I am 50 years old, my son and I spent countless hours with 1 and 2 and the pre-sequal. Having a console couch co-op that we could play together and bond over was an amazing gift. We spent most of our time on BL2, we finished it more times than I care to count but the time spent with my son over that game…I will be forever grateful to Gearbox for the opportunity. Needless to say when we heard BL3 was coming out we couldn’t wait to lose ourselves in the insanity, we pre-ordered the 100.00 version and spent hours discussing builds and our excitement for the release. On release day we sat down and began what I hoped would be years more couch co-op madness. In the first sitting we both hit level 20 before we called it a night, but I struggled with being able to hit anything. I thought it was the character I chose (Moze). So the next day we sat down again and I started Flak while he continued with Zane…he patiently played through it all again to get me to 20 so we could move forward. I realized rather quickly that it wasn’t the character it was the old guy behind the controller. So over the next few weeks I tweaked the controls trying to find better aimability or way to better control the weapon sway. I chose only Jacobs weapons but it was all for not. Gearbox had done all the things I had hoped they would in the new game. They made more guns, and crazy intricate world’s, the mobs were smarter and there were more of them but they also removed the aim assist as I knew it. I was lost, no longer was I able to keep up with my son, the fun and enjoyment was gone. Replaced by frustration and a sense of being carried. I can’t relay the sense of disappointment I have, my son and I have discussed it at length. He says he doesn’t really notice it but he freely admits to only using Jackobs weapons and staying completely away from Maliwan because “you can’t hit anything with them”. I get it I’m old so my hand eye coordination isn’t what it was but I can sit down with any previous BL games and hold my own, unfortunately the luster of those games have worn off for my son. I guess we will always have the memories of the previous games but won’t be making any new ones with this one…and that just makes this old man sad. Thanks for the memories Gearbox…I will keep an eye out for any patch that were to fix it but 1 old man’s complaint is hardly worth making the change.
I play with a friend who’s 53 and she gets on just fine. The auto aim assist is massive on console. Just aim remotely in an enemies direction and press left trigger and you’ll snap right to their head. Give it another try. Maybe try on a screen on your own? Could be a split screen issue.
You could be dealing with the massive delay people get when they join someone else. Very active bug and very annoying
Have you tried adjusting the controller sensitivity? Like you, when I first started BL3, I also thought the gunplay felt a bit different than I remembered it being in BL2 and the Pre-Sequel. In my case, I had to lower the controller sensitivity until I was comfortable aiming like I used to. Hopefully something like that can work for you.
I’ve got you beat by mumble years, and my eyesight isn’t the greatest. There’s a few things in the settings that you may want to look at.
First off, the look/aim sensitivity scaling is way different in this game from previous ones. I know some folks who’ve dialled the setting down to 1. I’m running a couple of notches lower than I would in previous games.
The other is the added dead zone settings - some folks have found better success tweaking these from defaults. I’ve seen values of 0.05-0.03 mentioned - results will vary depending on the age and state of your controller.
I would recommend messing around solo for a bit just to get the feel of the controls in this game - you might find you can ease yourself into it be whacking skags and chumps in The Droughts.
Agreed… I had the sensitivity way to high… thumb stick was so touchy I couldn’t get the reticles to sit still 
. I played around with this for a whil and it made it way better… I’m 49 by the way .
Tbh, im 44 and had the same struggles.
Couldnt line up a shot to save my life. I tweaked the sensitivity and it seemed to help.
Try solo as others have posted. It helps as well.
So weird/interesting to read how vastly different people’s experiences are with the same things.
I don’t like Jakobs/Dahl/Snipers because they’re so accurate that they miss lmao. By which I mean, the enemies have ESP, they barrel roll up walls, and dart back and forth on a dime, they immediately teabag to dodge headshots, etc. They’re ridiculous. Aiming perfectly doesn’t do squat when the enemy predicts and avoids your crosshairs the entire time.
Yes, when you land a critical hit with a Jakobs it splatters them good, and it’s satisfying, I think that’s what people focus on and remember most about those guns, instead of the countless missed shots because of the BS Spiderman-level enemy reflexes.
Maliwan/Atlas/Torgue have features that are forgiving if your aim isn’t too good.
To my point, I found a Maliwan Mind-Killer shotgun, it has zero charge time and fast projectile speed. Enemies always dodge it, ALWAYS, even unaware enemies, even from 5 feet away. It’s nonsense. If I wanted that level of nonsense I’d play Warframe, where the enemies even glitch themselves into the walls to avoid your shots at all costs.
So don’t feel too bad that you can’t hit stuff, it’s like that on purpose and I think it could stand to be toned down.
Thanks for the info everyone. I played a little with the sensitivity but may need to lower a little more. Please explain more what the dead zone settings are for and accomplish. Not sure I understand what is meant by the 0.05 -0.03. By the way, I think I have all of you beat concerning the age. I am 67 and have been playing Borderlands for about 2 years with my grandkids that range from 32 to 18 years old.
Dead zone is the amount you have to move the stick from centre for it to register as engaging movement (there’s actually two - one for centre and one for extreme). Can be helpful if the springs in the controller are a little sloppy. The default setting is really small. So if you find you’re having difficulty where your character or aim seems jerky, you could try changing it a bit. I haven’t had to do this yet myself.
Also, nice to have someone posting who’s older than me, so welcome!
…I’m 58 and play the heck out of BL3.
I’m a baby in comparison to you coffin dodgers and I usually feel old ha 
Thanks for the info. I am using PS4 and my controllers are getting a little old. One of them appears to be a little harder to control than the other. I will attempt some of these adjustments. Maybe it is also time to invest in a new controller. Actually waiting for the next "black friday and thinking of getting the PS4 pro.
Glad I looked at this- I’ve been struggling with my aim with Jakobs guns so I might try this out and see if it helps- also, I play Moze and am nearing my 61st b-day…
I’m 42 years young over here,and absolutely love this game,been on since preordering the first one.
I’m 53. I’ve played bl2 and the pre-sequel for years. Unfortunately, my aim skills have atrophied a smidgen, but I still enjoy the hell out of these games. Its definitely a dopamine high that keeps you engaged. I do play on pc nowadays, and my son and I still bond over the glorious mayhem. To the OP, I find that the pc mouse/keyboard allows me to aim significantly better than a controller set up, if you have the means, highly recommended. Good luck, and enjoy.
I never said that I could not play. I can still hold my own even if I can not “keep up” with everyone when we play co-op. Adjustments are made to play. I disagree that I can not play. I have no problem in solo play. I just play at my own pace. I still kill all the bosses and have no problem with MH2 or TVH mode.
I appreciate all the advise and posts, it’s nice that I’m not the only old guy (or gal) playing. Perhaps I have let nostalgia get the better of me, you all have inspired me to try and find the happy place of mayhem so I am off to do more fine tuning of the controls and if that doesn’t work maybe I just need buy it for the PC. Thanks and Peace
I found it was a lot more manageable when I lowered the FoV all the way.
You could also go with Torgue and kill them with AoE.
Or, you can use Atlas guns. I prefer the tracker puck and darts to setup their homing shots. The tracker grenade never goes where I want it.