Borderlands 4, much like the rest of the series, promises a near-infinite supply of guns, but inevitably, some guns will be better than others. Legendary guns have always been the prize pony of the series; guns that are so good that their drop rates have to be significantly lower than anything else in the game. Most often, they come with some special gimmick or unique firing mode or benefit that truly makes them stand out from the rest.

The series has seen countless legendaries come and go over the years, with very few guns making the jump from entry to entry. With Borderlands 4 on the horizon, there’s still plenty of time to speculate about which legendaries, if any, will be making their epic return from previous outings on Pandora. In the event that Gearbox does elect to bring back some of the most iconic guns from games past, there are a few old-time favorites that definitely should make the short list.

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Borderlands 4 Returning Legendary Gun Wishlist

The Infinity

While not always the best pistol for the endgame, the Infinity was always one of the most fun guns to use in Borderlands 2. A Vladof pistol with a massively high fire-rate, the Infinity, true to its name, never ran out of ammo and could be fired in perpetuity without ever needing to stop and reload. When paired with its staggering fire rate, it becomes a force of nature, especially when dual-wielded on a gunzerker.

To date, the Infinity has not appeared in any other games in the series outside its debut in Borderlands 2, but it could easily make a reappearance in future titles. The simplicity of its gimmick and relatively low power level overall make it an ideal candidate for a fun piece of fan service in Borderlands 4.

Excalibastard

Laser weapons have long been the forgotten children of the Borderlands arsenal. After debuting in the underrated Pre-Sequel, they did not make their return in Borderlands 3. Which also means that the Excalibastard has also been out of commission for a full game as well. Possibly one of the most unique legendaries in any game, the Excalibastard was a Hyperion railgun that would always spawn with the cryo element and a massive bayonet attachment. In addition, the gun also boasted 100% accuracy, 100% elemental chance on critical hits, and a 100% drop rate.

That last point was not an error. Excalibastard is the only legendary with a 100% drop rate. Players could find the weapon stuck in a stone off to the side in one of the lesser explored areas of the Pre-Sequel. The gun could only be picked up once a character had achieved a 2500 badass rank, after which it could not be farmed again on that character. It was a strong weapon with a fun gimmick that gave players something to work towards through their long hours grinding through the game. Even if it doesn’t return in a 1:1 format, something like it should absolutely be implemented in the upcoming game.

The Nukem

One of the most reliable legendaries of the franchise, the Nukem is one of the only legendaries that has appeared in every Borderlands game since its debut in Borderlands 2. Taking its name from the Duke Nukem franchise, the Nukem lives up to its namesake by being one of the most destructive rocket launchers in whatever game it appears in. Torgue weapons are notoriously explosive, and they don’t get much more explosive than the Nukem.

The weapon’s unique fire trajectory is reminiscent of the Fat Man from the Fallout series, and the payload has a similarly explosive effect. Because of its unique projectiles and the fact it can never come in any other elemental type, the Nukem isn’t always the most viable choice for any of the series’ endgames. In that way, the gun is a lot like its namesake franchise; not always the best in terms of quality, but a rip-roaring fun time to revisit every now and again.

The Handsome Jackhammer

Borderlands manufacturers all have their own unique gimmicks. Jakobs has high damage and accuracy, Torgue weapons are explosive, Maliwan heavily leans into the elemental damage types, and so on. Every manufacturer has their own specialty and all the guns stay in their lane — which is what makes the Handsome Jackhammer so unique. It’s one of the rare legendaries that incorporate elements from two manufacturers, in this case Hyperion and Tediore. The gun has all the accuracy of a Hyperion SMG, with the added bonus of a Tediore thrown reload. But it would be entirely dishonest to imply this was the weapon’s biggest strong suit.

Anyone who’s used the gun will know that it contains a Handsome Jack AI clone, and this ghost in the machine will continuously antagonize and taunt players whenever the gun is equipped. Make no mistake, the Borderlands series needs to move on from Handsome Jack. He had his time in the sun, his story was completed, and before it was over he became one of the best video game antagonists of all time. But keeping him around in the form of a completely optional gun seems like a fair middle ground for those that can’t get enough of the character.

The Lyuda

Sniper rifles have always held a weird spot in the Vault Hunters’ arsenal. Most of the playable characters in Borderlands have skills and abilities that encourage them to be in the thick of the action, which obviously runs counter to the entire ethos of a sniper. At the same time, the rifles offer a damage potential that’s just too high to be fully discounted. In this strange middle ground, the Lyuda from Borderlands 2 had a hugely effective niche that made it one of the best rifles in the game.

The bullets from the Lyuda would split into three projectiles after 10m of airtime and each projectile would maintain 100% of its already impressive critical damage. This made the Lyuda an absolute monster against enemies with larger critical hitboxes like Bunk3r, the Warrior, and a number of the raid bosses. Combined with Vladof’s high fire rate and the right build, the Lyuda would become something more akin to a high-powered assault rifle than a sniper.

The Hellwalker

The first shotgun on the list, The Hellwalker is the definition of cool. Designed to mimic the iconic look of the super shotgun in DOOM the Hellwalker lets vault hunters do their own share of ripping and tearing. The shotgun has a low-tech, almost Western-style flair that’s common for Jakobs-manufacutered weapons. What sets the gun apart is the massive damage output, quick reload time, pentagram firing pattern, and the elemental damage that’s normally absent from the manufacturer.

The Hellwalker was a good pick for certain FL4K and Moze builds, but remained a niche choice outside those particular setups. Nevertheless, the rule of cool definitely wins out on this particular gun. DOOM‘s super shotgun is one of the most iconic weapons in gaming for a reason. It’s a blast to use, powerful, and generally just looks awesome. Plucking a weapon that iconic and dropping it into Borderlands 4 would be some huge fan service for long-time FPS players who remember where they were when E1M1 first hit the scene.

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Borderlands 4 brings intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons to an all-new planet ruled by a ruthless tyrant.

Crash into Kairos as one of four new Vault Hunters seeking wealth and glory. Wield powerful Action Skills, customize your build with deep skill trees, and dominate enemies with dynamic movement abilities.

Break free from the oppressive Timekeeper, a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high. Now a world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect Order, unleashing mayhem across the planet.

Ignite a resistance and blast your way through mechanical monstrosities, bloodthirsty bandits, and vicious beasts. Amass an arsenal of death-dealing firepower to wreak havoc as you tear your way across Kairos.

Fight solo or in co-op with up to three other players in this immense sci-fi adventure, packed with free-form combat and exploration, pulse-pounding boss fights, infinitely varied loot drops, and an eclectic cast of unforgettable characters new and old.

Looter Shooter

Action

Adventure

RPG

Franchise

Borderlands

Released

September 23, 2025

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

Rating Pending

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

X|S Optimized

Yes

Number of Players

1-4

Local Co-Op Support

Yes

Cross-Platform Play

Yes – all

PC Release Date

September 23, 2025

PS5 Release Date

September 23, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

September 23, 2025

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