DexertoBorderlands 4 throws a mountain of great guns at you, but not all of them are worth the grind.
Some drop from the very first bosses, others are buried in late-game bunkers, and the real problem for most players is figuring out which ones are actually worth hunting down. You can spend hours chasing random orange loot, only to end up with a pistol that feels underpowered or a gimmick that never scales.
To save you the wasted runs, we’ve rounded up the strongest weapons we’ve tested both early and late game.
Best early game legendaries in Borderlands 4
Lead Balloon
- Weapon type: Shotgun
- Manufacturer: Torgue
- How to get it: Drops in the Splashzone boss area in Fade Fields.
Splashzone fires explosive shotgun blasts that deal strong area damage. Unlike most early shotguns, its pellets scale well into midgame, which makes it reliable for both mobbing and boss encounters.
Its projectiles can also roll with any element, so it adapts to different enemy health types without needing multiple shotguns.
Bully
- Weapon type: Rifle
- Manufacturer: Order
- How to get it: Dropped by the Core Observer in the Black Lime Bunker once you unlock the area through the story.
A strong all-rounder with a neat twist. Its Defense Protocol perk summons a drone every 14 seconds when you break shields while aiming, giving you bonus firepower without any effort. With solid stats, it is dependable throughout the leveling curve.
Darkbeast
- Weapon type: SMG
- Manufacturer: Dadedalus
- How to get it: Dropped by Quake Thrasher inside Timid Kyle’s Neglected Opening, a main story area.
Dark Beast is a corrosive SMG that always spawns with corrosive damage. Its bullets pierce enemies and have a 5% chance to explode, stacking significant damage in groups.
The piercing mechanic allows you to hit multiple targets lined up, while the explosion effect improves damage against both mobs and armored bosses.
Aegon’s Dream
- Weapon type: Assault Rifle
- Manufacturer: Vladof
- How to get it: Dropped by Horace, one of the first major bosses in the campaign, located in the Fade Fields.
Aegon’s Dream combines high fire rate with elemental versatility. It can fire both incendiary and cryo rounds, making it useful against both flesh and shielded enemies.
Related
Its enhancement perk grants a 30% chance to fire an additional projectile per shot, giving it more effective DPS than other ARs in the same tier. The optional alt-fire mode adds a secondary barrel for even higher fire rate.
Noisy Cricket
- Weapon type: Pistol
- Manufacturer: Order
- How to get it: Dropped by Sydney Pointy Legs at the drill site in the Hungering Plains.
Noisy Cricket fires concentrated sonic waves that deal kinetic damage. The projectiles themselves are small, but each creates a large impact zone on the ground, which means aiming at enemies’ feet is often the best way to maximize damage
When it connects, the wave can hit multiple enemies at once, giving it exceptional area coverage for a pistol. Its raw DPS is among the highest in its category, and unlike most early pistols, it remains viable well into the endgame.
Best late game legendaries in Borderlands 4
Bugbear
Weapon type: Splash Rifle
- Manufacturer: Torgue
- How to get it: Dropped by Bio-Thresher Omega in the Dominion section of the map.
Bugbear is a heavy splash-damage weapon with the Rotary Gun perk. This perk doubles base damage and triples explosion radius as the magazine empties, making the final rounds of each mag the most powerful.
It also features an alt-fire that calls in an airstrike at the targeted location, dealing far more damage than normal shots. This combination makes it strong for both mob clearing and boss damage phases.
Rainbow Vomit
- Weapon type: Splash Rifle
- Manufacturer: Jakobs
- How to get it: Obtained via completing the weekly Wildcard missions.
Rainbow Vomit fires bullets that apply multiple elemental effects simultaneously: corrosive, shock, and incendiary. Because they use Jakobs tech, these bullets ricochet to the nearest target, spreading status effects across groups.
It is one of the only weapons in the game that can apply three elements at once, making it ideal for builds that rely on elemental stacking.
Hot Slugger
- Weapon type: Splash Rifle
- Manufacturer: Jakobs
- How to get it: Unlock the Bones of Sanctuary by finishing the campaign, then enter Craven’s Nook via the vent to defeat the bunker boss for the farm.
Hot Slugger’s unique perk increases damage by 30% for 10 seconds on each kill, stacking up to three times for a total of 90% extra damage.
Because it is a Jakobs weapon, every critical hit bullet ricochets, which allows the damage buff to cascade into surrounding enemies. This makes it extremely effective in mobbing scenarios where kills happen rapidly.
Armored Bod
- Weapon type: All
- Manufacturer: Many
- How to get it: Dropped by Axemaul in Dominion, found in the abandoned Orga mine in the Carcadia district.
The Armored Bod’s All-Rounder perk allows it to count simultaneously as a shotgun, assault rifle, SMG, sniper rifle, and pistol. Any weapon-specific skills or gear effects you have will apply to this gun.
In SMG alt-fire mode, it becomes a full-auto shotgun that consumes SMG ammo, effectively giving it bottomless sustain. This makes it one of the most adaptable legendaries for hybrid builds.
Streamer
- Weapon type: Heavy Weapon
- Manufacturer: Rirror
- How to get it: Dropped by the Oppressor boss in the Fade Fields.
The Streamer fires stationary projectiles that emit continuous energy beams for 2-3 seconds. Multiple projectiles can overlap, stacking damage as beams intersect.
This makes it extremely effective at melting bosses or heavily armored targets, especially when placed strategically. It spawns in multiple elements, giving flexibility for different builds.
For more help with your journey, check out our other Borderlands 4 build guides for Rafa, Amon, Harlowe, and Vex.