A new patch for Borderlands 4 has been released, introducing a variety of fixes and gameplay enhancements aimed at improving performance and stability. This update comes at a crucial time for the game, which, despite its popularity, has garnered a “mixed” rating on Steam primarily due to performance issues. Interestingly, our reviewer found much to appreciate in the game, but the community’s response has been mixed, with some players reporting that their gaming experience has deteriorated following the update.
One of the inherent challenges of PC gaming lies in the vast array of hardware configurations, which can lead to unique issues for different users. Unfortunately, this patch appears to have exacerbated performance complaints for many, with players voicing concerns over reduced frame rates and increased stuttering across platforms such as Steam, Reddit, and X. The notorious process of compiling shaders continues to frustrate gamers, prompting the reminder that clearing the shader cache might alleviate some of these issues after prolonged play.
Change List:
Weekly Activities:
- Weekly Big Encore Boss has transitioned to a more challenging variant of an existing boss, offering an even richer loot pool for those daring enough to engage.
- The Weekly Wildcard Mission has been revamped, now guaranteeing a Legendary drop that players can earn repeatedly to secure their desired roll.
- Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine has relocated and updated its inventory. Players are encouraged to connect with others to find unique items, as offerings vary from player to player.
Stability & Performance
- Improvements have been made to stability and performance, including:
- Addressing various instances of hitching, low FPS, and crashes.
- Ongoing investigations are in place to further enhance stability and performance.
- Character animations have been updated for better performance.
- The Graphics Preset can now be set to High or Very High when using the Auto-Detect feature in the Visual Menu.
- Resolved rare issues related to infinite loading screens during crossplay.
- Improved character loading times in menus to minimize delays when entering character selection.
Rewards & Progression
- Addressed a reported issue where players could unintentionally lose or gain extra Skill Points in multiplayer.
- Fixed an issue that could prevent Contract target enemies from consistently spawning.
- Updated the Repkit lifesteal challenge to accurately track lifesteal from any source.
- Prevented region discovery achievements from unlocking prematurely.
- Ensured unowned DLC content does not appear in chests or menus.
- Clarified DLC-related warnings and reward availability.
- Resolved a reported issue where the Reward Center could malfunction after claiming Gilded Glory Pack rewards.
- Adjusted the popup in the Rewards Center to exclude already-claimed cosmetics.
- Reduced sell prices for Gilded Glory Pack gear in Vending Machines.
- Updated the Break Free Pack reward bundle to redeem correctly in all scenarios.
- Challenge timing has been refined to allow players to progress from Ultimate Vault Hunter (UVH) 4 to UVH 5 after completing the required Wildcard Mission.
- Note: Non-host players may not see their UVH level change upon ranking up in multiplayer, but they can switch to the higher level. This will be addressed in a future update.
- Updated Class Mods to prevent them from dropping with incorrect skill points.
- Removed the ECHO log “Maurice’s Log” as a requirement for the challenge “Kairos Speaks”.
- Note: For those not receiving the reward after this change, a fix is forthcoming in a future patch.
Vault Hunter Changes
Harlowe the Gravitar
- Gravitar Ground State Capstone has been corrected to remove misleading information about enemy damage reduction.
- Gravitar Flux Generator no longer heals enemies affected by the Potential Transference Capstone.
- Updated Gravitar Accretion passive to consistently grant Lifesteal to allies.
- Addressed various reported issues with Gravitar Unstable Energy Pocket created from CHROMA Accelerator Action Skill, including problems with disappearance, Cryo Damage conversion, and splitting as intended with certain skill tree combinations.
Amon the Forgeknight
- Forgeknight Primal Surge passive now correctly restores Shield and Ammo.
- Forgeknight Firewall Action Skill has been adjusted to prevent Vengeance from being stored before Scourge is active.
- Forgeknight Onslaughter Rocket Punch now connects more reliably with shielded enemies.
- Addressed a reported issue with Forgeknight Forgeaxe not consistently targeting nearby enemies.
Vex the Siren
- Resolved a reported issue with Siren Grave Harvest Augment triggering while Incarnate is inactive.
- Addressed a reported issue where Siren Blight Attunement passive could occasionally fail to damage the Timekeeper.
- Damage from Siren Spirit Bomb passive now correctly counts as Companion Damage and reflects the attuned element’s color.
Rafa the Exo-Soldier
- Fixed a reported issue preventing Exo-Soldier Blowout passive from stacking correctly when repeating Action Skills.
Gameplay
- Addressed a reported issue in the “Overwriting a Wrong” Side Mission where nodes would not spawn consistently.
- Fixed a reported issue in the “Talk to Zadra” Mission where the objective could fail if players exited and relaunched mid-dialogue.
- Updated beam hit detection to ensure proper blocking of beams, such as with Forgeknight Forgeshield.
- Repkits now consistently consume the correct number of charges after activating Forgeknight Scourge action skill.
- Prevented Forgeknight from sliding at the end of Molten Slam.
- Addressed various reported instances of enemies becoming stuck during missions.
- Updated Zadra’s Lab Fast Travel unlock to occur after discovery.
Gear
- Vladof Atling Gun Heavy Weapon Ordnance now correctly targets Primordial Guardian Inceptus.
- Queen’s Rest Pistols with Daedalus Ammoswitcher licensed underbarrel now fire the correct projectiles.
- Gear with the Short Circuit Augment now accurately tracks toward enemies instead of erratic directions.
- Addressed edge cases where interrupting reload could cause ammo desynchronization, preventing firing.
- Hellwalker: now consistently spawns with Fire element.
- Tediore weapons: +10% Damage and +10% magazine size.
- Order Pistol Lucky Clover (Rocket Reload): increased fire rate.
- Order Sniper Rifle Fisheye: increased Damage.
UI & UX
- Updated gear thumbnails to ensure proper display and loading of stand-in thumbnails.
- Improved various UI visuals for alignment, consistency, and clarity.
- Adjusted inventory dropdown menus to avoid unintended selection changes.
- Added D-pad navigation support to the Reward Center and enhanced handling of the Inventory Overflow message.
- Fixed incorrect prompts in the Matchmaking Menu when joining another player’s game.
- Addressed compass displaying incorrect location names after teleporting.
- Updated localization and text descriptions throughout the game.
- Implemented various improvements to compass, custom waypoint placement, and ECHO location.
Visuals
- Fixed issues with carryable objects disappearing or appearing incorrectly after being picked up in specific missions.
- Enhanced visual effects for Armor Segment breaks when Shield Capacity effects expire.
- Updated NPC and enemy pathing for improved gameplay experience.
- Addressed visual effects concerns with various weapons, vehicles, and elemental states.
- Implemented various animation updates and visual improvements.
- Adjusted rift portal effects for corrected visuals.
- Updated ECHO-4 positioning in various menus to prevent clipping.
- Ambient critters now exhibit more natural spawning behavior.
Audio
- DJs in Carcadia Burn and Fadefields now correctly play their voiceovers when starting or completing Contracts.
- Adjusted radio music mix for enhanced audibility.
- Added missing audio for multiple weapon types, customization options, and menu navigation.
- Reduced instances of voiceover cutting out during missions.
- Updated startup movies to ensure correct audio playback.
Misc
- Fixed reported instances of incorrect or deleted characters appearing in menus or lobbies.
- Enabled Tab key functionality in SHiFT UI.
- Added haptic feedback for controllers in the Exo-Soldier Unmissable Missiles Augment.
- Updated credits listing for accuracy.
NOTE: Reports indicate that some players are experiencing reduced stability following this update. SOLUTION: Stuttering issues should improve over time as shaders continue to compile in the background during gameplay. If problems persist after 15 minutes of continuous play, players are advised to clear their shader cache using the approved method from their video card manufacturer.