Borderlands 4 will feature several improvements to the core gameplay of the series, but for longtime fans looking for a certain audio quality-of-life update, it looks like their prayers are being answered. Series mascot Claptrap has always been a bit of a chatterbox, but at long last, you’ll be able to shut him up.
As revealed by Borderlands 4 narrative director Sam Winkler in a livestream (via Chadly99 on X), you’ll be able to adjust a specially designated “Claptrap volume” slider in the game menu, rendering the motor-mouthed service droid mute. Only monsters would do that, however, and real fans will probably want to increase the volume to 200%.
“I wrote some lines just for this feature, and it includes maybe the dumbest, most niche reference to a certain terrible accent in a certain classic immersive sim,” Winkler teased, suggesting that it might be worth ignoring that audio option. At least, for the first playthrough of the game.
Claptrap has been around since the very beginning of Borderlands, appearing in every single entry in the series to date. The little robot is actually the last of his kind, as Handsome Jack eliminated the entire Claptrap product line at the end of The Claptastic Voyage in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Claptrap was left for dead, but the sinister subroutine in his mind, Shadowtrap, sacrificed itself to resurrect the little fellow. He was later found and repaired by Sir Hammerlock prior to the events of Borderlands 2–much to the everlasting regret of the hunter.
In other Borderlands 4 news, more details on the “seamless world” that players will explore in the game have been revealed. While Borderlands 3 featured several planets–and lengthy loading screens between each one–the world of Kairos is designed to be one massive sandbox full of mystery, danger, and loot. A new story trailer for the game also teased the threat of the Timekeeper and his cronies, and for fans of buildcrafting, Borderlands 4 is going to offer a lot of options for developing a Vault Hunter that suits your specific playstyle.
Borderlands 4 launches on September 12 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and it’ll be coming to Switch 2 in the future.
