Borderlands 4: How To Farm Legendary Weapons

Legendary weapons define your builds in Borderlands 4, and the game gives multiple reliable ways to target-farm them. The new Moxxi’s Encore system lets you respawn bosses on demand, while Rift Events, Ripper Drill Sites, Order Bunkers, and Primordial Vault create consistent high-level loot loops that scale with Mayhem levels. Below you’ll find beginner-friendly step-by-step routes, exact boss locations, and confirmed dedicated drop tables for the best legendaries so you can start stacking orange drops fast.

1. Best Legendary Farming Methods

There are several reliable ways to farm legendary weapons in Borderlands 4. Each one focuses on a specific loot source, giving players clear and repeatable options for building powerful gear setups at any stage of the game.

1.1 Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine

Overview

The Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine is Borderlands 4’s main replay system, allowing players to instantly respawn and refight bosses, Ripper leaders, or Order Bunker minibosses without quitting or reloading the game. It’s the foundation of all efficient legendary farming routes.

How to Unlock Moxxi’s Big Encore (Step-by-Step)

1. Defeat any boss for the first time to unlock their Encore slot.
2. Locate a Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine at your nearest hub or Order Silo outpost.
3. Select the boss or activity you want to refight from the available list.
4. Pay the respawn fee, it increases slightly with level and caps around 40,000 at level 50.

How to Farm Moxxi’s Encore (Encore Loop)

1. Activate the machine and respawn your chosen target.
2. Defeat the boss and collect their dedicated legendary loot.
3. Return to the machine to immediately requeue the same encounter.
4. Sell excess gear between fights to maintain backpack space and fund respawns.

Encore Machine — Rewards & Drops

• Each boss has a specific drop pool, making Encore the best method for targeted farming.
• Applies to main campaign bosses, Ripper Drill Site leaders, and Order Bunker minibosses.
• Examples: Splashzone drops the Firewerks Shield; Pango & Bango drop the Stray Sniper Rifle.

When to Use

• Best for early and mid-game farming when you need reliable, repeatable legendary sources.
• Ideal for players who want to farm a single weapon or boss-specific gear efficiently.

Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine

1.2 Rift Events

Overview

Rift Events are spontaneous world activities across Kairos where waves of high-level enemies appear inside glowing domes marked by energy bubbles. These are fast-paced, repeatable fights that reward random epic and legendary loot.

How to Trigger and Complete a Rift Event

1. Look for glowing opalescent domes on the world map, these mark active Rifts.
2. Enter the dome to start the encounter and survive all enemy waves.
3. Stay within the Rift boundary, leaving cancels the fight instantly.
4. After the final wave, a loot chest spawns containing rare and legendary gear.

Rift Events — Rewards & Drops

• The final chest has a high chance to drop legendary weapons, relics, and shields.
• Previously defeated bosses can reappear inside Rifts and still drop from their dedicated loot pools.
• Excellent source of random world legendaries and upgrade materials during progression.

When to Run

• Ideal for early and mid-game players looking to fill weapon slots between major boss farms.
• Great for earning random legendaries while exploring new zones or collecting Vault Keys.

1.3 Ripper Drill Sites

Overview

Ripper Drill Sites are combat arenas controlled by gang factions across Kairos. Each site ends with a fight against a Ripper boss guarding the Drill Cache, which often contains legendary weapons and high-value loot.

How to Complete a Ripper Drill Site (Step-by-Step)

1. Open your map and look for the drill icon marking active Ripper Sites.
2. Clear all enemy waves to activate the drill and trigger the boss encounter.
3. Defeat the final Ripper leader to unlock the Drill Cache chest.
4. Loot the Cache and collect rewards before moving to the next site.

How to Farm Ripper Drill Sites (Encore Rotation)

1. After your first completion, each site enters Moxxi’s Encore rotation.
2. Re-fight Ripper bosses anytime using the machine to repeat their loot drops.
3. Rotate between sites for faster respawns and varied loot pools.

Ripper Drill Sites — Recommended Routes & Notable Drops

• Tendercage and The Lowering March are the fastest early-game routes.
• These sites drop the Stray Sniper Rifle and Finnity XXX-L Pistol, both excellent starter legendaries.
• Best for solo players and it has short fights with high drop consistency.

1.4 Order Bunkers

Overview

Order Bunkers are endgame dungeons filled with elite enemies, puzzles, and minibosses leading to a Vault Chest. They’re designed for high-level farming and yield multiple legendaries per clear.

How to Complete an Order Bunker (Step-by-Step)

1. Enter the bunker and clear each combat room to unlock the next area.
2. Defeat minibosses along the way, and each has a dedicated loot pool.
3. Reach the Vault Chamber and open the chest for your main legendary rewards.
4. Use Moxxi’s Encore to replay the bunker for repeat loot runs.

Order Bunkers — Rewards & Drops

• Tipping Point Bunker – drops the Complex Root Sniper Rifle.
• Blacklime Bunker – drops the Divided Focus Assault Rifle.
• Completing all rooms usually yields 2–3 guaranteed legendaries per run.

When to Run

• Best for level 35+ players farming multiple weapons and class mods in one session.
• Excellent for combining with Primordial Vault runs for high-end loot rotations.

1.5 Primordial Vaults

Overview

Primordial Vaults are late-game dungeons guarded by Primordial Guardians which are massive bosses that drop powerful, exclusive legendaries and Vault Hunter-specific class mods.

How to Unlock a Primordial Vault (Step-by-Step)

1. Collect three Vault Key Fragments from the region tied to that Vault.
2. Return to the Vault entrance once you have all three fragments.
3. Unlock the Vault door and enter the arena.

How to Farm a Primordial Vault (Encore Loop)

1. Defeat the Primordial Guardian to complete the run.
2. Loot the Vault’s unique chest for its dedicated drops.
3. Re-enter the same Vault via Moxxi’s Encore to repeat the farm as often as you like.
4. Between runs, sell excess items and restock ammo to keep the loop efficient.

Boss Fight Basics (What to Expect)

• Large health pools and multi-phase mechanics—bring sustained DPS and survivability.
• Learn attack patterns to minimize downtime and shorten each clear.

Primordial Vaults — Rewards & Drops

• Vault of Inceptus (Fadefields) — drops Ravenfire and Husky Friend.
• Vault of Radix (Carcadia Burn) — drops Anarchy Shotgun and Forge Master Mod.
• Vault of Origo (Terminus Range) — drops Bottled Lightning and Kindred Spirits Mod.

When to Run

• Endgame activity for players chasing class-specific and mythic-tier loot.
• Best combined with Order Bunker routes to maximize high-level rewards per hour.

2. Best Legendary Weapons and Farming Locations

Legendary weapons in Borderlands 4 offer unique perks and massive damage boosts. Each gun has a specific boss or location tied to it, making farming predictable and efficient. Below is a quick breakdown of the best legendaries in the game and exactly where to farm them.

2.1 Lead Balloon (Torgue Shotgun)

• Boss: Splashzone
• Location: Coastal Bonescape, Fadefields
• Effect: Floating projectiles that burst into child projectiles; sticky mode critical hits ricochet.
• Best Method: Use Moxxi’s Encore machine for repeat boss runs near the Stockroom Silo fast travel point.

Gripping Lead Ballon Shotgun stats

2.2 Firewerks (Armor Shield)

• Boss: Splashzone
• Location: Coastal Bonescape, Fadefields
• Effect: Spawns homing missiles on kill that deal splash damage to nearby enemies.
• Tip: Use incendiary weapons for faster boss takedowns.

2.3 Aegon’s Dream (Assault Rifle)

• Boss: Horace
• Location: Hungering Plain, Fadefields
• Effect: Fires spectral rounds that deal scaling damage after ricocheting.
• Unlock: Requires completing the “Down and Outbound” story mission.

2.4 Noisy Cricket (Pistol)

• Boss: Sidney Pointylegs
• Location: The Prospects Ripper Drill Site, Hungering Plain
• Effect: Compact energy SMG with burst shots that ricochet toward the nearest target.
• Extras: Chance to drop alongside the Swarm ordnance grenade mod.

2.5 Stray (Sniper Rifle)

• Boss: Pango & Bango
• Location: Lopside Region, Carcadia Burn
• Effect: Critical hits spawn homing projectiles; extreme range precision rifle.
• Mission: Appears after clearing the Tendercage Ripper Drill Site.

Dripping Stray Sniper Rifle Stats

2.6 Phantom Flame (Pistol)

• Boss: Pango & Bango
• Location: Lopside, Carcadia Burn
• Effect: Zooming in locks onto multiple enemies; fires all rounds at once for burst damage.

2.7 Queen’s Rest (Pistol)

• Boss: Queen Callis
• Location: Queen’s Rest, Carcadia Burn
• Effect: Fires high-speed rounds with a 30% chance to spawn homing sticky projectiles.

2.8 Wombo Combo (Assault Rifle)

• Boss: Rippa Roadbirds (Gruntabulous Vork, Baby Grunt, Lil’ Grunt)
• Location: Saw’s Clench Ripper Drill Site, Carcadia Burn
• Effect: Fires rip rockets automatically from the underbarrel for constant AoE damage.

2.9 Daedalus (Assault Rifle)

• Boss: The Timekeeper
• Location: Upper Dominion, Terminus District
• Effect: Fires vertical or horizontal projectiles; excellent for mob control.

2.10 Disc Jockey (Ripper Heavy Weapon)

• Boss: Sidney Pointylegs
• Location: The Prospects, Hungering Plain, Fadefields
• Effect: Bouncing energy discs that deal +20% more damage per bounce (up to 5).

2.11 Streamer (Ripper Heavy Weapon)

• Boss: The Oppressor
• Location: The Killing Floors, Dissected Plateau
• Effect: Launches stationary projectiles that emit energy beams forward for sustained area damage.

2.12 Onslaught (Vladof SMG)

• Boss: Idolator Sol
• Location: Idolator’s Noose, Fadefields
• Effect: Rapid-fire SMG with explosive rounds that increase in damage the longer it fires.

Onslaught SMG Stats

2.13 Rainbow Vomit (Jakobs Shotgun)

• Boss: Leader Willem
• Location: The Excrucible, The Grindstone of the Worthy, Carcadia Burn
• Effect: Fires Cryo, Shock, and Incendiary droplets (randomized per roll).

2.14 Birt’s Bees (SMG)

• Boss: Sludgemaw
• Location: Idolator’s Noose, Fadefields
• Effect: High fire rate corrosive SMG with swarm rounds that seek enemies.

2.15 Divided Focus (Assault Rifle)

• Boss: Core Observer
• Location: Blacklime Bunker, Fadefields
• Effect: Activating Gun Shields spawns an Attack Drone every 14 seconds.

2.16 Finnity XXX-L (Sniper Rifle)

• Boss: Battle Wagon
• Location: Stoneblood Forest, Terminus Range
• Effect: Never needs to reload; increased crit multiplier after every hit.

2.17 Ruby’s Grasp (Sniper Rifle)

• Boss: Vile Lictor
• Location: His Vile Sanctum, Terminus Range
• Effect: Charged shots deal more damage based on time held; chance to lifesteal.

2.18 Complex Root (Sniper Rifle)

• Boss: Mimicron
• Location: Order Bunker: Tipping Point
• Effect: Energy shots that branch on impact, creating a chain of elemental explosions.

Complex Root Sniper Rifle Stats

3. Tips for Efficient Legendary Farming

To make the most out of your legendary farming in Borderlands 4, you’ll need to combine efficient routes, and the right equipment. These tips focus on practical ways to speed up your runs, increase drop chances, and reduce wasted time.

Save and Group Your Encore Runs

Instead of farming one boss repeatedly, group 3–4 Encore respawns into a single loop. This rotation reduces downtime and ensures you collect diverse loot faster.

• Example loop: Splashzone → Pango & Bango → Battle Wagon → Callis The Ripper Queen.
• Sell and restock ammo between each encounter to maintain pace.

Play Co-op for More Drops

In co-op, each player receives their own loot instance, effectively multiplying your team’s legendary gains. You can trade duplicates to complete weapon collections faster.

• Coordinate with teammates to target different bosses for different loot pools.
• Run Ripper Sites together for faster clear times and extra Drill Cache rewards.

Check Boss Weaknesses Before Each Run

Every boss in Borderlands 4 has one or more elemental weaknesses. Using the right element can drastically shorten fights and increase your farming efficiency.

• Splashzone: Weak to Fire damage.
• Pango & Bango: Weak to Corrosive and Shock.
• Callis The Ripper Queen: Weak to Cryo damage.

Sell Smart and Reinvest in Respawns

Don’t ignore the Eridium and cash economy. Selling unwanted legendaries funds more Encore respawns and item rerolls later in the game.

• Use the Pick Up As Junk option to sell in bulk.
• Keep duplicates of different elements instead of random stat rolls.

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