Borderlands 4 Grappling Hook Has Unexpected Use

A Twitch streamer stumbled upon a hidden feature of the new grappling hook in Borderlands 4: fishing. Introduced as a new movement tool for Borderlands 4, the grappling hook allows the game’s four new Vault Hunters to not only swing and rappel to hard-to-reach areas but also pull in environmental objects like explosive containers for flinging at hapless enemies. While the grappling hook is just one of many new gameplay mechanics added to Borderlands 4, it’s certainly one that players will want to become familiar with very quickly.

Although Borderlands 4 isn’t due to launch until September 23, fans have been given numerous looks at the newest installment of the looter-shooter franchise via trailers, promo videos, and events. Eagle-eyed fans have been poring over every second of each reveal put out by Borderlands developer Gearbox Software, spotting unrevealed details like legendary weapons in Borderlands 4. Viewers of a recent pre-release gameplay event featuring popular content creators spotted the new gameplay mechanic during a brief moment in one player’s stream.

Borderlands 4 Hands-On Preview: Less Borders, More Lands

Game Rant went hands-on with Borderlands 4, and even a short time with its world and systems reveals how much the series is shifting its focus.

Twitch streamer TweetyExpert discovered the new grappling hook’s fishing ability during the Borderlands Fan Fest event on June 21, which also saw the debut of the first Borderlands 4 story trailer. It should come as no surprise that fishing in Borderlands 4 serves one major function the franchise has been known for from the start: looting. Judging from TweetyExpert’s gameplay footage, fishable bodies of water display a ripple effect on the water’s surface when there’s something deep down that can be grappled. When grappled, a number of lootable items shoot out from underneath the surface and linger in the air for a bit to be grappled and pulled in before falling back into the water, although not all items found this way will be useful.

The Grappling Hook Brings Fishing to Borderlands 4

This is technically not the first time players have been able to fish in a Borderlands game. In the optional mission “Wanted: Fresh Fish” from the first Borderlands, players are tasked with tossing grenades into the sludgy waters around the docks at Treacher’s Landing and returning to the bounty board with the fish that float to the surface. Players who return 20 fish to the bounty board are rewarded with the Leviathan rocket launcher, which is just one of many unique weapons that can be found in Borderlands.

While the addition of fishing may seem trivial to some, its inclusion is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to new content and features added to Borderlands 4. In a Twitter thread posted on June 19, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford revealed the addition of an optional combat radar for Borderlands 4. Although the radar was not included in the hands-on preview version of the game, Pitchford confirmed that the feature will be available upon release in September.