Gearbox SoftwareBorderlands 4’s roadmap mixes free seasonal events, raid-style bosses, and full-blown expansions designed to keep players looting for years.
The post-launch plan is split between free updates and paid content. Seasonal events like October’s Horrors of Kairos will add limited-time weather effects, cosmetics, and themed Legendary gear, while Invincible Bosses and weekly missions promise some of the toughest challenges the series has seen.
With two Story Packs confirmed for 2026, four smaller Bounty Packs, and new loot tiers like Pearlescents, Borderlands 4 is shaping up to have the most ambitious roadmap in series history. Here’s everything confirmed so far.
Story Packs & new Vault Hunters
Gearbox SoftwareBorderlands DLC has always gone big, but Borderlands 4 is raising the stakes by adding a brand-new playable Vault Hunter in its expansions. Two Story Packs are confirmed for 2026, with the first arriving in Q1.
That debut pack, Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned, leans into bloody cosmic horror and puts Ellie in the spotlight. Players can expect a new zone in Kairos, full mission chains, new loot, and a mountain of cosmetics.
Most importantly, each Story Pack introduces a fully playable Vault Hunter, complete with three Action Skills and full branching skill trees.
The second Story Pack is due later in 2026 and promises more new characters alongside familiar faces. Both packs are included in the Super Deluxe Edition, but will also be sold separately.
Bounty Packs
Between big expansions, Gearbox will drop smaller but focused Bounty Packs. Each one adds new missions, a boss fight, Legendary loot, cosmetics, and a themed Vault Card that rewards players with 24 cosmetic items and four rerollable gear pieces through challenges.
The first Bounty Pack shines a light on Rush, leader of the Outbounders faction in the Fadefields. It’s a tighter, story-driven piece of DLC, but the loot grind continues thanks to Vault Cards, which never expire and let you reroll gear until you hit the perfect stats.
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All four Bounty Packs are bundled in the Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions or available individually.
Free updates
Gearbox SoftwareBesides the paid content, Gearbox has also confirmed a slew of free updates designed to keep players farming:
- Invincible Bosses: These powerful new bosses arrive in Q4 2025, offering raid-style encounters with unique mechanics and some of the most powerful loot in the game. They will be located in new arenas on Kairos.
- Weekly Challenges: Weekly content aims to keep things fresh, with tougher boss variants via Moxxi’s Big Encore, guaranteed-Legendary Wildcard Missions, and Maurice’s Black Market Machine shifting locations each week with exclusive loot.
Pearlescent rarity
A fan-favorite rarity above Legendary is back in Q1 2026 alongside Bounty Pack 2. These highly sought-after gear drops are super rare, but you can expect them to be incredibly powerful.
Seasonal mini events
Seasonal mini-events kick off with Horrors of Kairos in October 2025, complete with Halloween-style weather effects, themed Legendaries, and cosmetics.
Endgame challenges
Once the credits roll, Borderlands 4’s real grind begins. Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode is back with scalable difficulty tiers you’ll unlock through gameplay, rewarding the best loot rolls in the game.
Combined with new systems like Firmware bonuses and Specializations, plus weekly missions and events, the endgame is built to keep players experimenting with builds long after launch.
Now that you know everything about Borderlands 4’s upcoming content, be sure to check out our best build for Vex, Amon, Harlowe, and SHiFT codes.