Border 4 gets a minor update, but one that aims to be effective by buffing two of its Vault Hunters and providing significant adjustments to drop rates for legendary weapons. Border 4 It has certainly seen its fair share of ups and downs since its September 12, 2025, launch. While there was much anticipation for the game's release, it didn't seem to have the big impact many expected, with parent company Take-Two calling the launch “softer than expected”. Regardless, Gearbox continues to update the game with both improvements and content.
recently, Border 4 The popular season looting incident was under further scrutiny from players after the end. During the holiday season, Gearbox significantly increased the drop rate of legendary gear, giving players the best opportunity to hunt and farm for loot. After the January 8 update, the event officially ended, meaning increased drop rates were set back to normal. The change immediately upset fans who were upset that the studio was taking away something they really enjoyed. The studio also indicated that it was aware of the positive reception and was working on long-term enhancements, but had no details to share at the time.
What to expect from the pearl guns and gear in Frontier 4
Borderlands 4 could redefine Pearlescent gear in a number of ways, but in terms of what's actually coming, some are more likely than others.
Thankfully, it looks like players won't have to wait long for a resolution as the January 15 update includes a permanent increase in legendary drop rates. Unfortunately, it doesn't provide any further details, including whether this season is on par with looting rates or may be slightly lower. While Border 4 Players have already calculated the expected drop rates beforehand, based on player quests, the rates seem to have increased only slightly, with the tertiary level systems unchanged. “Shiny” rare weapon drop rates, which were already very hard to come by, seem to have only increased by 0.2%. Keep in mind that these are not official numbers, so they may be slightly off.
Outside of the drop rate changes, the other big piece of this update is with Harlow and Amon as both received several buffs. As for Harlowe the Gravitar, some of her skills have been boosted, with Freeze Frame receiving an additional 20% bonus cryo damage and its maximum stack set to 5. Endothermic Aura bonus damage is increased by 6%, while her Concurrence Action Skill now lasts 5% longer. Harlow's Control Group Kill skill can restore its cooldown a bit faster when killing entangled enemies.
As for Forgeknight Amon, Vault Hunter has seen enough buffs. Specifically, Forgeaxe and Forgehammer Detonation damage is increased by approximately 72%, while Hammer Impact damage hour is also increased by approximately 59%. Blade Tempest had a cooldown duration bug fixed and now fires 5 swords per barrage. Get the Lead Out increases Amon's reload speed by 5%, while Freezer Burn adds 9% more cryo and incendiary bonus damage. Finally, Armor of Contempt gives Amon a 5% boost to overshield when dealing any damage with an action skill.
It should be noted that neither Vex nor Rafa are included in this update, as both remain the same. This is probably due to the fact that both Vault Hunters have become extremely popular, largely due to the powerful builds that players have discovered for them. In fact, Vex's Crit Knife build was so powerful that it essentially allowed him to slice through bosses through infinitely stacking bleed damage, trivializing most difficult bosses if the right gear was being used. The build was eventually nerfed, but that didn't stop players from continuing their rampage with both Vex and Rafa's other powerful abilities and skills.
Borderlands 4 January 15, 2026, update patch notes
gameplay
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Added a permanent increase to legendary drop rate chance
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The Phosphene version of the Daedalus Legendary Assault Rifle Bloody Lumberjack has been added to the Foundry Freaks loot pool.
Vault hunters
Harlow:
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Consensus: Job skill duration increased by 5%
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Control Group: Killing a trapped enemy now restores 6% of Harlow's Action Skill cooldown and Action Skill duration.
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Freeze Frame: Bonus cryo damage increased to 20%, max stacks now 5
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Endothermic Reaction: Harlow's endothermic aura bonus damage increased to 6%
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Heat Sink: Action skill cooldown rate increased to 10%
Amon:
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Forgeaxe and Forgehammer Detonation damage increased by ~72%
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Get Lead Out: Amon's reload speed increased by 5%
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Hour of the Hammer: Forgehammer effect damage increased by ~59%
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Freezer Burn: Cryo and Incendiary bonus damage increased to 9%
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Armor of Contempt: Amon now gains 5% overshield when taking action skill damage
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Blade Tempest: Now fires 5 swords per barrage, and addressed a reported issue that could cause a change in cooldown duration.
- issued
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September 12, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction
