Gearbox Software needs to innovate on how we use grenade mods in Borderlands 4. While we have had an enormous variety of grenades over the years, I believe this weapon slot can be utilized for more than just an explosive you throw. By providing players with new tools they can deliver a fresh take on the combat.
Innovating on Gear
One of the things that made the gunplay in Borderlands 3 awesome was the new manufacturer traits. It provided new and unique ways to interact with the gear which made it interesting.
The GBX developers already iterated on the grenade mod slot with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands where they replaced grenades with magic spells. Because they changed the usage of this ability from ammo consumption to a cooldown made this ability feel like a mini-skill.
The change from ammo consumption to a cooldown felt really great, however, Borderlands doesn’t have that fantasy setting as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, therefore, it could be challenging to justify that change.
Bots & Drones
The grenade mod slot can be used for more than just grenades. I already covered adding pets to this slot in a previous article but what if the weapon manufacturers started developing bots and drones?
Tediore weaponry in Borderlands 3 already lets you have flying guns or guns with legs beside you. Grenade Mods could expand on these types of companions. These items will likely need their own set of mods to augment how they function and how effective they are.
Strike Drones
These fly around like Zane’s SNTL Drone and attack nearby enemies for a while. They can fire bullets, shoot rockets, or drop bombs on enemies.
Bots
These robots follow you around like FL4K’s ION Loader. They can shoot bullets, fire a barrage of mortar shells, or even act as an XPloader bot from Borderlands 2.
UAVs
Differently shaped drones that are used for defense or utility purposes. They could provide additional shielding, buff the player, or mark enemies to debuff them.
How to Improve Grenades?
The real question is, how do you like to see grenades evolve in Borderlands 4? Let me know your opinion in the comments below or tag @MentalMars on social media.
