Borderlands 4’s Horrors of Kairos Event is the Wrong Kind of Halloween Scare

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Despite a rocky start with some technical issues, Borderlands 4 was generally well-received by players. While some character balancing was needed, the core gameplay – including satisfying combat and rewarding loot – is strong, and the story is an improvement. Many players have already completed all the current content and are eager for more. However, Gearbox’s initial post-launch content hasn’t lived up to the high standards set by previous Borderlands releases.

As a big fan, I was really hoping for a substantial update with the Horrors of Kairos, but honestly, it’s pretty underwhelming. It’s so small, I almost didn’t even realize it was happening! They’ve just changed the weather a bit and added two pieces of Legendary gear. And unfortunately, those additions aren’t great. Playing the event feels more like the really tedious parts of the General Knoxx DLC from the first Borderlands – remember those? It’s especially disappointing considering how well Borderlands 3 did Halloween, and it makes me a little worried about what future updates might look like. I was expecting much more!

The Horrors of Kairos event in Borderlands 4 included a weapon skin and a Jack-o’-Lantern head for each of the four Vault Hunters. While players enjoyed the event, some felt the Jack-o’-Lantern head could have been more creative with unique designs for each character. Additionally, linking the cosmetic items to a limited-time Shift Code caused some frustration, as it reduced the amount of content players could earn through gameplay during the event.

Borderlands 4’s Horrors of Kairos is a Boring Grind For Weak Rewards

The Horrors of Kairos event doesn’t introduce any new enemies, bosses, or areas. Progress relies entirely on fighting the same world bosses that have always been in the game. These fights happen like normal – players find bubbles on the map and defeat the boss inside. Entering a bubble triggers a new visual effect – bloody rain and an orange sky – but it’s not a significant change. While world boss fights are usually a fun break from other activities, this event requires constant farming, forcing players to drive all over Kairos waiting for a bubble to appear. The long wait between fights quickly makes the event repetitive and frustrating. Players who disliked the lengthy travel times in past content like “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx” likely won’t enjoy this event either.

While the Borderlands expansion offered satisfying rewards, like timed treasure chests and rare drops from Crawmerax, the two new legendary items in Horrors of Kairos are disappointing. The Skully grenade, though a cool idea, is too weak to be useful and will likely just collect dust in players’ storage. The Murmor Tediore Assault Rifle also underperforms – its damage doesn’t live up to its interesting design, although it could be good with the right upgrades. Sadly, these items are rare drops from world bosses, and even after hours of farming, getting the necessary parts for the Assault Rifle doesn’t make it worthwhile. Players are better off focusing on acquiring more powerful legendary weapons instead of these limited-time unlocks.

In Borderlands 4, you can get powerful Horros of Kairos Legendaries from the Golden Chest. Because of this, spending Golden Keys to open it might be a better use of your time than repeatedly trying to find world bosses.

Borderlands 3 Already Got Halloween Events Right

It’s disappointing that the new content isn’t as good as the Bloody Harvest event in Borderlands 3. Bloody Harvest was popular because it featured a spooky map, themed enemies, and a challenging boss fight with Captain Haunt. It also included a hidden puzzle and some great new legendary items. While Revenge of the Cartels was even better, Bloody Harvest was a strong start to free updates for Borderlands 3. It’s hard to understand why Borderlands 4 didn’t deliver on this concept, especially since the previous game did it so well. With similar themes, the contrast between the two events is hard to ignore.

Even though Horrors of Kairos is free, unlike the paid DLC for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands which received criticism, that doesn’t mean it’s a good event. Players are understandably concerned about future updates to Borderlands 4. There’s a worry that seasonal events could be similarly disappointing, featuring repetitive boss fights and unrewarding loot. The upcoming “How Rush Saved Mercenary Day” DLC seems more promising, likely offering a few hours of new content similar to the Borderlands 2 Headhunter Packs. However, that won’t keep players engaged for long. Considering Borderlands 3 had both successful seasonal events and enjoyable endgame content, the Borderlands 4 expansion with Mad Ellie really needs to deliver. If Horrors of Kairos is representative of the game’s free updates, there’s little to be excited about.

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2025-10-24 23:04