Introduction

Borderlands 3, by Gearbox Software and 2K Games, is the long-awaited sequel to Borderlands 2 from way back in 2012. This smash-hit action adventure combines FPS and RPG elements and is unique for its cell-shaded (comic book-like) production design and post-apocalyptic setting. In the third chapter, Borderlands goes interplanetary. You play as a Vault hunter who has been enlisted by Lilith to chase down the story's antagonists, the Calypso twins, who are on their way to Vaults on the planet Pandora, to form a violent cult called the "Children of the Vault". The game has a combination of main- and side quests.



Borderlands 3 introduces new skill trees, procedurally generated loot and weapons, perks, and newer gameplay mechanics, such as wall-mounting and crouch-slide (similar to Apex Legends). A spacecraft serves as a central hub between missions so players can focus on skills, upgrades, crafting, inventory management, and other RPG elements.

The universe of Borderlands 3 is brought to life by Unreal Engine 4, which takes advantage of DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 and appears to be heavy on AMD optimization, including support for FidelityFX. In this review, we put it through our collection of 23 graphics cards across three key resolutions—1080p, 1440p, and 4K Ultra HD—to show you what you need to get this engaging RPG title on the road.

Screenshots

Graphics Settings

• The first settings screen, called "Basic", deals with the usual monitor settings
• You may choose between "windowed", "borderless", and "fullscreen".
• Resolution scale can be set between 50% and 200%, in fixed increments of 25%
• V-Sync can be disabled completely; we didn't spot a hidden FPS cap.
• The "field of view" options range from 70° to 110°, which is plenty. You may adjust FOV for vehicles separately

• Borderlands 3 supports both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, with DX12 marked as "beta"
• The "performance stats" option lets you enable an overlay, showing FPS rate or more detailed stats
• There are six predefined profiles: "very low", "low", "medium", "high", "ultra", and "badass"
• "Motion Blur" can be disabled completely—very good
• A large number of additional options let you fine-tune the balance between performance and fidelity