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Borderlands 4

Weapon Rarity vs Level

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Borderlands 4 - Weapon Rarity vs Level, mdoe:show

Borderlands 4’s loot and weapon system balances both rarity and level. Learn more about how the two differ to decide which weapon or gear to keep as you progress.

List of Contents

Weapon Rarity vs. Weapon Level

CheckmarkLevel Outclasses Rarity Over Time
CheckmarkWeapon Level Determines Power
CheckmarkWeapon Rarity Extends Usefulness
CheckmarkPearlescent Rarity Coming Soon
CheckmarkGolden Keys and Endgame Loot

Level Outclasses Rarity Over Time

Level vs Rarity in Weapons

The rarity of weapons lose effectiveness if the level is too low compared to your character’s current level. A low level legendary will almost always be outclassed by a higher level uncommon or rare gun after a few levels.

Tip: It is best to prioritize level first and rarity of the gun second.

How to Get Stronger Weapons

Weapon Level Determines Power

Weapon Level
As your character levels up, weapons scale to match your current level. This means higher leveled guns will always deal more damage and have better stats than lower leveled ones.

A weapon you picked up early on will quickly start to feel weak as its level and stats will remain the same.

Can You Upgrade Weapons?

Weapon Rarity Extends Usefulness

Choosing Weapons

Color Rarity
Common Common
Uncommon Uncommon
Rare Rare
Epic Epic
Legendary Legendary

The rarity of a weapon usually determines how long a weapon can stay strong in its level. The higher the rarity, the better the weapon's stats are on average. But a legendary weapon found early may eventually feel weaker later on as your character levels up.

A higher rarity weapon's unique effects, higher damage rolls, or special firing mechanics can make it useful for longer compared to a common weapon of the same level.

List of All Legendary Weapons

Sell Price Increases with Rarity

Rarer weapons sell for more Cash. If you don’t plan on keeping them, rarer loot can be a reliable source of extra cash.

Pearlescent Rarity Coming Soon

Borderlands 4 - Roadmap

Gearbox has confirmed that Pearlescent rarity is on the roadmap for Borderlands 4, planned as a free update with Bounty Pack 2 release in Q1 2026.

Pearlescent Rarity: What to Expect

Golden Keys and Endgame Loot

Golden Chest.png

Secure better gear through Golden Keys that opens the Golden Chest. Loot from this chest always matches your current level, making it a reliable way to get better gear and weapons.

However, it’s best to save Golden Keys for the endgame since that's when higher leveled loot will matter the most.

You can get Golden Keys through SHiFT codes, which require linking your platform account to a SHiFT account to redeem.

Golden Keys Guide

Borderlands 4 Related Guides

TIPS & TRICKS

Beginner's Guide to Borderlands 4: Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks Guides

Progression Guides
What to Do First Level Cap: What is the Max Level?
How to Farm Bosses How to Level Up Fast
How to Farm and Use Eridium How to Get More SDU Tokens
How to Crush Jamming Device When Do You Get a Vehicle?
How to Unlock More Weapon Slots How to Increase Inventory Capacity
How to Get Stronger Weapons Can You Upgrade Weapons?
Red Chest Farm Location Should You Do Side Quests?
What is Ultimate Vault Hunter? How to Increase UVH Level
Legendary Enhancements Farm How to Unlock UVH 2
How to Get Into Dominion -
General Guides
How to Sell Items How to Respec Skill Tree
Golden Keys Guide All Bank Locations
How to Store and Transfer Items How to Drop Items
How to Claim Deluxe Edition Items How to Fast Travel
Can You Duel? Pearlescent Rarity
Level Scaling Explained How to Summon Vehicle
How to Link 2K Account Weapon Rarity vs Level
Lost Loot Machine Explained Weapons Levels Explained
Weapon Rarity Explained Fishing Guide
What to Spend Money On Movement Guide
Moxxi's Tip Jar Guide: Location and Rewards Should You Save on Golden Keys?
Legendary Vending Machine Locations Should You Wait on Opening Vaults?
Throwing Knife Farm All Secrets, Easter Eggs, and References
How to Farm Firmware How to Transfer Firmware
Settings Guides
List of All Controls Matchmaking Guide
Difficulty Differences and How to Change Can You Change Character?
Best and Recommended Settings Can You Change FOV?
Can You Change POV? Compiling Shaders Fix
How to Save and Recover Lost Saves Is There a Minimap?
How to Clear Shader Cache -
Combat Guides
Death Penalty: What Happens When You Die? Elemental Weaknesses Guide
Incendiary Damage Guide Shock Damage Guide
Cryo Damage Guide Radiation Damage Guide
Corrosive Damage Guide One Shot Exploit

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