While the series got its start on Pandora, explaining why it has been explored so thoroughly over the years, it should not be the only Borderlands planet to appear numerous times. Gearbox introduced some intriguing new worlds with Borderlands 3, and since that game only included small parts of each one, the next Borderlands should dive deeper into them. While a new planet or two is certainly welcome, it should not come at the cost of existing ones being left behind.
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Borderlands 3 Planets Worth Exploring Further
While the recently released New Tales from the Borderlands has gotten the ball rolling on exploring more of Promethea, such as Fran’s frogurt shop, the futuristic cities of the planet are begging to be seen in another looter shooter. It is easy to imagine a map taking place inside one of Promethea’s skyscrapers, with players ascending up the tower and fighting waves of enemies on each level. At the top, they could battle a unique boss enemy for some special legendary drops.
Eden-6 is also deserving of some further exploration, as Jabbers, Saurians, and Tyrants are surely not the only creatures that the planet is home to. The dinosaur-filled jungles of Eden-6 served as a significant change of pace from Pandora’s deserts and Promethea’s cities, and it would be great to see some more maps within this setting because of that. For example, some large caves filled with new dinosaur-like enemies could be interesting.
Given how Nekrotafeyo is the Eridian homeworld, it would only make sense for players to return to it at some point in a future game. Much like how the Murder Mystery missions from the Director’s Cut led players to another part of this planet, it is easy to imagine a scenario where the Vault Hunters have to look somewhere new to find a secret artifact of some kind. Nekrotafeyo’s alien wildlife is one of its most appealing aspects, and with the planet only showing up near the end of Borderlands 3’s story and featuring just a couple zones, Gearbox has only scratched the surface.
However, above all others, Athenas deserves to make a return. Despite being key to Maya’s story and an important place for Sirens in general, it offers a single map for gamers to explore. Yet even with the brief amount of time players spend on Athenas, it makes a lasting impact and serves as one of the most memorable locations the Vault Hunters visit. The gorgeous mountains and distinct temples could be used to craft many more maps, with players potentially battling inside a large Siren training ground.
Though the Borderlands series will likely never explore any location as much as the planet of Pandora, it should still do more with its existing planets. Adding a few new areas to each instead of introducing an entirely fresh batch of planets in Borderlands 4 could be the best route to take, as Gearbox could focus on crafting more enemies and telling a strong story instead of designing previously unseen worlds. Though some players will surely prefer seeing a different lineup of worlds with each game, Gearbox managed to expand upon Pandora for years, and it could surely do the same with some of the locations introduced in Borderlands 3.
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