Borderlands 4’s Pearlescent Weapons Would Be Incomplete without the Return of The Bekah

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I’ll be upfront: I’m a huge fan of Jakobs weapons in the Borderlands series. Ever since the first game came out in 2009, I’ve loved the idea of taking down enemies with a single, powerful shot. I’ve always been drawn to their designs – whether it’s the ricocheting bullets in newer games or the classic western style of the originals – and my weapon collection in any Borderlands game is usually full of Jakobs guns. So, it’s no surprise that the Bekah is the Pearlescent weapon I’m most hoping to see return in Borderlands 4.

Look, I’ve seen a ton of cool (and some not-so-cool) Pearlescent weapons in Borderlands over the years, so it’s not like the Bekah is the only one I’m hoping to see again. Guns like the Avenger SMG were amazing – I loved how it reloaded by throwing itself and bouncing around! And the Butcher shotgun? Seriously powerful, especially with different elemental effects – you could build a whole character around it. But even with all those awesome guns, the Bekah just clicked with me, and that’s why I think a Borderlands 4 Pearlescent collection wouldn’t feel complete without it.

The Bekah is a playful reference to Rebekah, the mother of Jacob in the Book of Genesis, and a nod to the name of the Borderlands manufacturer.

Why Borderlands 2’s Bekah Was So Special

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For players who focus on landing precise headshots in FPS games – whether it’s against computer-controlled enemies like in Call of Duty Zombies, or other players in Overwatch – the Bekah weapon is incredibly rewarding. It’s unique because each trigger pull fires two projectiles. The first shot acts like a standard bullet, traveling quickly and hitting its target immediately. The second shot briefly follows behind, then splits into three more bullets that automatically adjust their course to hit the same spot. This effectively gives players four shots with every single trigger pull, and because it fires so rapidly, the Bekah has a phenomenal damage output.

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The Bekah is an incredibly powerful weapon, and its only real weakness – strong recoil – can be easily fixed with the right modifications, like a Dahl stock or an accuracy-boosting prefix. This means you can get a version of the Bekah with no drawbacks at all. It’s already devastating on its own, but Axton builds can make it even more effective. Plus, Borderlands 2 amp shields, especially the popular Bee, will multiply the damage from its extra shots as if they were the initial bullet. It’s already a top-tier gun, and this just makes it even deadlier. And to top it all off, it looks fantastic! Its unique purple and pink skin makes it stand out, though it shares some visual similarities with another Jakobs gun, the Maggie, which I also enjoy.

Borderlands 3 Brought the Bekah Back Once Already, So There’s Definitely Hope

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I really want the Bekah to return as a Pearlescent weapon in Borderlands 4. Not only was it fantastic in Borderlands 2 and I love Jakobs weapons, but it also appeared in Borderlands 3, making its absence in a sequel strange. While downgraded to Legendary status in Borderlands 3 due to the lack of Pearlescent weapons, it still had the same unique four-bullet effect and became very powerful after some improvements. However, getting it was frustrating. Players had to finish all of Hammerlock’s Hunts to earn just one Bekah per character. And because Borderlands 3 kept increasing the level cap, the Bekah would quickly become obsolete, forcing players to repeat all the Hunts on a new playthrough to get a useful version.

Borderlands 4’s Approach to Pearlescents Remains a Mystery

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We’re hoping Borderlands 4 makes it easier to get powerful weapons like the Bekah, if they return. Currently, it’s unclear how “Pearlescent” weapons will work in the new game. Maybe they’ll drop from specific enemies, or be exclusive rewards from raid bosses. While they could be limited to takedowns, that seems unlikely to be the only way to find them, as the first takedown is planned for later this year. The least exciting possibility is that only a few Pearlescent weapons will be added and drop randomly from anywhere. Given that Borderlands 4‘s best gear already covers that ground of being rare, random drops, we hope Gearbox has something unique planned for the Pearlescent tier.

Okay, so I’ve been keeping tabs on when Pearlescent gear is hitting Borderlands 4, and the current plan is for a free update in the first three months of 2026. That means we’re talking weeks, not months! Gearbox has a couple of chances to roll it out. They could drop it with the next bounty pack, ‘Legend of the Stone Demon,’ which is coming on February 26th. That’d be awesome for those of us who haven’t gotten all the DLC. Or, they could bundle it with the big expansion, ‘Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned,’ which is expected around late March when the new Vault Hunter, C4SH, is released. Either way, I’m hyped!

Okay, so right now we’re all just guessing about what Pearlescent weapons will be like in Borderlands 4, looking at how things have gone in previous games. Here’s what could happen, based on those old patterns:

  • Anywhere between 9-12 Pearlescents could be obtainable.
  • Could drop from any source, but are more likely to come via raid bosses, red chests, and high-level badass enemies.
  • Tubbies and Loot Tinks don’t exist in BL4, but there are loot versions of various enemies, which could be a source of Pearlescents. These enemies were an especially effective Pearl farm in Borderlands 2.
  • Not all Pearlescents can be expected to be good like the Bekah; in Borderlands 2 especially, some of the Pearls were worse than top-tier Borderlands Legendaries.

Okay, so everything we’re talking about with these new Pearlescent weapons is just based on what we think might happen, since Gearbox hasn’t given us many details yet – they’ve just confirmed they’re coming. But honestly, a lot is depending on these weapons, the C4SH system, and the first expansion! I’ve noticed a lot of players, including myself, have stopped playing Borderlands 4 as much because we’ve pretty much done everything after finishing the main story. I’m really hoping this Pearlescent grind will be fun and give us a reason to keep playing long-term. If one of the Pearlescent weapons is the Bekah, though? Count me in – I’ll be jumping right back into Borderlands 4!

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2026-02-19 02:05