Getting Started on Kairos
Borderlands 4 introduces several quality-of-life changes and new mechanics that streamline the experience. Here's what you need to know first:
Key New Mechanics
Repkits & Ordnance
Gone are the days of scrambling for health vials. You now have an equippable Repkit, a healing item on a cooldown that you can use to instantly regain health. Similarly, traditional grenades have been replaced by Ordnance, powerful abilities that also operate on a cooldown, making them a more integral part of your combat rotation.
The Weapon Wheel
Swapping between your four equipped guns is smoother than ever with the new on-screen weapon wheel, allowing for seamless tactical changes mid-firefight.
Enhanced Movement
Your Vault Hunter is more agile than ever. A new Dash allows you to dodge attacks, a Double Jump adds verticality, and a Grapple Hook lets you zip to specific points to gain a tactical advantage or explore hard-to-reach areas.
The New Vault Hunters
Kairos brings four new legendary treasure-seekers to the forefront, each with three unique skill trees and deep customization options.
Vex (The Siren)
A master of summoning, Vex can create ghostly clones to distract enemies, command a spectral beast to fight alongside her, or become an incarnation of pure elemental power herself.
View Vex Leveling Guide →Rafa (The Exo-Soldier)
An aggressive, high-flying damage dealer, Rafa utilizes back-mounted cannons and an Overdrive trait to boost his speed and power, overwhelming enemies with pure firepower.
View Rafa Builds →Amon (The Forgeknight)
The quintessential brawler, Amon uses advanced tech to digistruct elemental axes, whips, and a protective shield, allowing him to dominate in close-quarters combat.
View Amon Builds →Harlowe (The Gravitar)
A strategic crowd-control specialist, Harlowe manipulates gravity to entangle groups of enemies, sharing damage between them or locking a single powerful foe in stasis.
View Harlowe Builds →Mastering the Endgame
Finishing the main campaign is just the beginning. Borderlands 4 features the most robust endgame in the series to date.
Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM)
Upon completing the story, you unlock UVHM. This mode dramatically increases enemy health and damage but also boosts the quality of loot you'll find. There are five difficulty levels within UVHM, each unlocked by completing specific in-game challenges, pushing your build to its absolute limit.
Start New Characters at Level 30
Once you've beaten the campaign, you can create new Vault Hunters that start at level 30, allowing you to jump straight into the endgame grind without replaying the story.
Specializations
This is a separate, endgame-focused skill tree with its own XP pool. You can invest points here to gain powerful passive stat boosts that complement your main build.
Firmware Gear Sets
Certain endgame gear pieces (shields, class mods, etc.) can drop with "Firmware." Collecting and equipping multiple pieces from the same Firmware set grants powerful set bonuses, adding another layer to build-crafting.
Moxxi's Big Encore Machine
No more save-quitting! This machine allows you to instantly replay any boss fight you've already completed, making farming for specific legendary drops more efficient than ever.
Weekly Activities
Each week, the endgame shifts with a new location for Maurice's Black Market vending machine, a unique "Big Encore" boss to fight, and a special Wildcard Mission with unique modifiers and guaranteed rewards.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
Get the latest SHiFT codes and dive deeper into character builds to maximize your Borderlands 4 experience.