Amid plenty of discussion surrounding the issue of drop rates in Borderlands 4, creative director Graeme Timmins finally confirmed that the game’s loot drops are fixed, regardless of difficulty. When Borderlands streamer Ki11er Six posted on X asking Timmins and associate creative director Grant Kao to confirm it, Timmins replied, “Dedicated drops are fixed/not influenced by difficulty/UVH.”
As Borderlands 4‘s most dedicated players continue to farm bosses for their favorite legendary weapons and gear, this confirmation naturally only adds fuel to the fire of the ongoing drop-rate controversy. After a recent player test exposed the legendary dedicated drop rate in Borderlands 4 to be around 5%, those who were previously unaware that difficulty has no effect on drop rates might now feel even more discouraged about their efforts.
Borderlands 4’s Drop Rates Are the Same on All Difficulties
While older games like Borderlands 2 and 3 technically also used static loot tables, their Mayhem and Ultimate Vault Hunter modes effectively tied higher difficulty to better drop quality or quantity, giving players a tangible reward for playing on harder settings. But with Borderlands 4 having fixed drop rates that are unaffected by difficulty, much of the incentive to farm dedicated drops from bosses on higher difficulties — Ultimate Vault Hunter 5, for example — naturally goes away for some players.
This doesn’t trivialize Borderlands 4‘s Ultimate Vault Hunter mode, though, as there are still plenty of other reasons to take advantage of it. While the base chance to drop loot might be unchanged across difficulties, the quality, number of perks, rarity tiers, or stat ranges on those drops are reportedly improved in harder modes. In other words, players do still get better loot on higher difficulties in Borderlands 4, even though the rate at which legendaries drop remains the same.
To be fair, as Timmins explained in his post on X, the purpose behind all of this was to ensure players weren’t “forced” into higher difficulties just to have a better chance at getting the dedicated drops they were farming. This is something that games like Destiny 2, which Borderlands 4 mimics in a lot of ways, have garnered criticism for in the past, despite their live-service, MMO model somewhat justifying it.
Nevertheless, it’s understandably frustrating, especially for those players whose first game in the series is Borderlands 4. Borderlands veterans are familiar with drop rate mechanics like this, but with Borderlands 4 being treated as an entry point for new players, they might have been looking for a more rewarding experience on the other side of difficulty.
- Released
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September 12, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
