Borderlands 4 and its open-world design mean that players have the freedom to go wherever they want, as early as they want. This design is great for players who want to explore freely, but to players who want to better follow the story, there's a certain order of events that should transpire before they leave the starting area of the Fadefields for the more intense and action-packed areas of Carcadia Burn and Terminus Range. The Vault Hunters of Borderlands 4 are tasked with killing Idolator Sol, Vile Lictor, and Callis the Ripper Queen, but which of these tyrants should have their empire toppled first?
The Best Order for the Main Story Bosses of Borderlands 4
What Story Mission & Boss Should You Tackle First in Borderlands 4?
The first area that players will enter in Borderlands 4 is the Fadefields. As players progress through the story, they will encounter the Outbounders and their fight against Idolator Sol's forces from The Timekeeper's Order. Players should continue with the Outbounders, where they will eventually complete A Lot to Process. This mission unlocks additional main story missions, with Shadow of the Mountain in Terminus Range, and Wrath of the Ripper Queen in Carcadia Burn. However, players should stick with the missions featured in the Fadefields and complete the chain that continues with One Fell Swoop. Completing the Idolator Sol quest chain will not only see players earn decent XP for low levels, but it will also allow them to unlock Locust to open up Order Bunkers found across the map.
Once players have completed the main missions in the Fadefields, they can alternate freely between Carcadia Burn and Terminus Range. There are no repercussions or drawbacks from starting in either of these zones, and the difficulty is scaled. Any of the three bosses and their zones can be tackled in any order, and they all make sense narratively. However, we decided to finish up the Fadefields, then venture to Terminus Range, and then take to Carcadia Burn. We felt as if this route offered nice, flowing content, along with decent gains of gear and XP, as well as further enhancements in the story.
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
