One of the greatest things about Borderlands‘ loot system is how much freedom it offers, and that is especially true of Borderlands 4. While the latest entry has four Vault Hunters to choose from, just as every installment before it has, there is an unprecedented degree of liberty in how these characters are designed, with each one having multiple routes for players to take in crafting their builds. At the heart of these builds are Class Mods, which can make one player’s Vault Hunter feel unique in comparison to others. However, when those items appear to drop less for the player’s current character in Borderlands 4, the core loot-and-shoot loop starts to wobble.
That is, unfortunately, the current state of things in the latest Borderlands, with a controversy gaining increased traction within the community as they continue fine-tuning their builds heading into and throughout Borderlands 4‘s endgame. As it turns out, this problem is identical to one that Borderlands 3 had, until it was patched in a post-launch update. Of course, that does mean that a patch is likely on the way to resolve the issue in Borderlands 4, but the hope is that it arrives sooner rather than later — when interest in the game begins to fade considerably.
Borderlands 4's Class Mod Drops Are Rekindling a Familiar Frustration
Why the Current Loot Feels Skewed
Those who have spent plenty of time in Borderlands 4 since launch have likely noticed a pattern when it comes to Class Mods. Specifically, these items drop more frequently for other classes than they do for the class players are currently running. For hours of farming in Borderlands 4 or simply playing the game to produce a significant number of irrelevant Class Mods is demoralizing, to say the least, even with a Bank Vault shared between all of one player’s Vault Hunters. Even streamers like Dantics have highlighted tests showing drops weighted toward classes not currently being played, which only feeds the perception that the system is currently broken.
What makes this so frustrating is that Borderlands 4‘s Class Mods aren’t just another normal piece of gear. Rather, they tend to define entire builds, gating certain perks and determining the flexibility of a chosen playstyle. When those pieces feel like they’re favoring classes some players may not even have a character for, it makes the chances of actually utilizing that loot slot exceedingly slim. At the moment, that really means the most efficient method players can implement to get Class Mods for the class they prefer to play is by playing an entirely different class altogether and farming on it instead.
Lessons BL3 Already Learned
Again, this is nearly identical to an issue Borderlands 3‘s loot pool experienced, where Class Mods dropped too often for other Vault Hunters, frustrating players who were trying to build around their main. Gearbox did eventually address this, increasing the odds of Class Mods dropping for the active class and carving out dedicated farming routes tied to bosses, Trials, and loot sources. That adjustment finally allowed players to feel like the time they spent in the game was worth it, though the issue being present at launch likely caused many players to drop out before the update was added.
Hopefully, a patch rolls out for this imbalance very soon, lest Borderlands 4 experience a major dip in its active player count. Those who have made it their goal to have the perfect build in Borderlands 4 will find that difficult to do without a reliable way to farm Class Mods in the game. At the very least, Borderlands 3‘s history serves as reassurance that Gearbox will resolve, rather than neglect, the problem.