Borderlands 4 could have launched with some technical difficulties, however outdoors of that, followers had been fairly happy with the sport upon launch. Certain, some Vault Hunters wanted nerfs whereas others required buffs, however the fight itself was and is extremely satisfying, the loot stays persistently rewarding, and the storytelling has been a step in the best route. Whereas Borderlands 4’s open-world and Final Vault Hunter tiers take some work to totally clear, by now many gamers have finished all there may be to do and are patiently ready for one thing new. Sadly, Gearbox’s first stab at vital post-launch content material is a serious miss, particularly when in comparison with the sequence’ previous success.
For these on the lookout for a meaty post-launch expertise to dive into, Horrors of Kairos definitely doesn’t tick that field. In truth, it’s so restricted in scope that almost all gamers won’t even discover that there’s an occasion happening, with the brand new options restricted to a minuscule “weather” change and two items of Legendary gear. Sadly, each of those additions are largely disappointing, and collaborating within the occasion will really feel extra just like the worst a part of the long-lasting Common Knoxx DLC from the unique Borderlands than the rest. Contemplating how significantly better Borderlands 3 dealt with its Halloween celebration, it’s virtually surprising how weak Borderlands 4’s spin on the vacation is, and it’s a worrying signal for some future additions to the sport.
Borderlands 4’s Horrors of Kairos occasion additionally introduced an unlockable weapon pores and skin and a Jack-o-Lantern head for all 4 Vault Hunters. Some criticized the pinnacle as a missed alternative, as every character might have had a singular head, whereas tying the cosmetics to a Shift Code is divisive because it means there’s much less to grind for within the occasion.
Borderlands 4’s Horrors of Kairos is a Boring Grind For Weak Rewards
As an alternative of that includes new bosses, fundamental enemies, or areas, the one option to progress the Horrors of Kairos event is to face world bosses. These fights work precisely like they usually do, with bubbles randomly showing within the open-world and gamers killing a boss inside them. When getting into the bubble, gamers expertise the “seasonal weather variant” teased for the looter shooter, which is just a few bloody rain and a reasonably underwhelming orange sky. That is the extent of the “newness” inside the occasion, as all of the world bosses gamers struggle are the very same as those they’ve been battling since launch. Usually, world boss bubbles are an thrilling distraction between actions or quest locations. Nevertheless, needing to farm them always sees gamers driving across the entirety of Kairos ready for a bubble to point out up, with a lot downtime between the motion that the occasion turns into a bore virtually immediately. If franchise veterans hated driving 10 minutes at a time in “The Secret Armory of Common Knoxx,” this content material isn’t for them.
Worse, whereas mentioned Borderlands enlargement had nice payoffs between all that driving, whether or not or not it’s the timed crimson chest opening on the finish of the story or the Pearlescent drops from Crawmerax the Invincible, the 2 new Legendaries in Horrors of Kairos are painfully lackluster. The primary is the Skully grenade, and whereas a throwable cranium appears cool in idea, it’s extremely weak and can do nothing however sit inside gamers’ Borderlands 4 safes. The Murmor Tediore Assault Rifle can also be fairly weak, with its harm output not matching the neat bloody weapon pores and skin, although it might theoretically be respectable if gamers get it to drop with the best components. Sadly, these two Legendaries don’t drop all that usually from the world boss bubbles, with gamers needing to open a number of reward crates earlier than they get only one drop. Farming world bosses for hours within the hope of getting the best components means the Assault Rifle can also be a miss, as gamers are higher off going for higher Legendaries than both of those limited-time unlocks.
Borderlands 4’s Golden Chest can drop the Horros of Kairos Legendaries, so splurging on Golden Keys could also be preferable than the boring world boss bubble searches.
Borderlands 3 Already Received Halloween Occasions Proper
What’s so irritating about this new content material is that Borderlands 3’s Bloody Harvest was very properly acquired. In that seasonal occasion, gamers fought by way of a particular spooky map filled with themed enemies, with a enjoyable boss battle in opposition to Captain Hang-out ready on the finish of the situation. The map included a secret puzzle in addition to a number of genuinely good Legendaries to chase, and although Revenge of the Cartels was a much better occasion, Bloody Harvest was nonetheless a robust first outing for Borderlands 3’s free updates. How Borderlands 4 managed to fumble the idea so closely after the earlier mainline sport nailed it’s anybody’s guess, however it’s inconceivable to not examine the 2 given their related themeing.
Whereas it could be unfair to say this content material is worse than the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands DLC, as gamers needed to pay for these controversial content material packs whereas Horros of Kairos is free, the dearth of a price ticket doesn’t excuse the occasion from criticism. Gamers now have a respectable motive to fret about future post-launch updates to Borderlands 4. Extra seasonal occasions could possibly be simply as lackluster as Horrors of Kairos, with gamers preventing the identical world bosses for a number of items of mediocre (or worse) gear to gather. The “How Rush Saved Mercenary Day” DLC has been described as one thing resembling Borderlands 2’s Headhunter Packs, so it ought to present at the very least an hour or two of genuinely new content material, although that will not maintain followers busy for too lengthy. With Borderlands 3 doing seasonal occasions higher along with having the vastly satisfying endgame Takedowns, the stress is on Borderlands 4’s Mad Ellie enlargement to proper the ship, as the sport’s free updates simply aren’t value trying ahead to if Horrors of Kairos is something to go by.
- Launched
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September 12, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Robust Language, In-Sport Purchases, Customers Work together
