EKERIK KELLEY
TECHNICAL GAME DESIGN
← AAA GAME DESIGN / 2K

Borderlands 4

Weapon ideas, and what happens when they meet the world.

ROLEGame design contribution / 2K
FOCUSElements / weapons / systemic interactions
Official Borderlands 4 co-op combat screenshot

Official game screenshots supplied by 2K, shown as visual context for the project. Image source ↗

01 / MY CONTRIBUTION

More than a damage type.

I worked on Borderlands 4’s elemental system, including how its effects interact with weapons, players, vehicles and the world. My contribution focused on those connections and the gameplay possibilities they create.

Electrical effects across several characters in combat. Official 2K screenshot.

02 / WEAPON DESIGN

A weapon with a point of view.

I also worked on weapon concepts and their interactions. That meant thinking through what a weapon should do, how a player would understand its behavior, and what would happen when it met another game system.

Harlowe using a weapon alongside an energy effect. Official 2K screenshot.

03 / SYSTEMIC INTERACTION

Think beyond the target.

The work extended beyond weapons in isolation. I considered how they would behave around other players, affect vehicles and interact with the environment. Looking at those situations together helped frame the rules each concept would need.

Vehicles and the wider world — official game imagery.
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