How many hours of gameplay is Borderlands 1

As a hardcore looter shooter fan, one of the most common questions I see popped in forums and discussions is: how long is Borderlands 1? That‘s what we‘ll unpack today in depth.

Main Story Playthrough

For gamers focused solely on plowing through the main story missions, Borderlands 1 takes approximately 22.5 hours to complete. This entails pretty much ignoring all side quests and optional content to beeline towards the climax involving the Vault. Given the nature of loot shooters, limiting yourself this way means missing out on a good chunk of the grinding and gear hunting gameplay loops. But if you‘re just interested in the narrative, 22.5 hours lands you there.

Completionist Playthrough

Now for my fellow completionists – those wanting to probe into every last bit of content and conquer everything Borderlands 1 throws our way – you‘re looking at a healthy 63 hours playthrough. That factors in completing all 126 missions, both story critical and optional, located across the entirety of Pandora.

Trust me, as someone whose 100%-ed every title, those additional 40 hours getting every collectible, best loot, and maxing stats are a thrill ride!

Breakdown of Playstyles and Duration

Here‘s a quick table summarizing the major playstyle options and how they affect Borderlands 1 gameplay length:

As evidenced above, a completionist run more than doubles the standard main story playthrough duration. Again, only recommended for us especially obsessed loot fans!

Replayability & Post-Game

One of Borderlands 1‘s strongest suits lies in its sheer replayability. I‘ve lost count of how many times I‘ve replayed it over the last decade, creating new character builds to try different playstyles.

The Diablo-esque loot system means there‘s always a more powerful, rare gun to unlock. And the four playable Vault Hunters offer diverse combat options – whether you prefer Roland‘s stoic soldier tactics or Lilith‘s flashy siren powers.

Plus, True Vault Hunter mode amps up the challenge upon finishing the story. You‘ll need to carefully optimize your loadout to stand a chance against these beefed up foes.

The journey doesn‘t end because those credits rolled – Pandora always calls me back!

Gameplay Holding Strong 13 Years Later

Considering Borderlands originally launched back in 2009, how does Borderlands 1 hold up today? Extremely well in my opinion! The cel shaded comic book art style still delivers tons of visual flair that makes Pandora a joy to explore. BL1 laid the blueprint for what makes the series so fun – frantic FPS gunplay fused with Diablo-style RPG progression.

Sure, later entries expanded greatly on the formula. But all these years later, vault hunting on Pandora with the original vault hunters remains a total blast!

Comparison to Other Borderlands Games

To put Borderlands 1‘s length into wider context, let‘s examine how it stacks against the other main entries:

We can infer a few takeaways from these numbers:

• Borderlands 1 is the shortest in raw gameplay hours
• But it still offers a sizable adventure – almost a day worth of just main story!
• With each successive release, Gearbox packs in more and more content
• Completion times uniformly double from main story to 100% runs

So while BL3 may objectively have the most gameplay meat, I still feel the original holds up strongly as a rewarding looter shooter campaign.

The Verdict?

For shooters fans seeking their next addictive game world to lose 100+ hours in, Borderlands 1 still absolutely delivers in 2024. The gameplay formula stands the test of time even as more contemporary releases have built upon its foundations.

Expect around 22.5 hours if you just want to power through the narrative. And settle in for a relaxing 60+ hour completionist campaign to truly master Pandora inside and out. Just beware – once you answer that siren call of "new loot!", it‘s hard to put the controller down!

So in summary – Borderlands 1 lasts for around 22.5 hours completing the critical path, or 63 hours for a 100% run. Those numbers cement its status as one of the meatier FPS packages around.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Do you think Borderlands 1 remains a worthwhile playthrough even after so many years? I‘d love to hear your experiences with it!