Borderlands 4 is filled with pop-culture references and Easter eggs that players will be pleasantly surprised to find in this high-octane looter-shooter experience. While there are several side missions in the game, you won’t be able to help but notice the Pokémon references in the one called The Wayward Gun.
The mission will send players on a quest to hunt down and capture sentient rogue walking turrets, which will throw several Pokémon Easter eggs towards players, that is, if you can catch 'em all!
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How to Start the "Wayward Gun" Side Quest in Borderlands 4
Players can unlock the Wayward Gun side quest by completing A Lot to Process, the fourth main mission in Borderlands 4. After the mission concludes, players will be able to travel to the Terminus Range region and reach the Cuspid Climb area.
After reaching a small settlement here called Dusk's Advent, players will hear an NPC named Emile saying, "I choose you, to save our A-." This is the first nod to the Pokémon franchise players will hear after reaching the area. Talk to Emile and you'll be able to start the Wayward Gun quest in Borderlands 4.
Right after accepting the quest, the sentient walking gun-turrets will ambush the area, and you'll need to take them down to progress the mission. Once the turrets are down, Emile will ask the players to talk to the quartermaster "conveniently" named Bash (another reference to Pokémon's protagonist, Ash).
Meeting Bash & Acquiring the Catch-tainers
After meeting Bash in the quartermaster's office, players will need to reach the Ammo Dump nearby, which contains a special item that could help in capturing the sentient walking turrets (you all know where this is going). So, head to the Ammo Shed to progress the mission further.
After reaching the Ammo Shed, Bash will update the players that the building is locked up, and they'll have to blow up the generators powering the barriers to get inside.
There will be some turrets here as well that you should take down first before moving ahead. The first generator will be located on top of the Ammo Shed with the barrier. Simply shoot it from the ground to destroy it.
For the second generator, you'll need to grapple up the building opposite the Ammo Shed.
After reaching the building, they'll find the second generator inside. Simply shoot to blow it up, and the barrier to the Ammo Shed will be disabled.
Now use the zipline to reach the ammo shed, and pick up the Catch-tainers inside.
Capturing Tediore Offsprings & Defeating the Bomb Squad
After taking the supply of Catch-tainers, head to the location marked by the quest marker. Here, you'll need to place the Catch-tainers in the designated area and pick one up to start trapping Tediore Offsprings (the walking gun-turrets). Simply throw the Catch-tainer at the walking gun-turrets, and they'll be captured (basically a reference to Poke Balls).
Once you've captured five of these walking turrets, you'll be ambushed by the Bomb Squad (a clear nod to Team Rocket). After a nostalgic monologue, the Bomb Squad members Jake and Josey will drill out of the ground and start attacking you.
Once they're defeated, players will have an option to either capture an additional six Tediore Offsprings or travel to Rock Bottom to progress through the Wayward Gun side quest in Borderlands 4.
Defeating PEWPEW & Its Army
After reaching Rock Bottom, players will need to eliminate several walking turrets in the area. Once you've defeated a good chunk of them, the mission objective will change to "Battle PEWPEW and his army."
You'll need to grapple up to the Grey Havenage Safehouse, and a mini-boss named Pew will spawn from the container. You'll need to dispatch Pew and his minions to further progress the Wayward Gun quest.
Next, players will receive a radio transmission from the main walking turret boss called PEWPEW, who'll be located in the GIM, high up in the area. To reach the GIM, players will need to return to the Grey Havenage Safehouse and use the container to climb to the upper floor. From here, perform a double-jump and hover to close the gap and reach GIM.
After reaching the GIM, you'll encounter PEWPEW and his army. This area can be a bit tricky as you'll be getting shot from all directions. Make sure to find a safe spot to shoot from and keep defeating all the walking turrets in the area first.
After defeating the PEWPEW boss, he'll ask players to wipe his memory so he can live in blissful ignorance. So, players will need to hack the terminal and reset the GIM core. Completing this objective will conclude the Wayward Gun side quest and the fun references to Pokémon in Borderlands 4.
Players will receive a host of rewards, including a green to purple rarity assault rifle for completing this side quest, including the "Loyal Customer" paint job for Echo-4.
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
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - all platforms
- Prequel(s)
- Borderlands 3, Borderlands 2, Borderlands
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- PC Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- October 3, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- Local Co-Op Support
- Yes
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
