Gearbox dates the first Borderlands 4 Bounty Pack, and Christmas is coming early

Gearbox just gave us a massive look at all the Borderlands 4 DLC we can expect for the rest of the year, both free and paid, and there's a lot on the table. During a special showing at PAX Australia, the developer lifted the lid on exactly what the Borderlands 4 roadmap looks like through the end of 2025, with our first Bounty Pack paid expansion being the big highlight. Don't worry if you haven't bought in on that, however, as you'll be able to play the Halloween event and fight the first Invincible boss without spending a thing.

As someone who tentatively bought into Borderlands 4 at the entry level because BL3 dropped off my radar pretty rapidly, I'm already sold on picking up the incoming DLC packs. While its story ends a little too softly for my tastes, Gearbox's latest is otherwise a rousing return to form; it's one of the most enjoyable FPS games I've played in several years, with an endgame that I expect I'll be coming back to for the long haul. There are still parts of Kairos I've yet to explore, but we'll be getting our first fresh taste in just a couple of weeks.

Out of the gate comes some Halloween scares. The free, limited-time Borderlands 4 'Horrors of Kairos' event runs from Thursday October 23 until Thursday November 6. It transforms world bosses with "terror-inducing blood rain" and lets you get your hands on two new Borderlands 4 legendaries.

The 'Murmur' Tediore assault rifle scores guaranteed crits on targets below 35% health, while the 'Skully' Order grenade spurts out projectiles as it homes in on its target. There will also be a pumpkin head and weapon skin handed out through Borderlands 4 Shift codes during the festivities.

Next on the list is the biggest drop we're getting until the Mad Ellie story DLC (which will also introduce the fifth Vault Hunter, C4SH). Borderlands 4 Bounty Pack 1 'How Rush Saved Mercenary Day' launches Thursday November 20. This festive fiesta lands a little early for the traditional holiday season, then, but Gearbox has leant into the theming regardless. There are candy canes, presents, Christmas trees, sleigh bells, and more for its "bite-size yet flavorful" narrative mission featuring the Outbounders' champion.

Included with the bundle is the first Borderlands 4 Vault Card, which acts a bit like a battle pass that boosts your loot and experience, handing out rewards as you play. You can expect four rerollable legendary weapons, four Vault Hunter heads and four skins (I'm hoping for Santa Amon), five weapon skins, five vehicle skins, four Echo-4 skins, and two Echo-4 attachments. You'll also get a new Digirunner vehicle early in the story, plus bonus Vault Hunter and Echo-4 cosmetics once you beat the pack's main mission.

Rounding out 2025 will be another free update in December, headlined by the first Borderlands 4 Invincible boss. These returning raid-style foes were introduced in BL2 and quickly became a highlight of the endgame, putting your build to the ultimate test with gargantuan health pools, vicious damage-dealing potential, and mechanics that force you to reconsider how you play.

The current crop of Borderlands 4 bosses are already some of the best in the series, so I'm very eager to see what Gearbox has been cooking with Bloomreaper the Invincible. Bringing them down will flood you with plenty of juicy loot, including a shot at some all-new legendaries, and you'll need them, because the update is also adding another tier of Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode to ramp up the challenge of the rest of the game.

"We want to say another heartfelt 'thank you' to the millions of players who have been enjoying Borderlands 4 thus far," Gearbox writes. "Our journey alongside all you badass Vault Hunters is just getting started, and we've got tons of awesome paid and free content coming your way, along with more performance improvements on all platforms." We're also expecting some nerfs to particularly potent "unintended interactions" this coming week, too, so keep that in mind as you play.

Planning to start a new playthrough? Here's our ranking of the best Borderlands 4 characters along with top builds for them all. You'll also want to make sure you're using the best Borderlands 4 settings for PC to optimize your performance.

Are you pleased with what Gearbox has shown so far, or have you already moved on from BL4? Drop into the PCGamesN Discord and share your favorite loadout with us.