Although Borderlands 4 has suffered from technical issues during its launch, some people are still playing and enjoying the game. The next mainline entry in the Borderlands series takes players to a new planet, filled with many dangers to overcome and loot to discover. It's a guarantee that you'll get into a firefight with not one, but many different enemies while completing missions and searching for more rewards to gather. But some people will find themselves in battles that can be tougher than usual, especially if they're doing things that won't help them out in combat. Some bad habits can cost you more than you realize.

Combat in Borderlands 4 is similar to previous Borderlands titles, but with even more options and abilities to take advantage of. Regardless of what character class you go with, you'll want to keep in mind a select number of tactics and fundamentals to take with you into battles. And part of that is avoiding things that won't make your missions any easier, especially when faced with legions of foes looking to block your way. Here are four things you're doing totally wrong in combat within Borderlands 4 that you'll want to think about.

Forgetting to optimize before combat

Checking skills and loadouts before battles

Finishing missions and taking out enemies will net a good amount of experience to level up in Borderlands 4. This can help unlock new skills, boost equipped ones, and open up better options for your overall loadout. Early on as you level up from completing more missions, the ability to equip more guns and other tools can round out your character. Which is all the more reason to frequently check everything before going into an area filled with enemies. Whether it's during a mission or when completing side tasks, or even trying to capture a new hideout, you should always stop and take the moments to optimize your loadout.

Let's be honest for a second. We all forget to spend our skill points or equip new weapons that may have been picked up recently. This is something that everyone will find themselves doing at some point, and it can lead to some unnecessary frustration and difficulty in upcoming firefights. You might be in the middle of a mission, with plot points unfolding, and feel the need to keep pushing forward into the next area that is filled with foes. But if you do so prematurely and don't check for extra skill points you gained that could be spent, you may be missing out on some extra boosts that can make the upcoming battle easier.

The same goes for looking through your inventory of weapons and equipment you're constantly picking up throughout the game. You may have found a rhythm with a few guns you have on hand, but there may be something better you recently picked up that's just waiting to be equipped. Or another heavy weapon and grenade equipment that could shift fights in your favor easier than just sitting in your inventory. You won't know after each battle or mission objective unless you look. And that few moments you take to equip new guns or shift things around a bit can make all the difference in upcoming battles. You just have to remember to make the time to do so.

Reloading at the worst times

Taking advantage of every weapon

When the bullets are flying by and enemies are converging on you, you have to be ready to unload on them. And often, that means emptying a clip and reloading. But Borderlands 4 doesn't have a standard reload time for every gun you use, as some take longer to reload than others. Although this isn't a major issue, it can be a reason for getting hit by enemy fire and being downed once again. This doesn't mean you shouldn't reload in the middle of a fight, but there is a way to get around those few moments and keep the pressure on enemies you're shooting at.

Instead of reloading your gun when it's empty, you can switch to one of your other equipped weapons on hand. Much in the same way as switching to a handgun in a Call of Duty game, this can significantly shorten the time and delay you have when shooting back at enemies. The main difference in Borderlands 4 is that you can have access to up to four guns at a time to switch between, which is completely customizable from the inventory screen. Having a full set of weapons works the best, even though you can do this same thing earlier in the game when you have fewer weapon slots. You can have potentially four instances where you can keep firing before needing to stop fully and reload during a fight.

Depending on the types of guns you equip, and how many of each type you have on hand, results can vary in every situation. But stopping to reload the same gun without switching to another you have equipped can give enemies more chances to fire back on you. And in those moments when you're low on health and need to take something out quickly, it can make a big difference and prevent you from being downed. Reloading is always good, but reloading at the right time is even better.

Forgetting to throw canisters

Some extra firepower to use

In almost every area of Borderlands 4, you can see canisters placed around areas that explode when you fire on them. These can have different status effects and deal extra damage to anything caught within the radius of the explosions. They can even be damaging elemental hazards that hurt when you or your enemies walk over them. However, in addition to those, there are smaller canisters that you can pick up with your grapple and throw towards a target. These have the same effects as the larger ones, but provide an extra bit of firepower for you against enemies.

You should always take advantage of these, and not forget about them. Many missions require you to throw some objects at a target to complete an objective, so it's not a new or unknown concept. But it can easily be forgotten when you're roaming around and getting shot at. Noticing when you're close or far away enough to grapple a canister towards you can really turn the tide of battles, especially if you are cooling down your grenade or heavy weapon ability. The explosions and extra status effects may not always be as devastating as some of your weapons on hand, but they can often be enough to wipe out groups of nearby enemies, while you focus on another target.

Not utilizing these canisters can also leave you open to enemies shooting them if you happen to be nearby. In addition to the larger canisters that can't be moved, the smaller ones that you notice can also be shot by enemies and have the same effects on you. Some boss fights will have these lying around, and the results can be just as bad if you aren't careful, but they can be an asset in the same way if you use them. So to prevent the extra hassle and avoid the frustration of being hurt too much out of nowhere, your best option is to take advantage of throwing these canisters every chance you get.

Prioritizing the wrong foes

Knowing when to take out who and where

Sometimes, firefights can get really chaotic when there are a bunch of enemies around. Things can get even more complex when you're faced with enemies that have varying abilities, with different kinds of attacks being thrown at you from all sides. This is when most people can find themselves faced with overwhelming odds, even when they're firing back and taking out enemies that keep coming at them. This can sometimes result in being downed in combat and being forced back to a checkpoint because of everything happening at once.

In times like these, your best asset is to think about enemies which to prioritize at the moment. Instead of just laying out all of your firepower on the big enemy slowly coming at you, you can move around more and take out the smaller baddies to clear things up. It may sound like a simple and obvious tactic, but it's one that many people can easily forget when focusing on specific enemies in the middle of combat. You may not always notice the weaker foes that run up to you for melee attacks, or the small fry in the distance with sniper rifles that can pick you off while you're getting hit by stronger enemies. You have to be quick and OK with targeting something else, and often quickly when things get rough.

Some of the enemies you encounter will even call upon additional reinforcements or lay down extra equipment, like turrets and other small baddies. These can become a massive problem for you if ignored for too long, because of the extra damage they deal and the amount of enemies that will continue to show up. Some of these can be taken out with a few hits or less, while others can be a little tougher than normal. The key is knowing when to shoot at them and when to move around and regroup, effectively keeping control of the fight. These kinds of baddies can take advantage of when you're not paying attention, usually being a hassle because of a nearby, tougher enemy.

Shooting smarter and better

Borderlands 4 has a lot of places where you can get caught up in battles with multiple kinds of enemies. But as challenging as they can be, the rewards yielded from completing missions are well worth the extra effort. Part of succeeding in the skirmishes you encounter is fighting smarter and taking advantage of what's available to you. Whether that means pausing for a moment to check over your inventory and skills, or re-entering firefights with a different strategy, you can find yourself dominating battles in Borderlands 4 if you utilize everything that the game opens up to you.