Borderlands 4’s Next Patch Notes (October 30) Won’t Be Able to Change My Plans

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Another weekend of playing Borderlands 4 has come and gone, and I’m looking over the upcoming patch notes again. I’ve been tracking how the game feels with known changes on the way. I was enjoying playing as Vex with an Infinite Bleed build, but since the only preview from Gearbox is that they’ve been watching how things are playing, I don’t think continuing to play Vex will be useful – and that’s a concerning issue.

The next update for Borderlands 4 will likely address some issues caused by the October 23rd patch, like problems with vending machines and unexpected functionality with the Crit Knife. A particularly powerful, unintended build involving Amon may also be fixed. While the update could include other changes, playing with my friends this weekend really showed us that we’re quickly running out of content to do in the game.

Check out Borderlands 4’s latest patch notes here.

Borderlands 4: Grinding the Weekend Away

This weekend felt different than the previous one (October 17-19). While we had enough time to play, fewer friends seemed interested. Our usual Amon player didn’t join, and Harlowe only played for a little while. But when someone suggested Phasmophobia, everyone was immediately on board! Mostly, it was just our Rafa player and me working on challenges with Armored Bods. Here’s a quick summary of how the weekend went…

  • We tested how bad the Vex nerf was. Yep, into the ground. I’ve heard of a new Bleed build, but I haven’t looked into it. Quite frankly, we’re at a point where we don’t need builds (and that’s the bigger concern here).
  • After that, we grinded Driller Sites. I think if I see another Driller Site this coming weekend, I will get nauseous.
  • Rafa and I both finished the Challenges for Weapon Types and Manufacturers.
  • The only achievements/trophies we have left are Dave the Burrito and Catch-a-Ride (which requires you to get all characters to level 50 for their unique vehicles).
  • We worked on leveling up our alts for a bit, but that’s all the time we had this weekend.

Rafa and I were each managing a different drilling site, and we’d switch to a new one occasionally just to break up the monotony, since the work could get really repetitive and wasn’t very enjoyable. My usual build wasn’t working well – the knife wasn’t strong enough – so I changed Vex’s skills to focus on critical hits and gun damage. While this seemed right for the challenge we were attempting, it also sparked a new idea.

Ask Not What You Can Do The Grind, but What the Grind is Doing For You

I’ve often said that Vex’s Bleed build was too powerful and needed adjustments, but I didn’t want them to ruin the fun of it. I was hoping that once Gearbox fixed the issue with critical hits on knives – which currently limits their chance instead of increasing it – my Bleed build might be good again. However, I’ve realized something recently. I changed my character’s skills just to complete challenges as efficiently as possible, rather than playing how I enjoy. And honestly, there are two main reasons why I’m losing interest in Vex anyway, making it feel pointless to try and create a new strong build. The biggest reason is that the ‘Catch-a-Ride’ achievement requires me to play all the other characters if I want to earn everything.

  • I am working on Rafa first with my friends.
  • Then I will swap to Amon.
  • Finally, kind of in between it all, I am running Harlowe in another game with my wife.

Okay, so not everyone cares about getting all the achievements, but I’m definitely going to play all the characters just to see it through – Rafa feels the same way. I’m already having to switch things up and try different builds just to get from level 30 to 50. Our plan, if we can get Amon and Harlowe to play with us (we’ll probably all swap characters anyway), is to have two of us tackling Driller Sites on the hardest difficulty, one person focusing on side quests, and another doing Vile Bounties. We’re going to test out how that works this weekend, if we can all coordinate. Honestly, that means I’m moving away from playing Vex for a bit, so the idea of rebuilding her character isn’t that appealing right now. When everyone else is roughly as powerful, there’s already so much variety in builds, so I just don’t feel motivated to chase more loot for Vex at this point in the game.

The only benefit I see to playing Catch-a-Ride is that I’ll have four level 50 Vault Hunters ready when the first downloadable content for Borderlands 4 is released. However, that’s still quite a ways off, so I’m wondering, what’s the point of starting a new character build right now?

The endgame in Borderlands 4 currently involves repeating bosses, missions, and activities like Vile Bounties and Driller Sites. However, unlike other games, these activities don’t really lead to any meaningful rewards or progression. I’m hoping the developers add a proper endgame soon, because right now, players are just grinding for their own sake, not because the game motivates them to.

I know my current character build might become too powerful for future updates, but I’m focused on enjoying the game now. I’m working towards level 50, but honestly, even on the hardest difficulty, I don’t feel motivated to create a well-rounded build anymore. My enthusiasm for developing new characters has faded because I’m starting to feel burnt out. I’d love to see more challenging endgame content released soon, but I’ll likely take a break once I’ve earned all the achievements. I don’t want to lose interest in the Borderlands series, but right now, there’s nothing on the horizon that will truly test a level 50 character, no matter how they’re built.

I’m anticipating the upcoming patch on October 30th, and like many others, I’m willing to see what changes it brings. Right now, I’m focused on unlocking all the in-game achievements. After that, I’ll be waiting for Borderlands 4 to give me a new long-term goal, whether it arrives with DLC or as a full sequel. Honestly, my biggest issue with the game currently is that there isn’t a challenging endgame where you can truly test and maximize a powerful build. Until that changes, I don’t think any balance adjustments will fully satisfy me. I’m optimistic that Borderlands 4 will address this, and I’m hoping to see that happen soon, but I might just be a bit impatient.

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2025-10-27 17:35