Once you jump into Borderlands 4, you’re largely on your own. To make sure you get off to a strong start, we’ve put together the most important tips.
Borderlands 4 drops you into an open world full of chaos, loot, and enemies that are more than happy to make your life difficult. To help you find your footing quickly and avoid falling flat on your virtual face, we’ve collected a few tips that can really make a difference in everyday gameplay.
1. Pay close attention to elemental damage
Every enemy type has its weaknesses. Enemies with shields go down fastest with shock damage, while armor is best broken with corrosion. Fire melts the health bars of flesh enemies, while cryo can buy you time by slowing or freezing foes. Radiation also spreads useful area damage. If you switch elements smartly, you’ll save ammo and survive longer.
- Extra tip: Most weapons have two different elemental damage types. You can switch between them depending on the enemy and deal more damage.
2. Save weaker enemies as an “emergency option”
If you go down in a firefight, it’s not automatically game over. You have a chance to revive yourself by killing an enemy. So it can be smart to leave a few weaker foes alive. In an emergency, you can use them to get yourself back into the fight.
3. Make full use of your mobility in Borderlands 4
With double jumps, gliders, and grappling hooks, you’re far more mobile than in previous entries. That may sound like a neat gimmick, but it often saves your skin. Use verticality in arenas, dodge enemy rockets sideways, pull yourself out with the hook. The less you get hit, the fewer healing resources you’ll need.
With the grappling hook, for example, you can launch yourself into the air and shoot down at enemies from above for a short time without taking damage yourself. We’ve summarized how to use the grappling hook effectively in our grappling hook guide for combat, bosses, and traversal.
4. Don’t lose sight of your Lost Loot machine
It happens all the time: a legendary weapon falls into the abyss or you simply miss a drop in the chaos of combat. Luckily, the machine in your base collects everything you left behind. But be careful: its storage is limited. Empty it regularly and upgrade it with SDU points, otherwise valuable loot will be lost for good. You can find the SDU overview in the menu under the corresponding section.
5. Spend your SDU points wisely
Ammo capacity and backpack size are real bottlenecks early on. With SDU points, you can expand both directly from the menu without having to travel to a vendor. More inventory space pays off in the long run, since Borderlands 4 showers you with loot, and even unwanted items turn into more money for new gear.
6. Don’t rush through side quests right away
Borderlands 4 scales many side missions to your level. That means if you complete them later, you’ll automatically get better rewards, as the loot adapts to your current level. So it’s fine to leave some things unfinished. The main story will still progress smoothly, and later you’ll be rewarded with higher-quality gear.
7. Use fast travel, or teleport directly to your team
The world of Kairos is huge, and you don’t want to spend minutes walking through the same zones over and over again. Fast travel is convenient and free once you’ve activated a point. Especially useful: you can teleport directly to your co-op partners. It saves time and makes playing together even more relaxed.
- Extra tip: From time to time, you’ll find grappling hook points you can pull yourself up to and launch into the world. If you then use your double jump and gliding ability, you can cover several hundred meters within seconds. It’s fast and also a lot of fun.
8. Feel free to experiment with skill builds
Don’t be afraid of “mis-skilling” your character. You can reset your talent points at any time at respec machines for a small fee. This keeps things flexible, letting you test different playstyles or adjust builds as needed. Especially early on, it’s worth trying out a wide range of abilities until you find your own rhythm.
In the endgame, it often makes sense to respec again and use a suitable build for your Vault Hunter. Often it’s enough to reset just one skill tree instead of all points. That saves you some time when reallocating and, above all, money.
9. Take a close look at your surroundings
Borderlands combat is usually chaotic, but taking a quick look at the arena can make a big difference. Gas barrels, elevated platforms, and cover can all be used strategically. With a glider or grappling hook, you can reach positions that give you better overview or a tactical advantage. Anyone who actively uses the environment makes life much easier.
If you’re playing in co-op, you should split up in a way that covers all directions without anyone having to face enemy hordes alone. Especially when a team member is injured, quick healing should be possible.
- Extra tip: If you’re playing co-op, try out both loot modes. “Cooperation” ensures everyone gets their own loot, ideal if you don’t want any stress over distribution. “Competition,” on the other hand, brings back the classic “first come, first loot” feeling. It’s a matter of taste, but important to know before heated discussions break out in the team.
