Gearbox Software has revealed an extensive roadmap for Borderlands 4, addressing player concerns from previous entries while adding substantial post-campaign content. The looter-shooter, launching September 12, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games Store, promises a significant shift in how players experience the endgame.
The most notable change comes in the form of Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM), which eliminates mandatory campaign replays after first completion. Players can instead start new characters at level 30, bypassing the story to dive directly into endgame activities. This adjustment aligns Borderlands 4 with modern game design that respects player time while maintaining the series’ focus on loot hunting.
Weekly content will keep players engaged through rotating “Wildcard” missions with guaranteed legendary drops and a weekly boss accessed through Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine using in-game Eridium currency. Maurice’s Black Market Machine returns with a twist – it will appear in different locations weekly, with inventories that vary by player to encourage cooperative play.
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The first major seasonal event, “Horrors of Kairos,” arrives in October 2025, bringing Halloween-themed content including weather effects, new legendary weapons, and cosmetics. This will be followed by the first of four paid Bounty Packs, which include missions, a boss encounter, legendary gear, and a Vault Card containing 24 cosmetics and four re-rollable gear pieces.
For endgame players seeking tougher challenges, the first “Invincible” boss arrives in Q4 2025. Despite their name, these raid-style encounters with massive health pools are confirmed to be farmable, offering some of the game’s best rewards. This update will also introduce a new UVHM difficulty tier.
Early 2026 brings another Bounty Pack alongside a free update that many fans have requested – the return of ultra-rare Pearlescent weapons. Following this comes the first major Story Pack titled “Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned,” featuring Moxxi’s daughter Ellie in a cosmic horror-themed adventure. This expansion introduces a new playable Vault Hunter, main story missions, side quests, and additional legendary gear.
Several new systems support deeper buildcrafting from the outset. Unlike previous entries that added them later, Borderlands 4 will launch with dedicated drops, allowing players to target specific loot. A new “Firmware” set bonus system activates at levels 25+, providing minor, major, and full bonuses when equipping 1, 2, or 3 matching pieces across repkits, ordnance, class mods, shields, and enhancements.
Post-campaign progression extends through the Specializations tree, which can level “hundreds of times” and culminates in prestige nodes with powerful perks. This system creates long-term goals beyond the initial story completion.
For those pre-ordering, the Gilded Glory Pack includes cosmetics for all Vault Hunters plus four pieces of legendary gear: a Level 1 Maliwan SMG that fires spiraling projectiles, a Level 30 Ripper Grenade that teleports through enemies, a Level 30 Torque Ordnance launching ricocheting rockets, and a max-level Daedalus Assault Rifle guaranteed to score critical hits on full-health enemies.
The Deluxe Edition includes all four Bounty Packs, while the Super Deluxe Edition adds both Story Packs. All paid content will also be available for individual purchase after launch.
Gearbox plans to reveal more details about the upcoming Story Pack and new Vault Hunter at Tokyo Game Show 2025, with additional content planned beyond the first quarter of 2026.