AND Borderlands 4 a player with three level 50 vault hunters just received their first phosphene weapon in the game. Phosphene (or “shiny” as most players call them) weapons are ultra-rare versions of legendary weapons that permanently unlock a weapon's unique appearance. Even though they don't offer any gaming benefits, they still became one of them Borderlands 4the most sought after items, no doubt due to their extreme rarity.
News of the player in question's recent find comes from a post made by their own Reddit account on the official website Borderlands 4 subreddit. In the post, user v1rg1nm4ry posted an image of a phosphene weapon, expressing his excitement at finally finding one after spending nearly 100 hours in the game.
Borderlands 4 player with 3 level 50 characters finally gets a phosphene weapon
What makes v1rg1nm4ry's find so special is the fact that the player spent 80 hours maxing out three Vault Hunters. Borderlands 4 — two of them even in Ultimate Vault Hunter 5 — and yet they just found a phosphene weapon. If nothing else, it shows how rare these weapon variants are in the game.
Interestingly, v1rg1nm4ry's news comes amid ongoing controversy Borderlands 4legendary drops. In another Reddit post a few weeks ago, user ForeignLettuce977 shared a spreadsheet of data that revealed Borderlands 4Legendary drop rate drops to around 5% after 3000 boss kills. Since then, players have questioned whether reducing the drop rate significantly from past entries was the right move, even though Gearbox has done so to make finding a legendary much more rewarding.
However, what this means for phosphenes, which are even rarer than normal legendary weapons, is that only players like v1rg1nm4ry, who spend dozens of hours in the game across multiple Vault Hunters, have a chance of getting even one of them. Since there is even a challenge Borderlands 4 titled “Shining the Brightest”, awarded to players once they have collected all 69 phosphene variants, the reality of their extreme rarity is made even harder.
Needless to say, while news like this is great for players like v1rg1nm4ry, those who don't have the time to play the game or the patience to endure its punishing drop rates may never see a single phosphene weapon. Borderlands 4. Maybe Gearbox will increase the drop rate of phosphenes at some point, but for now, acquiring them looks bleak for casuals.
- Released
-
September 12, 2025
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Crude Language, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction
