If you’ve spent even 10 hours running through Borderlands 4’s chaotic, loot-filled maps, you know that half the fun of the game is stumbling on a gun so broken it makes even the toughest boss fights feel like a cake walk. I’ve put over 120 hours into the game across four different character classes, testing every rare and legendary drop I can get my hands on to curate this list of the best guns in Borderlands 4. Whether you prefer picking enemies off from 100 yards away, charging into mobs with a shotgun, or covering entire areas in elemental damage, there’s a pick on this list that will fit your playstyle perfectly. I’ve also noted which builds each gun works best with, so you don’t waste time grinding for a weapon that doesn’t match your current setup.
Top Sniper Rifles Among the Best Guns in Borderlands 4
If you’re looking for long-range options in the best guns in Borderlands 4, snipers are the obvious choice for high single-target damage. The top pick here is The Skullpiercer, a legendary Jakobs sniper with a 300% critical hit damage multiplier that penetrates 3 additional enemies on every headshot. It’s perfect for stealth-focused Zane builds, and can one-shot most regular enemies even on Mayhem 10 difficulty as long as you land a headshot. The only downsides are its slow 1 round per second fire rate and tiny 4-round mag, so you’ll need to be accurate to avoid getting swarmed when groups of enemies rush your position.
For players who prefer crowd control over pure single-target damage, the Freeze Ray Sniper from Maliwan is a close second. It comes with default cryo elemental damage, and a fully charged shot freezes non-boss enemies for 4 full seconds, plus it adds a 150% damage bonus to all hits on frozen targets. I’ve used this gun to solo entire camps of fast-moving raider mobs without taking a single point of damage, and it pairs exceptionally well with Fl4k’s beastmaster build that relies on crowd control to let pets deal extra damage.
Best Close-Range Weapons for Crowd Clearing
Some of the most fun entries in the best guns in Borderlands 4 are close-range weapons, since they let you lean into the game’s chaotic, run-and-gun energy. The top shotgun pick is The Raging Bull, a legendary Torgue shotgun that fires 12 explosive pellets per shot with an 80% larger splash damage radius than standard shotguns. It works perfectly with Amara’s brawler build, which gets extra damage boosts for close-range kills, and it can wipe an entire room of low-level mobs with one well-placed shot. The only downsides are its high recoil and heavy ammo consumption, so you’ll want to stack ammo capacity upgrades if you plan to use it as your primary weapon.
For SMG fans, the Shredder SMG from Vladof is unbeatable for sustained close-range damage. It has a 900 round per minute fire rate, and its incendiary elemental effect stacks up to 5 times, with each stack adding 20% extra damage over time. When you’re picking a close-range weapon for your build, keep these non-negotiable features in mind:
- At least 60% elemental damage bonus for the damage type that matches your build’s perks
- Reload time under 2 seconds, to avoid gaps in fire when you’re swarmed by mobs
- Splash damage perks if you prefer to run directly into groups instead of picking enemies off one by one
Legendary Heavy Weapons for Endgame Boss Fights
For endgame content, you’ll want to prioritize the highest-damage options from the best guns in Borderlands 4 to take down beefy raid bosses fast. The top pick here is the Nuke Launcher, a legendary Torgue rocket launcher whose rockets split into 5 mini nukes on impact, with a 200% damage boost against boss weak points. It has a 12-round mag, so you don’t have to reload every two shots like you do with lower-tier rocket launchers. You’ll want to pair this with a relic that reduces rocket ammo consumption, otherwise you’ll burn through your entire ammo stock in 30 seconds of fighting a raid boss.
If you prefer sustained damage over burst explosive damage, the Minigun of Fury from Vladof is the best heavy weapon choice. It spins up in half the time of standard miniguns, has a 500-round drum, and gets a 10% damage boost for every 10 seconds you keep firing continuously. I tried beating the Warden raid boss three times with regular assault rifles before switching to this minigun, and I beat it on my first try after that swap. It has very high recoil if you’re not using a character with built-in recoil reduction perks, so it’s best for Moze or Fl4k builds that have stability boosts as part of their skill tree.
Tips for Farming the Best Guns in Borderlands 4
No matter which of the best guns in Borderlands 4 you’re chasing, consistent farming will get you the roll you want faster than relying on random world drops. All legendary Jakobs weapons, including the Skullpiercer, drop from the Graveward boss in Floodmoor Basin, and you can run that fight in 5 minutes per run on Mayhem 3 for a 15% legendary drop chance each time. The Raging Bull shotgun drops exclusively from the Borman Nates side boss in Desolation’s Edge, and you can reset the map by fast traveling away and back to spawn him again immediately, no waiting required.
Always run loot luck relics and equip the Loot Enthusiast class mod when farming, as these two items can boost your legendary drop chance by up to 40% per run. If you’re playing co-op, you can also share drops with your teammates, so if someone gets a duplicate of the gun you’re looking for, they can pass it to you for free. I’ve saved dozens of hours of farming by running co-op runs with friends, since we all target different guns and pass duplicates to each other. Just make sure you’re playing on the same difficulty level, because lower difficulty drops have lower base stats even if they’re the same legendary weapon.
At the end of the day, the best guns in Borderlands 4 are the ones that fit your personal playstyle, not just the ones with the highest damage numbers on paper. If you hate sniping, even the Skullpiercer won’t be fun for you to use, so don’t force yourself to grind for it just because it’s on a top list. Test out different drops as you play, tweak your build to match the weapons you enjoy using, and don’t be afraid to experiment with weird, quirky legendaries that have strange perks. Some of my favorite guns in the game are ones no other guides mention, because they fit my goofy melee + incendiary hybrid build perfectly. If you have a favorite gun that didn’t make this list, drop it in the comments below so other players can check it out too.