Another weekend has passed, which means I've once again found myself staring down the barrel of Borderlands 4's upcoming patch notes. If you're new here, I've been documenting my weekend gameplay of Borderlands 4 and how that balances/feels with any known upcoming changes. I was a Vex Main running the Infinite Bleed Build, so that's been fun. But whatever the next patch notes bring, since our only preview was that Gearbox was monitoring recent changes, I don't think there's much point in me running Vex any more anyway (and that's a bigger problem).
Presumably, the next Borderlands 4 patch will fix a few of the unintended effects of the October 23 update: QOL hits to Vending Machines, even the Crit Knife came out working unintentionally, etc. Amon has a new broken, OP build, so Gearbox may target that. It could be there are some other surprises in there, but really, what my weekend with my Borderlands 4 crew highlighted was that we're running out of stuff to do quickly.
Check out Borderlands 4's latest patch notes here.
Borderlands 4: Grinding the Weekend Away
Unlike the prior weekend (October 17-19), I can't say we didn't have plenty of time to play, but it definitely seems like the desire to play among my friends is down. Our Amon main didn't hop on, and our Harlowe Main was only on for a short stint. When it was time to hunt some ghosts in Phasmophobia though? Trust, none of us pass up on that. So, for the most part, it was our Rafa main and I grinding challenges with Armored Bods. To recap the weekend,
- We tested how bad the Vex nerf was. Yep, into the ground. I've heard of a new Bleed build, but I haven't looked into it. Quite frankly, we're at a point where we don't need builds (and that's the bigger concern here).
- After that, we grinded Driller Sites. I think if I see another Driller Site this coming weekend, I will get nauseous.
- Rafa and I both finished the Challenges for Weapon Types and Manufacturers.
- The only achievements/trophies we have left are Dave the Burrito and Catch-a-Ride (which requires you to get all characters to level 50 for their unique vehicles).
- We worked on leveling up our alts for a bit, but that's all the time we had this weekend.
Rafa was running one Driller Site, while I was working another, and every so often, we'd go to a new one just because that grind is more mind-numbing and less fun. With the Bleed Build (with the Knife being weaker than intended) being dead as a doornail, I basically respec'd and just went for crit chance and gun damage on Vex. It made sense for the challenge grind, but something else came to mind in doing all this.
Ask Not What You Can Do The Grind, but What the Grind is Doing For You
I've said plenty of times that I knew Vex's Infinite Bleed Build needed to be nerfed, but I maintained that the gameplay loop was so fun that it shouldn't be nerfed into oblivion. When Gearbox fixes the Crit Knife, which caps crit chance instead of increasing it now, perhaps my Bleed Build will be viable again. However, I think I realized something over the weekend. I respec'd just to hit the challenges as strongly as I could, instead of playing the way I wanted to, and there are two major reasons that I am—more or less—divesting from Vex anyway. In other words, it doesn't feel like there's much point in me chasing a new build to begin with. First, Catch-a-Ride means I already have to play the other characters if I want all the achievements.
- I am working on Rafa first with my friends.
- Then I will swap to Amon.
- Finally, kind of in between it all, I am running Harlowe in another game with my wife.
Of course, not all players are going to want the achievements, but I can, will, and need to play the other characters to finish goals I've set for myself. Well, Rafa and I want 'em at least. I already have to explore other characters and make other builds to get from Level 30 to Level 50. Our plan, if we can get Amon and Harlowe on (though we'd all be swapping), is to have two people running Driller Sites (level 50 on UVHM5), at least one running side quests, and another running Vile Bounties. We'll see how that grind works this weekend, if we can get everyone on board. That means I am moving away from Vex anyway, so replacing my build is immediately less appealing. There's plenty of build diversity when I know every other VH is basically on the same level power-wise, so it really hurts my desire to work on a new build for Vex. I don't want to chase more loot at the point we're at in the game, at least not for Vex.
The one good thing about Catch-a-Ride is that, when Borderlands 4's first DLC comes out, I'll have 4 Vault Hunters at Level 50 to choose from. But that's probably a few months away, and I have to ask, right now, what is the point of putting together a new build?
Borderlands 4's endgame is grinding bosses, missions, and activities like Vile Bounties and Driller Sites. These are all grinding activities to get you somewhere, but in Borderlands 4, they take you nowhere. Not yet anyway. I hope there's a strong endgame in its future because, right now, I am grinding for my own reasons and not anything the game itself actually incentivizes.
I understand my Infinite Bleed Build could be problematic for future content, but the future is not here yet. I am grinding to hit level 50, but even on UVHM5, I can't say I feel the need to have a cohesive build anymore. My desire to build a new Vex, or any of these characters beyond what it takes to hit level 50, has gone downhill simply because I'm at the end of the rope. I want more, better endgame content sooner rather than later, but at the very least, I think once I get all the achievements, I'll probably be taking a break until there's a reason to come back. I don't really want to bounce off Borderlands 4, but now that I am asking what's next after I finish these self-imposed grinds, there's nothing in it that's really set to challenge any Level 50 characters, regardless of their builds.
I know it's coming, but that's what I (and probably plenty of others) are waiting for. As such, whatever the October 30 patch notes set out to balance, I'm good to roll with them. Perhaps I will care about builds again once I know there's a reason to build a character up, but until then, my only goal is to get all the achievements. Then, I'll just wait until Borderlands 4 gives me a new goal to hit, whether that's at DLC release or not. Right now, my biggest problem with the game is that there's nowhere to take any build and really push it to its limits, regardless, and until then, I'm not sure any balance patch is going to satisfy me. I do believe BL4 will get there and maybe I am impatient, but that's what I hope to see sooner rather than later.
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
