Borderlands 3 Hotfix Nerfs FL4K, Buffs Zane, Makes Other Changes

Since launch, Borderlands 3 players have quickly discovered that FL4K the Beastmaster is quite easily the most powerful character in the game with the right build. Borderlands 3 players have also realized that Zane the Operative is the least viable Vault Hunter for endgame content. And now Gearbox has taken a step to the rectify the situation, issuing a new Borderlands 3 hotfix that buffs Zane and nerfs FL4K.

The new Borderlands 3 hotfix will be issued by 3:00pm PT on September 27. The Zane the Operative buff will see his Digi-Clone damaged increased by a whopping 38%, and his Drone damage increased by 50%. The Borderlands 3 FL4K nerf, meanwhile, targets his Guerrillas in the Mist ability. After the hotfix is initiated, FL4K's Guerrillas in the Mist duration will be reduced from eight seconds to six. Additionally, the critical damage bonus associated with Guerillas in the Mist is being halved from 50% to 25%.

Amara the Siren is also getting a change, though hers is more of a lateral movement than an outright buff or nerf. Once the Borderlands 3 hotfix goes live, Amara's Guardian Angel health restoration will be halved from 100% to 50%. However, the Glamour damage penalty is being reduced from -30% to -10%, so it's not all bad news for Amara mains.

Besides Vault Hunter changes, the new Borderlands 3 hotfix also makes some changes to weapons. Sniper rifles are getting buffed to make them more useful. Tediore, Dahl, and Children of the Vault Pistols are all getting their damage increased, whereas Jakobs and Torgue pistols are getting their damage decreased. Gearbox is also making an attempt to make the unpopular Maliwan weapons more useful, increasing their damage by 25% and fire rate by 20% across the board.

The latest Borderlands 3 hotfix makes some other changes to the popular looter-shooter, which fans can read all about in the attached patch notes. The Borderlands 3 hotfixes seem like they will be a weekly thing, so fans can look forward to more changes next week.

WEAPON HOTFIXES

Sniper Rifles

Sniper rifles deal high damage but felt a little cumbersome to use in certain scenarios. This change will increase their overall damage and increase usability in more combat engagements.

Critical Damage increased by 20%
Fire Rate increased by 15%
Time to Aim Down Sights (ADS) reduced by 15%
Time to Equip reduced by 20%

Pistols

Jakobs and Torgue Pistols were outperforming other manufacturers, dealing damage to groups of enemies at a much higher rate than other pistols. This change keeps their identity intact but reduces overall group control. TEDIORE, DAHL, and Children of the Vault Pistols have manufacturer penalties that affected their overall damage. Increasing their overall damage will overcome some of the penalties while retaining their unique gameplay style and feel.

Increased damage on all TEDIORE Pistols by 15%
Increased damage on all DAHL Pistols by 15%
Increased damage on all Children of the Vault Pistols by 20%
Reduced damage on Jakobs Pistols by 15%
Reduced damage on Torgue Pistols by 10%

Maliwan Manufacturer

Maliwan weapons had reduced overall damage because they applied elemental DoTs at a rate and damage greatly above other manufacturers. This effect was toned down before launch, but the overall damage was not sufficiently adjusted to compensate for the reduction in elemental DoTs. We’re adding back some of the overall damage and making the weapons faster so elemental builds can really take advantage of Maliwan weaponry.

All Maliwan Weapon Damage increased by 25%
All Maliwan Weapon Fire Rate increased by 20%

Atlas Manufacturer

Atlas weapons relied on a game loop that we felt gave players a greater advantage when used correctly. Turns out the loop is not used if the damage doesn’t compensate for the time to set up. So now damage on Atlas weapons should facilitate players using them in general on top of feeling badass when they take advantage of Atlas technology.

All Atlas Weapon Damage increased by 25%

Miscellaneous Adjustments

The Jakobs Assault Rifle change was to differentiate the Assault Rifle from the pistol as more of a mid to long range powerhouse. Since the Assault Rifles have low mag sizes compared to other Assault Rifles, they’re getting a slight increase to overall damage to compensate. DAHL SMGs had their Fire Rates adjusted down before launch but their damage was never sufficiently increased so they should feel more appropriate compared to other SMGs. And the Vladof Heavy Weapon damage has been increased to share in the full Heavy Weapon treatment.

Jakobs Assault Rifles Damage increased by 20%
DAHL SMG Damage increased by 10%
Vladof Heavy Weapon Damage increased by 25%
E-Tech TEDIORE Shotgun Damage increased by 50%

Legendary Modifications

We’re going to be making a larger, comprehensive Legendary gear pass but we have included the following changes. King’s and Queen’s Call were modified to lower the fire rate. The weapon has a limited burst shot count so overall feel of the gun isn’t dramatically affected.

King’s and Queen’s Call Fire Rate reduced by 50%
Firestorm and Storm base Charge Times were reduced to 1 second (down from 2)

GRAVEWARD

Graveward’s beam attacks did not properly scale based on level so at higher levels, the two beam attacks hardly phased players. Players will find his attacks to be more lethal now. In addition, Graveward is a very large enemy and is too easily susceptible to elemental damage unlike the other large bosses. Elemental damage on Graveward is now greatly reduced but to compensate, Graveward’s overall health was reduced.

Attacks of Graveward now scale based on level
Reduced overall health by 20%
Increased resistances to Elemental Damage- Elemental Chance Resistance increased by 70%- Elemental Resistances increased by 30%- Elemental DoT Duration taken reduced by 30%

MISCELLANEOUS CHANGES

Hollow Point Guardian Rank has been temporarily disabled. We plan on addressing this further in a future patch.
Vault Hunters should no longer scream when affected by a DoT while shields are active.
Vending Machines will now be restocked with higher quality “Items of the Day”.
Adjusted a visual concern on Maliwan Shotguns with Cryo Element.
Legendary loot drops have been balanced throughout the game. Crew Challenge enemies will drop their intended specific loot, and some enemies like Troy and Rampager will be a bit more stingy and no longer drop Legendaries every kill.

VAULT HUNTER ADJUSTMENTS

Zane

Zane’s gadgets were great at providing additional utility but lacked impact as players leveled up. We increased the Digi-Clone damage with all equipped weapon so the skill can scale better with players as they get to higher levels and harder content. The Drone requires a lot of player involvement to take full advantage of its damage output and increasing the base damage as well as the augments will greatly increase the Drone’s versatility and reward players even more for using it effectively.

Digi-Clone Damage Increased by 38%
Drone Damage increased by 50%- Cryo Bullets damage penalty removed- Drone Rocket damage increased by 50%- Almighty Ordnance Rockets damage increased by 75%

Amara

Guardian Angel health restoration reduced from 100% to 50%
Glamour damage penalty reduced from -30% to -10%

FL4K

Guerillas in the Mist’s bonuses greatly outweighed its penalty to the base skill. We don’t want to remove the playstyle completely, but the overall damage output had to be slightly adjusted because it was outperforming other builds. We’re monitoring the changes and may make another change to the ammo return in a future patch.