Borderlands 4 unexpectedly returned to the spotlight of Steam players after the release of a new Vault Hunter named Neleubov. The character so captivated the audience that the game rose to third place among the platform's best-selling games, and its online presence has grown approximately eightfold in recent days compared to previous months.
Neleubov became available on September 10 with the Borderlands 4 version 1.10 update. According to the lore, she is a former Anshin hacker who turned into a mercenary. Her mind is shared by a digital virus capable of taking the physical form of a deadly Wyrm, which also assists the heroine in combat.
The hacker's appearance immediately attracted players' attention. White hair, golden piercings, cybernetic elements, and a futuristic suit became the subject of numerous social media posts.
Neleubov is sold separately for $9.99. Also, on September 10, Story Pack 2: FL4K and the Last Resort was released for $19.99. Both add-ons are included in the Super Deluxe Edition and Vault Hunter Pack.
The rise in popularity of Borderlands 4 coincided with another important event — a free weekend. Players can now try out the base version of the game for free on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. On Steam, the promotion will last until September 14, and Borderlands 4 and the Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions are available at a 50% discount as part of the anniversary sale.
According to SteamCharts, on September 11, the peak online players for Borderlands 4 reached almost 20,000 in the last 24 hours. For comparison, the average number of players in August was just over 4,000.