History VideoGame / Borderlands1

** The player characters have differing ones in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86WpLFOIYjw PC Launch Trailer]]. Brick is "Ballnormous", Roland is "Swashbucklerous", Mordecai is "Suavemaculant", and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Lilith is "Hot"]].

'''Brick:''' Wanted for the murder and ''dismemberment of anything that moves.'' Reward: '''''[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers $9,999,999.99]]'''''

** The characters in general have a lot less, well, character than in the later games. The Vault Hunters have few traits other than [[AnAdventurerIsYou being the player characters]], and Mad Moxxi (who only shows up in a DLC) is just a good-looking colosseum announcer, while Marcus narrates the opening and ending cutscenes and gives the players missions... And that's it. Later games would add a lot more CharacterDevelopment, including for the Vault Hunters who from this game who returned.

''Borderlands'' is the first game in the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' series, a SpaceWestern HeroShooter and LooterShooter with RPGElements (or an ActionRPG with [=FPS=] elements, though Gearbox themselves call the game a [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs "Role Playing Shooter"]]) for UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]], and [[UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh OS X]] developed by Creator/GearboxSoftware -- creators of the ''VideoGame/BrothersInArms'' series and the three expansion packs for the original ''VideoGame/HalfLife''.

On April 3, 2019, an UpdatedRerelease launched on UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxONE, and {{UsefulNotes/Steam}}, with existing owners of the game on Steam getting the remastered version and the game's DLC for free, even if they didn't own the DLC for the original game. This updated version was eventually released on the Switch as well on May 29, 2020, along with ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'' and ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel''

* BonusBoss: Crawmerax the Invincible. By far the toughest fight in the game, he's always five levels above you. Unless you're a very skilled player with the right character build or you used the crevice exploit in his arena (or both), he's all but impossible to beat in a solo game.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: The DLC adds a new rarity color to replace the glitch-based Pearl weapons. These new Pearlescent ([[ColorCodedForYourConvenience or Aqua]]) weapons and shields are frustratingly rare, incredibly potent, and by the time you get them, there likely won't be much left but the BonusBoss, fitting them into the trope nicely.

* DoubleEdgedBuff:
** Berserker characters have the Berserk ability which disables shooting and only allows the short-range attack of punching but gives "resistance to all damage" and RegeneratingHealth, for a time.

** The Mechromancer's Anarchy skill grants gun damage for each stack obtained (by killing an enemy or fully unloading a gun while in combat) [[PowerfulButInaccurate but makes it less accurate by the same amount]].

* DoubleEdgedBuff: Berserker characters have the Berserk ability which disables shooting and only allows the short-range attack of punching but gives "resistance to all damage" and RegeneratingHealth, for a time.

* DaylightHorror: Speaking of Dead Haven, it's the only Zombie Island location with the sun up (more specifically, it's set at the crack of dawn).

** Vladof shotguns are one of the few categories of guns that can even come close to putting out projectiles as fast as [[GameBreaker Anarchy SMGs]]. However their fast rate of fire combined with their small magazines means most character builds will need to reload a Vladof assault shotguns every few seconds which, combined with their insanely high recoil during automatic fire, makes them difficult and annoying to use effectively. Sweeper shotguns are Vladof-exclusives that put out even more projectiles than normal Vladof shotguns, but have [[ShortRangeShotgun awful accuracy]] in addition to low magazine capacity and high recoil.