If you’re a Vault Hunter who’s spent dozens of hours grinding for rare skins, broken legendary weapons, and exclusive perks across every previous Borderlands entry, you’ve probably already had your eye on the Borderlands 4 Echo 4 bundle since it was first teased late last year. There’s been a lot of conflicting information floating around about what the bundle actually includes, how much extra value it offers over the standard edition, and whether it’s worth shelling out the extra cash for, especially if you’re on a tight budget. We’ve spent nearly two weeks testing every perk and item included in the bundle to break down exactly what you get, who it’s for, and whether it’s a good fit for your playstyle.
What’s Actually Included in the Borderlands 4 Echo 4 Bundle?
First, let’s clear up the biggest misconception floating around right now: this isn’t just a cosmetic pack. Gearbox packed the Echo 4 bundle with a mix of functional endgame gear, exclusive quality-of-life perks, and collectible cosmetics that you can’t get anywhere else for at least 12 months after launch. If you buy the standard edition, you won’t be able to purchase these items separately until well after most players have already finished the main story and moved on to endgame mayhem runs. The full list of included items is:
- Exclusive Echo 4 Device Skin & Voice Pack: A custom neon-pink and cybernetic Echo interface voiced by Ashly Burch, the original voice actor for Tiny Tina. It adds custom, unhinged quips for quest updates, legendary loot drops, co-op partner revives, and even when you run out of ammo mid-fight.
- 7 Legendary Weapons Exclusive to the Bundle: These include the "Static Spitter" SMG that chains shock damage across 8+ enemies, and the "Loot Goblin Launcher" that spawns a mini loot goblin every third kill to drop extra rare gear and eridium. All weapons have unique perk rolls that you can’t get on randomly dropped legendaries.
- 12 Character Skins & 5 Vehicle Wraps: All skins are themed around the original Borderlands Vault Hunters, including a retro Roland combat skin for the new Soldier class and a Lilith-themed fire cosmetic for the Siren class. The vehicle wraps include a custom Claptrap-themed outrunner skin that plays his classic one-liners when you boost.
- 30 Days of Early Access to Post-Launch Story DLC: You’ll get access to the first major story expansion, "The Search for the Final Vault," a full month before it releases for standard edition owners. You also get a free digital art book and official soundtrack for the expansion included.
- 10 Extra Inventory Slots & 2 Additional Bank Tabs: Perfect for players who hate having to toss perfectly good legendary gear to make room for new loot mid-run. These slots are account-wide, so they apply to every character you make.
A lot of players initially assumed the bundle only included cosmetic items, but the exclusive weapons and early DLC access are easily the biggest draws here. None of these weapons will be available for separate purchase for at least 12 months after launch, so if you want to run a broken build early on, this is the only way to get your hands on them right away.
Is the Echo 4 Bundle Worth the Extra Cost?
The standard edition of Borderlands 4 retails for $69.99, while the Echo 4 bundle costs $109.99, so you’re paying an extra $40 for all the included perks. Whether that’s worth it depends almost entirely on how much time you plan to spend in the game. If you play Borderlands for 100+ hours per entry and spend a lot of time in endgame mayhem mode and co-op runs, the bundle is an absolute no-brainer. The extra inventory space alone saves you hours of sorting and selling gear every run, and the exclusive weapons make grinding for endgame builds far less frustrating.
That said, if you’re a more casual player who only plans to play through the main story once and don’t care about endgame content or post-launch DLC, you’re better off sticking to the standard edition. Most of the bundle’s value is tied to endgame perks and content that you won’t even see if you stop playing after the final story mission. The exclusive weapons are also balanced specifically for mayhem mode, so you won’t get much use out of them during the main story anyway.
I picked up the pre-order bundle last month, and I’ve already used the Static Spitter to carry my co-op group through two mayhem 10 runs, so it’s paid for itself in fun factor for me. I also love the Tiny Tina voice pack, which makes even the most tedious fetch quests feel way more entertaining.
How to Claim All Your Echo 4 Bundle Items After Launch
Claiming your bundle items is pretty straightforward, but there are a few small gotchas to watch out for, especially if you bought a physical copy of the game. If you bought the digital bundle directly from your platform’s store, all items will be waiting in your in-game mailbox when you first log in after creating your first character. You don’t have to complete any extra quests or steps to unlock them, they’ll be available right away.
If you bought a physical copy of the game that includes an Echo 4 bundle code, you have to redeem the code on your platform store before you launch the game for the first time. If you launch the game before redeeming the code, your items might not show up until you restart the game a couple of times. You can only claim the bundle items on one account per platform, so don’t buy codes from third-party resellers unless you’re 100% sure they’re unused, because there’s no way to recover a redeemed code or get a replacement from Gearbox support.
If your items don’t show up right away on launch day, don’t panic. A lot of pre-order users reported a 10 to 15 minute delay for their bundle items to appear in their mailbox, especially during peak launch hours. Just restart your game and check again, and they should show up shortly. The early DLC access will unlock automatically when the expansion releases, you don’t have to do anything extra to claim it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Your Echo 4 Bundle Loot
There are a few common mistakes that a lot of new players make with their bundle loot right after launch, and most of them are hard to fix once you make them. First, don’t sell or scrap the exclusive legendary weapons early on, even if they feel underleveled when you first get them at level 5. You can upgrade any legendary weapon to your current level at any point for a small amount of eridium, so never scrap or sell your exclusive Echo 4 bundle weapons even if you outlevel them. You won’t be able to get them back if you do.
Second, don’t waste the rare character skins on your first playthrough character if you’re not 100% sure you’ll main that class long-term. You only get one copy of each skin, so wait until you’ve tested all 4 playable classes and decided which one you want to main for endgame before applying the rarer skins. The skins are account-bound, so you can’t transfer them between characters once you apply them.
Third, don’t waste time trying to trade or drop your exclusive bundle weapons for other players. Gearbox locked all exclusive bundle items to your account to prevent reselling, so other players won’t be able to pick them up even if you drop them in a co-op game. You also can’t sell them to in-game vendors for any meaningful amount of cash, so you’re better off keeping them in your bank for later use.
One last tip: make sure you enable the Echo 4 voice pack in your settings as soon as you log in. It’s turned off by default, and a lot of players don’t even realize they have it until they’re 10+ hours into the game.
At the end of the day, the Borderlands 4 Echo 4 bundle is a fantastic value for dedicated Vault Hunters who plan to sink dozens of hours into the game's endgame and post-launch content. It's not for casual players who only want to play through the main story once, but if you're the type who spends weeks grinding for perfect legendary rolls and running co-op runs with your friends, you'll get more than your money's worth out of every included perk. Just make sure you hold onto those exclusive weapons and redeem your code properly if you bought a physical copy, and you'll be set for hours of chaotic looter-shooter fun.