Borderlands 4 devs have "seen the discourse" about OP builds, but they're "looking at our first round of buffs" instead of nerfs – and fans are thrilled: "Looters are made to be broken"

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Gearbox is "not going to act" with nerfs "immediately"

Borderlands 4
(Image credit: Gearbox)

Borderlands 4 is finally here, and players have spent nearly two weeks now discovering its most powerful vault hunter builds – builds that Gearbox assures won't actually be nerfed yet, as the developers instead focus on rolling out new buffs.

Creative director Graeme Timmins states as much in a new online post following circulating threads about so-called "broken" or "overpowered" Borderlands 4 builds – from Vex being dubbed "the strongest vault hunter in the entire series" to silly speedrunning strategies – and much to players' delight, such "unintended" ways of playing won't be targeted with nerfs right now. In fact, Timmins says Gearbox has some buffs up its sleeve.

"We've seen the discourse about builds that use unintended interactions and/or the knife," he writes. "We're not going to act on those immediately; instead, we're looking at our first round of buffs."

That doesn't mean future nerfs aren't a possibility, however. As Timmins admits, "those will get addressed, but we're going to start with underperforming gear/skills first." It's safe to say the Borderlands 4 community is sighing a breath of relief.

"Devs recognizing priorities in a non-competitive PvE game," as one player responds, "is this real life?" Another excitedly asks, "Buffs before nerfs?" Elsewhere, a fan amusingly replies, "Hell yeah, this is the soul of the genre. Looters are made to be broken, and answered with even harder content that drops even more broken loot." It might be funny, but judging by the comments, it seems like most would agree with that sentiment.

This rings especially true considering the Borderlands series' history. Nerfs were a cause of contention within the community after they rolled out for entries like Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. As YouTuber Moxsy states in a response to Timmins, "This is such a huge W. Massive nerfs hitting Wonderlands & BL3 on launch caused huge outrage and frustration in the community. Love to see this direction."

Some players don't ever want to see their favorite builds nerfed, though. As one comments, "Here's a thought. If people are having fun with their broken builds, why take that fun away? I'm not ruining anyone else's fun either. Just as you said, focus on buffs to other things. There's no need to act on any of those nerfs you have in mind. Buff the other things." I get it, as a fan of being OP in-game myself – but it's likely Gearbox will fix what it feels it should.

Here's hoping the buffs prove impressive to fans – and nerfs remain a distant possibility. Our own Borderlands 4 review describes the game as "undeniably an excellent looter shooter," so it's safe to say that it may just stand as one of the best Borderlands games.

Playing through the new action RPG yourself? Be sure to check our Borderlands 4 tips for a smooth start in Kairos.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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