Waiting for Borderlands 4 can feel like a long haul. But instead of replaying random shooters, you can walk a purposeful journey on the Player’s Path to Borderlands 4.
This series charts five games that define the roots of loot-driven progression, showcase innovations in RPG-shooter design, and highlight the different evolutions that shaped the looter shooter. For Borderlands 4, your path blends RPG classics, hybrid experiments, and modern multiplayer giants, all designed to prepare you for the next chaotic Vault Hunt.
Diablo II (2000)
Loot came before shooters. Diablo II perfected the addictive cycle of slaying monsters, grabbing randomized drops, and building characters around rare gear. That satisfying drip of new weapons and armor is the heartbeat of the entire looter shooter genre.
Takeaway: Feel the roots of loot addiction before it was grafted onto guns.
System Shock 2 (1999)
Released just a year earlier, System Shock 2 showed how RPG depth could live inside a first-person experience. Stats, inventory management, skill trees, and atmosphere all combined with shooting mechanics, laying the foundation for RPG-FPS hybrids like Borderlands.
Takeaway: Experience the first true marriage of RPG systems and FPS action.
Borderlands 2 (2012)
While the original laid the groundwork, Borderlands 2 perfected the formula. With sharper writing (Handsome Jack remains iconic), stronger loot systems, and legendary co-op chaos, it set the bar that every Borderlands game since has chased.
Takeaway: Revisit the high point of the franchise — the game Borderlands 4 must live up to.
Warframe (2013)
Launched the year after Borderlands 2, Warframe took the co-op looter experience in a very different direction: space ninjas, fast mobility, and endless customization. Free-to-play and still thriving over a decade later, it proved the genre had legs far beyond Pandora.
Takeaway: See how looter shooters evolved into endlessly replayable, community-driven experiences.
Destiny 2 (2017)
Where Borderlands embraced chaos and comedy, Bungie’s Destiny 2 leaned into MMO-style raids, seasonal updates, and persistent online worlds. It highlights the other major path looter shooters took, one that values longevity and shared-world design.
Takeaway: Understand the divergent branch of the genre and why Borderlands remains unique.
Recap: The Player’s Path to Borderlands 4
| Order | Game | Role in the Path | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diablo II | Origin of loot-driven progression | 2000 |
| 2 | System Shock 2 | RPG-FPS hybrid foundation | 1999 |
| 3 | Borderlands 2 | Franchise perfected — the gold standard | 2012 |
| 4 | Warframe | Co-op looter success, still thriving | 2013 |
| 5 | Destiny 2 | MMO-style evolution of the looter shooter | 2017 |
Final Thoughts
Player’s Path isn’t just a backlog checklist, it’s a curated journey. By following this path, you’ll experience the origins of loot systems, the fusion of RPGs and shooters, and the modern multiplayer giants that defined the looter shooter.
When Borderlands 4 finally opens the Vault once more, you won’t just be ready to play, you’ll be walking into it with the weight of history and the joy of the journey behind you. In the meantime, check out our Games of the Week to discover what else is releasing as you prepare for the next big hunt.