The Ultimate Guide to Winning in Borderlands' Side Mode

Borderlands is a beloved franchise known for its quirky and addictive gameplay. Each mainline entry features a unique story mode that allows up to four players to work cooperatively and save the world while seeking out the rumored treasures hidden within interdimensional Vaults. While the game offers a variety of modes, some of the most popular ones, such as the wave-based Circles of Slaughter, are only unlocked after completing the main story. Unfortunately, these modes offer little incentive to return once they have been beaten a few times, aside from farming for loot. To make the next installment in the Borderlands series even more exciting, Circles of Slaughter should be made more competitive by introducing unique rewards and modernizing the gameplay to create an even greater challenge.

Circles of Slaughter Are A Mainstay of Borderlands' Post-Game

Completing Borderlands' Circles of Slaughter in Borderlands 3 could reward players with much-needed gear of various rarities, but the rewards often did not match the level of challenge. As a result, many players lost interest in returning to the mode. While completing the mode at Borderlands 3's highest difficulty, Mayhem 10, could improve the rewards, finding a team of four capable players was often difficult due to the mode's extreme difficulty. Additionally, the inconsistent matchmaking across all modes in Borderlands 3 gave players yet another reason to seek alternative means of acquiring better weapons and increasing their stats.

The Next Borderlands Should Modernize Circles of Slaughter's Competitive Nature

Adding leaderboards to challenges like Circles of Slaughter could help Borderlands 4 to modernize its post-game modes. By rewarding players with exceptional completion times or high kill counts, the game would see a significant increase in replayability. However, the addition of unique loot and skins for individual players within a squad would take this even further, revitalizing one of the series' oldest challenges. If successful, this approach could be adapted to other post-game modes, setting the stage for a brighter and more competitive future for the Borderlands series.