Gearbox Software released a major update for Borderlands 4 on September 25, finally bringing a field-of-view (FOV) slider to console players while attempting to fix performance issues that have plagued the game since its September 12 launch.
The update’s most notable addition is the FOV slider for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions. This much-requested feature addresses complaints from console players who reported headaches and motion sickness due to the game’s narrow default view. The slider arrived sooner than many expected, as Randy Pitchford, Gearbox CEO, had previously expressed concerns about “fairness” in a poll on social media before ultimately implementing the feature based on community feedback.
Performance improvements are another key focus of the patch. Gearbox claims to have “addressed various instances of hitching, low FPS, and crashes” across all platforms. However, some players have reported increased stuttering after installing the update. In response, Gearbox advised PC players to allow 15 minutes of gameplay for shaders to compile in the background, which should resolve most stuttering issues.
“Stuttering issues should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile in the background while playing,” Gearbox stated on social media. “If you’re still experiencing issues after 15 minutes of gameplay, try clearing your shader cache.”
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The update also introduces weekly content rotations, including the Big Encore boss variant, Wildcard Missions that guarantee Legendary drops, and Maurice’s Black Market, which moves to different locations with fresh inventory each week.
Several Vault Hunter abilities received fixes and improvements. Harlowe’s Flux Generator no longer heals enemies when players have the Potential Transference skill, while her Accretion passive now provides consistent lifesteal. Amon’s Primal Surge properly restores shield and ammo, his Rocket Punch connects better with shielded enemies, and his Forgeaxe now tracks nearby enemies correctly. For Vex, Grave Harvest won’t trigger without Incarnate, Blight Attunement damages the Timekeeper reliably, and Spirit Bomb counts as Companion Damage. Rafa’s Blowout stacking has been corrected when repeating Action Skills.
The patch addresses numerous other issues, including crossplay infinite loading screens, menu character loading optimization, and an Xbox black screen fix after Vault Symbol collection. The update also corrects a problem with class mods that were dropping incorrect skill points.
Digital Foundry, known for technical analysis, has advised PC players against using the game’s “Badass” graphics preset due to performance concerns. The tech experts noted that their initial analysis showed “significant stutter problems” with that setting.
Looking ahead, Borderlands 4 Creative Director Graeme Timmins announced that another balance update is planned for next week, which will focus on buffing Vault Hunters. This approach aligns with Gearbox’s recently stated philosophy of implementing “buffs before nerfs,” a decision that has been well-received by the community after concerns about aggressive nerfs in previous Borderlands titles.
Despite these improvements, Borderlands 4 still maintains a “Mixed” rating on Steam, primarily due to ongoing performance concerns. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, originally planned to release alongside other platforms, remains delayed indefinitely.