Borderlands 4 features a bunch of Legendary Shotguns, but we've farmed and fired the very best of them so you can see which ones are worth getting. Below, players can find the best Legendary Shotgun locations in Borderlands 4, along with what makes them so good to grind for. Each of them is capable of some deadly buckshot to make enemies really feel the sting of their bullet spread, and even bosses will cower when they hear you cock the most powerful weapon in Borderlands 4.
Linebacker
How to Get Linebacker in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Skyspanner Kratch in The Lambent Mines, Cuspid Climb, Terminus Range
- Full Coverage - Bouncing Projectiles increase Damage and Damage Radius per bounce
Linebacker is an explosive Torgue Shotgun that's really going to demolish the field, since its Legendary trait makes it so that players can get more damage with each bounce. When fired, a wave of explosives will bounce until they hit a target, and each bounce will provide a buff to total damage. Players might want to be careful of splash damage, but the generous ammo and decent reload make it worth using for those who love explosions.
Lead Balloon
How to Get Lead Balloon in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Splashzone at the Riptide Grotto, Coastal Bonescape, the Fadefields
- Lightweight - Projectiles float upwards and spawn child Projectiles upon exploding.
Lead Balloon features as one of the earliest Legendary weapons that players can farm, as this gun is acquired from Splashzone, a boss fight found in Riptide Grotto, which players will venture through during the first mission outside the prologue. Lead Balloon is a Torgue weapon, so expect to consume 2 bullets per shot with explosions bound to each pull of the trigger. Lead Balloon shoots like a firework, in which once players pull the trigger, the explosive pellets will float up before falling down towards enemies. With a healthy fire rate, players can explode everything by raining fire with plenty of spam.
Kickballer
How to Get Kickballer in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Sludge Maw at Idolator's Noose, Fadefields (available after the Null and Void Side Mission)
- Force Bunt
The Kickballer will fire an explosive ball, which requires a charge-up, but sends out a ball that will bounce around to hit enemies on repeat. On its own, it's pretty funny to use, and deadly. Just be careful not to blow yourself up with it. This explosive and bouncy ball that fires is fairly decent, but players can make it even stronger if they find a roll with a Jakobs-Licensed Accessory to make Critical Hits Ricochet Projectiles, meaning the ball will deal more damage and bounce around to bully bosses into submission.
Anarchy
How to Get Anarchy in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Radix, the Primordial Guardian at Arch of Radix, Grinstone of the Worthy, Carcadia Burn
- Mutualism - On Auto-Reload or Kill, grants +15% damage and +15% Accuracy for a Maximum of 20 Stacks, which reset on manual reload.
Anarchy requires players to find all Vault Key Fragments in Carcadia Burn in order to access the Vault and the trials within to face Radix, but it's worth it for the Anarchy Shotgun. This weapon can be brutal, especially with the right build. 20 Stacks of kills and/or auto-reloading means that players will have +300% Damage Buff, and a cost of Accuracy, but who needs to aim with a Shotgun? This Shotgun is greatly complemented by Vault Hunters who have the ability to auto-reload, as it means these Stacks will never die.
Bod
How to Get Bod in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Axemaul in The Toil of Spoiling Vis, Carcadia District, Dominion
- All-Arounder - Counts as a Shotgun, an Assault Rifle, a Sniper Rifle, a Pistol, and an SMG
If players want to combine every gun into an amalgamation of war, then Bod is the Shotgun for you. This weapon fires Shotgun pellets, but also counts as all weapon types to ensure you're dealing some truly lethal damage. If players are more attuned to Assault Rifles and SMGs, then the fire rate of this Shotgun might be just what you need.
Hellwalker
How to Get Hellwalker in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill the Meathead Riders in The Old Scrape, Cuspid Climb, Terminus Range
- Soothslayer
A returning Legendary, the Hellwalker is brought to players from Jakobs, providing 2 bullets that are fired at once, with a rapid reload to ensure you're always gifting enemies with death. The Hellwalker is essentially the Boomstick from DOOM, featuring a guitar riff on the pickup, as well as its unique design and abilities. The Hellwalker is strong, so most Critical Hits will be a one-hit kill. What makes the Hellwalker great is investing in the right skills to constantly pump out shells, allowing players to spam the Hellwalker without reloading.
Rainbow Vomit
How to Get Rainbow Vomit in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Leader Willem at The Excrucible, Grindstone of the Worthy in Carcadia Burn (available after Enter the Electi Pt. 2 Side Mission)
- Color Spray - Shoots 3 Elemental droplets
With decent spread and bullet drop, Rainbow Vomit will puke colorful elements all over the enemies that it hits. This Shotgun is perfect for Splash Damage enjoyers, and those who have their builds set up to reward Status Effect Chance and Status Effect Damage. The Rainbow Vomit has multiple variations, as it can be found with 3 random elements. This means players can grab one with Corrosive, Cryo, and Shock, or even Incendiary, Radiation, and Shock. The choices are limitless, and they can provide a fast-firing Jakobs shotgun that hits like a truck and melts through enemies thanks to the Status Effects applied.
Hot Slugger
How to Get Hot Slugger in Borderlands 4
- How to Get: Kill Callous Harbinger of Annihilating Death in Craven's Nook, Heart of the Mountain, Terminus Range
- Blazing Barrel - On kill, deal +30% Damage for 10s for a Maximum 3 Stacks.
This Jakobs Shotgun only has 1 shot before it needs to be reloaded, but it takes under a second to reload it, so it's going to have a constant, deadly reload time to ensure players have a high DPS, especially since Jakobs Shotguns always hit hard. The real beauty of Hot Slugger comes from its special effect, in which every kill provides a +30% Damage buff for 10 seconds, and can stack 3 times. This means that with 3 kills, players can constantly keep the Hot Slugger buffed with +90% Damage. Pairing that with other Damage buff skills, players can one-shot almost anything, and instantly with its fast reload.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
