Borderlands 3 boasts having more than a billion guns for players to come across, and at times, it feels like that undersells the variety. The “best” guns are a mostly subjective decision, and your “favorite” weapons will change every few levels. That constant variation lies at the core of Borderland’s gameplay loop. After hours of shooting and looting, you’ll have used so many guns that you’ve lost count. After all, with nine gun manufacturers, there’s no shortage of weapons to use.
You constantly build relationships with your guns, and these arguably hold more water than anything you feel for the characters. This all culminates on your weapon gallery, which turns into a personal collage of your experience in Borderlands 3. Some might fill them with legendaries, showing off all the shiny things they found. Others might fill them with guns that represent crucial turning points in their personal journey. That highly personalized aspect makes the weapon gallery in your room one of the best parts of Borderlands 3.
If the Walls Could Talk in Borderlands 3
Whenever I retired a stalwart companion, I’d throw it up on the wall instead of selling it. At first, I saw my wall slowly fill up, but midway through the campaign, I started having to replace old weapons on my gallery. Of all the choices I had to make in Borderlands 3, I didn’t imagine these would be as memorable as they are.
That gallery represents the time I spent with those weapons. In other ways, it embodies those moments when I had the most fun in Borderlands 3. I’m almost level 50, and I still have a blue SMG on my wall. The Boo+ was the first weapon with legs I found. It’s not the only gun that does that, but I remember how trivial it made the Katagawa Ball boss fight. I absolutely shredded it by summoning an army of gun minions to do my bidding. That memory stuck with me, and it mattered more than showing off a shiny legendary SMG on my wall.
As another example, on the wall, I placed the Jakobs pistol I used when I discovered a new skill synergy. Called the Dastardly Amazing Grace, it only has four bullets per clip, but every critical loaded another bullet in the clip. It all clicked for me when I combined it with Amara’s Dread ability, which automatically fills your clip if you kill a Phasegrasped enemy. Add the Eternal Fist, which chains Phasegrasps, and I practically never reloaded again.
In these moments, I felt like a savage badass, which is what Borderlands wants you to feel. Unfortunately, I’ve outgrown these guns, and they don’t do enough damage to keep me alive. I keep them on the wall though. They motivate me to go through the campaign again, just to find better versions of those weapons.
A Wall Full of Memories
The beauty of the weapon gallery lies in the beholder, but that’s what makes it so great. For me, I like the sentimental value of the memories. For others, though, it’s the perfect place to show off those slick legendary firearms. Even if they never use it, putting it on the wall represents a conscious decision to enshrine it. That legendary rifle might hold memories of grinding a boss or surviving a tough moment in Mayhem 3.
Those ingredients make up the best parts of Borderlands 3. The story may be hit or miss, and the writing might make you cringe more than laugh. Luckily, Gearbox didn’t give you a way to memorialize them in-game. The developers know what matters: the guns and the stories behind them. When you inevitably finish the story, the weapon gallery will be a tapestry of your loot-filled journey across the various planets in Borderlands 3.
What guns stuck with you the most in Borderlands 3? Let us know in the comments below.
When I'm not talking about my love of Persona, I'm probably playing or writing about games. I'm waiting for the day I can be proud of the DC cinematic universe. Catch me on Everything in Poderation, the Internet Culture Podcast that dives into the intersection between the internet and nerd culture.