Borderlands 4 Dataminer Unearths Evidence to Suggest a Much-Maligned Borderlands 3 Character Was Cut and Replaced Late in Development

A Borderlands 4 dataminer has recovered grounds to suggest that 1 of the astir hated characters from Borderlands 3 was chopped and replaced comparatively precocious successful development.

Warning! Spoilers for Borderlands 3 and 3 follow:

Borderlands modder and dataminer EpicNNG took to societal media to confidently proclaim that Borderlands 3 NPC Ava was chopped from Borderlands 4, based connected their find of files related to her successful the game, and replaced by the much fashionable Borderlands 3 playable quality Amara. “This means yes, she was primitively going to squad up with Zane to assistance prevention Lilith,” EpicNNG said.

“She was besides going to beryllium accompanied by Hermes, and beryllium hanging retired astir Sanctuary 3 wherever it clang landed,” EpicNNG continued. “There are besides (unintentional?) hints to this being the lawsuit successful the game, specified arsenic Amara's abilities being precise intimately akin to Ava's successful 3.

“It would look everything speech from references has been wholly scrubbed including audio files, models and more.

“Maybe she'll instrumentality successful a DLC? Perhaps not. From what I know, this determination is final, astatine slightest for the archetypal contented twelvemonth of BL4.”

This is notable due to the fact that the young Siren, Ava became 1 of the astir divisive characters successful the Borderlands bid upon her debut with 2019’s Borderlands 3.

“Ava was a broadside quality from Borderlands 3 who is the taxable of a batch of scorn for being a precise forced inclusion arsenic young, scrappy caller leader for the franchise, straight causing the decease of Maya (beloved quality from 2), and conscionable being annoying successful general,” explained redditor Gorotheninja. “Whenever you perceive criticisms of Borderlands 3's story, Ava is usually 1 of the cardinal points cited.”

“For maine I don't needfully hatred the character, I hatred however she gets beauteous overmuch nary existent development,” redditor ArmaMalum said successful a thread debating the sermon astir the character. “She has a large base, angsty kid, elemental but pugnacious aboriginal life, makes mistakes aboriginal successful the game. But there's nary infinitesimal that says 'she's learning.' She conscionable benignant of 180s from I'm aggravated astatine the satellite for my ain mistakes!! to wow look astatine Lilith go, [some sage saying]. It would've been bully to person her person immoderate benignant of reflection during the combat reigniting the vaults with Tychon oregon adjacent after. It's imaginable I missed a azygous voiceline determination but successful wide her alteration successful demeanor is conscionable jarring arsenic hell.”

“Ava got Maya killed by being determination erstwhile she was told not to go,” commented zeal3000. “Maya wanted to tally and Ava believed she could instrumentality them and enactment Maya successful a concern wherever she had to enactment herself successful information to prevention Ava. So it was Ava's responsibility and past to adhd much brackish to the coiled she blames Lilith for it.

“The full country has the aforesaid reappraisal from maine arsenic the last play of Game of Thrones. I don't caput what they did successful presumption of communicative telling. It was the however they did it with lazy penning and rushed points that bothers me.”

Publisher 2K Games and developer Gearbox declined to remark erstwhile contacted by IGN, but EpicNNG believes that Ava being successful the Borderlands 4 files was an “intentional blunder,” suggesting whoever near the files successful did it connected purpose.

“This crippled is airtight connected datamining,” they continued. “Nothing pre-or station merchandise is successful the files arsenic of now. More credibility to this being intentional near successful by a dev.”

Fans reacted positively to the alleged change, praising Gearbox for making the close decision. “Regardless of if this was precocious oregon aboriginal successful improvement it was the close decision,” said Agent-Vermont. “Amara and Zane person large chemistry unneurotic and it's ever bully to spot erstwhile Vault Hunters instrumentality and beryllium badass.”

Video crippled improvement is simply a messy business, of course, peculiarly with large budget, AAA games similar Borderlands 4. The developers volition person a agelong database of cuts and changes — immoderate incidental, immoderate important — nether their belts. Perhaps the determination to chopped Ava was successful effect to a realization that fans mightiness not person responded good to her inclusion. Or possibly determination was different crushed — oregon aggregate reasons — for making the change.

It's worthy noting that outspoken Gearbox improvement main Randy Pitchford asked his Twitter followers what they thought of Ava successful September 2024, conscionable a twelvemonth earlier Borderlands 4 came out. Most of the responses were negative, with immoderate adjacent pleading with Pitchford not to see her successful Borderlands 4. Did this societal media effect person thing to bash with the decision?

Meanwhile, Gearbox continues to update Borderlands 4 with show improvements and equilibrium changes. A caller Vault Hunter, C4SH, is owed retired adjacent twelvemonth alongside plentifulness much content.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].