The 5 Most Unique Weapons in The Borderlands Franchise So…

Summary

Borderlands' unique weapons make it a standout in the crowded first-person shooter genre.
The Sand Hawk fires eight rounds in a bird-shaped pattern, while the SWORDSPLOSION!!! Shotgun fires explosive swords.
The Grog Nozzle pistol can make players drunk, and the Smart-Gun grows spider legs when reloaded.

If there's one thing many first-person shooters hope to achieve when hitting the market, it's offering an experience unique enough to stand out in such a crowded genre. Franchises like Battlefield try to accomplish this with massive multiplayer maps, while something like Apex Legends leans into a subgenre like battle royales, but one franchise has managed to thrive by developing a melting pot of creative features. That franchise is Borderlands, and for fifteen years it's combined offbeat humor, visual flair, and frenetic gunplay to create an experience that is seldom found anywhere else.

Across its three mainline titles and two spin-offs, Borderlands has created a personality all its own. One crucial aspect of that personality is the franchise's weapons, which often display just as much creativity as Borderlands' vault hunters. Though its weapons may seem familiar at first, falling into recognizable categories such as shotguns and assault rifles, the charm of these weapons comes from their unique abilities. Many of Borderlands' weapons do things that simply don't happen in other games, and these unique weapons are what make the series a standout for countless gamers.

Sand Hawk

Borderlands 2 had a massive amount of guns in the base game, but developer Gearbox Software introduced even more with the game's many DLC expansions. The Sand Hawk is one such gun introduced in the Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty DLC, and it stands out thanks to its unique firing pattern. Instead of shooting one bullet or even two, the Sand Hawk fires eight rounds in a horizontal, bird-shaped pattern that flies like a bird flapping its wings.

SWORDSPLOSION!!!

One of Borderlands 2's most popular expansions was Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, which served as a major inspiration for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Many new weapons were introduced in this DLC, one of which epitomizes the zany nature of the game. The SWORDSPLOSION!!! Is a Torgue shotgun that, in true Mister Torgue fashion, fires explosive swords. One sword will leave the gun when it's fired, and upon impact, that sword explodes into three more explosive swords.

Grog Nozzle

Sticking with Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, the Grog Nozzle is a unique pistol that's given to players as part of a mission from Claptrap. This pistol, like other Moxxi weapons, is more effective at healing players than directly dealing damage, but it's truly unique feature has nothing to do with dealing damage at all. As players use the Grog Nozzle, they may find that their screen starts to sway from left to right, and their accuracy is greatly hindered, as using the gun starts to make their vault hunter drunk.

Smart-Gun

The Smart-Gun highlights one of Borderlands 3's special weapon variations: guns with legs. When players reload this Tediore submachine gun, it'll grow spider legs, a distinct brain, and eyeballs. These turrets bear a striking resemblance to Kang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, something the weapon's description makes reference to.

Bane

Borderlands is filled with loud and colorful characters, but that doesn't stop its weapons from getting in on the fun. The Bane is an SMG that makes its unique effects known right away, as it both screams at players whenever it's being fired, while also drastically lowering a player's movement speed. The one upside of the Hyperion gun is that it deals a considerable amount of damage, making it useful for those who are willing to bear its annoyances.

Gearbox has shown no shortage of creativity with Borderlands weapons over the years, and with a potential Borderlands 4 on the horizon, there's no telling what new tricks it may come up with. If its track record is anything to go off of, there's likely to be plenty of memorable weapons for Borderlands fans to take advantage of.

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Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Tag Page Cover Art

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Action RPG

FPS

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 78 /100 Critics Rec: 76%

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Released: March 25, 2022
ESRB: T For Teen due to Blood, Crude, Humor, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s): Gearbox Software
Publisher(s): 2K
Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Multiplayer: Online Multiplayer, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S