During the Gearbox Main Theatre Show at PAX West, the Texas-based game developer unveiled the endgame and post-launch roadmap for Borderlands 4, which is due to launch in less than two weeks. In the upcoming game, players will continue to progress their characters through weekly challenge missions and unlockable specializations to further customize their loadout.
Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode is returning, albeit reimagined from previous iterations. This post-game difficulty option challenges players with five unlockable levels that increase in difficulty. Additionally, based on lessons learned from previous games in the franchise, players no longer need to replay the campaign to gain new ranks. Instead, players will advance through curated mission challenges that test their chosen build. These challenges grow more difficult as players progress, eliminating the need to re-farm the same gear.
Each Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode rank includes exclusive Firmware set bonuses for gear that players will first find while playing the campaign. The first loot drops with Firmware should start appearing around level 25. The more Firmware a player acquires, the higher their stat bonus will be. These powerful bonuses can be transferred to another item once, after which the original item is destroyed, and the firmware bonus cannot be transferred again.
Multiple incentives will be provided to encourage Borderlands 4 players to continue searching for the best loot. Weekly Wildcards offer rotating missions with a guaranteed Legendary reward. In the Weekly Big Encore Boss, Moxxi’s Big Encore selects one boss for the week that can be unlocked with Eridium for a larger iteration with increased drop rates.
The Maurice’s Black Market Machine sends players across Kairos in search of its spoils, offering varied loot for every player. These activities are all available for online matchmaking, as you’d expect in this type of game.
Gearbox Software then switched to discuss the game’s post-launch roadmap, starting with the free updates. Seasonal Mini-Events will kick off in October with Horrors of Kairos offering new Legendary Weapons, Cosmetics, and a new Weather Variant. Invincible Bosses are also returning to test players’ skill and build inside high-level new boss arenas that integrate the new traversal mechanics introduced with Borderlands 4. Powerful new Legendaries are the juicy rewards for players strong enough to defeat Invincible Bosses. Additionally, a new Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode level will release alongside each Invincible Boss.
As for the paid DLCs, there will be two types: Story Pack and Bounty Pack. The first of two announced story packs, scheduled for Q1 2026, features the return of fan-favorite Ellie in “Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned.” With a cosmic horror theme and a bloodier, darker tone than the main campaign, this Story Pack includes an all-new region of Kairos to explore, multiple engaging main and side missions, and all-new legendary gear. It also introduces the first post-launch playable Vault Hunter. Additionally, this pack includes four new Vault Hunter skins, two new vehicle skins, three ECHO-4 drone skins, and one ECHO-4 frame, as well as attachments.
The first Bounty Pack will arrive earlier than that, in Q4 2025. In Bounty Packs, Borderlands 4 players will experience narrative-based missions that expand the universe. These missions reveal more about the new characters players encounter on Kairos, beginning with Rush, the gregarious leader of the Outbounders. Each Bounty Pack includes new main missions, a new boss, new legendary gear, one player skin, one ECHO-4 drone skin, one new vehicle, and a Vault card. This allows players to unlock 24 cosmetics and four pieces of rerollable gear.
The second Bounty Pack will land in Q1 2026 alongside the Pearlescent items (which will be free). Pearlescent gear drops will be challenging to find, but their power level matches their coveted rarity. Borderlands 4 is out on September 12 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X, while Nintendo Switch 2 fans must wait until October 3 to play it.
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