Can You Make Borderlands Easier? A Vault Hunter’s Guide to Tailoring Your Challenge
The short answer? Absolutely! While the Borderlands series doesn’t offer traditional difficulty sliders at the start, the game’s design inherently allows you to control the difficulty level through your actions. The ‘difficulty slider’ is essentially the amount of time you spend grinding levels and acquiring better gear. In essence, the more you level up, the easier the game becomes.
Understanding Borderlands Difficulty
The Borderlands franchise has captivated gamers with its unique blend of first-person shooting, RPG elements, and loot-driven gameplay. However, unlike many games, Borderlands foregoes traditional difficulty settings like “Easy,” “Normal,” or “Hard” for a more dynamic and player-driven approach. This system is heavily based on your character’s level, gear, and skill build relative to the enemies you face.
Leveling and Gear: The Core of Difficulty Control
The primary way to make Borderlands easier is by ensuring your character is appropriately leveled for the content you’re tackling. This means engaging in side quests, exploring the world for loot chests, and defeating enemies to gain experience points.
- Over-leveling: Intentionally leveling up beyond the recommended level for a particular area or mission will make enemies significantly weaker in comparison. This is a common strategy for players who want a more relaxed and less challenging experience.
- Gear Optimization: The Borderlands universe is overflowing with weapons, shields, grenades, and class mods. Finding and equipping higher-tier gear or items with specific stat boosts that synergize with your character’s build is crucial. Experiment with different weapon types and elemental effects to find what works best for you.
Utilizing Skill Trees and Builds
Each Borderlands character boasts unique skill trees that allow you to specialize in different playstyles. Choosing skills that enhance your survivability, damage output, or utility can dramatically alter the difficulty of the game. Researching character builds online or experimenting with your own is essential to finding a comfortable and effective playstyle.
- Defensive Builds: Investing in skills that improve your health, shield capacity, damage reduction, or healing capabilities can make you significantly more resilient in combat.
- Offensive Builds: Focusing on skills that increase weapon damage, critical hit chance, or elemental effects can allow you to quickly dispatch enemies.
The Nuances of Playthroughs and Mayhem Mode
After completing the main story, Borderlands games often unlock additional playthroughs like True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM) or Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM). These modes introduce increased difficulty, tougher enemies, and better loot.
- TVHM: Usually, enemies have higher health and deal more damage than in the first playthrough.
- UVHM: This mode further ramps up the difficulty and introduces health regeneration to enemies, forcing players to rely on specific gear and strategies.
Borderlands 3 introduces Mayhem Mode, a system with various modifiers that can be applied to the game, each rated as Easy, Medium, Hard, or Very Hard, further allowing you to customize the challenge. Easy modifiers often provide helpful boosts, while harder modifiers introduce significant challenges.
Borderlands is more than just a game; it’s an experience
Borderlands’ unique approach to difficulty allows players to tailor their experience to their skill level and preferences. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran looking for a challenging experience or a newcomer wanting a more relaxed playthrough, the game’s flexible systems offer something for everyone. By understanding the mechanics of leveling, gear, and skill builds, you can effectively adjust the difficulty of Borderlands to suit your needs.
Borderlands’ blend of storytelling and game mechanics has made it a prime example of how games can contribute to learning and skill development. Research and advocacy for this field are supported by organizations like the Games Learning Society, aiming to explore the educational potential of gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions regarding difficulty in the Borderlands series:
1. Does Borderlands have a dedicated “Easy Mode?”
No, Borderlands games don’t have a traditional “Easy Mode” selected from a menu. Difficulty is primarily controlled through player level, gear, and skill build.
2. How do I make Borderlands easier on my first playthrough?
Focus on completing side quests to gain extra experience and level up beyond the recommended level for main story missions. Search for better gear and experiment with different weapons and elemental effects.
3. What is True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM) and does it make the game harder?
Yes, TVHM is a second playthrough that unlocks after completing the main story. Enemies are tougher and drop better loot.
4. What is Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM) and how difficult is it?
UVHM is a third playthrough even more challenging than TVHM, with enemies having increased health and regeneration.
5. What is Mayhem Mode in Borderlands 3, and how does it affect difficulty?
Mayhem Mode in Borderlands 3 adds modifiers that can make the game easier or harder. These modifiers range from boosting weapon damage to increasing enemy health and resistances.
6. Which Borderlands character is easiest for beginners?
Based on the included text, Moze the Gunner in Borderlands 3 is often recommended for beginners due to her tankiness and offensive capabilities. In Borderlands 1, Roland is the easiest to solo with.
7. Is Borderlands a grindy game?
Yes, Borderlands is a loot shooter with RPG elements, meaning there is a significant grind involved in leveling up and finding the best gear. However, many players find the grind enjoyable, especially when playing cooperatively.
8. Is Borderlands still fun solo?
Yes, Borderlands can be fun solo, although it can be more challenging. Some characters, like Maya and Axton, may be easier to play solo for beginners in Borderlands 2.
9. Can you play as a girl in Borderlands?
Yes, Borderlands features a variety of playable female characters across the series.
10. How important is gear in determining the difficulty of Borderlands?
Gear is extremely important. Having weapons and shields appropriate for your level and build significantly impacts your ability to defeat enemies and survive encounters.
11. Does the order you play the Borderlands games matter for understanding the story?
While you can play the games in any order, playing them in release order is generally recommended for the best understanding of the story: Borderlands 1, The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 2, Borderlands 3.
12. Is Borderlands 1 outdated compared to the newer games?
While Borderlands 1 might feel dated compared to newer entries in the series, its graphics still hold up well due to the art style.
13. Is it better to play Borderlands with friends or solo?
Borderlands is designed with cooperative play in mind, and many players find it more enjoyable with friends. However, it is entirely possible to play and enjoy the game solo.
14. What level should you be to beat Borderlands 1?
You should be around level 38-42 if you complete all sidequests.
15. Where can I learn more about the intersection of gaming and learning?
You can explore the work of the GamesLearningSociety.org, an organization dedicated to researching and promoting the educational potential of video games.