Borderlands 4: Three important trailer details you probably missed

Gamescom Opening Night Live started with a bang with the reveal of Borderlands 4 which is slated to release in 2025. 

Although the initial trailer doesn’t show much on the surface, there are some easter eggs and hints to be found if you dig a little deeper. 

For those who can’t wait for their next Vault Hunting adventure, these are all the potential secrets we’ve found so far. 

This is your spoiler warning, as details about previous games in the franchise will be discussed below.

Lilith and the Moon

The first notable shot is the Firehawk logo representing the Siren, Lillth. The Elpis Moon then phase shifts through the logo. This indicates that the newest installment will likely directly follow up on the events of Borderlands 3. 

At the end of 3, Lilith flew up to the Elpis moon that was threatening to destroy Pandora, and seemingly exploded with her fate left unknown. The Firehawk logo is then left branded on the moon’s surface. 

Gearbox Software / 2K

A new planet is seen in the teaser trailer.

A zoomed-in perspective of the trailer was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Primidian that appears to show Lilith directly crashing into the surface of the moon after it’s teleported. 

Eplis then floats through space before ripping into the atmosphere of a planet, and this starts to reveal some very futuristic-looking buildings. 

The official description of the video reads, “​​In this next installment of the definitive looter shooter, players will assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter as they blast their way through hordes of enemies in search of new treasures to loot on an all-new planet.” 

So this may be our very first glimpse at the planet that will take center stage in Borderlands 4. However, whether the game will primarily be set on a single planet, or you’ll be visiting multiple, like in Borderlands 3, remains to be seen. 

Eridians and The Watcher

Gearbox Software / 2K

The Watcher could play a big part in Borderlands 4.

The perspective then shifts to a first-person view of the planet’s surface, where a robotic arm reaches out to pick up an iconic Borderlands Psycho mask lying in the debris. The look of the hand has led fans to speculate that the mysterious alien race, The Eridians, will play a big role in 4. 

What further alludes to this is the Eridian writing that appears in the trailer. A discussion on Reddit led players to theorize the messages are a substitute cipher that translates to:

“HE IS WATCHING” and “BREAK FREE”

This feels like a direct nod to The Watcher – an Eridain introduced in the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, who warned the Vault Hunters of a war where they would need to recruit as many Hunters as possible.

A dangerous big bad

The closing moments of the trailer give us quick flashes of images, and some speculated that one of these was iconic Borderlands 2’s villain, and one of the best video game characters of all time, Handsome Jack. 

This was initially pointed out by X user JoltzDude139, who shared a comparison image between the trailer, and Jack with the Vault symbol marked on his face. 

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has since responded to the theory, however, stating “That’s not handsome jack. That is something far more dangerous and sinister”

Although we now know the image isn’t Jack, Pitchford’s reply suggests that who, or whatever, the face is might be the overall big bad of Borderlands 4.

For more Borderlands content, you can check out our overview of all the games in order, the movie soundtrack, and the differences between the movie and the games.