Borderlands® 4 News

THIS WEEK ON KAIROS

[p]Hey Vault Hunters! Welcome to “This Week on Kairos” - a weekly post where we share everything happening across the world of Borderlands 4, from developer updates to community highlights and beyond.[/p][p]Every week, we’ll be here with the latest news, fan creations, dev spotlights, helpful resources, and anything else we think you’ll want to see. Whether you're looking to catch up, dive deeper, or just see what your fellow players are up to, this is the place.[/p][p][/p][h3]Our Latest Update Notes:[/h3][p]In case you missed them, here are the March 5th Minor Update notes:[/p][p]https://borderlands.2k.com/borderlands-4/update-notes/[/p][p][/p][p]A guide on how to submit a ticket can be found here: [/p][p]https://steamcommunity.com/app/1285190/discussions/2/673972930559959886/[/p][p][/p][p]When you submit a ticket, please remember to attach your DxDiag or MSinfo file. If you need assistance with doing that, here’s a walkthrough:[/p][p]https://support.borderlands.com/hc/en-us/articles/44564441894291-PC-How-do-I-attach-a-DxDiag-and-MSinfo-file[/p][p][/p][p](Note: This section is going to be structured the same each week, so although it looks the same, rest assured it’s being updated weekly!)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]ICYMI: Drop Rates Have Been Adjusted[/h3][p]Following the release of Bounty Pack 2: Legend of the Stone Demon last week, we introduced a couple of changes in the Minor Update yesterday.[/p][p]For Pearlescents: Eigenburst was dropping a bit more than we were aiming for, and we saw that Pearlescents in higher Ultimate Vault Hunter levels were scaling at a different rate than what the team was trying to hit.[/p][p]With the addition of this new rarity now appearing in the wild, we also updated how bosses drop their loot to make things simpler. Bosses in the base game (including Invincibles) and all Bounty Packs now use the same drop rate for their dedicated items. This change does not impact Phosophene drop rates. [/p][p]The team also saw feedback around the Ordonite Canisters being a little more unpredictable in their flight path and hard to see. Yesterday's update makes them heavier and brighter![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Weekly Big Encore Boss: Vile Prototype[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Steam Community Photopalooza[/h3][p]As you take photos and drop them in Steam, we’ll round up a few of our favorites for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy the beauty of chaos - er, I mean, Kairos![/p][p][/p][p]Legendary Star for this INCREDIBLE shot by micky:[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][h3]Behind the Team: LeRoy Strauss, Borderlands 4 Principal Character Artist[/h3][p]Every week, we’re spotlighting one of the minds behind the mayhem. You’ll get to learn about folks from both Gearbox and 2K, and how each person who touches the game both influences and is influenced by Borderlands 4. This week, we're talking with LeRoy Strauss, Gearbox’s Principal Character Artist:[/p][p][/p][p]How do you help establish or evolve the character art style for a game?[/p][p]LeRoy: It's a balance between creative vision and technical reality. I like to start by understanding the constraints we have to work within, like what’s feasible from a performance standpoint, and what might be possible given production time and resources. [/p][p]From there, I spend time gathering and studying a wide range of references from films, illustrations, comics, games, and individual artists to find inspiration and help identify things to avoid that don't work so well. [/p][p]I’ve been fortunate to work with incredibly talented concept artists throughout my career. I especially enjoy receiving a concept that is both inspiring and intimidating, as it challenges me to faithfully translate a 2D vision into a 3D character. A big part of my focus is preserving and even enhancing the silhouette and core shapes established in the concept. When working on stylized content, I often attempt to push shapes beyond my initial comfort zone to find the right balance of not too realistic yet not too cartoony either, unless the style calls for it.[/p][p]Years ago, I remember watching some video game cinematics and wondering if we would ever be able to achieve that level of quality in real-time one day. Seeing that gap close year after year continues to motivate me, and informs how far I try to push character art within the evolving capabilities of the medium.[/p][p][/p][p]What first inspired you to pursue character art professionally?[/p][p]LeRoy: I’ve been in the game industry for quite a while, and it wasn’t until the early 2000s when teams began growing and specialization became more common that I really narrowed my focus. At the time, I was torn between character art and environment art, since I was doing both and enjoyed each for different reasons.[/p][p]I’ve always loved the modeling and texturing phases in particular. But what truly sealed it for me was seeing the characters come to life once the Animation team worked its magic. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching talented animators bring personality, movement, and emotion to a model I created.[/p][p]That feeling was thrilling then, and it still is today.[/p][p][/p][p]What’s a tiny character detail you obsess over that players may never consciously notice?[/p][p]LeRoy: That’s an interesting question. These days it feels like almost everything gets noticed, but I’m very particular about a character reading well both up close and from a distance. If a design becomes too busy, I’ll simplify or remove elements to maintain a strong visual balance. That applies to both the sculpted forms and the texture work.[/p][p]I also avoid mirroring textures down the center of a character, even when the design is symmetrical. When I’m playing games, I tend to notice mirrored textures immediately. I understand why it’s done for optimization and production efficiency, but it’s something I personally try to avoid when possible. Similarly, I make sure every part of the character has adequate texture space to prevent pixel stretching, even in small areas or parts that are rarely seen unless you're looking at a certain frame of specific animations.[/p][p]If I’ve done my job well, ideally the player never consciously notices any of it—they just feel that the character looks right.[/p][p]

[/p][h3]Community Creative Corner[/h3][p]Our community members aren’t just gamers—many of you are also artists. Whether it’s cosplay, digital art, or some yet-to-be-invented medium, we’re your biggest fans. Check out this week’s hand-picked fan creations:[/p][p][/p][p]Oniryukyu on Reddit[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]rubicudus[/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this week—with more updates, more chaos, and maybe a few surprises coming next Friday. Until then: keep your ECHOnet tuned and your loot luck high.[/p][p]Happy Hunting,
Erin from The Borderlands Community Team[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]
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Borderlands 4 Weekly Activities: March 5-12

[p]Every Thursday, Borderlands 4 features a new set of Weekly Activities offering new challenges and opportunities for Legendary gear. Here's an overview of what you can expect this week![/p][p]You can read the full Update Notes here.[/p][p][/p][h2]Weekly Big Encore Boss:[/h2][h3]Vile Prototype[/h3][p][/p][h2]Weekly Wildcard Mission:[/h2][p]Mission: Primordial Vault: Terminus Range (Cold Hearted, Shielded, Invisible)[/p][p]Legendary Gear Reward: Finnity XXX-L Vladof Sniper Rifle[/p][p][/p][h2]Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine:[/h2][p]Here's a visual hint to where Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine is hidden this week. Remember, while this week's location is the same for everyone, your vending machine items are different from other players, so ask around to see if someone has the item you’re looking for![/p][p]
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Minor Update Notes - March 5, 2026

[p][/p][p]This Minor Update includes Pearlescent drop rate changes and QOL updates to the content released in Bounty Pack 2. [/p][p][/p][p]Please restart your game to ensure that the update goes through and to prevent connection errors in matchmaking.[/p][p][/p][p]If you're encountering any issues, please contact 2K Support for direct assistance. You can also read the PC Troubleshooting Guide, a list of known issues, or browse a list of Support threads here.[/p][p][/p]

Change Notes:

[p]Updated the Pearlescent Eigenburst to drop at its intended rate[/p]
[p]The scaling on Pearlescent drops in Ultimate Vault Hunter levels has been adjusted[/p]
- [p]Dev Note: We have adjusted how often Pearlescent gear appears at higher Ultimate Vault Hunter levels to meet our goals for this top-tier rarity. The starting drop chance remains the same, but the way it scales as you level up has been tuned.[/p]
[p]Standardized dedicated loot reward chances across all bosses in the base game, Bounty Packs, and Invincible encounters[/p]
- [p]Dev Note: With a new rarity now appearing in the wild, we’ve updated how bosses drop their loot to make things simpler. Bosses in the base game (including Invincibles) and all Bounty Packs now use the same drop rate for their dedicated items. This change does not impact Phosophene drop rates. We are happy to bring this update to your loot hunt! [/p]
[p]Reduced the health of all Ordonite enemies’ spawned Clones by 25%. The final boss has been unchanged[/p]
[p]Ordonite Cannisters now have more weight to them to create a softer flight and landing. We have also added extra glow to make them easier to see[/p]

That easy Borderlands 4 Pearlescent "won't happen again."

The arrival of Borderlands 4 Pearlescents hasn't been the thrilling upgrade to its loot system that many of us were hoping for. Making their return for the first time since Borderlands 2, the new tier of 'ultra-rare' drops are decent enough in their own right, but they don't really feel special. Taking to X, Borderlands 4's associate creative director Grant Kao has addressed some player concerns around the arrival of Pearls, and lists the changes Gearbox is working on.

Read the rest of the story...

THIS WEEK ON KAIROS

[p]A new mission featuring three new minibosses and a fearsome final boss[/p]
[p]All-new Pearlescent-rarity gear[/p]
[p]New Legendary loot[/p]
[p]A new Vault Card with 24 cosmetic items and 4 pieces of rerollable gear[/p]

[p][/p][p]A wretched malevolence lurks within the abandoned mines of Kairos. For centuries, the Augers have quelled rumblings from the deep by sending human sacrifices to the fabled Stone Demon, but Defiant Calder is determined to end these barbaric rituals for good.[/p][p]In Legend of the Stone Demon, you'll delve into an ancient cavern alongside Calder and eliminate threats among rich veins of crystalline Ordonite. Take on new Ordonite-encrusted enemy types and four new boss fights, all in hopes of scoring powerful new Pearlescent-rarity loot. [/p][p]By fully completing the new mission in Bounty Pack 2, you'll unlock a new Vault Hunter Skin usable by all Vault Hunters, a new Vehicle Skin, and a new ECHO-4 Drone Skin. Read more about it here![/p][p]
[/p][h3]Weekly Big Encore Boss: Horace[/h3][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Steam Community Photopalooza[/h3][p]As you take photos and drop them in Steam, we’ll round up a few of our favorites for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy the beauty of chaos - er, I mean, Kairos![/p][p]Legendary Star for this INCREDIBLE shot by ahuter:[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]Behind the Team: Joshua Towns, Borderlands 4 Senior Rigging Artist[/h3][p]Every week, we’re spotlighting one of the minds behind the mayhem. You’ll get to learn about folks from both Gearbox and 2K, and how each person who touches the game both influences and is influenced by Borderlands 4. This week, we're talking with Joshua Towns, Gearbox’s Senior Rigging Artist:[/p][p][/p][p]What’s your favorite part of the rigging process?[/p][p]Joshua: Skinning / Weight Painting. There's something therapeutic and calming when it comes to making characters move and deform in certain ways, and the cooler the character or creature, the more exciting it is. I'll pop on some epic music or European metal and the day will just fly by for me. And as a stress reliever for folks at the company, I sometimes make a silly short video of a character I’m working on talking, dancing, or singing to a song I’m listening to, which always makes people laugh.[/p][p]As the cherry on top, I get a mortified look from passersby when I talk about ‘skinning a character’ from previous games in public, which always gives me a chuckle.[/p][p][/p][p]How do you handle rigs for non-standard characters (creatures, mechanical characters, or stylized anatomy)?[/p][p]Joshua: Usually this involves talking with other departments like Animation, Art, and Design to make sure everyone signs off on what exactly we are intending to do. Unique characters are some of the coolest things that we as a rigging department can make, since it lets us ‘cut loose’ with preservation and automated joints, dynamic simulations, cloth, etc. But it can be a colossal undertaking with risk of scope creep if departments are not prepared for what it could entail.[/p][p]There's also potential for R&D on our control rigs related to certain unique characters, like the Thresher or Pangolin enemies for example. We work closely with animation leads and directors to make sure all the systems move and articulate the way they want without it being too overbearing on an animator, and that tech could be used on future characters or creatures that have similar needs, which is always a win.[/p][p][/p][p]What makes a rig truly production-ready?[/p][p]Joshua: We have certain stages of production for a rig. Our prototype stage is designed to be ‘throwaway’ work. We get whatever Art hands us rigged up as quickly as possible—usually just a standard skeleton and rig with no extra fancy bits—then hand that off to Animation to get things in-game for designers to play with. After some iteration on limb lengths, silhouette changes, or confirming if a unique feature on a character will work (like a cape or feathers), we get the sign-off from all departments that a character is ready for the full production pipeline.[/p][p]We then start adding the fun bits that make characters more unique like secondary joints for belts, chains, hair and capes, and getting those pieces simulated in-game to breathe more life into the character. This also gives Animation more time to animate those pieces for certain attacks or poses, and we begin to polish things from there until we are happy with it, or more often than not, time runs out![/p][p]
[/p][h3]Community Creative Corner[/h3][p]Our community members aren’t just gamers—many of you are also artists. Whether it’s cosplay, digital art, or some yet-to-be-invented medium, we’re your biggest fans. Check out this week’s hand-picked fan creations:[/p][p]rubicudus[/p][p][/p][p]jazzipazzi[/p][p][/p][p]That’s it for this week—with more updates, more chaos, and maybe a few surprises coming next Friday. Until then: keep your ECHOnet tuned and your loot luck high.[/p][p]Happy Hunting,
The Borderlands Team[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
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