Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned is available now!
[p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned* is now available! Play as an all-new Vault Hunter, C4SH the Rogue, and team up with Ellie in a cosmic-horror adventure across the new Whispering Glacier map zone.[/p][p][/p][p]We've been rolling out tons of Story Pack 1 info in the lead-up to today's launch, so if you missed any, be sure to check out the Story Pack 1 reveal and the C4SH Spotlight - Gameplay Overview, Character Short, Skill Tree Reveal articles for comprehensive details. As a TL;DR, here's what's included with Story Pack 1.[/p]
[/p][p]For extra insights and context straight from the developers, be sure to tune in for future episodes of the Gearbox DevCast—hosted by Andrew Reiner and April Johnson—on YouTube or Spotify to stay up-to-date on all things Gearbox.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]Level cap increase and Shared Character Progression[/h2][p]Alongside the launch of Story Pack 1, today's March 26 Major Update is a huge milestone for Borderlands 4, marking version 1.5 of the game. You should definitely peruse the full Update Notes for a comprehensive look at all the changes, but two updates we want to spotlight are the new level cap increase and the addition of Shared Character Progression for all Borderlands 4 players.[/p][p][/p][p]With the Vault Hunter level cap now increased from 50 to 60, you'll have a whopping 59 Skill Points to play with when specializing your build at max level. This will shake up the meta considerably across all classes, and we can't wait to see what new builds you all come up with to crush your enemies on Kairos![/p][p][/p][p]We know that Shared Character Progression has been a highly requested quality-of-life feature from the community, and we're happy to finally be able to implement it with this Major Update. Now, when you roll a new Vault Hunter (including C4SH the Rogue), that fresh character will have access to map progression, collectibles, SDU tokens, Hover Drives, cosmetic rewards, and activity progression unlocked by all the other characters combined on your save file. [/p][p][/p][p]The new Shared Character Progression should make the process of trying out a new Vault Hunter class much smoother, so you can enjoy all the new possibilities without having to retread too much ground. By owning Story Pack 1, you can also roll a new Vault Hunter that skips directly to the Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned content starting at level 13, with all the same Shared Character Progression applied. As noted in our 2026 Roadmap, cross-platform saves are something the team continues to work toward for a later update, so we'll share more when we can.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]PC Performance Status Update[/h2][p]Earlier this week, we shared a Borderlands 4 PC Performance Status Update, detailing ongoing work by the Optimization Team to improve average frame rates and stability for PC players across a variety of specs. In the special Gearbox DevCast bonus episode above, hosts Andrew Reiner and April Johnson talk with Managing Producer Eli Luna about the work that's gone into optimization improvements across Borderlands 4. Check out the full article for in-depth technical details and gameplay footage comparisons.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]More content is on the way[/h2][p]Story Pack 1 is just the latest stop on our 2026 Roadmap; we've got lots of free and paid content coming to Borderlands 4 in the coming months, including new endgame content. Here's what's headed to Kairos later this year, but for now, we hope you enjoy bending fortune to your favor as C4SH the Rogue and teaming up with Ellie in Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned![/p]
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- [p]New Vault Hunter C4SH the Rogue, playable across all of Borderlands 4's base game and DLC zones[/p]
- [p]New map zone, The Whispering Glacier, packed with new story missions, side missions, activities, and collectibles[/p]
- [p]Two new major boss fights, 16 minibosses, and new enemy types[/p]
- [p]3 Pearlescent weapons, 18 new pieces of Legendary loot (including weapons and gear), and 5 Legendary Class Mods[/p]
- [p]31 new cosmetic items[/p]
- [p]If you don't own any version of Borderlands 4: Purchase Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition, which contains Story Pack 1 and 2, the Ornate Order Pack, and Bounty Packs 2-5[/p]
- [p]If you already own Borderlands 4 Standard or Deluxe Edition: [/p]
- [p]Option 1: Purchase the Vault Hunter Pack that includes Story Packs 1 and 2 plus the Ornate Order Pack[/p]
- [p]Option 2: Purchase Story Pack 1 individually[/p]
[/p][p]For extra insights and context straight from the developers, be sure to tune in for future episodes of the Gearbox DevCast—hosted by Andrew Reiner and April Johnson—on YouTube or Spotify to stay up-to-date on all things Gearbox.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]Level cap increase and Shared Character Progression[/h2][p]Alongside the launch of Story Pack 1, today's March 26 Major Update is a huge milestone for Borderlands 4, marking version 1.5 of the game. You should definitely peruse the full Update Notes for a comprehensive look at all the changes, but two updates we want to spotlight are the new level cap increase and the addition of Shared Character Progression for all Borderlands 4 players.[/p][p][/p][p]With the Vault Hunter level cap now increased from 50 to 60, you'll have a whopping 59 Skill Points to play with when specializing your build at max level. This will shake up the meta considerably across all classes, and we can't wait to see what new builds you all come up with to crush your enemies on Kairos![/p][p][/p][p]We know that Shared Character Progression has been a highly requested quality-of-life feature from the community, and we're happy to finally be able to implement it with this Major Update. Now, when you roll a new Vault Hunter (including C4SH the Rogue), that fresh character will have access to map progression, collectibles, SDU tokens, Hover Drives, cosmetic rewards, and activity progression unlocked by all the other characters combined on your save file. [/p][p][/p][p]The new Shared Character Progression should make the process of trying out a new Vault Hunter class much smoother, so you can enjoy all the new possibilities without having to retread too much ground. By owning Story Pack 1, you can also roll a new Vault Hunter that skips directly to the Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned content starting at level 13, with all the same Shared Character Progression applied. As noted in our 2026 Roadmap, cross-platform saves are something the team continues to work toward for a later update, so we'll share more when we can.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]PC Performance Status Update[/h2][p]Earlier this week, we shared a Borderlands 4 PC Performance Status Update, detailing ongoing work by the Optimization Team to improve average frame rates and stability for PC players across a variety of specs. In the special Gearbox DevCast bonus episode above, hosts Andrew Reiner and April Johnson talk with Managing Producer Eli Luna about the work that's gone into optimization improvements across Borderlands 4. Check out the full article for in-depth technical details and gameplay footage comparisons.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h2]More content is on the way[/h2][p]Story Pack 1 is just the latest stop on our 2026 Roadmap; we've got lots of free and paid content coming to Borderlands 4 in the coming months, including new endgame content. Here's what's headed to Kairos later this year, but for now, we hope you enjoy bending fortune to your favor as C4SH the Rogue and teaming up with Ellie in Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned![/p]
- [p]Upcoming Raid 2 and Takedown - New injections of challenging endgame content, with an amped-up difficulty on the same level as our first raid boss Bloomreaper the Invincible. These updates are free to all Borderlands 4 players![/p]
- [p]Bounty Packs 3/4/5** - Bounty Packs gets you a Vault Card full of new cosmetics and gear unlocked through gameplay, alongside new mission content that dives deeper into the lives of Kairos' memorable characters. All Bounty Packs are included in Borderlands 4 Deluxe Edition and Super Deluxe Edition.[/p]
- [p]Story Pack 2*** - Story Packs are our most substantial DLC, including a brand-new Vault Hunter, multiple main missions and side missions set in a new zone of Kairos, new gear to earn, and a bunch of new cosmetics. Both Story Packs are included in Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition.[/p]
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