View source for Borderlands

{{For|the film|Borderlands (film)}}
{{Infobox VG
|image = [[File:BorderlandsBoxArt.jpg|290px|Borderlands cover art]]
|developer     = [[Gearbox Software]]
|publisher     = 2K Games
|engine = Unreal Engine 3
|release date  = '''PlayStation 3, Xbox 360'''<br /><sup>NA</sup> October 20, 2009<br /><sup>EU</sup> October 23, 2009<br />'''Microsoft Windows'''<br /><sup>NA</sup> October 26, 2009<br /><sup>EU</sup> October 30, 2009<br />'''Mac OS X'''<br /><sup>WW</sup> December 3, 2010<br />'''PlayStation 4, Xbox One (Game of the Year Edition)'''<br /><sup>WW</sup> April 3, 2019<br />'''Nintendo Switch (Game of the Year Edition)'''<br /><sup>WW</sup> May 29, 2020
|genre         = FPRPG
|modes         = Single-player, 2-4 player local and online cooperative and multiplayer
|ratings       = ESRB: Mature<br />PEGI: 18
|opening theme = "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage The Elephant
|platforms     = PlayStation 3<br>Xbox 360<br>Steam (Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X)<br />PlayStation 4<br />Xbox One<br />Nintendo Switch
|next          = [[Borderlands 2]]
}}
'''''Borderlands''''' is a science fiction first-person shooter game with RPG elements created by [[Gearbox Software]] for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X. The game was revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine as the first of a planned series. It was released on October 20th, 2009.

An enhanced re-release was later released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on April 3rd, 2019: ''[[Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced]]''.

==Story==
In the distant future, several colonization ships head to a planet on the edge of the galaxy: [[Pandora]]. The colonists are drawn there in search of a better life as well as vast mineral resources that are said to be on the planet, free for the taking.

Some time after settling, the colonists discover that the planet offers little aside from decrepit alien ruins. When the companies mining the planet leave, they let loose the criminals they had employed as forced labor and left any other colonists there. Some of the settlers seek to get rich quick by discovering alien technology, most others are just trying to survive. After seven Earth years, the planet's slow orbit brings a transition from winter to spring, and many dangerous, horrifying creatures begin to emerge from hibernation, making Pandora even more dangerous.

A beacon of hope for the remaining colonists emerges in the form of a mysterious alien [[Vault]] carved in the side of a mountain. This Vault is said to contain vast stores of alien technology and secrets. The only problem is that the people who discovered the Vault were completely wiped out by some sort of protective force, with the only evidence of their discovery being a scattered radio transmission, proclaiming the Vault's majesty, but not its location. The stories of this wealth has sparked renewed interest in Pandora, and corporations and treasure hunters have begun to return to the wastelands to try and claim the treasures of the Vault.

==Gameplay==
In addition to its single player mode, ''Borderlands'' prominently features four player 'drop-in, drop-out' cooperative online play and two player split-screen play for consoles (expanded to four players for its enhanced release). Much of the gameplay consists of traditional first person shooter elements, combining a vast selection of weapons to use and enemies to battle. Players also have access to color customizable [[vehicle]]s for vehicular combat. Defeated enemies drop random equipment, which is available to pick up and use.

===Missions===
{{Main|Missions}}

{{see also|Borderlands missions flow}}

Like traditional RPGs, much of the players' time will be taken up by missions. There are 127 missions of varying length and complexity, 47 of these being part of the story and the other 80 as side missions. Many of these missions can be completed together. Gearbox's aim was to encourage players to push themselves to complete the next mission on their list. Each mission reveals a new piece of story and/or world-building, and carries its own rewards, such as money and new weapons or items.
===Randomization===
The game features a gun generator similar to Diablo's random item generation system. This generation system can produce over 17,000,000 different weapons. Nearly everything can be randomized with each weapon - including barrel length, projectile type and size, firing pattern, iron-sights/scope, color and material, and even the possibility of various elemental damage types.

"'We saw a ridiculous amount of guns, but perhaps the strangest was a revolver that fired shotgun shells (similar to .38/.357 shotshells). Gearbox is constantly surprised with what the system comes up with. They've seen rifles shoot everything from homing darts to rockets. 'One of the guns tracks onto something and locks, and after three seconds, [the target] suddenly explodes,' director Matthew Armstrong says."<br />However, some of these features (such as tracking projectiles) are not featured in the completed game.
===Player vs. Player===
{{main|Arena}}

At any time or place, a player can [[melee]] another player to issue a challenge. If the melee is returned, a one-on-one duel starts. Players can also travel to arenas located at various locations in the game world. These arenas are specifically made for competitive play, where players can face off in both free-for-all games or team-based games. Completing duels or arenas are solely for the purpose of fun - no items are awarded or lost.
===Multiple Playthroughs===
After completing the game's story, players are free to roam the world to complete any side missions left unfinished, drop the Vault Key off to [[Patricia Tannis]] to collect a hefty reward or wander around to fight enemies and gather more loot. Upon returning to the title screen, selecting the same character to continue play also provides the option to begin [[Playthrough 2]].

At the beginning of Playthrough 2, characters keep all of the gear, skills, levels, and money that they ended Playthrough 1 with and the level of all of the game's enemies scale up, beginning at level 34 and ascending from there. The names of enemies also adjust to reflect the difficulty setting; i.e. from Psycho to Maniac-lunatic, Midget to Little-stunted and Bruiser to Brute-Bully.

After completion of the story missions in Playthrough 2, all of the enemies scale again, ranging from 48 to 52, and are again renamed; i.e from Maniac to Lunatic, Little to Stunted and Brute to Bully. Players can revisit and battle the game's enemies and most [[boss]]es for better gear, participate in cooperative play, and fight in the arenas.<br />Colloquially referred to as Playthrough 2.5 (though not in-game itself), this marks the end of Playthrough 2's storyline. Any side missions that have not been accepted will continue to scale to the player character's level until they are accepted (already started missions remain at the level they were when accepted). This also carries over to DLCs, significantly increasing their difficulty.

===Pop culture references===
{{main|Borderlands pop culture references}}
''Borderlands'' and its DLC feature large amounts of references to other works and pop culture both as part of its sense of humor and as homages.

==Character Classes==
{{main|Classes}}
[[File:Classes.png|thumb|350px|The four classes in ''Borderlands'']]
''Borderlands'' includes four character [[classes]]. Each class has a unique Action Skill to use, three Skill Trees to develop, and elemental accessories that are found and earned throughout gameplay. As characters level up, they gain increases to their maximum health and melee damage, and as they utilize each weapon type, they gain accuracy, reload and damage bonuses for each.<br />The four classes and their Action Skills are:
*[[Brick|Brick the Berserker]] - Brick's fists are as lethal as any firearm, and his hulking, muscle-packed frame makes him a tough target to take down. When activating his [[Berserk]] Action Skill, Brick flies into an uncontrollable rage, regaining health at a staggering rate as he punches his opponents to death.
*[[Lilith|Lilith the Siren]] - Lilith possesses otherworldly abilities. Her [[Phasewalk]] Action Skill temporarily renders her invisible, allowing her to navigate the battlefield with ease. Once she emerges, Lilith releases a massive burst of energy, devastating any enemies nearby.
*[[Mordecai|Mordecai the Hunter]] - Mordecai prefers to pick off his targets from a distance, whether that's with an impeccably aimed sniper shot or the talons of his loyal pet raptor, Bloodwing. Activating the [[Bloodwing]] Action Skill sends Mordecai's feathered friend swooping down to eviscerate any enemy in his sights.
*[[Roland|Roland the Soldier]] - Only the most elite military training can produce a soldier like Roland, who's always ready to charge into battle using whatever firearms are currently on-hand. Roland brings his own backup in the form of the [[Scorpio Turret]] Action Skill, which lays down covering fire and can even heal injured teammates.

==Reviews==
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
!Site
!Score
!Date
!Reviewer
!Notes
|-
|[http://www.gamespot.com/search.html?qs=Borderlands Gamespot]
|
<span style="display:none">&+00</span> 8.5 (Xbox)

8.5 (PC)

8.0 (PS3)
|2009-10-21
|Chris Watters
|-
|[http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3176535 1Up]
|<span style="display:none">&+80</span>B+
|2009-10-19
|Thierry Nguyen
|-
|[http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/103/1035922p1.html IGN]
|<span style="display:none">&+88</span>8.8
|2009-10-19
|Charles Onyett
|IGN.com Editor's Choice Award
|-
|[http://www.playstationuniversity.com...ds-review-956/ Playstation University]
|<span style="display:none">&+00</span>
|2009-10-18
|The Dean
|-
|[http://www.justpushstart.com/2009/10...rlands-review/ Just Push Start]
|<span style="display:none">&+80</span>4/5
|2009-10-18
|Jon Christopher
|-
|[http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1787/Borderlands/p1/ Team Xbox]
|9/10
|2009-10-19
|
|TeamXbox.com Editor's Choice Award
|-
|[http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_8254/Borderlands_-_Review Planet Xbox 360]
|8.6/10
|2009-10-19
|
|
|-
|[http://www.giantbomb.com/borderlands/61-20487/reviews/ Giant Bomb]
|4/5
|2009-10-18
|Jeff Gerstmann
|
|-
|
[http://www.gametrailers.com/video/review-borderlands/57868 Gametrailers]
|8.4/10
|2009/10/19
|
|
|-
|[http://www.g4tv.com/games/xbox-360/47776/borderlands/review/ G4]
|4/5
|2009/10/19
|Brian leahy
|
|}

==PC requirements==
*2.4 GHz Pentium 4 Processor or equivalent
*AMD K7 processors require a patch available here: [http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=85817 gbxforums]
*NVIDIA Geforce 8600 GS/ATI Radeon X850 Series
**''Requires [[wikipedia:Pixel shader|Pixel shader]] version 3.0 or better'' (ONLY required to activate certain high-level graphics features)
*DVD-ROM drive (Not required if game is purchased from an online store.)
*8 GB of hard disk space
**4 GB of hard disk space needed for the complete DLC Pack.

==Trivia==
*The intro song of ''Borderlands'' is "Ain't no Rest for the Wicked" by [[wikipedia:Cage the Elephant|Cage the Elephant]].
*The end credits song is "No Heaven" by [[wikipedia:DJ_Champion|DJ Champion]].
*[http://www.g4tv.com/videos/58818/borderlands-2-e3-gameplay-demo/?quality=hd Awarded] Guinness Book of World Records <sup>(Gaming)</sup> world record for most guns in a video game: 17,750,000

==External Links==
*[http://www.borderlandsthegame.com/ Official ''Borderlands'' Website]
*[http://www.borderlandsforums.com/ BorderlandsForums.com]
*[http://www.feralinteractive.com/game/borderlands GotY Mac] @ Feral Interactive
{{wikipedia|Borderlands (video game)}}
{{Borderlands Navbox}}
{{BorderlandsSeries}}

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