Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppBorderlands 4 is finally here!
If you're just beginning your journey into the franchise, or perhaps want a quick overview of what's new, we've got you covered with many great tips from RageGaming!
Please note that last section at the bottom includes some minor spoilers, specifically about the levels in which certain equipment types are unlocked.
It's important to pay attention to your elemental affinities among Weapons. Elements matter a lot when dealing damage, and on Hard Mode it even amplifies their effectiveness.
You can inspect a Weapon's properties by hovering over its elements, allowing you to see what they are strong and weak against. Different elements vary, but Kinetic Weapons are neutral across the board.
While the DPS value is a reasonable indicator of its power, consider it as more of a rough guideline than a definitive stat to compare.
Oftentimes you'll still deal more damage with the applicable elemental Weapon, even when it has a lower base value. Unless it's a significant difference, always keep elemental effectiveness in mind.
Outside of your regular Weapons, these are the different types of equipment slots to account for.
These function as basic healing kits with a cooldown, and can also provide other modifier and/or manufacturer effects.
There's a wide variety of Weapons that fit here, including Grenades, Rocket Launchers, Laser Cannons, Railguns, Chainsaw Launchers, Gatling Guns, Anti-Air Cannons, and more.
Contrary to previous titles, these are tied to a cooldown instead of having a limited amount of ammo.
Class Mods provide additional skill points that are directly applied to your tree, along with stat boosts.
Damage is eaten by your Shield before its applied directly to you, and there are two kinds of Shields that function a bit differently.
Enhancements grant bonuses to Weapons with the corresponding manufacturer or licensed part, along with universal stat increases that work across the board.
Given that varying part types can be combined together, Enhancements can lead to interesting combos.
Whether you like to play Solo or Co-op, you're absolutely free to play whatever Vault Hunter you like.
However, if you're looking for an easier time during Solo play, a minion-based 
Vex build can certainly make things easier.
Minions have pretty good survivability early on and help draw aggro. This allows you fire freely without having to worry about dodging as often.
As for Co-op, it can be fun to create builds utilizing skills that specifically affect allies. This allows you to better capitalize on abilities that otherwise wouldn't be as relevant.
In Co-op, players are also free to fast travel directly to allies from anywhere across the map!
It's definitely worth your time to interact with side content in Borderlands 4. Aside from the usual loot, they also provide the ability to acquire SDU Tokens.
While these can be earned through various means, completing side content is definitely a reliable way to go about it. You don't have to do everything, but it certainly helps to do some.
Storage Deck Upgrades are incredibly useful as they can provide more Backpack space, Bank space, and increased ammo capacity for your guns.
If you happen to encounter any dome-shaped bubbles (you'll see an icon if any are nearby), it's absolutely worth the detour to take on the challenge.
Entering the sphere pits you against a Rift Champion (boss), granting you a shot at some excellent loot.
You must stay within the bubble throughout the fight, and you only have once chance to defeat it. If you die, it'll go away.
However, defeating this boss will net you a bunch of loot, along with a reward cache that's capable of rolling a Legendary Weapon (even at lower levels!).
In Borderlands 4 there are various supply caches which can be a great source of loot, particularly at lower levels. While traversing the map, you can find these hidden among certain locations.
It's worth looking back on previously explored maps as you may notice a supply cache that you missed. As long as you've walked near its vicinity in the past, it will show up, even if you didn't know it at the time.
Here's a quick list of some optional settings that you may want to turn on/off or experiment with.
In case you're curious what level you unlock certain equipment types, here's the breakdown.
Note that this includes both the gear slot, and the ability for those items to drop.
