It Is Officially the End of an Era for Borderlands 4’s Most OP Build

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Everyone expected this change, and it’s now happened. The most powerful build in Borderlands 4, often called “Infinite Bleed” by players, has been significantly weakened. Gearbox, the game’s developer, had described the build as unintentional, and while they didn’t specifically name it, it was obvious this was the build they were planning to nerf. Players who previously relied on this overpowered strategy will now need to find new ways to play.

It’s impressive how long the powerful ‘Infinite Bleed’ build lasted in Borderlands 4. After the game launched, the creative director, Graeme Timmins, said the team wouldn’t rush into making changes based on early player discoveries. It seems they stuck to that plan, as this build remained effective for a surprisingly long time. While players anticipated a fix earlier in the week, perhaps Monday or Tuesday, Gearbox delayed the patch slightly. Ultimately, though, today’s update finally nerfs the build, bringing an end to its dominance.

Vex’s Infinite Bleed Build Is No More

Let’s quickly cover why Vex’s ‘Infinite Bleed’ build became so popular in the Borderlands 4 community. The build worked by applying a ‘Bleed’ effect with critical hits, using a specific combination of items to drastically increase that Bleed damage. While seemingly straightforward, the right gear allowed it to scale to the point where it could instantly defeat bosses in Borderlands 4.

Here’s how Vex’s Inifinite Bleed build worked in Borderlands 4:

  • Use a throwing knife with the Penetrator Augment so that, for a short window, all damage becomes critical hits.
  • With the skill Bloodletter, critical hits have a chance to apply the Bleed status effect.
  • Combine Bleed with the skill Contamination, which upgrades status-effect application chance when players crit, letting each Bleed tick potentially trigger more Bleed.
  • Gear/skill synergy focuses on kinetic weapon damage, lifesteal, and crit/status chance to fuel the loop.
  • Rotation: throw the knife > trigger crit window > shoot a high‐damage kinetic/crit gun > Bleed begins stacking and cascading > enemy melts.

How the Patch Effects Vex’s Bleed Build

The newest update includes many improvements, but the change to Vex is particularly noteworthy. Of all the characters in Borderlands 4, Vex needed the fewest adjustments, and the fix for her powerful, unintended Infinite Bleed ability was so straightforward it only took a single line of code.

  • Bleed from Bloodletter has been updated so it no longer recursively triggers itself, preventing unintended damage loops.

The recent update has effectively ended the popular ‘Infinite Bleed’ build for Vex in Borderlands 4. Previously, damage from Bleed effects could repeatedly trigger additional Bleed stacks, creating an endless loop. Now, the damage caused by an existing Bleed effect won’t re-trigger it, breaking that loop. Players can still apply Bleed through critical hits, but it will function as a standard damage-over-time effect instead of continuously stacking.

While the recent changes have affected one ability, they’ve allowed Vex’s other skills to be more useful, and Trouble specifically received damage and duration improvements in the latest Borderlands 4 patch. This update also improves other character builds, creating a more balanced experience for all four Vault Hunters. To top it off, the limited-time Horrors of Kairos event is now live, and the game includes many quality-of-life updates – including a long-requested overhaul to how gear is sorted.

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2025-10-23 19:39