The fifth mainline entry in the Borderlands franchise, Borderlands 4, is getting ready for its Sep. 12 global release on the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S platforms, with the Nintendo Switch 2 version coming out on Oct. 3rd.
During PAX West 2025, which started on Friday, Aug. 29, the devs finally gave us an overview of Borderlands 4’s endgame content and a few other things.
Followed by that, we got a Steam post by the devs detailing some of the QoL changes coming to the game.
In the wake of all the new and past details we got regarding Borderlands 4, I prepared this article sharing the biggest additions and changes coming to the game.
All major QoL changes coming to Borderlands 4
Here are some of the biggest QoL changes coming to the game:
Investing skill points into any skill in one go
While investing skill points one at a time into any skill is satisfying in its own way, you can now invest skill points into any multi-point skill at once.
A small change, but a good one that will shorten the respec time for many players.
Starting new characters at level 30
Did you know? You can now start a new playthrough with any of the Vault Hunters at level 30 with no need to clear the story again. Well! Now you know.
Once you finish Borderlands 4’s main story with any Vault Hunter, you will have the option to start new characters at Level 1 or Level 30.
Choosing the latter would allow you to jump into the end-game content with the new Vault Hunter without wasting time on clearing the same story quests again and again.
I know, for many of us, going through the main story is not as boring as for some, but still, having this feature is much appreciated.
Sending loot directly to the Bank
One of the biggest QoL changes in Borderlands 4 is sending your loot directly to your Bank storage from anywhere.
In the previous games, to store anything in the Bank, you were required to visit and interact with it to access the respective menu. But in Borderlands 4, you can store them directly from your inventory.
To get the loot back, you will still have to visit the Bank, which is understandable.
Sorting loot
In Borderlands 4, you can sort loot based on:
- Recent (the order in which items were picked up)
- Rarity
- Type
- Level Requirement
- Sell Value
- Manufacturer
- “Comparable” stats on item cards, like Damage, Accuracy, etc. [Dynamically populated.]
You can also compare any gear while sorting them based on particular stats like ‘Damage.’
When you do that, a comparison marker appears on each item being sorted relative to the selected item for comparison.
These are:
- ‘=’: Offers same stat value
- ⏫: Offers higher stat value
- ⏬: Offers lower stat value
Filtering loot
Finally, with Borderlands 4, Gearbox has added the option to filter loot based on the following criteria:
- Rarity
- Damage Type
- Elemental damage types, as well as Kinetic (non-elemental)
- Damage type might be for primary or secondary, or both firing modes on a weapon
- Item Type (and Subtype)
- e.g. Pistol, SMG, Assault Rifle, Energy Shield, Armor Shield, Grenade, etc…
- Has Firmware
- Equipped/Unequipped
- Manufacturer
- Item Marker
- Favorite, Trash, Tag Group, etc…
Marking items in bulk
You can now filter and mark items in bulk, right from your Backpack, assuming they are not already marked.
That said, you can mark them as:
- Favorite
- Junk
- Bank
- Tag Group 1
- Tag Group 2
- Tag Group 3
- Tag Group 4
Customizing your character and Echo-4 directly from the inventory menu
Borderlands 4 character menu features an intricate ‘Customization’ option that players can use to customize the respective Vault Hunter, Echo-4, and Weapons, right from their inventory.
No more quick-change machines!
Top new and returning features and content in Borderlands 4
Here are some of the most significant new and returning features and content:
Dedicated drops
Every boss and mini-boss in Borderlands 4 will have dedicated drops.
Ok! But what’s new?
Well! In Borderlands 3, there was a hidden %chance that you would get an item from a dedicated drops loot pool. Let’s say the loot pool had 5 dedicated drops.
When you defeat a boss, there’s a chance that you will get an item from the dedicated drops loot pool.
If you managed to get an item from the dedicated drop loot pool, this could be any 1 of the 5 from the pool, 2 of the 5, and so on.
This made farming for particular drops a lot difficult, as first you would have to get through the RNG of whether you get a dedicated drop or not.
And even when you manage to get a dedicated drop, will it be the item you are looking for from the loot pool?
But now that is not the case.
Whenever you defeat a boss or mini-boss in Borderlands 4, you simultaneously roll for every dedicated drop available in the loot pool for that boss.
And, you have a chance to get them all at once.
I know this is all confusing and will make your head burst. In simple words, with Borderlands 4, we have a better chance of getting dedicated drops from bosses and mini-bosses.
Nuanced Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode
Borderlands 4 will feature a nuanced version of the Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, which we also know as UVHM.
To access UVHM, you will have to complete the campaign with any character. As soon as you do that, you can start UVHM without the need for going through the campaign again.
The UVHM will increase drop rates while adding modifiers to enemies and making them more deadly in general.
But what’s new is that the UVHM will have five difficulty levels, which you can unlock by completing certain challenges and doing the respective Wild Card mission.
So how does this work?
Once you start the UVHM, you complete a given set of challenges across Kairos. Once you meet the requirements, you will get a Wildcard Mission, a sort of trial where you replay an existing mission with buffed enemies with unique traits and modifiers.
After you clear the mission, you will ascend to the new UVHM rank.
You can repeat this until you reach the UVHM Rank 5.
This whole thing works similarly to the World Tiers that we have in Diablo 4.
SDU upgrades and how they work
No more vendors! In Borderlands 4, the SDU upgrade system has received a complete rework.
Now, you can get SDU upgrades directly from your character menu in exchange for a new currency called SDU Tokens.
So, how to get these SDU Tokens?
You can get them using the following methods:
- Interacting with the hidden vault symbols throughout Kairos
- Disabling propaganda speakers
- Claptrap’s Lost Capsules
- From Survivalist Caches hidden throughout the open world
- Collecting Marcus’s bobble heads
- Hijacking The Order silos
- Capturing safe houses
- Evocarium collectible
- Ancient Crawler
Contracts
Borderlands 4 features Contracts that will require players to hunt down bosses and specific enemies to get Eridium and other rewards.
Moxxi’s Encore Machine
Moxxi’s Encore Machine is a brand-new feature that allows players to farm bosses in exchange for in-game currency.
This makes it easier for players to farm specific bosses and their dedicated drops.
No more save-loading!
Pearlescents
The Pearlescent rarity is making a return in Borderlands 4. It will be added as a free update in Q1 2026.
Maurice’s Black Market Machine
Maurice’s Black Market Machine is making a return in Borderlands 4. However, this time around, it will offer unique loot for each player.
Weekly Big Encore Boss
You will be able to fight the buffed version of the same boss at Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine in exchange for Eridium. The difference? They are challenging and have a more rewarding loot pool compared to their regular version.
Weekly Wildcard Missions
In Borderlands 4, you will be able to take on a Wildcard Mission each week that has a 100% chance to drop a Legendary. A great way for farming specific rolls.
Seasonal Mini-Events
Time-exclusive seasonal events are making a return in Borderlands 4. The first one, Horrors of Kairos, will come out in Oct. These events are rewarding and introduce considerable gameplay changes.
Other great new additions
- Firmware system
- The ability to replay missions in UVHM
- Specializations
- The overhauled mobility system with double jumps, gliding, wall climbing, grappling hooks, and dashing.
That sums up my list of biggest QoL changes, new and returning features, and content coming to Borderlands 4. If I missed anything major, please let me know in the comments. I will update the post.
