If you’ve spent even 10 hours running around Pandora’s newly expanded wastelands in Borderlands 4, you know regular blue and purple gear only gets you so far. Once you hit level 50 and start tackling endgame raids, slaughter circles, and juggernaut raid bosses, you need gear that punches way above its weight class, which is why hunting down the Borderlands 4 best legendaries is half the fun of the game’s post-campaign loop. I’ve sunk over 120 hours into the game since launch, testing every legendary drop I could get my hands on across all four playable classes, so I’ve narrowed down the list to only the pieces that are actually worth chasing, not just shiny drops that look cool but underperform in real high-difficulty fights.
How We Ranked the Borderlands 4 Best Legendaries
We didn’t rank these legendaries based on base damage alone, because a weapon with high raw damage that has a useless perk will always underperform a lower damage weapon with a game-changing synergy. Every pick on this list was tested on Mayhem 10 difficulty, the hardest endgame setting, to make sure they hold up when enemies have 10x health and 5x damage output. We also excluded one-off quest-exclusive legendaries that you can only get once per playthrough, since those are impossible to reroll for better stats or anointments. For each pick, we’ve included clear pros, cons, and ideal use cases so you can decide if it’s a fit for your build before you spend hours farming for it.
Top Legendary Weapons for All Playstyles
Weapons make up the bulk of your damage output in Borderlands 4, so picking the right legendary weapon for your playstyle will make more of a difference than any other gear slot. The four picks below work for almost every class and build, with perks that scale well even into the highest difficulty levels:
- Ripper's Claw SMG: This Vladof SMG has a 40% chance to apply a stacking bleed effect on every hit, up to 10 stacks that deal 200% of your weapon damage per second. It's perfect for melee-focused builds and gun-focused builds alike, since the bleed effect procs even if you're firing from cover. The only downside is its relatively small 25-round magazine, so you'll want to pair it with a relic that boosts magazine size to get the most out of it.
- Nuclear Fusion Shotgun: This Torgue shotgun fires explosive slugs that split into 3 smaller nukes on impact, dealing area of effect damage to every enemy within a 15-foot radius. It's the best option for clearing crowded slaughter circle waves, and it can one-shot most non-boss enemies on Mayhem 10 if you land a headshot. It does have a slow reload speed, so don't get caught reloading in the middle of a mob of bandits.
- Starfall Sniper Rifle: This Maliwan sniper charges up to fire a plasma bolt that creates a mini gravity well on impact, pulling nearby enemies into a small area before exploding for 500% weapon damage. It's ideal for long-range players who prefer picking off enemies from a distance, and the gravity well effect is a huge help for teams playing co-op who want to group enemies up for area of effect attacks. The only downside is that it takes 2 seconds to fully charge, so it's not a great pick for fast-paced close quarters fights.
- Voidspike Pistol: This Hyperion pistol has a built-in shield that absorbs 20% of incoming damage while you're aiming down sights, and converts that absorbed damage into bonus damage for your next shot. It's the perfect sidearm for every build, since it lets you trade a small amount of cover time for a massive damage boost against bosses. I've used it to finish off every raid boss in the game, and it never lets me down.
Best Legendary Gear and Relics You Can’t Miss
Weapons are important, but your shield, relic, and class mod slots can make or break your build, especially if you’re running a specialized playstyle like melee only or status effect focused. The Bloodthirster Relic is the first non-weapon legendary we recommend chasing for almost every build. It gives you 1% lifesteal for every enemy you kill in the last 10 seconds, stacking up to 20% lifesteal, which eliminates the need to carry dozens of health kits for long dungeon runs. If you’re playing a squishy class like the Siren or the Hunter, the Juggernaut Shield is another must-have: it gives you 50% extra damage resistance when your shield is broken, plus a 30% movement speed boost so you can get to cover to recharge before you take fatal damage. Don’t sleep on class-specific legendaries either, like the Berserker’s Rage Core, which extends the duration of their berserk mode by 50% every time they get a kill while the mode is active. That said, not all class-specific legendaries are worth chasing, so it’s best to check if the perk aligns with your specific build before you spend hours farming for it.
Tips to Farm Legendaries Efficiently
Chasing legendaries can feel like a grind if you don’t know what you’re doing, but there are a few simple tricks to cut down your farm time by half or more. First, always target dedicated drop sources: every legendary on this list drops from a specific boss or dungeon, so you don’t have to waste time running random open world encounters hoping for a lucky drop. For example, the Ripper’s Claw SMG drops exclusively from Warlord Korg in the Scrapyard dungeon, which you can run on repeat every 10 minutes for a chance at the drop. Playing on higher Mayhem levels also boosts legendary drop rates by up to 300% on Mayhem 10, so it’s worth bumping up the difficulty even if you have to take a little longer to clear fights. Don’t forget to collect all 60 Lucky Dice scattered across the open world too: every die gives you a 0.5% permanent boost to global loot luck, adding up to a 30% total bonus once you collect all of them. That might not sound like a lot, but it adds up to hundreds of extra legendary drops over dozens of farm runs. If you have friends who play the game, farming in co-op is even faster, since every player in the lobby adds a 10% bonus to legendary drop chance for the whole group.
At the end of the day, half the fun of Borderlands 4 is testing out weird, overpowered gear and finding what works best for your unique playstyle, not just following a meta list. The Borderlands 4 best legendaries we’ve covered here are all solid picks that will make your endgame grind way smoother, but don’t be afraid to experiment with drops we didn’t mention. You might find a hidden gem that fits your build better than any meta pick. If you’re just starting your endgame grind, pick one or two of these legendaries to farm first, and you’ll be tearing through Mayhem 10 content in no time.