Hello everyone, I am JoeForLong, the self-proclaimed Mr. Tediore in Borderlands 3 as well as Borderlands 4.
Through the help of others, I have finally been able to boil down the proper Damage Formula for Tediore reloads in Borderlands 4. While the specifics of everything is not required in order to properly utilize Tediore builds, I find knowing this information has helped me further appreciate and understand even further. I will try to be concise and will fail to do so.
BIG BIG thanks to many of the lovely people in the BL4 community such as GIRTHQUAKE, Prismatic, Nepta, wrw173, Ratore, and others for their contributions to this.
NOTE
Multi-pellet Tediore reloads are still bugged to not account for all of their pellets when calculating reload damage, instead only counting one. A similar issue is affecting guns that consume multiple ammo-per-shot which also leads to lower reload damage numbers.
Guide
Tediore Reload Damage Formula
I'm going to throw the whole thing at you and then explain everything afterwards, so don't fret.
ON SHOT/CARD MODIFIERS
ON HIT MODIFIERS
[ Gun Card Damage x Magazine Formula x (1 + Get Throwin Firmware + Banger Tediore Enhancement) x (1 + "Splash Radius Body Part*") x (1 + Enhancement Gun Damage)]
*Changes based on weapon rarity: 24% for Purple/Epic rarity, 24.75% for Orange/Legendary and Pearlescent rarities.
** Gets tripled if the reload type is Shooting, Shooting Replicator, or Shooting MIRV ONLY
** Gets doubled on the main projectile of the Chuck. Additional projectiles from Replicator/Digi-Divider Tediore Enhancement/Grenazerker effects do not get the 2x.
Magazine Formula
Tediore's do a funny thing in regard to magazine size in which the there is a wide maximum and minimum range in which the numbers do not change. This causes the damage to max out at 75% of the total mag size of your gun as well as floors the damage at 30% of the total mag size of your gun. This is the actual mag size and not a product of your mag size bonuses since those will round down if it results in a decimal number. This formula also becomes a bit complicated if your gun consumes more than one ammo per shot.
If you're reloading the gun at 75% of your mag size or higher:
[(Total Mag Size/Ammo Cost per Shot)* x 0.75] x [Reload Multipliers]
If you're reloading the gun at 30% of your mag size or lower:
[(Total Mag Size/Ammo Cost per Shot)* x 0.30] x [Reload Multipliers]
If you're reloading anywhere in-between those mag size percentages:
([Bullets in Magazine when thrown/Total Mag Size) x (Total Mag Size/Ammo Cost per Shot)* x [Reload Multipliers]
* Round down to the lowest whole number
In the final equation, the Total Mag Size numbers cleanly cancel out of the Total Mag Size is divisible by the Ammo Cost per shot, in which you could simply do (Bullets in Magazine when thrown/Ammo Cost per shot) in its place instead. The formula is only setup in this complicated way to account for other situations in which that number does not cleanly divide into a whole number. You really do not need to worry about any formula other than the 75% and above one for most endgame activities. The others are listed for the sake of completion.
Reload Multipliers
As in Borderlands 3, each reload type can affect the damage drastically. Borderlands 4 is no different! It initially appears more complicated because of the variety of 40 different reload types between the four different body parts, of which you can get up to two of at once, and up to four different grips. However, that's why I've went and done all the work for you so you can worry about dealing big damages.
Standard Reload/Javelin = -50% (x0.5)
These were used as the baseline since the rest of the numbers make when sense when used alongside these. Note that you won't find these on most standard Tediore reloads, primarily just through the Licensed-Parts System.
You will include this x0.5 multiplier in most of the reload multiplier formulas except for a few unique Legendaries I will cover later.
Homing = -10% (x0.9)
Shooting/Combo = -25% (x0.75)
The Combo orbs detonate for an extra 1.125x multiplier unless it is a Combo Legs grounded turret, in which it will detonate for 2x damage.
Replicator = -40% (x0.6)
This is the damage of each individual instance of reload damage and not the total damage. If you wanted to include both instances, this would work out to be an overall 60% increase in damage if both instances hit your target. This effective value of this diminishes compared to other reload types if you are using an effect such as a Digi-Divider Tediore Enhancement or Rafa's CacklingGrenazerkerClass Mod.
MIRV = -60% (x0.4)
On impact, this reload type will spawn four child grenades that slowly arc upwards and then fall to the floor, dealing 50% of the damage of the impact (this is not a double dip of any kind). This works out to be a total value of about 120%. This sounds very cool and enticing, but the damage application is very slow and works very, very poorly against any enemy who is mobile or airborne.
If you are using a MIRV Legs reload, these child grenades will explode for 100% of the impact damage instead.
Legs = -50% (x0.5)
Bit of a funny doozy this one is; when they turn into grounded turrets and run into enemies, this damage instance will deal Ordnance Damage instead of the usual Gun Damage. Very importantly it has to become a turret on the ground first, a direct impact will still result in a usual Gun Damage reload. For the sake of the damage formula for this, replace any instance of Gun Damage with Ordnance Damage. This is generally not been too far tested because I just do not think it has anything practical going for it.
Fun Fact: if you hit a direct reload with a Leg-Reload Turret, an extra copy will spawn on the ground at where the enemy is.
Unfun Fact: Leg turrets have a maximum cap of two out at any one time.
Legendary Specific Reload Multipliers
While most Legendaries follow the rules listed above in accordance with their available reload parts, a few do not and will be listed below.
An important note, you will not include the x0.5 from the Standard Tediore Reload when calculating the damage for these.
For the purposes of this Calculation, you will just use the Max Mag Size after bonuses. You will not apply the 75% Mag Size modifier like you do any other reload.
As previously mentioned, the "primary" reload (the one that always go straight forward) get X2 of your generic Gun Damage bonuses. However, no additional reload instances do, such in the case of Replicator reload, Rafa's Grenazerker, and the Digi-Divider Tediore Enhancement.
How to Calculate Reload Multipliers
This is quite simple, as you will take the default 0.5x in the formula and apply any appropriate additional part as listed above.
For just a basic Combo reload gun, it'll work as such:
0.5 x 0.75 = 0.375
For a more interesting Replicator Legs gun, you would do:
0.5 x 0.6 x 0.5 = 0.15
For a much rarer Shooting Homing MIRV gun:
0.5 x 0.75 x 0.40 x 0.90 = 0.135
If you'd much refer to a chart that has every single reload combination already listed, calculated, and accounted for, here you go!
"Splash Radius Body Part"
This probably isn't quite an official name but that's what referred to in the code so that's what I'm calling it here. This is just one of four body parts that can roll on Tediore guns that gives an extra multiplier worth of damage but only to the actual reload; it has no effect on the card damage.
Other than looking at the gun, the only other way to distinguish the Splash Radius part is if the radius on the gun is increased if has a splash radius (about a 30% increase in radius, shown below).
On shotguns it'll be this transparent triangular part right under the sight. (100cm -> 129 cm)
On pistols it'll be the transparent sheath-lookin' bit right under the sight. (50cm -> 65cm)
On assault rifles it is the protruding bit in the middle of the gun with the transparent cover on it. (50cm -> 65cm)
The amount of damage it provides changes based on the rarity of the gun. For the purposes of what you'll probably care for in the endgame:
Purple/Epic Rarity guns will get a multiplier of 1.24x
Orange/Legendary as well as Pearlescent Rarity guns will get a multiplier of 1.2475x
Get Throwin' and Banger Enhancement
Despite the text being changed to only include Grenade Damage, this firmware applies to Tediore reloads in its own multiplier alongside the Banger Enhancement, making it an extremely valuable singular firmware slot for Tediore builds.
The Banger enhancement's text sounds a lot more complicated but in practice it just ends up being a 1.5x multiplier no matter how much ammo is in your magazine.
These two combined provide a very hefty 1.85x multiplier in damage which is very much appreciated.
Generic Gun Damage Bonuses
This part primarily applies to Tediore guns with Shooting, Shooting Replicator, and Shooting MIRV parts as well as the primary instance of a Chuck only!
Generic Gun Damage Bonuses can usually be seen in the Player Stats page to differentiate them from the many other forms of additive soup in this game. Some examples include:
May 30th | Version 1.0 | Guide posted :) June 7th | Version 1.1 | Added some new information June 16th | Verison 1.2 | Ratore cleaned things up and made things look pretty, added new Information about Chuck. June 19th | Version 1.2.1 | Splash radius parts now show images instead of needing to be clicked June 20th | Version 1.3 | Thanks to WRW for helping figure out the specifics about the ammo cost per shot calculation
