Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppThis guide will help you decide between using an Epic or Legendary weapon in Borderlands 4. We'll explain how to calculate your DPS so that you can make the best choice for your Vault Hunter.
Just because a weapon shows green arrows, sporting that flashy gold Legendary background, does not always mean it is better than what you already have. Lets explain!
First we need to talk about the differences between DPS & Effective DPS.
DPS (Damage Per Second) is a straightforward metric that calculates the average damage a character's weapon or ability deals per second, typically under ideal conditions. It’s a raw measure of damage output, often based on a single attack cycle or ability rotation without factoring in external variables.
Effective DPS accounts for application factors that impact damage output, such as accuracy, critical hit rates, enemy defenses, downtime (e.g., reloading, ability cooldowns), and situational modifiers (e.g., buffs, debuffs, or environmental effects). It provides a more realistic estimate of actual damage dealt in practical scenarios.
How does this apply to Borderlands 4?
In my 100+ hours of playtime since launch, I've noticed that the number given on weapons is wrong most of the time. I've played games such as Borderlands, PoE, Diablo, and WoW for over 20 years now.
Using that baseline, I can show you not every weapon is as good as the game says it is.
This really stood out to me when I found the Legendary equivalent of the Epic weapon I was using. The game said it was better, but based on the stats and my knowledge of numbers, I knew it wasn't.
( Damage per Hit ) x ( Hits per second )
Using the example above:
To calculate your Effective DPS, you need to figure out a few things; Damage Per Mag, Time to Fire, and Cycle Time.
Once you figure out these metrics you can find out your Effective DPS.
Using the Example 1 above:
As you can see, the "DPS" shown in the image is nothing close to its true value.
Using what we learned above, we will now apply the same to Example 2.
True DPS
Effective DPS
Example 1:
True DPS:
Effective DPS:
Example 2:
True DPS:
Effective DPS:
So now that you can see the side-by-side comparison, you'll notice they're on par with one another, unlike what the in-game data shows. The Legendary 
G.M.R. only has 576.37 more base Effective DPS.
The image below shows how the weapons look in-game versus how they would look if the number showed accurate DPS/Effective DPS stats.
The second set of images are edited to display an accurate example.
One important thing that I left out is Legendary Effects and Licensed Parts.
The Legendary Extolled G.M.R. has a joke of a weapon effect, giving +100% more damage while aiming at the cost of -50% Fire rate (equaling out the damage output whether you aim or hip fire).
The Purple Extolled Schema Has the Ripper-licensed part which allows the gun to charge for a brief moment before firing Full-Auto (replacing the Order charged burst shot).
From what I know, after farming the "Driller Hole" boss 1,373 times and getting the G.M.R. to drop 472 times, I have found the following modifiers.
However, there were no Ripper-Licensed parts to be found.
Why do I bring this up? It's because the Licensed parts have a huge impact on your builds, and how your weapons work overall.
The Ripper Brand Enhancement with Short Circuit - After reloading an empty magazine, guns with Ripper-Licensed Parts have a 30% chance to increase the next magazine's Fire Rate +100%.
This increases the Effective DPS of the Epic weapon from 8,230.77 to 11,921.67, whereas the Legendary weapon is 8,807.14, only giving you 576.37 more Effective DPS than the base Epic.
(+100% is a 2x Multiplier)
9.7 x 2 = 19.4
Effective DPS w/ Ripper-Licensed part + Enhancement
In the end, this gives you 3,690.9 more Effective DPS!
Ultimately, choosing between Epic and Legendary weapons in Borderlands 4 requires a deep dive into True DPS, Effective DPS, and the unique effects of Licensed Parts & Enhancements, rather than trusting the game’s surface-level indicators.
By applying these calculations & experimenting with your own gear, you can uncover the true potential of your Vault Hunters. So, gear up, crunch the numbers, and let your optimized build dominate Kairos, leaving no doubt that you’ve chosen the best weapon for the job.
