Borderlands 4’s first Story Pack: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned and new Vault Hunter, C4SH the Rogue are live now!

Buy: https://borderlands.2k.com/borderlands-4/buy/

In case you missed it: our very first LIVE episode was filmed at PAX East 2026!

Join hosts Andrew Reiner (Global Creative Executive Officer) and April Johnson (Associate Director of Narrative) on the PAX East main theater for a deep dive into the future of the Borderlands universe.

In this special episode we’re pulling back the curtain on Borderlands 4’s first Story Pack, our newest Vault Hunter, and providing an update on a brand-new way to experience stories across the Borderlands universe.

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Borderlands: Dead Echoes – Creative Producer Joel Watson joins us to share more on Gearbox’s first-ever audio drama. Learn about "DeadECHOs" and characters Junie and Watts, their Robin Hood-style side hustle, and which fan-favorite voices (Claptrap! Hammerlock! Tannis!) are making a return.

• Meet C4SH, Our Newest Vault Hunter – We welcome voice actor John Eric Bentley and cosplayer Stella Chu to the stage to break down the design of C4SH. Learn more about his mysterious history with Mancubus and his RNG-based skills.

• DLC Deep Dive and Gameplay: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned – Associate Creative Director Grant Kao and Associate Art Director Max Davenport showcase the "most gross piece of content we've ever delivered."

• DLC Design: From dedicated farming and 10+ new bosses to the return of Pearlescent gear and underwater swimming, hear the developers talk about how we’re evolving the Borderlands 4 endgame.

• Community Q&A: We tackle your questions live from the floor, covering everything from C4SH’s skill tree complexity to the "spectral phantom" legendary pistol mechanics.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Welcome to the First LIVE DevCast!

1:10 – Announcing Borderlands: Dead Echoes Audio Drama

5:40 – Borderlands 4 Cosplay Showcase

6:45 – C4SH Reveal & Gameplay Trailer

11:15 – Interview: John Eric Bentley & Stella Chu

17:15 – DLC 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned

22:45 – Gameplay Breakdown: Blood Flamethrowers & Nightmare Rifts

31:00 – Roadmap: Level Cap Increases & Raid Boss 2

33:40 – Community Q&A

Join the Conversation: The Gearbox DevCast is your direct line to the teams behind the games. We’re listening, we’re building, and we’re excited to show you what’s behind the curtain.

Listen to the "Dead ECHOs" Preview Now:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZKbdgLXfLiaTCzWsdXxRS?si=TX8eCf_vQbyMunwKdb7Jfw

Subscribe and use #GearboxDevCast to let us know what you want to see in the next deep dive!

*Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned is the first of two post-launch DLC Story Packs coming to Borderlands 4. This content is included with Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition and the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, and is also available for separate purchase. Base game required.

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PC optimization and performance in Borderlands 4 has improved since launch thanks to ongoing efforts from the Optimization Team. In this special bonus episode of the Gearbox DevCast, hosts Andrew Reiner and April Johnson talk with Managing Producer Eli Luna about the work that's gone into boosting frame rates and increasing stability.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Boosting Frame Rate: How the team balanced GPU and CPU cycles to gain significant performance in the seamless world of Kairos.

• Eliminating Hitches: A deep dive into PSO (Shader Pre-loading) and how the team is reducing loading stutters.

• Crushing Crashes: An update on stability, including how the team reduced crash rates by nearly half since December.

• Easing Hardware Pressure: Eli explains "Hierarchical Level of Detail" and how "movie facades" help maintain visual quality while easing hardware pressure.

• Adding Min-Spec Love: Why optimization actually allowed the team to add more visual improvements.

Read about this episode here: https://borderlands.2k.com/borderlands-4/news/pc-performance-status-update/Chapters:

0:00 - Introduction: The Road Since Launch

1:07 - Unreal Engine 5 & Performance Gains

3:14 - Addressing Hitching & PSO Shaders

4:16 - Stability Update: Reducing Crashes

5:52 - Tech Deep Dive: What is HLOD?

7:24 - Shadows, Lighting, and GPU Timings

8:18 - Improvements for Min-Spec & Consoles

9:35 - Community Feedback & What’s Next

Subscribe for more developer insights and official Borderlands 4 updates.

Join the conversation: Comment the questions you want asked in future episodes, or tag us on social media with #GearboxDevcast!

*Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned is the first of two post-launch DLC Story Packs coming to Borderlands 4. This content is included with Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition and the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, and is also available for separate purchase. Base game required.

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Borderlands 4’s Story Pack1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned releases on March 26. Learn more here: [new web link]

Can a Vault be… “Goopy”?

Welcome to the Gearbox DevCast, the official podcast where developers dive into the design, the data, and the “why” behind the Gearbox portfolio.

In this episode, hosts Andrew Reiner (Global Creative Executive Officer) and April Johnson (Associate Director of Narrative) sit down with Josh Jeffcoat, the Creative Director for Story Pack 1, to pull back the curtain on Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned.

In this episode:

• The Horror of Borderlands: Why the team decided to pivot to a full horror experience for the first Story Pack of Borderlands 4.

• The Return of Elpis: Discover how the crash of Elpis changed everything and why we’re bringing back some familiar accents and characters.

• Shared Progression: SDUs, Fast Travel Stations, map "unfogging," and collectibles will be shared across all characters. This change will be included for all players in the Borderlands 4 update with Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned.

• C4SH the Rogue: A first look at our newest robotic Vault Hunter and how you can jump straight into the DLC at Level 13. Keep your eyes out for C4SH gameplay and info next week!

• Deep Dive Mechanics: From full underwater swimming to the new "Nightmare Rift" world bosses.

Chapters:

• 0:00 – Introduction: Meet Josh Jeffcoat

• 0:51 – Announcing Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned

• 1:40 – Where is Ellie? Setting the stage on Kairos

• 2:22 – The Pre-Sequel Connection: What happened to Elpis?

• 3:55 – Why Horror? Pushing the boundaries of the engine

• 4:35 – Mancubus is back (and he brought Jazz)

• 5:33 – The return of Pickle and the "Space Australian" legacy

• 8:41 – Accessibility: How to start the DLC immediately

• 9:55 – Customization: New skins, heads, and Legendaries

• 11:13 – New Activity: The Nightmare Rift

• 11:50 – The 20-Year Dream: Full Underwater Swimming

• 13:45 – Community Q&A: Shared Progression & Trophy/Achievements

• 15:35 – WORLD PREMIERE: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned Trailer

Join the Conversation: What are you most excited to find in Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned? Have any questions for the next episode? Let us know in the comments below! We’re "creeping and peeping" through your feedback to make the game better every day.

Subscribe for more developer insights and use #GearboxDevCast on social for a chance to get your questions answered in future episodes.

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