Finding good equipment is more challenging in Borderlands 4 than it was in earlier titles. For dedicated collectors, obtaining every unique item in the game isn’t the final goal. The game also features Phosphene versions of legendary weapons. While not quite as rare or powerful as Pearlescent weapons from past games, these Phosphene variants are still worth collecting.
Throughout Kairos in Borderlands 4, you’ll be able to find Phosphene weapons. If you’re wondering what they are or how they function, here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know.
Borderlands 4 Phosphene Legendaries
Phosphene legendaries in Borderlands 4 are basically just the shiny versions of normal legendary weapons. They’re incredibly rare to find, but they don’t actually do anything different in the game – unlike the Pearlescent weapons in earlier Borderlands titles. You can tell if a legendary weapon that drops is a Phosphene one simply by noticing if it’s glowing on the ground.

Each legendary weapon in the game has a special Phosphene version, and Phosphene is considered a skin when customizing your weapons. If you find a shiny version of a legendary gun, you can then change any other copies of that same gun into the Phosphene style. Keep in mind that this cosmetic change only applies to the specific weapon you initially got the Phosphene variant for – you can’t use the Phosphene skin on other guns.
As a longtime player, I’ve learned to really watch out for the rainbow glow on a Phosphene weapon. It’s the only way to tell if it’s been polished and is in that super rare, shiny condition! Seriously, don’t miss it – that glow is key!
How to Get Shiny Weapons in Borderlands 4

Legendary weapons are uncommon to begin with, and the Phosphene versions are exceptionally rare. Any legendary weapon has the possibility of appearing as a shiny version, though the precise odds of this happening aren’t clear yet. During our testing, we only found three Phosphene guns after playing for 120 hours.
To obtain Phosphene weapons in Borderlands 4, the most effective method is to repeatedly play Moxxi’s Big Encore events. These encounters are similar to standard Encore fights, but they have some key distinctions:
- Big Encore encounters are limited to one boss per week (they can be farmed repeatedly).
- You need to use Eridium to reset a Big Encore fight.
- Big Encore bosses have a higher chance of dropping rarer loot.
While not the quickest approach, this is the most reliable method for gathering all the Phosphene guns in Borderlands 4. You’ll find the shimmering versions of these weapons as part of a boss’s rewards, and because the increased drop rate applies to all legendary items, you’ll also have a chance to obtain Phosphene variants of any weapon during Big Encore battles.
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2025-10-04 13:04