Gearbox Software and 2K have rolled out a major update for Borderlands 4, introducing widespread performance improvements, stability fixes, and deep gameplay refinements across multiple systems. The update also adds a new limited-time mini-event, Horrors of Kairos, running from October 23 to November 6, featuring new legendary rewards—the Murmur Assault Rifle and Skully Grenade—available through world bosses on Kairos. Alongside these event additions, the developers have implemented significant quality-of-life enhancements, including UI polish, audio balancing, and accessibility upgrades, as well as fixes for achievements, loot systems, and mission flow issues reported by the community.
A substantial portion of this update is dedicated to balancing adjustments, refining Vault Hunter builds, and standardizing the game’s risk-reward systems. Class modifications, gear rebalances, weapon tuning, and skill corrections ensure more consistent power levels across builds. Gearbox emphasized that the goal of these changes is to expand viable playstyles rather than limit player creativity. The update also refines multiplayer stability, matchmaking reliability, and UI responsiveness, promising a smoother, more rewarding experience for all Vault Hunters.
Full Patch Notes
Event – Horrors of Kairos (October 23–November 6)
- Added support for the Horrors of Kairos mini-event.
- Introduced two limited-time legendary items:
- Murmur – Tediore Legendary Assault Rifle
- Skully – Order Legendary Grenade
- Both items drop from world bosses on Kairos and are delivered to the Reward Center.
- Event does not alter base drop rates of other gear.
Progression, Loot, & Rewards
- Reduced Specialization Respec Machine cost from 5000 Eridium to 1500.
- Added missing loot to specific boss encounters.
- [PC] Ultimate Vault Hunter Rank Up now correctly increases on Steam.
- Granted missing cosmetic rewards for players with 155 Echo Logs in Kairos Speaks.
- Improved equipment handling while opening rewards during vehicle use.
- Lost Loot Machine logic improved for prioritizing higher-quality items and expanded properly in multiplayer.
- Fixed duplication issues and improved loot flow in co-op sessions.
- Increased cash drops from loot enemies.
- Golden Chests now open consistently after joining sessions and redeeming SHiFT keys.
- Fixed Reward Center lockout after claiming Gilded Glory Pack.
- Corrected several achievements and mission tracking inconsistencies, including Rift Incompatible, Cut That Out, and Crimson Rising.
- Fixed collectible accessibility in Pester’s Grotto and Motherbird Node.
- Improved waypoint accuracy and discovery retention when switching between single and multiplayer.
Gameplay & Missions
- Resolved interaction bugs with Maurice’s Black Market and Legendary Vending Machines.
- Improved enemy spawn reliability and reduced occurrences of stuck enemies.
- Fixed issues with bounties Beatloaf, Grip, and Shagriculture not spawning.
- Enhanced boss fight consistency, including Splashzone, Warden Scathe, and Bio-Bulkhead encounters.
- Adjusted Echo Location guidance, patched level geometry gaps, and stabilized order drop pods.
- NPC and vehicle collision now behaves correctly.
- Grenade and trait interactions for Pangolin and Chain Master rebalanced for fairness.
Vault Hunter Balance Updates
Harlowe the Gravitar
- Fixed build performance issues and UI slowdowns.
- Gun Damage bonuses now apply correctly to Ripper Heavy Weapons.
- Adjusted class mod balance caps.
- Neutron Capture now only applies to gunshots and converts all damage to radiation.
- Cosmic Brilliance grenade scaling fixed.
Amon the Forgeknight
- Visual clarity improvements on shields.
- Fixed cooldown inconsistencies with Forgeskill and Forge Master interactions.
- Stabilized camera behavior for Onslaughter and Noisy Cricket combo.
- Adjusted Seeing Red to fixed duration (4 seconds).
Scourge – Vengeance Tree
- Corrected several projectile behaviors and scaling issues.
- Adjusted Blackout Shock Damage to 15% per point (down from 21%).
Crucible – Cybernetics Tree
- Fixed animation, scaling, and visuals with Forgeaxe and Double-Edge.
Vex the Siren
- Fixed challenge tracking for “Me, Myself, Myself, and I.”
- Corrected visual effects for Dead Ringer and recursion bugs with Bleed from Bloodletter.
- Buffed Double Trouble illusion duration and damage, and improved scaling for Apex Beast passive.
Rafa the Exo-Soldier
- Fixed grenade damage scaling with Filantropo class mod.
- APOPHIS Lance reworked: now reduces Gun Accuracy instead of Gun Handling, keeping projectile speed stable.
Gear Adjustments
- Fixed multiple issues across weapon families, including Jakobs, Torgue, Maliwan, and Vladof.
- Updated ricochet, projectile, and ammo behaviors for consistency.
- Improved underbarrel naming, visuals, and ammo handling.
- Buffed Assault Rifles (Star Helix, Rowan’s Charge, Lucian’s Flank) and Heavy Weapons (Gamma Void, Ravenfire).
Class Mod & Gear Balance
- Buffed Melee and Action Skill Damage on all level 50 Class Mods.
- Increased scaling for Siren and Forgeknight mods to enhance build diversity.
- Groundbreaker now stores only Gun, Action Skill, and Ordnance damage to prevent infinite damage loops.
UI, UX, and Accessibility
- Menu sorting and “Toggle Junk” behaviors corrected.
- Added Legendary Loot Indicators on radar.
- Split-screen interface improved across consoles.
- Added clarity to combat notifications, cooldowns, and boss bars.
- Various localization, alignment, and text standardization updates.
Visuals and Audio
- Updated animation quality for characters and NPCs.
- Fixed VFX rendering issues and camera pops during cinematics.
- Balanced audio mix and restored missing voice lines.
- Adjusted volume scaling and reintroduced missing sound effects for named NPCs and boss fights.
Performance & Stability
- Improved matchmaking, session stability, and engine reliability.
- Optimized shader caching, rendering, and patch automation.
- Fixed various crashes and multiplayer synchronization issues.
- NVIDIA users advised to update to driver version 581.57 for crash prevention.
Miscellaneous & Weekly Activities
- Weekly Boss: Battle Wagon – tougher variant with improved loot.
- Weekly Mission: Dark Subject (Vampiric, Cold Hearted, Invisible), rewarding Kickballer Legendary Gear.
- Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine moved to a new location with updated offerings.
Borderlands 4 continues the legendary looter-shooter legacy with explosive four-player co-op action on the new planet Kairos, where Vault Hunters rise against the tyrant known as the Timekeeper. The game enhances the franchise’s signature humor and chaos with advanced traversal mechanics, including gliding and a grappling hook, as well as billions of procedurally generated weapons. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K, Borderlands 4 launched on September 12, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), with a Nintendo Switch 2 release planned for a later date.
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