The Borderlands 3 January 16, 2020 hotfix is set to go live before 3pm PST today, and it will bring a number of changes to Gearbox Software's highly-popular looter shooter. These changes include buffs to a number of Anointment bonuses as well as some general bug fixes, but it is a significant nerf to one of Borderlands 3's best weapons that will stand out to some fans most immediately.

Specifically, the ION CANNON, which was added to the game in the recently-released Moxxi's Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC, is set to be nerfed in the BL3 January 16 update. This nerf sees the weapon's reload speed increased to five seconds, and it will now consume at least six ammo per shot. While the Legendary launcher will continue to deal massive damage and have pinpoint accuracy, these are certainly some dramatic changes that will definitely have a serious impact on the overall efficacy of the weapon.

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On the other side of things, the Operative, Gunner, and Beastmaster Anointments will all be buffed in today's Borderlands 3 patch. Full details on these buffs can be found in the patch notes below, and they include increased bonus damage when Moze enters and exits the Iron Bear, improved accuracy and even great critical hit damage for Zane when using Barrier, and improvements to FL4K's Rakk Attack! and Fade Away abilities.

borderlands 3 january 16 hotfix

Separate from balance changes, the Borderlands 3 January 16 patch also marks the beginning of two temporary events. The first, BL3's Farming Frenzy, will increase the frequency at which Rare Spawns appear as well as boost the drop rates on Legendary and Anointed gear. The second will add scaling to Takedown at Maliwan's Blacksite, making it easier for players to complete this content without a full group.

While some fans will certainly be disappointed to see the ION CANNON receiving a nerf, the buffs and limited-time events included in this Borderlands 3 patch mean that there is still plenty for players to be excited about. Additionally, there is indication that BL3's 2020 roadmap will be shared in the upcoming weeks, and this is sure to reveal a bevy of a new content that players can look forward to over the course of this year.

BORDERLANDS 3 HOTFIXES: JANUARY 16, 2020

Today we will release a hotfix for Borderlands 3, which will be live on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and PC by 3:00 PM PST. This hotfix addresses various concerns reported by the community and kicks off the two-week long Takedown Event and Farming Frenzy! To apply hotfixes, wait at the main menu until you see a sign appear! If you are experiencing any issues or want to provide feedback, please submit a ticket to support.2k.com.

TAKEDOWN AT THE MALIWAN BLACKSITE AND FARMING FRENZY!

This week starts the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite event! From when the hotfix goes live today until 8:59 AM PT on January 30, Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite will be scaled to the number of players! During this event, matchmaking will be set up to get you into the Takedown as quickly as possible. The Takedown is no easy feat, so make sure that you’re ready with the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite Quick Guide (keep in mind that this is written for the normal Takedown).

In addition, during the Farming Frenzy mini-event running for the same duration, we’re making a few other changes. Rare Spawn enemies will also show up more often*, and we’re temporarily boosting the Anointed and Legendary drop rates! For the next two weeks, every boss in the game has boosted drop rates, including the Takedown at the Maliwan Blacksite bosses!

May these two weeks be challenging, rewarding, and full of loot!

*The Debt Collector is excluded from this list, as it’s tied to an achievement!

BUG FIXES

  • Addressed a reported concern with itemcard and hotfix sometimes not showing information correctly
  • Addressed a reported concern that Judge Hightower was sometimes not dropping items from his dedicated item pool
  • Adjusted the balance of Fabrikator, Freddie, ST4NL3Y, Constructor, Tony Bordel, Tricksy Nick, and Third Rail to provide a greater challenge

Developer note – We noticed that the bosses in the Handsome Jackpot weren’t providing players with a satisfying challenge. We’ll be monitoring these bosses and make adjustments as needed in the future.

  • The Ion Cannon now has a 5 second reload and consumes at least 6 ammo per shot

The Ion Cannon is a strong weapon and we don’t want to change that, but it’s a little over performing. We’ve increased the reload time and made it consume more ammo but left its damage unchanged to still provide a strong burst of damage.

  • Added collisions to prevent the Gunner from sometimes becoming stuck in Meridian Mercantile
  • Added collisions to prevent players from sometimes escaping the map in various locations
  • Increased the radius of the New-U station at The Arrogant Approach

INCREASED ANOINTMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR THE OPERATIVE, GUNNER, AND BEASTMASTER

In looking at the bonuses from Anointments, we felt that some were not providing enough of a bonus. We’ve increased the bonuses on the Anointments below.

Moze the Gunner

  • While Auto Bear is active, deals 75% (from 20%) bonus incendiary damage
  • After exiting Iron Bear, the next 2 magazines will have 125% (from 40%) bonus incendiary damage
  • After exiting Iron Bear, gain 160% (from 120%) increased Splash damage for 18 seconds
  • When entering and exiting Iron Bear, nova damage increased

Zane the Operative

  • While Barrier is active, Accuracy is increased by 60%, and Critical Hit damage is increased by 70% (from 30%)
  • While SNTL is active, gain 100% (from 50%) of damage as bonus Cryo damage

FL4K the Beastmaster

  • When exiting Fade Away, nova damage increased
  • After using Rakk Attack!, gain 50% (from 25%) critical hit damage for a short time

Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

MORE: Borderlands 3: All Playable Characters, Ranked

Source: Gearbox Software