Borderlands 3: Tips and tricks Borderlands 3 guide, walkthrough

Last update: 23 February 2023

This page of the guide to Borderlands 3 includes a set of tips for beginners. We focused on potentially problematic issues and mechanics that haven't been well explained in the game.

• Don't start quests when your level is too low.
• The brown color on the map marks unexplored areas
• The Item Score does not always correctly reflects the item's value.
• Try to avoid killing minions accompanying bosses
• Kill all the encountered Loot Tinks
• In Borderlands 3, you can perform slides...
• ...and ground pound
• Check the alternate attack of every new weapon
• You can switch between Action Skills without any restrictions
• Some weapons have their own shields
• You can easily buy ammo without opening the vending machine menu
• The game allows you to track quests and quickly switch between them
• Equip weapons that deal damage from various elements
• Take on the Crew Challenges in every location

Don't start quests when your level is too low.

Check the log every time you get a quest to see its recommended level - the example presented above shows a level requiring your character to be at least at level 13. If possible, don't take part in missions that have a recommended level higher than yours. In Borderlands 3, the main quests are particularly long. Even if at the initial stage of the mission you encountered enemies that you can defeat, you can soon start facing enemies that are 1-2 levels above yours.

In Borderlands 3, you can gain experience by completing side quests, challenges, and during free exploration. Try to look for activities that are relevant to your current level. Focus on the quests only after the reach the recommended level.

The brown color on the map marks unexplored areas

Exploration is very important in Borderlands 3 - each new location is initially classified as undiscovered:

1. The blue color on the map indicates areas that have already been visited.
2. The brown color indicates unexplored areas, which have yet to be discovered.

Careful exploration has another advantage - this is the only way to add some of the markers on the map, e.g. those for quest givers or secrets. Try to reach everywhere to have a given map colored almost entirely in blue.

The Item Score does not always correctly reflects the item's value.

In Borderlands 3, each item is described by the Item Score parameter. It informs you about the potential power and usefulness of this item, but unfortunately, it can be misleading. This value can be "mistakenly" overstated in several ways:

1. You got the item at a high difficulty level.
2. The item has a higher rarity (for example, blue, purple, or orange).
3. The item has some unique properties (this happens frequently with, for example, weapons acquired from bosses).

Don't automatically replace your current item to this one with a higher Item Score. Check two things before switching to another gear:

1. Compare the statistics of the new item with the currently equipped - green means improvement, and red means deterioration of this parameter. Look for items that increase the most important stats for a particular group of items, and avoid items that can significantly degrade them.
2. Check what additional features the new item has - don't miss this step because almost every piece of equipment has some additional properties. You can learn, for example, about the elemental damage or an additional shield. Make another comparison of whether the features of a new item are more useful than your current equipment.

In the case of firearms, your own preferences are also important. Try to test a new weapon before getting rid of the previous one. There is always a risk that something can disappoint and cause great discomfort while using a weapon (e.g. ammunition consumption is too high and too fast).

Try to avoid killing minions accompanying bosses

Many bosses in Borderlands 3 are accompanied by numerous weak opponents. Don't kill these minions unless they are a direct threat to your character. You can appreciate the benefits of this tactic every time you get knocked down by a boss, that is when you lose all health points. When that happens, you can shoot one of the minions running around for an easy Second Wind. This will allow you to return to the fight without having to start the whole battle from the beginning. The tactic is especially recommended if you are playing alone and you can't count on another player.

Kill all the encountered Loot Tinks

Loot Tink is a unique enemy that carries a lot of items. If you notice such an enemy, then try to focus on attacking it. Don't let this enemy escape. A successful kill will be awarded with a lot of loot. You will get a lot of credits and items. Even if these items aren't good enough to equip them, you can sell them in any store and get a lot of credits.

In Borderlands 3, you can perform slides...

This is one of the new moves that can be performed by all characters. Press the crouch button while sprinting to slide. The most important use for this action is to avoid enemy fire. Opponents will have to aim more carefully to shoot the hero who began to slide.

Slides can also be useful for solving minor puzzles. For example, in Bad Reception, a side quest available at the beginning of the game, you need to slide to get inside the house with a turret and a get that closes automatically.

...and ground pound

Another interesting move available to all characters is a ground pound. You can use it by pressing the crouch button while you are in the air. The main use of this move is to deal damage to enemies located on the lower shelves. It is worth remembering that in Borderlands characters don't receive fall damage. You can jump down even from on the edge of a cliff.

Ground pound is also useful in solving environmental puzzles. Similarly to slide, it is required to, e.g. enter one of the locations that are part of Bad Reception side quest.

Check the alternate attack of every new weapon

Some weapons in the game have two different fire modes. You can learn about their secondary attack from the weapon description. In addition, information about the current mode is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. The picture above shows an example of a rifle with activated grenade launcher.

The differences between shooting modes don't always have to be as radical as in our example. Changes may concern, for example, whether the gun shoots short bursts or in an automatic mode. Regardless of the circumstances, we recommend always checking both modes. Even if the main mode of fire isn't useful to you, the secondary attack may be different making that weapon a good choice for your character.

You can switch between Action Skills without any restrictions

In Borderlands 3, each hero has 3 Action Skills to choose from. They become available when you reach level 2, that is, after defeating the first boss of the game (Shiv). Each of the Action Skills has a separate development tree, and the choice of skills is never final. You can switch between them freely and set a specific skill in the slot at the bottom right corner of the screen.

Despite complete freedom, we recommend focusing on one specific Action Skill so you can buy passive abilities from the same tree and increase its efficiency. If you want to relocate the skill points, you can reset your progress - more information on How to reset skills? page. Read more about skills in the Character Development section.

Some weapons have their own shields

Some of the weapons may have Weapon Shield Capacity information in their descriptions. This additional protective shield works independently from the one used by the main character. It can be activated by holding the aiming button. This is a useful feature thanks to which you can get an increased protection.

Weapons with shields can also have the additional function of absorbing some of the attacks and turning them into increased damage. You can only absorb those attacks that hit the shield.

You can easily buy ammo without opening the vending machine menu

Borderlands 3 makes it easier for players to but ammo. When you reach one of the Ammo Dump machines, you can press the Refill Ammo button. This will lead to the automatic purchase of ammunition for all types of weapons (unfortunately also for those you do not use at the moment). You don't need to open the vending machine's menu to buy ammunition.

Watch out if your ammunition supplies have been exhausted. Refilling ammunition for them can cost you even a few hundred credits, and if you have little money, it can temporarily prohibit you from buying other things. Before returning to the machine, it is worth looking for small crates, which often contain ammunition. This will allow you to limit overall costs of buying ammunition.

The game allows you to track quests and quickly switch between them

Borderlands 3 makes tracking quests easier. When you receive a new quest, you can hold the specified button to start tracking it. You can also open the log and select the mission you want to set as active. From now on, the main map and the mini-map will display its markings (e.g. places you have to visit).

An even more convenient method is to use the left and right buttons on the controller's d-pad. This allows you to quickly switch between the quests in the log. This is useful if, for example, there are several different tasks in the same area and you want to quickly view the associated goal markers.

Equip weapons that deal damage from various elements

You can fight much more effectively with multiple opponents if you take advantage of attacks based on the corresponding element. Try to choose weapons that can deal damage from different elements. You will become more versatile and be able to attack enemies more effectively - some of them are immune to specific attacks.

Some weapons can deal damage from two different elements. An example of such a gun is the sniper rifle presented in the picture above - it can deal Shock damage (effective against shields) or Corrosive damage (effective against armor). You select the attack type by pressing the button for changing the firing mode. It is good to have at least one such weapon in your inventory.

Take on the Crew Challenges in every location

Each location in the game has its own Crew Challenges, which you can view from the Challenges tab in the map menu. You can take part in these challenges through careful map exploration. Their markers will appear on the map as you explore it. The Crew Challenges include the dead Claptrap parts, audio logs and unique vehicles.

Each challenge is rewarded with XP, credits and eridium (premium currency). In addition, always try to reach all Typhon Logs. After collecting a set of recordings from a given location, the Typhon Dead Drop supply will appear on the map. Inside a large container you will always find a lot of valuable items.