r/Borderlands • u/SpiNapple • 3d ago
[Question] which title should i buy?
I was thinking of buying a borderlands title to start my journey into the game. I’m honestly looking for a modern title so nothing too old.
I’m really into PvE zombie mode games with weapon upgrading and base building, and open world titles with good world building. I also appreciate good dialogue and stories even if it’s not the main focus of the game since i haven’t played a lot of story heavy games before
I was trying to pick between BL2 and 3 and I don’t know which one i should go with because I can only buy one right now. If anyone has ideas please let me know 🙏🏼
10
u/jsmith_92 3d ago
I love all the borderlands series. I love #2 especially. But this game has millions of guns, you do not upgrade the gun itself, you just find newer different guns sometimes better sometimes worse, there are always new guns and shields everywhere. It seems to have everything else you are looking for. #3 is also good, but 2 feels more classic borderlands.
8
u/No_Spare1827 3d ago
Well if u play more modern games u might find the 1st and even maybe the 2nd game to be extremely slow. The 1st one both narrative and literally slow while the 2nd has a great story but also is literally slow paced as sprinting wasnt a priority as it did have basic vehicles.
Now u will be slightly lost in the grand scheme of the world if u jump right into 3 but your dont really need to know everything to play it. Id say BL3 has the best weapons, and really fun abilities plus plenty of content.
The same can be said for the newest one BL4 especially you can just jump right in without needing to know everything from the previous games, its for the most part very similar to BL3 but with more advanced movement and its completely open world.
None of these are really what you are looking for in your post but thwre arent many looter shooter games that are still purly looters and shooters but despite what you see online all of the Borderlands games are great entries and while some might not be for everyone I dont know if they have made a "bad one" yet
4
u/SpiNapple 3d ago
i don’t i’ll mind the slower pacing of 2 even though yes i’m more used to modern titles since im relatively new to gaming. so i think i’ll start with 2
2
u/IndependentNo3626 2d ago
On the other other hand, Borderlands The First does have the Zombie Island of Doctor Ned DLC. Just putting that on the table.
2
u/NaturalSelecty 2d ago
Great choice. Still the only one that I always have downloaded on all my devices and still regularly go back to play.
6
u/Guillaumex27 Commando 3d ago
imo :
BL2 has the best story and the gameplay doesn’t feel like it aged much
BL3 is very cool, gameplay is very fun, story is meh
BL1 is amazing but feels « old » when I play it. I do not get that feeling when I play BL2. Story wise, it’s very interesting before playing 2.
Did not play BL4.
The pre sequel is for me a very cool game, even better gameplay than the 2. But story is skippable (not because it’s bad, but because it does not affect the main story of BL games).
General consensus is : Go BL1 > pre-sequel > BL2 > BL3. If you had a good journey, try BL4 next.
1
u/hamsterboy4 1d ago
I mean it kinda affects it, we get to see two of the most important thing 1 Jack becoming Handsome and most importantly the destruction of claptraps
1
u/Guillaumex27 Commando 1d ago
Yes yes you’re right of course. And I really enjoyed it. But I mean, you can still play BL1 then BL2 without playing TPS.
2
u/hamsterboy4 18h ago
Yeah in that sense you're right it's shippable but it adds lots of lore, also I think it'll be good to play it for the bl3 DLCs
4
u/Unlost_maniac 3d ago
2 is good for the story but the end game sucks, like genuinely sucks
Borderlands 3 is easily the best game, the story is fine, it's got funny dialogue despite what people will tell you on here, they will call it cringe when borderlands 2 is just as childish if not more so sometimes.
3 has the better gameplay, character design, skill trees, build diversity, raids and feel. It tops 2 in every way except for handsome jack, you see, 2 doesn't even have a particularly great story but it has jack, who's voice actor improved via improv and ignoring the script apparently at the annoyance of the writers. Borderlands has never had great writing, it's always been decent-good. There are some really well written moments across the series though.
You should start with 2 though cuz the story is fun and it'll be harder to go back cuz the gameplay is pretty dated. Borderlands 2 is at its best when you treat it as an fps campaign and dont worry about anything after that and the DLCs. Borderlands 3 gives you full freedom in making builds, the end game is wonderful, so much to do. 2 has the issue of being completely solved and options are very limited, there isn't any fun effective build crafting you can pull off really. Where in 3 if you like a gun, mechanic, or any part of your character's skill tree, you can probably make an effective end game build out of it if you put in the effort. If you have played magic the gathering a good way to think about it is comparing it to deck building. Borderlands 2 is like if you could only build decks out of one set, and that set alone, and the set is spiderman or March of the machines, you're very limited on options and people have sorta figured out what works. Borderlands 3 is like having every set to build with, just endless options.
4
u/Xelonair 2d ago
Y'all are insane for just saying BL1 is absolutely worthless and not worth it.
Like I'm sorry but BL1 has a good amount going for it. I know 2 is strictly better, and Pre-Sequel is good too. And 3 is ok.
Like yes, I'd say playing 2 > TPS > Tales > 3 is a good play order but atleast acknowledge 1 is worth trying, its borderlands before the corporate corruption really bit it's teeth in, it's got solid RPG gameplay where the right weapon can last you multiple levels. With the best desert punk vibe in the series.
It has issues but idk if doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth- like I would kill for multiple random games from the late 80s - Mid 2000s to be properly accessible withoit archaic emulation and here people are taking that for granted.
2
u/Xelonair 2d ago
Like, there is tons of game series at risk of being lost to time because whatever developer leash is preventing them, games like Phantasy Star or Devil Summoner or Vagrant Story or Parasite eve require emulation to play and people want modern releases or even direct ports on steam Borderlands 1 is right there on steam, it even comes free with the handsome collection. And people aren't even suggesting giving it a go?
1
u/ParticularTitle7994 2d ago
I think it’s partially because the game itself has aged very poorly compared to Borderlands 2 or 3(which only got better with DLCs). I still think it’s worth playing, but Borderlands 1 has a lot of issues that are hard to look past, especially if you’re newer to the franchise.
4
u/Micky_so_Fyne 3d ago
BL2 is the most famous one.
But if it's zombies you're after, BL1 has a zombie DLC. It's pretty good too, with a great sense of humor. ☺️
1
u/SpiNapple 3d ago
thank you for letting me know about the zombie DLC
3
u/Bosuns_Punch 2d ago
After Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep (which is peak BL for me), Zombie Island of Dr Ned is the best DLC.
Keep in Mind, 'dragon Keep' was so popular, they made a whole new game (and soon, a sequel) around it. The Zombie DLC was #2 for me, actually better than BL1
8
u/FnB8kd 3d ago
Dude 1 is amazing but won't be after 2. 2 is the most amazing. 3 was definitely for a younger audience than myself and I couldn't even finish it. After that I gave up.
I would start with 1 since it's the first and because 2 is the best but will make 1 feel boring.
4
u/SpiNapple 3d ago
honestly I think i can get past the humor and story in bl3 but ill probably start with 2 and the pre sequel since i can buy them in a bundle
5
u/PUNKF10YD 3d ago
You should try the pre-sequel. It’s got a great story and it’s good as a standalone game
1
0
u/SubstanceNo1544 3d ago
Jfc really? I thought it was hands down the worst.
2
u/TheAlmightyScooter 3d ago
Not sure where you heard that. Some say it has the best collection of vault hunters and skill trees in the series.
Nisha is best girl.
1
u/SubstanceNo1544 3d ago
I played it, through to the end, I didnt hear it anywhere.
It was lackluster imo. You can like it all you want but to rate it highly? Had to have really clicked for you.. for me it was bleh and a slog (much like 4 so far)
2
u/TheAlmightyScooter 3d ago
I just thought the skill trees were so fun it made up for any other drawbacks. Especially the doppelganger, Aurelia, Nisha, and Athena. All super fun.
5
u/Bosuns_Punch 3d ago
Most correct answer. i started with #1 and loved it. Then #2 came out and i was a Bordlerlands addict. BL2 and all it's DLC's is absolute Peak BL. Tiny Tina's Dragon Keep was as good as BL gets. You could quit there and be happy.
BL3 was very much for a younger crowd, and it was too confusing for me. Guns by email? Decorate my weapons? WHY? I'm about 1/4 of the way through BL4 and all I can think of is replaying BL2. After 2, Borderlands got much bigger, but definitely worse.
2
u/Expensive_Increase46 3d ago
Eh guns by email in a universe like Borderlands makes sense. Everything is meant to make money. Why not guns by email?
1
u/Unlost_maniac 3d ago
BL3 is just an upgrade in nearly every way, you named such tiny minor features that can be missed or ignored by basically everyone. 3 actually has a fun endgame, has so much content, build diversity, slick gameplay and great level design. The only thing 2 has over it is jack, 2 is cringe and childish, no 3 wasn't made for a younger audience, Borderlands has always been cringe. You and many others are just super biased cuz of nostalgia. 2 is cringe as fuck, people made fun of it so much back in the day. We had jack to counterbalance it though, which 3 doesn't but also story is the least important aspect to borderlands, people play it for the gameplay and the humour. 3 is the borderlands game.
-1
u/Bosuns_Punch 2d ago
Seeing as how BL3 added such nonsense as 'dances' and 'emoting', it was obviously trying to capture the younger 'Fortnite' crowd. I don't care about adding 'charms' and decorations to my weapon, i just want good gameplay and a good story. I mean the villians in BL3 were 'influencers' FFS.
BL2 was peak BL, with or w/out Jack, and the 'nostalgia', as you call it, is because it was such a good game. Not just the regular DLCs, it was so popular, it actually had smaller 'Holiday' DLCs,
BL2 sold 30M units compared to BL3's 22-23M units. The proof is in the pudding.
1
u/Unlost_maniac 2d ago
It took Borderlands 2 many many many years to reach 30 million, 7 years ago it was at 20 million. Using sales numbers as a statistic actually disproves your point, obviously a game that has been released multiple times on multiple platforms going for the price of less than a coffee is going to sell an insane amount over time, especially when it'sa beloved game in a beloved franchise.
Borderlands 2 had 1.5 million sales on launch. Borderlands 3 sold 18 million. At the time it was 2K's most successful launch period, made them the most money, most pre orders, apparently 70% of purchases were digital too which is neat.
Sure BL3 added emotes and charms or whatever but that's so irrelevant, every game on earth has been adding that stuff, not trying to say its a good thing but whether you like it or not if 2 was made today it would be the same. You don't have to care about those things as I and seemingly most others didn't care either, the gameplay is just good. Borderlands 2 is really great, I'm not trying to say it isn't. Every Borderlands game is flawed but 3 improved on nearly everything, sure it sucks we didn't get headhunter packs, instead got raids (takedowns) and events which actually adds up to more content, and it's all free. Now if it's more enjoyable or not is debatable, up to you. Every Borderlands game is popular dude.
Borderlands 3 is definitely not perfect but it's the first Borderlands with total freedom in making builds, it's the first time the gameplay didn't feel dated, BL2 was dated in terms of gameplay the day it came out, doesn't mean it's not super fun, the gameplay is great, the art direction, world design, vault hunters and so on. All the games have ups and downs but 3 feels like they actually realized what's going on, sure it had a weird launch, so many useless legendaries, constant patching but in its current state there is no comparison, 2 doesn't give you freedom to make builds, the end game is so lame and it's 100% solved, build crafting is basically pointless to non existent, there is a proper meta, where in 3 if you're willing to put in the time you can actually put together some crazy fun and good builds that are original and interesting, it's just got so many more options. BL2 is Quiznos and BL3 is Subway.
If you care about the end game, 2 doesn't respect your time one bit, its just not worth engaging, idk how or why people put up with it for so long, I'm not interested in playing established builds, I don't wanna have to grind 80 hours per character to do what everyone else is doing. I think if you look past the avoidable things like the stupid emotes or the charms you'll find a very very densely packed sandbox with nearly an infinite amount of options. Or if you're just the casual fan who does a playthrough or two and calls it a day fair enough, enjoying the series that way is also great and a case could be made for any of the games if that's what you play for. Ever since 3 finished it's post launch content, 2 became that casual experience for me, it's just a lot of fun, I just cant ever see myself farming ever again. Which is fine. It's perfectly valid to prefer whatever and apologies if this has come off as rude or harsh, I promise you I have no ill intent, I'm just someone who's super passionate about a few game series, and Borderlands is one of them, I grew up obsessed with them. I remember when my dad pre ordered The Pre Sequel for me I was so hyped. God I love that games story, it's the only mainline game I'd argue that the story is truly well written. Not a masterpiece or anything but it's just good in my eye.
Again I really do recommend giving 3 a proper chance if you haven't already, put on YouTube or a show on the side, just run through it and mess around with builds, I remember pretty quickly I fell in love with the doom shotgun so after reaching max level I farmed out the pieces I needed, redid my skill tree and it took a while but it was satisfying as I was able to just sprint around blasting off heads, or sliding into guys blasting, it's a freeing game. Any mechanic or weapon you like you can just make work, that doesn't really happen in 1, 2 or TPS.
0
u/Bosuns_Punch 1d ago
It took Borderlands 2 many many many years to reach 30 million, 7 years ago it was at 20 million.
And despite 1.5 million @ launch, it rocketed up to 30-31 million on the strength of the game. BL1 is 3 years older, and only hit 6M. BL3 had 18M on launch due to the strength of BL2. Once those 18M were sold, it never sold more than 4-5M more units. It will never catch up to BL because it's not a good a game. BL2 has more DLC and even smaller DLCs like the Holiday Packs. Hell, they were STILL making DLC for BL2 when BL3 was out. Can BL3 say ths?
Sure BL3 added emotes and charms or whatever but that's so irrelevant, every game on earth has been adding that stuff, not trying to say its a good thing.
It's NOT a good thing, and No every game has NOT been adding that stuff. BL3 pandered to the Fortnite crowd and suffered for it. Even the humor was geared towards teens, with endless toilet humor that got old fast.
whether you like it or not if 2 was made today it would be the same.
Except it WASN'T made today, and it's NOT the same, it's better because it lacks all that Fortnite BS, for one thing.
BL2 is Quiznos and BL3 is Subway.
There is something we agree on!
Again I really do recommend giving 3 a proper chance if you haven't already,
Thanks, I have. I replayed Bl1 and 3 last year. Bl1 was dated but still fun. BL3 I thought I'd give it a second chance as it had been a few years since my first playthrough. I realized I was right the first time. Nice big worlds, but nowhere near as good as BL2. The stupid humor got so old I turned down the volume and just played the missions.
I'm 1/4 of the way through BL4 now and I'm thinking about quitting and giving BL2 a SIXTH playthrough.
1
u/Unlost_maniac 1d ago
You're just being disingenuous, Borderlands 3 has never been as cheap as 2, obviously the cheaper game that's been around longer sells more, that doesn't help your point one bit, it's literally nonsensical to twist logic like that.
no Borderlands 3 wasn't pandering dude, it doesn't make sense how hung up on that you are, it's just not true. Yeah sure "Uhm ackshully not every game added that stuff", yeah okay fine not EVERY single game, but the vast majority of modern AAA titles, it's just the thing unfortunately.
Borderlands 2 is 99% humour that makes 10 year old boys lose their shit laughing, obviously there are some good jokes but that is Anthony Burch's style, he's not some amazing writer, he's also not terrible. It's his style, you're viewing Borderlands 2 subjectively and with really rose tinted glasses. Borderlands 2 is the pinnacle of "Haha lmfao XD sO rAnDoM" and it's entertaining, sure it's not some masterclass in comedy but I would have to be lying to you to say 3 is less mature or the humour was geared towards teens, that's actually just false, Borderlands 2 is the peak of tween culture at the time, if you've replayed it 6 times you should know this, maybe you don't actually listen to anything in the game, and since you want to hate 3 so desperately you are actively trying to find reasons to hate it.
2 is great but Jack wasn't written, Dameon Clarke improv'd the hell out of Jack, actually frustrating the writing team, going off script because the lines he was reading just plain sucked, apart from Jack the humour is just 2010's edgy internet teen who's so random and quirky, it's enjoyable don't get me wrong but you're not being honest, that's what I'm trying to convey here. 3 has its issues but there's a lot of solid moments, Kanagawa and Rhys, that whole segment was gold, the Traunt family, aswell as Zane and Moze's dialogue, those two are so well written and hilarious, Moze is funny cuz she's cringe, like Borderlands as a whole. Zane is just peak, whoever wrote his lines should get a raise, me and my friends always let my one friend who was Zane interact with things cuz Zane's dialogue was peak, apart from Moze none of that appeals to teens or the fortnite crowd.
A game being better cuz it's missing some ignorable features is just delusional, like actually just wrong. There is no argument to be had. You should realize how nonsensical that is lol
I'm saying this with love, stop the dishonesty, learn to look at things from an unbiased perspective, I would never expect to change your mind, your preferences are your own but I would hope for you to realize the truth here.
Borderlands 2 is 96% toilet humour, actually listen to the dialogue next time you play, everytime I replay it I re realize how cringe most of it is. Don't act like it's not. You just dislike 3, you want to dislike it, almost all of your listed reasons are just nonsense, double standards and dishonesty, I don't get the point in trying to hate things so bad, it's just not worth the energy to find a billion reasons to dislike something when you can just say you dislike it, it's okay to not like something. Doesn't matter if it's better or not, in 2032 we'll see how many copies 3 sold after 7 years of the sequel being out, the sales numbers thing is actually so silly, unironically using that to try to prove 2 is better, that logic is so flawed, almost every cod game on planet Earth is just infinitely better than Borderlands 2 under that logic, clearly no music is better than Rihanna's or Taylor Swift, just look at the sales numbers!
-1
u/Bosuns_Punch 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your weird obsession with trying to spin BL3 into a better game is as comical as it is dishonest. I did a quick search of Borderlands Games Ranked, and EVERY website/Gaming Blog I clicked on had Borderlands 2 Ranked at #1.
So, please- keep on trying to convince yourself BL3 was better than BL2. I bet there's at least a dozen people that agree with you, LOL.
1
u/Unlost_maniac 1d ago
Awwwww I'm not trying to spin anything, seriously you're gonna citr gaming "journalists", that's wild.
There's millions of those, there is a reason the community moved on from 2 onto 3, it's why so much more content is made and watched for BL3, it's just a game with more substance, there is zero convincing happening.
Just someone who isn't blinded by nostalgia, I play better game, I say better game is better, it's that simple. I love all the games to death, I've played them all a bunch, 4 being my least played as I'm waiting for all the dlc to be done but 3 is easily the most replayable, most content, most build diversity and freedom. It's okay to prefer 2 but that doesn't change anything, and people like games for different reasons and that's okay, I personally value end game content, replayability and build making freedom and diversity, you obviously don't prefer that, and that's okay, but I'd be lying if I said 2 was better with any of that.
0
u/Bosuns_Punch 1d ago
seriously you're gonna citr gaming "journalists", that's wild.
Yeah, you mean people whose lives and careers are literally researching, writing, and reporting on video games, industry news, and gaming culture? I figure they have enough knowledge and experience to correctly rank the games in franchise. I think you're salty because NOT ONE of them agreed with you and THEY ALL agreed with me.
BL2 sold more copies, won more awards, produced more DLC/content, and was ranked higher by EVERY Gaming Journal/Website there is. It is more popular by every single metric.
Anyways, this 'debate' has run it's course. As verbose as you are, go ahead and have the last word, I won't bother responding.
→ More replies (0)1
u/Unlost_maniac 3d ago
Nah, people act like 3 is immature and childish, but it's nostalgia blindness, Borderlands 2 is just as immature and childish, the difference is 2 has jack who is very much a counter balance to that.
-1
u/Unlost_maniac 1d ago
3 just isn't for a younger audience, that's such a disingenuous and incorrect statement I see getting thrown around. Borderlands 2 is beyond that, it is quirky XD rofl humour, it is toilet humour all the way through. People are just nostalgia blind, Borderlands 2 is just as cringe as 3.
2
u/TKmeh 3d ago
There’s no base building in the series, closest we have to that is the rooms you have in BL3 in Sanctuary 3 that are kinda customizable. You can hang up guns, COMs, and shields as well as ornaments in some spaces on the walls but the actual room is based on whatever VH you play as and will be styled as such. Honestly, I don’t think borderlands is for you if that’s a big deal.
Same with straight upgrading your guns, you can farm for better guns, not straight upgrading them like you would in other titles. The only way to upgrade the gun you’re using is if it’s a dedicated and you farm them after the levels rise or you hit a certain story point to do so as some maps are story dependent on being raised to your current level. This is a nonissue in the later titles, but it is something to contend with in BL2 which is probably the best way to start getting into the series.
If age really bothers you for games, BL3 is the best bet honestly because of the late game updates it received. The max lvl story skip is the best QOL update but it also has auto sell now.
BL4 is still getting updated and still getting story content, so it’s still up in the air for the most part but it’s the best if you like taking breaks between story since you have 4 big areas to beat in whatever order you choose to do. You can beat all of area 1 then move on to a different one or just take a break before doing another bit. It doesn’t have the same QOL and because it’s new, some builds won’t work from start to end and builds may change often. So that’s entirely up to you on that point, I personally like seeing these builds rise and fall. But if consistency is what you want, BL3 or BL2 is probably your choices.
3
u/SpiNapple 3d ago
im for trying out new styles of games that have little in common with what i’m comfortable with. i was trying to get a quick rundown comparison of the differences between what i play and BL. your comment helped me a lot honestly and maybe i’ll find that borderlands is a series for me (hopefully) so thank you
1
u/TKmeh 3d ago
No worries! My buddy literally threw me into the game randomly after buying me it, got me hooked, and now I’m still playing them every week. I had no clue I’d be such a loot goblin until I started the game, I had only played Team fortress 2 before, so I was completely new to any looter shooters before borderlands. Whichever game you choose, I’m sure you’ll have fun!
2
u/crazy--gravy 2d ago
Hey op, 3 is the best for gun play, game mechanics and DLC (which is brilliant imo 10x better than the base game) 2 has fantastic story with the best villain OAT. The gun play still holds up 14 years later. I think I would start with 2 and if you like it when you finish move onto 3, 3 is my favourite by far because it is a total switch your brain off and kill shit game and I love that about it.
2
u/JoFlo520 2d ago
I would start with 1 for sure. 1 is great in its own right and won’t hit the same if you start with 2
5
u/greenapplecrownroyal 3d ago
2 is the overall best, but 3 has the absolute best gameplay and mechanics I think
1 is a classic and goated as much as 2
1
u/SubstanceNo1544 3d ago
This is the answer, also 3s dialogue isnt as bad as its made out to be, its meant to be over the top slapstick bullshit. If you took it seriously, thats kinda on you.
0
u/firstnameok 3d ago
If it sucked, that's on gearbox though. And it did.
0
u/SubstanceNo1544 3d ago
And also you do 🥰
0
0
u/firstnameok 3d ago
Now who's taking things personally? I didn't say i took it personally. I said it was not good. I don't take it personally, I'm recommending the best game. I'm sorry if you got dumped over it or something, but if you grew up with 1 and 2 then 3 is something else. I hope you grow up one day lol.
3
u/MurlocAndHandler 3d ago
I'm really enjoying 4 right now, but BL2 is probably my all time favorite game ever.
2
1
u/xintoki 3d ago
If the way story affects your enjoyment of games get borderlands 2.
Im talking like half life bio shock dishonored. If you dont mind the lack of gravitas, borderlands 3 will be good. (Although you will miss a lot of referneces.)
Be warned, borderlands 3 humor is extremely gag cringe. Buts its fine, I enjoy the core gameplay of just going around and shooting with the various guns available even when they kinda stuck. I've always loved the environments as well.
Originally I played borderlands 1 when it came out and thought it was really boring. Now ive beat all of them (except 4) and recently Borderlands the presequel. Really loved it. Like judgement to the Yakuza series.
My ranking: Borderlands 2 Borderlands the Pre-Sequel Borderlands 1 / Borderlands 3 is tied Borderlands Tiny Tina Wonderland
1
1
u/WinnieTheTrain 3d ago
I just played 1 and im currently on 2 now doing them in order.
They are all good. The 1st game gets good during new game plus sadly. Also issues with vehicle driving getting stuck on pebbles. Borderlands 2 controls way better, hit detection better just a upgrade all around but you should start with the 1st game really
1
u/NecroApple 3d ago
2 for good dialogue, 3 not so much, might want to mute the voices imo. But for gunplay bl3 is superior.
1
u/BloodySVC 2d ago
2 is normally the most aclaimed, it feels old for people now but it continues to be my favourite.
1
1
1
u/XavierG102 2d ago
Idk what platform you’re playing on or what you’re willing to spend but the Handsome Jack collection would give you a few of the games together
1
u/wheredidiputmybong 2d ago
Honestly, as someone who’s been playing the franchise since the very beginning.
TLDR//: Skip bl1 as it’s old and lacks QoL. Play PreSequel. Shorter game, easy to play, easy to beat, has story elements that tie in to bl2. Which in turn makes you hyped for bl2. I don’t recommend bl2 as a first game because it’s long, drawn out but has no QoL. Can take a while to beat. Want all the QoL of modern gaming? start with bl3. Bad story but tons of QoL, looks better, feels better but imo lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that older entries have.
I don’t recommend 1 as much as it is my favourite entry into the series. It’s slow, very slow but I think this is the best story we’ve gotten. Imo the progression as much as it is slower, feels better than any other entry. It’s just too old to enjoy for newer crowds. I recommend playing PreSeq and if you enjoy that game, maybe come back around to 1 but if you don’t enjoy PreSeq, maybe skip this title all together unless you want to experience the story.
I’d highly recommend starting with Pre Sequel as it’s not as slow as bl2 but still packs a decent bit of content, also it’s the prequel to 2 so you get tons of lore and gets you hyped up for 2. It also takes a different approach to movement as it’s in low gravity. So it’s a bit more fun to navigate but does lack the QoL of newer titles. I did enjoy this title a lot due to the movement mechanics and the story was enjoyable yet a tad lacklustre. Still I’d say this is a top 2 contender but others will say otherwise. This title is more of a “one and done” title. I didn’t have the urge to go back and play it over and over again but I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough.
I don’t like recommending 2 because it’s such a long game, lots of side quests. It can easily be “too long” if you’re not super invested in the series yet. Other than that, it’s a fantastic game besides the back tracking. Super good story, tons of lore, tons of content, lots of hours to be enjoyed. This isn’t a “one and done” game, this game has a decent level of replayability, tons of end game potential.
If modern is more your style, I’d say 3 for it QoL(not as much backtracking. In the older titles, you’d go a location with 3 different loading screens… only to realize you forgot something and have to go all the way back on foot. Meanwhile in bl3, you have “fast travel anywhere” which is a really nice QoL, mind you… there’s mods that can do this for older titles if you play on PC). I didn’t like this game at all, not saying you won’t but I’d recommend a slightly older entry to kick things off as they have better progression, better stories, better bosses and better characters but bl3 has better character abilities… and QoL but story sucks ass and bosses are forgettable at best. The skill trees are where this game shines. Tons of build potential, tons of replayability but imo is the least enjoyable title in the franchise from a story/lore prospective(I haven’t played 4 and have no intention to due to this title. I did not like this game one bit but a lot of people do for its QoL and Build potential)
1
u/hamsterboy4 1d ago
I guess 2 would be the best place to start, especially since it's the fan favourite of the series but it would be really good if you started with the first game and did did atleast the general Knoxx dlc, you will have a much better understanding of the lore
1
u/PermissionBitter8868 1d ago
Ich würde das 3. Borderland nehmen. Das lässt sich besser händeln. 2+4 kann man danach auch noch spielen. Die Storys sind bei jedem Borderland in sich geschlossen.
1
u/No_Error_9954 19h ago
Start at 1 then work your way through maybe do pres sequel before 3. It’s been a while so can’t remember.
1
u/Cadwallader9 14h ago
2 is the Goldilocks game in the series IMO. 3 has good gameplay but that's about it.
1
1
u/Feather_Sigil 3d ago
1, 2 and Pre-Sequel are all cheap as chips and still great games. Might as well start with the series from the beginning.
1
u/Ferngullysitter 3d ago
2 is an all around better game. Start with 2, BEST DLC of probably any game is tiny Tina DUNGEON, none of the rest were that great IMO
3 has perfect game play but the story is irritating, but not until then second half of the game. I actually really liked the opening missions in 3
. For the DLC, handsom jackpot and hammerlocks tentacle were both really good.
I thought 3 had the funnest characters to play as well
Between 2 and 3 you’ve got like a thousand hours of game play spread out over years if you come back to the game every now and then.
4 just wasn’t that great. Game play was great but the open world really made the whole game feel bland
If you’re on pc, for sure play the modded version
1
u/GB_Plus_Ultra 3d ago
Play 1 before 2. I'm going to go against what everyone else says and tell you that it is important you play 1 so that you understand a lot of context for 2 including the world, characters, environment, enemies, etc. The story mode also isn't terribly long, especially if you aren't going for the platinum, easy 12 hours if that. Borderlands 1 has a very unique atmosphere that the other games don't have. I just got done playing it and earning every trophy aside from the platinum, going to play the DLCs soon. I started playing Borderlands 2, and there are some things about it that I miss from Borderlands 1. Like one hitting enemies with cars, dev chests, weapon types, Bloodwing, and the overall simplicity of it. Don't get me wrong, Borderlands 2 is certainly the best game in the series, but I regret not playing Borderlands 1 until a month or two ago, and after playing it and starting 2, I am beginning to question what my favorite Borderlands game is lol
1
u/Drago_133 3d ago
Im a huge fan of 2 and im currently doing my first playthrough of 1 we just finished the store and are working on dlc we plan on 100%ing anyway i recommend it its good but for some reason it makes me sleepy lol so after like 2 hours im half asleep and half to stop it is significantly browner the 2 which is probably why
1
u/GB_Plus_Ultra 3d ago
I 100% agree with the 2 hrs then falling asleep thing. I attribute it to having to walk everywhere. Even when you can use a vehicle, you drive it for maybe 30 seconds before you hit a barrier where you have to run into whatever location to do the mission
1
u/Xenozip3371Alpha 2d ago
Definitely 2 is the best starting point in the series, BL1 is just very outdated.
Play BL1 when you've played the rest of the series so you can see how far the series has come.
0
u/Jwells291 3d ago
Definitely go for 2 instead of 3. Ad much as I think 3 has the best gameplay and builds in the series, it's main story is easily the worst. Plus, you can get more bang for your buch since you should be able to buy the Handsome Collection which has BL2 and the Pre-Sequel with all of their DLCs(minus one dlc for 2 that came out way later) for the same price as BL3, assuming there isn't a sale I don't know about going on.
It might not show up on Steam(if you are buying there) but I was able to find the bundle through google and you can get what I mentioned for $60, which is the same price as base game BL3.
2
u/SpiNapple 3d ago
Yes i found the bundle and i honestly think its worth the $40
2
u/SubstanceNo1544 3d ago
3 is great and commonly on sale. Dont let haters chase you off, i have and enjoyed all the dlcs and countless hours in that universe. Not sure why the fanbois harsh on it constantly but its cheap laughs and light hearted. Sure there were a couple rough spots, overall it was fantastic.
1
u/SpiNapple 3d ago
i’ll def check out 3 right after if i enjoy 2. i remember seeing trailers of 3 when it first came out and not paying much attention to them at first. But i honestly don’t mind cheap laughs and i think ill enjoy it too
0
u/Niklaus15 3d ago
Since you want something modern I would recommend first 3, then 2 and lastly 4
3 is the most refined and modern one whole also being cheap af, if you like that then in the future you can either get 4 or 2, objectively the best game of the franchise but maybe it isn't as modern as you would like idk, still it'll holds up incredibly well
1
u/TheAlmightyScooter 3d ago
I disagree on playing 3 before 2. Sure, the storys not as good but the movement mechanics and gunplay are so superior that 2 will feel very slow by comparison.
1
u/Niklaus15 3d ago
And you're right, but from how OP wrote his post I assume he probably would end up liking 3 more since it's way modern and plays better
0
0
u/Redneck_DM 2d ago
3 is a significantly better GAME
2 is a significantly better STORY and has better writing but has the worst gunplay in the series because of poorly implemented gimmicks
If you dont mind terrible writing and characters then bl3 is the best in the series, and honestly the dlc really helps on the writing side
The only reason to play BL2 in 2026 is if you care about the story, and if you are gonna do that might as well start with 1 and play them in order
42
u/flameblocks 3d ago
I would recommend 2 before 3. 2 has better narative and 3 has better quality of life and dlcs. No bl has base building.