Borderlands 3 carries on the series' tradition of pulse-pounding action, zany characters, and witty dialogue. The game has received several DLCs and numerous updates from Gearbox adding new content to the classic shoot and loot adventure. Along with the new features added by the developers, Borderlands 3 also has a rich modding community for those who want to spice up their game even more.
Borderlands 3: All Playable Characters, Ranked
Borderlands 3 has four different Vault Hunters to choose from, each with their own unique skills. Here they are ranked from worst to best.
Most of the mods available for Borderlands 3 are downloadable save files that simply unlock existing high-level weapons and items. However, a variety of more creative mods will shake things up for veteran players by altering weapons, enemies, and loot drops throughout the game. There are even humorous joke mods that make the already bombastic world of Borderlands 3 even more hilariously surreal.
Updated September 12, 2024 by Stephen LaGioia: Gearbox's wild gun-bonanza RPG has mostly ceased in terms of post-launch support — but has left loads of combat-heavy content to explore in its wake. And while it is safe to assume most die-hard supporters have grabbed the game by now, some newcomers might consider giving the game a go, especially after a slew of recent sales.
While the base version is chock-full of fun, some PC gamers will inevitably wish to delve a bit deeper and check out some Borderlands 3 mods, many of which add even more fun, depth, and chaos to this already-established romp. The game's modding community is not quite as vast as something like Skyrim, but there are plenty of great downloads available.
The Borderlands 3 Hotfix Merger
There is a relatively small number of mods available for BL3 on the more streamlined Nexusmods. If players want to access more complicated content, they will need to download and install the hotfix merger.
The Borderlands 3 hotfix merger allows players to tweak and alter hotfixes added to the game by Gearbox.
This tool has its own wiki page with useful instructions on how to install it. It's an essential download for any player who wants to install mods or create their own for Borderlands 3.
How to Install Mods Using The Hotfix Manager
- First players, will need to locate the folder their game is installed in. For Epic Games users, go to Local Disk C:/ Program Files (x86)/ Epic Games/ Borderlands 3. Steam Users can simply right-click on the game in their library and select browse local files.
- For the Hotfix Manager to work, players will need to install this Plugin Loader. Download the D3D11.zip and copy the contents into ...Borderlands 3/OakGame/Binaries/Win64.
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Download the B3HM.zip for the Hotfix Manager and copy the contents into the newly created Plugins folder.
- Players can also download HotfixLoader, which works the same way.
- With the Hotfix Manager now installed, players can access it by booting up their game. The manager will appear in the hidden icons section of their taskbar.
- Adding mods is incredibly simple. For many of them, players will only need to find the GitHub page for their chosen mod and click on the B3HM-compatible link. This will open up a page of source code. Copy the link for this page.
- Opening up the Hotfix Manager, click on add URL and paste the link for the mod.
- When players next open up Borderlands 3, their chosen hotfix mod will be activated.
These mods are only available on PC as they require accessing the developer's console.
21 Edit Your Profile With Ease
Ground Zero
- Borderlands 3 Profile Editor by FromDarkHell
While most of the mods available for Borderlands 3 have been rigorously playtested, problems can still occur. A frequent issue with downloadable save files is that they change the player's stats in their main profile, altering their guardian rank or other important achievements.
Should players need to restore their profile, or just want to fiddle with their stats to unlock new skins without grinding, they can use the BL3 Profile Editor. This tool does just what it says on the tin. It allows players to alter their Guardian rank, unlock new skins, and more.
20 Super Saves
A Seemingly Endless Bounty Of Vault-Hunting
- Super Saves by NoRevivesDumb***
Much of Borderlands 3's appeal lies in scouring the vast, diverse planets and plundering them until every foe has been dealt with and every resource taken. This virtually limitless mod embraces this explorative, decadent nature of the ARPG by offering a long list of separate save files with bounties of random loot. A number of the saves even offer modded and fleshed-out skill trees.
In a collaborative effort by various modders, each of the save states yields over 100 items that aren't only rare and potent, but are themselves modded in various ways. These often bring sky-high stats and absurd levels of damage boosts as well as perks, allowing players to wipe out entire hordes with ease.
Diving into this one feels like a virtual Christmas morning, except these fun, unpredictable gifts are a lot more plentiful.
19 Giant Weapons/Invisible Weapons
Making The Weapons Even Wilder
- Giant Weapon. Invisible Weapons. All Current DLC Items. All Guardian Rnaks. (And Much More) by itbjmazing.
The FPS classic Goldeneye is perhaps best regarded for their epic multiplayer features — though less appreciated is the charm of its amusing, often-absurd cheats and modifiers. This visual-warping mod by 'itbjmazing' taps into this simple, zany appeal of just gazing upon some wild visuals.
While the main draw to this mod is the gigantic and invisible guns held comically by the Vault Hunters, there are plenty more goodies to have fun with. These more directly affect the gameplay rather than just drastically mixing up the aesthetics.
Included are bits like modded skills for Amara, dozens of new and modded items, loads of weapons, and countless golden keys. Indeed, the weapons aren't the only massive element here, but also the in-game goodies and perks. This is certainly a fun way to mix up the already wild Borderlands 3; both visually and in terms of overall experience.
18 Double Jumping
Sometimes There Can Be Shortcuts in Life (Or At Least In Vault-Hunting)
- Epic's Double Jumping by EpicNNG
Despite the often overpowered nature of late-game Vault Hunters in particular, navigation isn't always the easiest feat. These open-world maps are often elaborate, multi-layered, and filled with obstacles seemingly designed to trip up players during a heated fight or scramble.
Thankfully, EpicNNG's 'Double Jump' mod allows for exactly the fun, liberating mechanic that one might expect. Implementing this simple yet impactful mod allows players to take a great leap in terms of movement, speed, and safety.
Not only will Vault Hunters be able to coast about from place to place while shaving off large chunks of time, but they can also escape from pursuing foes far more easily and quickly. It's pretty fascinating how a simple added jump feature can shift the whole dynamic, making the experience far smoother and swifter for the player.
17 Smol Lands
...But A Big Experience
- Smol Lands by Apocalyptech
Bringing more of an amusing Goldeneye-cheat-style vibe rather than sheer practicality, the ability to shrink character models certainly can alter the BL3 experience. Specifically, all enemy sizes are dialed down to 70 percent of their original size.
While this aptly-named sizemod may not seem like a "big" deal, this scaling can make a huge difference when it comes to foes like Wotan the Invincible and other beefy bosses.
16 You're A Wizard Fl4K
An Elemental Spammer's Fantasy
- You're A Wizard Fl4K created by Uniqueduck
Those who love cheesing with different elementals and damage-over-time a la Tiny Tina's Wonderland's late stages should love this mod. Fans of the robotic Beastmaster FL4K should certainly get a kick out of it, too.
Creator Uniqueduck puts this one best — "think Phasezerker Elemental Transfusion Amara with a way better damage debuff applied to enemies." Players can melt even the toughest bosses with this juiced-up, elemental-wielding Fl4K.
15 All The Red Text Weapons
Code Red!
- All Red Text Weapons And Customizations DLC 1-4 by ZuLLuuKus
Understandably one of the most all-time popular BL3 mods on nexusmods.com, this boosting mod brings more high-powered weapons and OP characters than they'll know what to do with. As the name implies, Vault Hunters will be granted all Red Text guns and other items. This will also amp up the unpredictable, wild nature of the game quite a bit since Red Text is what's applied to distinct traits or abilities that make it stand out and can make an impact.
For example, there is the "...to the grave" Cradle, which triggers a broken shield being tossed out Tediore-style, followed by an explosion before it recharges.
Not only this, but players are gifted all items in the Bank, a handful of Mayhem ten characters, True Vault Hunter Mode, and all cosmetics.
14 A True Melee Build For Amara
Answer The Call Of The Siren Song
- True Melee Amara by CZ47
There are no melee-only weapons in Borderlands 3; the game instead chooses to focus on adding awesome guns to blast enemies apart. Weapons with spikes on them will augment a player's melee attack, but hand-to-hand combat is still far from viable in the base game.
All Borderlands 3 Bounty of Blood Legendaries
Here is a list of all of the new Legendary weapons in Borderlands 3's Bounty of Blood DLC as well as details on where to farm them.
Amara is the best Vault Hunter for a melee build, and this mod makes her even better. With the cooldown on Blitz reduced to zero, and powers like Personal Space and Forceful Expression applied to all attacks, this mod makes true melee builds not only possible, but lots of fun to play.
13 Level Up All Vault Hunters
Pushing It To The Limit
- All Vault Hunters with TVHM & Mayhem Mode Unlocked From Start by CptnHappyTymPie
To unlock Mayhem mode, players will normally need to have already completed the game once. One of the best things about having a level 72 Vault Hunter is that players can go back through the game in Mayhem or the new arms race mode, and test their skills against tougher enemies.
Some players don't want to keep replaying the game to max out all the vault hunters. Thus, there is a mod for downloading save files where they are already leveled up. This mod, created by CaptainHappyTimePie, offers 8 saved games with each character at level 30, or level 72, as well as instantly unlocking mayhem mode. No skill points have been allocated in any of the saves, allowing players to choose their own Max level build.
12 Speedo Maker
Faster, Faster!
- Speedo Maker by Game Specifications
Compared to other popular games, Borderlands 3's Nexusmods page does not have much in the way of gameplay mods. While some areas of Gearbox's title were criticized by reviewers and fans, the gunplay was generally not one of them, so one could argue that there simply isn't much of a reason to tweak something that is not broken.
Still, the "Speedo Maker" mod is worth installing for anyone who just feels like their playable character is a bit too slow. This mod requires users to download and use the Borderlands 3 Hotfix Merger, but it is otherwise quite a straightforward addition.