Don't get stuck grinding in Borderlands 4's version of the Hinterlands—in fact, you're screwing yourself out of EXP if you try to do every sidequest before beating the main campaign

Borderlands 4 is great, but it doesn't quite make the best first impression. There's nothing necessarily wrong with its first zone, The Fadefields, but it's definitely the most dull place to quest in Kairos. You could be Mad Max-ing it with Zane and Moxxi in the Burn, after all.

The problem with the Fadefields is it's big, fairly visually nondescript, drenched in sidequests, and—oh god, it's the Hinterlands. We've done a Hinterlands again.

In case you're unfamiliar, the Hinterlands is an infamous zone in Dragon Age: Inquisition, known for being both stonking massive and, pardon the pun, taking a dragon's age to get through. It's a major drop-off point for the RPG, and I get the feeling that the Fadefields is the same.

I've had to blitz through the campaign after doing a few sidequests for the review, and I can say with certainty that doing so is the correct on-ramp to Borderlands 4. Not just for the vibes (variety is the spice of life), but there's also a mechanical reason you might want to bank most of those sidequests for later, too.

Borderlands 4's postgame progression system, specialisation points, don't unlock until you've beaten the campaign—no matter your current level. Beat the campaign at level 30? You get specialisation points. Beat it at 40, like I did? Specialisation points.

Think of this system as an additional, Vault Hunter-agnostic skill tree layered on top of your usual ones, providing powerful extra bonuses to your character.

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The kicker is that specialisation points take EXP alongside your regular levels, meaning if you spend 80-100 hours doing every single sidequest and map activity before you finish the campaign, you're screwing yourself out of a lot of EXP you could've earned by doing the exact same thing in a slightly different order.

You can replay missions for the EXP instead, mind—but that's adding even more of a grind to an already grindy game, and if you're spending 100 hours getting a 100% completion in BL4, you might as well spend those first 30 hours doing the Campaign, and the next 70 getting specialisation EXP.

So squash those inner exploration demons. By all means, do a sidequest or two if the mood takes you, but otherwise? Make a beeline for the straight and narrow main mission, then start mopping up your side-gigs later. You'll be better for it.

Borderlands 4: Everything you need to know.
Borderlands 4 Shift codes: The new key connection.
Borderlands 4 Black Market location: New legendaries, no grind.
Borderlands 4 characters: Meet your new Vault Hunters and find out who's strongest.
Borderlands 4 Harlowe builds: The amped-up Gravitar.
Borderlands 4 Rafa builds: The speed-demon Exo-Soldier.
Borderlands 4 Vex builds: The spooky Siren.
Borderlands 4 Amon builds: The fierce Forgeknight.