Borderlands 4 recently dropped its first major story DLC with the release of Mad Ellie and Vault of the Damned, but players are mostly unhappy with the expansion's offerings. This Borderlands 4 The DLC marked the first of two planned post-launch story packs, each containing a new DLC story mission and a new playable Vault Hunter. In the days since the release of Mad Ellie and Vault of the Damned, some fans have struggled with the DLC's $30 price tag.
Although its sale for Borderlands 4The base game was already strong upon its release in September 2025, selling around 2.5 million copies in its first week and becoming the third best-selling game of 2025. Borderlands 4 it also faced a number of controversies over its end-game content and post-launch support, with player numbers falling below 20,000 concurrent players on Steam just two months after release. The game also has a “Mixed” rating on Steam, and now it seems that the Story Pack 1 DLC didn't help improve the game's standing in the eyes of fans.
Fans think Borderlands 4's Mad Ellie and Vault of the Damned DLCs aren't worth the price
Borderlands 4 fans all over the internet have been complaining about the very limited content available in Story Pack 1 for the asking price of $30. Reddit user wdiesel posted on Borderlands 4 subreddit asks if some other players felt like the DLC was much shorter than they expected. Other users agreed with the original poster, adding that it also contains some noticeable errors and marks the most expensive Border DLC series to date. The combination of these factors left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans that even the quality of the content contained couldn't offset.
On Steam, reviews of Mad Ellie and Vault of the Damned currently sit at “Mostly Negative”, which is in line with what Reddit users are saying about the DLC. While reviewers on Steam mostly praise the quality of the DLC, most leave a negative review because they can't justify spending $30 for what is ultimately just a few hours of new content. Borderlands 4Endgame already struggled to keep players hooked, even after the free Bloomreaper boss and Pearlescent rare weapons were added Borderlands 4 update. Combined with the disappointing amount of content included Borderlands 4's bounty packs, it's clear why more and more players are leaving the game.
What's in the Borderlands 4 Story Pack 1 DLC and why fans are mad about it
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Mad Ellie and Vault of the Damned story expansion
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New Vault Hunter: C4SH
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Whispering Glacier map expansion
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2 new main bosses, 16 mini-bosses and new enemy types
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3 pearl weapons and 18 new legends
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28 new cosmetics
At first glance, it contains everything Borderlands 4 The DLC looks pretty robust. An all-new playable character along with a new story DLC is already enticing to offer, and additional weapons and cosmetics are just the icing on the cake. However, when most players actually got their hands on this expansion, it turned out that most of the new content could be completed in 2-3 hours. While players can start a new main campaign series as the new Vault Hunter C4SH, there isn't enough endgame content to justify creating an entirely new build for replayability.
With the ever-increasing price of video games and recently announced price jumps for consoles like the PlayStation 5, many gamers are becoming more selective about the content they spend their hard-earned money on. The $30 price for this DLC is almost half Borderlands 4's base game, but only offers players about 2 or 3 hours of content compared to the base game's 30-50 hours of content. In terms of price per hour, a lot Borderlands 4 fans are finding that this DLC is simply not worth the investment when more robust alternatives are available.
- Released
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September 12, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Crude Language, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction
