals might be a bit too monotonous for some players.
Ultimately, whetherBorderlands 4is bidding farewell to the Catch-a-Ride system or simply reinventing it, the game’s new vehicle system shows Gearbox’s willingness to innovate longstanding traditions, and even leave them behind in some cases. Kairos' vast, uninterrupted landscapes call for a traversalsystem that prioritizes player freedom, and the new vehicle summoning system seems to answer that call. While longtime fans may feel a bit of remorse for the possible removal of Catch-a-Ride, it could be a blessing in disguise forBorderlands 4, as it attempts to take the series to greater heights.
