When it comes right down to it, patches are both a gift and a curse to modern video games. On the one hand, because we have the ability to do patches, developers can fix things that “they missed” before launch, including game-breaking bugs, performance issues, and balancing things out. However, because they have the “leeway” to do patches post-launch, many games just “rush to release” without doing a lot of due diligence on the game itself, and thus, we’ve had plenty of “broken launches” recently. One such launch was Borderlands 4, which, despite having a huge launch as a whole, is considered “busted” by many who play it.
The patch that was released today was one that many felt was “long overdue,” and the notes that were posted on the game’s website covered two things. First, as we just posted, there’s the Halloween event that’s now live. Then, there’s the balance patch that you can check out in full.
“Hello, Vault Hunters! Can you believe we’ve already shared more than a month of mayhem together in Borderlands 4?! To celebrate, we have an update that includes widespread stability improvements, multiplayer fixes, UI polish, and a suite of quality-of-life upgrades across visuals, audio, and accessibility. It also addresses various reported issues for Vault Hunters including major balance tuning, loot systems, gear, and achievements—further refining late-game, mission flow, and overall player experience.
We will monitor the community closely for feedback and respond after the changes have settled. This measured approach to your input will provide a consistent and better experience. As a reminder, our primary goal with balance adjustments is to provide you the greatest number of viable builds.”
To give you some of the “highlights” for the fixes, Gearbox Software changed a certain boss fight so that loot drops would finally happen for it, look enemies will not give you more cash after they’re killed, key achievements that players were having trouble unlocking due to glitches have been adjusted, fast travel stations will now properly unlock when you arrive at them, and more.
Naturally, all of the Vault Hunters also got tweaks, whether it was to their weapons, their mods, their skills, or something in between. And yes, multiple visual and audio bugs were fixed as well. Whether it fixes all the performance issues remains to be seen, but it’s a start.
In truth, this is a robust patch, and that’s likely why it took longer to launch than intended. Read the entire patch notes to see the full scope before you jump back into Kairos.
October 23, 2025 Patch Notes Highlights
Horrors of Kairos!
- Added support for the Horrors of Kairos! This free mini-event will be live from October 23 to November 6.
- Added the “Murmur” Legendary Tediore Assault Rifle and “Skully” Legendary Order Grenade to the rewards for world bosses across Kairos! These special drops will only be available during Horrors of Kairos, and delivered to the Reward Center. These do not change the rates on any other gear for that boss.
Progression, Loot, & Rewards
- Reduced Specialization Respec Machine cost from 5000 Eridium to 1500
- Added drops to a certain boss fight that was not dropping loot
- [PC] Ultimate Vault Hunter Level 5 Rank Up mission now correctly increases rank on Steam
- Granted missing cosmetic rewards for players who completed Kairos Speaks with 155 Echo Logs prior to a previous update
- Improved equipment handling when opening Rewards while driving
- Lost Loot Machine logic updated to better prioritize higher-quality loot in overflow situations
- Lost Loot Machine SDU upgrades now properly expand slots in multiplayer sessions
- Addressed a reported issue with the Lost Loot Machine that could cause duplications in multiplayer
- Loot enemies now drop more cash
- Golden Chests can now consistently be opened after joining a session and redeeming SHiFT keys
- Reward Center behavior adjusted after claiming the Gilded Glory Pack, to prevent it from losing function
- Break Free reward bundle redemption standardized, will now correctly apply account-wide as intended
- Adjusted unlock conditions so Rift Incompatible achievement now correctly completes for all players in multiplayer
- Cut That Out achievement now unlocks when viewing the board from a further distance.
- Level-based progression updated so Crimson Rising achievement unlocks at character level 10 as designed
- Timing adjustments made so Catch a Ride! achievement unlocks only at the intended progression point
- Challenge tracking updated so Jakobs Throwing Knives no longer count as gun kills
- Ensured that Bobblehead collectibles in Pester’s Grotto and Motherbird Node were accessible.
- Discovered locations now stay discovered when returning to single-player after multiplayer
- Various Fast Travel stations have been adjusted to unlock when they’re intended to, including concerns seen in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode
- Vault Key animations now play correctly during ECHO-4 sequences
- ECHO Log pickup in Unpaid Tab now counts properly
- Amara’s Escort to Core objective now consistently advances when replayed
- Improved various instances of mission waypoints not showing up accurately
Gameplay & Missions
- Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine is able to be interacted with reliably in multiplayer
- Legendary Vending Machine no longer closes unexpectedly during Vend of the Line
- Made general improvements to prevent enemies from getting stuck when spawning, and addressed various reported spawn point issues
- Addressed bounties Beatloaf, Grip, and Shagriculture not reliably spawning
- Addressed reported instances of Terminus Range Vault enemies getting stuck on ledges during encounters
- Addressed a reported issue in co-op during the Splashzone boss fight, leading to more consistent behavior
- The Howl Capture Station no longer reactivates after safehouse capture
- One Fell Swoop has been updated to prevent players from being left floating in the air. Bio-Bulkhead now shows the correct elemental icon and movement has been smoothed to eliminate jitter after certain attacks
- Warden Scathe no longer clips through arena walls in his boss fight
- Improved Echo Location guidance across several missions
- Patched collision gaps, holes, clipping, and invisible walls
- Corrected Order drop pod events to consistently reach that ground and no longer appear stuck in the air
- NPCs should no longer cause players or vehicles to get stuck when the player runs them over
- Pangolin enemies can now be damaged by grenades while in ball mode
- Chain Master trait now tethers to all allies in range when multiple enemies have the ability
- Mangler enemies no longer desync their position when dodging in multiplayer
Harlowe the Gravitar
- Addressed some Gravitar builds that reportedly caused performance slowdowns; they should no longer prevent UI elements from updating or Fight For Your Life sequences from completing
- Gravitar passive and Augment bonuses to Gun Damage now correctly apply to Ripper Heavy Weapon barrels and the Ripper Legendary Heavy Weapon Steamer; Entanglement interactions also function as designed
- Gravitar class mods have been adjusted to no longer roll +5 Pencils Down and push passives past their intended cap
Creative Bursts
Balance Adjustments:
- Neutron Capture now converts all Gun Damage into radiation, and now only applies to Gun Shots, and not all instances of Gun Damage.
- Dev Note: Neutron Capture is one of the best damage scalars in the entire game, but during testing, we found that this was erroneously applying to all instances of Gun Damage and was able to scale in unanticipated ways as a result. This new change will still see Neutron Capture being one of the best (if not the best) damage scalars in the game, but the power level will be much more in line with our expectations. Additionally, since all damage from the Gun is converted into Radiation, it should have more scaling vectors for clever build crafters, and allow for meaningful boosts from Gun Damage.
Cosmic Brilliance – Passive
- Flux Generator + Annihilation interaction updated so spawned grenades now scale correctly with character level
Amon the Forgeknight
- Shield visuals adjusted for improved clarity in combat situations
Trait – Forgeskill
- Adjusted interaction with Forge Master class mod so Forgeskill now respects its cooldown in multiplayer
Onslaughter – Calamity
- Camera behavior stabilized when combining Onslaughter with Order Legendary Pistol Noisy Cricket
- Attack frequency of Rocket Punch is now consistent in multiplayer
Balance Adjustments
- Seeing Red Duration restored no longer increases per point invested, and is now 4 seconds for all ranks.
- Dev Note: Seeing Red was always meant to have huge damage scaling potential, but was always meant to be hard to maintain. We didn’t want to nerf this passive’s power, but we’re making the effect harder to maintain.
Scourge – Vengeance
- Scorched Kairos passive now displays consistent magazine size values for the Ordnance gadget
- The Forgewave no longer fires unintentionally during Glacial Rapture
- Projectiles no longer get stuck in the air when Forgemaster Firewall is active during the Fortress Indomita boss fight
- Blackout Shock Damage now properly scales with points invested
- Blackout is now 15% per point, down from 21% per point
- Dev Note: After fixing the scaling of the DoT (damage over time), we found that Blackout was overperforming a bit, so we gave it a slight re-adjustment. This will still be an overall buff, now that the DoT properly scales.
Crucible – Cybernetics
- Visuals corrected so Forgeknight Forgeaxe no longer disappears when activating Crucible at the same time as throwing with Double-Edge
- Corrected animation of Crucible while climbing
- Raging Inferno Incendiary Damage now properly scales with points invested
Vex the Siren
- Challenge “Me, Myself, Myself, and I.” now tracks correctly in multiplayer, independent of clone duration on other players
Dead Ringer – The Fourth Seal
- Specter’s copied weapon now displays proper visual effects when firing with a Maliwan Element Switcher
Incarnate – Vexcalation
- Bleed from Bloodletter has been updated so it no longer recursively triggers itself, preventing unintended damage loops
Phase Phamiliar – Here Comes Trouble
Balance Adjustments
- Double Trouble Illusion Damage Multiplier is now 75%, up from 50%
- Double Trouble Illusion’s Duration is now 8 seconds, up from 5 seconds
- Apex Beast Damage Dealt increase increased to 15% from 10% per stack of Unsealed
Rafa the Exo-Soldier
- Free Grenade from Filantropo class mod now deals appropriate damage even when no grenade is equipped
People Person skill tree
Action Skills – APOPHIS Lance
- APOPHIS Lance changed to penalize Gun Accuracy instead of Gun Handling, resulting in projectile speed being unaffected.
- APOPHIS Lance now benefits from cooldown reduction effects
Gear
- Skills that boost Gun Handling now properly increase Projectile Speed
- Addressed reports that swapping weapons with the Free Loader Enhancement on an Order weapon with a Ripper magazine would cause all weapons to not consume the accurate amount of ammo
- Health restoration from Legendary Repkit Adrenaline Pump now works correctly when combined with Legendary Shield Guardian Angel
- Reduced critical chance on Jakobs crit knife to 30%
- Dev Note: It had to happen, you knew it was going to happen!
- Jakobs Legendary Pistol San Saba Songbird no longer stacks infinitely when swapping weapons
- Using a Jakobs Shotgun with Torgue sticky projectiles and the Knife Launcher underbarrel no longer deals knife damage after switching fire modes
- Jakobs weapon parts updated so ricochet effects only trigger from intended damage sources
- Ripper Legendary Shotgun Golden God overheating effect now clears correctly when switching weapons
- Corrected behavior on Maliwan Legendary SMG Ohm I Got so the first three shots no longer consume ammo without dealing damage during continuous fire
- Maliwan Legendary Heavy Gun Gamma Void corrected to apply proper increased Radiation damage to enemies inside the Singularity
- Weapons with COV magazines now function correctly if a repair animation is interrupted with a Repkit in multiplayer
- Daedalus Legendary SMG Frangible removed from chest loot tables
- Daedalus Legendary AR First Impression reduced the critical damage multiplier
- Recoil behavior improved while charging and firing Order ARs and Torgue Heavy with Triple Barrel parts with Gun Handling passives
- Vladof Flamethrower underbarrel no longer deals infinite damage or bypasses Bio Armor
- Torgue Grenades with Spring and Apex Augments now always explode on its first apex
- Grenades with Spring Augment and Divider Payload now have the intended three additional bounces when paired
- Gadgets no longer reset to maximum uses after gaining Second Wind
- Healing Orbs spawned from Legendary Repkit Kill Spring can no longer heal enemies
- Order Legendary Shield Cindershelly combat voice lines now trigger at the intended frequency, less often to be less distracting
- Tediore underbarrel names now match correctly across item cards and ammo widgets
- Maliwan Lingering Payload and Splat Pack Augment projectiles no longer persist when thrown at vending machines
Gear Balance: Assault Rifles:
- Star Helix fire rate increased by 33%
- Bonnie and Clyde base damage increased by 40%; Pair of Thieves: Bonus damage granted increased to 150% from 100%
- Bugbear base damage increased by 40%; Rotary Gun: Max Damage increased to 200% from 100%
- Rowan’s Charge base fire rate increased by 100%
- Rowan’s Charge recoil reduced slightly
- Lucian’s Flank base damage increased by 50%
- Lucian’s Flank recoil reduced slightly
- Aegon’s Dream base damage increased by 35%
Heavy Weapon Ordnance:
- Gamma Void base damage increased by 450%; Singularity Duration decreased to 6s from 10s, Radiation damage amp increased to 50% from 40%, Gamma Void Cooldown increased by 100%
- Ravenfire base damage increased by 25%
Class Mods: Dev Notes: Class Mods relating to Melee Damage, Action Skill Damage, and specific one-off stats on Legendaries have been buffed to make them more desirable.
All Class Mods:
- Melee Damage Action Skill Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
- Skill Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%
Siren Class Mods:
- Avatar’s Attunement Skill Duration on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%
- Kindread Spirits’ Command Skill Cooldown rate on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%
Forgeknight Class Mods:
- Blacksmith’s Forgedrone Duration on level 50 class mods has increased to 45%
- Blacksmith’s Legendary Effect now also increases all Forgedrone Damage by 20% per active Forgedrone
- Viking’s Detonation Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
- Forge Master’s Forgeskill Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
- Elementalist’s Legendary Effect now also increases all Damage Dealt by Amon by 2% per active Affinity Stack
Gravitar Class Mods:
- Bio-Robot’s Hazard Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
- Skeptic’s Stasis Damage on level 50 class mods has increased to 60%
Other Gear:
Dev Notes: Gear effects that are related to Melee and Action Skill Damage have increased effectiveness. We want these builds to be pushed up a bit, but wanted to distribute the power among the various pieces of gear to make them more desirable.
Rep Kits:
- Hard Hitter now grants 50% Melee Damage Dealt, up from 40%
Firm Ware:
- Reel Big Fist now grants 25% Melee Damage at rank 1 and 2, up from 15%/25%
- Action Fist now grants 25% Melee Damage at rank 1, up from 15%
- Action Fist now grants 30% Action Skill Damage at rank 2, up from 30%
- Action Fist now grants 30% Action Skill Damage on Melee Kill, up from 25%
Shields:
- Boxer Armor Shields now grant 20%/30%/50% Melee Damage depending on parts rolled, up from 15%/25%/40%
- Berserker Energy Shields now grant 20%/30%/50% Melee Damage depending on parts rolled, up from 20%/27.5%/35%
