We have already extensively covered the occasions of the tip of Borderlands 3, the place Lilith teleported Pandora’s moon, Elpis, to a different a part of house, however within the course of, smashed it into the veiled planet Kairos, disrupting the order the Timekeeper tried to drive upon the inhabitants. However in my discussions with the Gearbox crew, I discovered that Elpis performs a extra vital position than simply catalyzing the story and being an object gamers can generally see within the sky.
At first of Borderlands 4, Elpis crashes an space of Kairos often known as Carcadia Burn, decimating the area and reworking it right into a wasteland biome. The sequence’ iconic Psycho masks rain down, and one of many Timekeeper’s underlings, Callis, picks one up. To her, the masks symbolizes insurrection and it sparks one thing in her, and in her second of readability, she rips out the Command Bolt that the planet’s dictator put in in her, reinstating her free will. She encourages others to do the identical, and he or she turns into often known as the Ripper Queen. Although Pandora’s previous moon impressed this open act of insurrection and the founding of the Ripper faction, maybe most importantly, Elpis connects the brand-new planet of Kairos to the sequence’ most outstanding setting, Pandora, and thus, hyperlinks the sequence’ wellness story to its previous.
“Elpis represents a really actual hyperlink to the earlier video games and the historical past,” artistic director Graeme Timmins says. “From that perspective, it places it in, like, ‘Yup, you are still in Borderlands! That moon that you have seen on Pandora that’s at all times there, [no matter] our time of day – which does not take advantage of excellent scientific sense – that is right here!'”
With Borderlands 4, Gearbox wished to ascertain a brand new planet in the identical method it did with Pandora over the primary a number of video games within the franchise. And as you progress via areas just like the Ripper-controlled Carcadia Burn, you may encounter enemies carrying the Psycho masks that fell from Elpis when it ripped aside Kairos’ veil upon influence. “We wished to return to essentially specializing in a single planet and establishing its historical past and its lore,” Timmins says. “However, we love the Psycho enemies, we love all of the historical past, and so Elpis was that device to create that connection of like, ‘Elpis confirmed up, so we now have a handy vessel to carry Psycho masks and rain them down onto the populace.’ There are plenty of handy issues for us to do it this manner as properly, so we are able to nonetheless preserve these identifiable enemies and character designs from the earlier video games and convey them into this entire new world that might have been hidden away from human civilization in any vital method for 1000’s of years.”
Nevertheless, there’s far more to Elpis than simply serving as an anchor to the sequence’ previous. Actually, its presence poses numerous inquiries to gamers as they embark on their Kairos journey. “We all know Lilith took that from Pandora and introduced it right here, of all locations within the universe; why would Lilith [teleport] a moon to this hidden planet?” Timmins says. “What about this place issues to both Elpis or Lilith? Who is aware of?”
As gamers transfer via the world and the story of Borderlands 4, Elpis stays within the skybox, continually reminding them of its presence. Moreover, the moon will change over the course of the sport, coming aside and spreading increasingly, serving as a visible marker of your development.
But it surely’s not simply one thing you observe from a distance. Although Gearbox stays tight-lipped on the small print surrounding the circumstances, gamers really go as much as Elpis to wrap up one of many story’s threads. Though Kairos is a very new planet, Borderlands 4 ought to function a jumping-on level for brand spanking new followers, whereas longtime gamers will reap the rewards of understanding the histories of NPCs and numerous references to the Pandora previous.
Borderlands 4 arrives on PS5, Xbox Collection X/S, and PC on September 12. A Change 2 model will come at a later date.