Early Game Farming Guide – Borderlands 4

The world of Borderlands 4 is expansive, filled with high-octane action, epic loot, and challenging bosses. The early game is where most players will set the foundation for the rest of their journey, and farming becomes one of the key tools to ensure you have the best gear, weapons, and upgrades from the start. In Borderlands games, farming refers to repeatedly clearing areas or fighting bosses to collect Borderlands 4 Items, XP, and resources necessary for progression. This guide will help you navigate the early stages of the game, offering tips and strategies for farming loot, leveling up, and ensuring your Vault Hunter is prepared for the challenges ahead.

Why Early Game Farming Matters

In Borderlands 4, the first few hours of the game are crucial. While the loot you collect in the beginning might not be as powerful as what you’ll find later in the game, it can still make a significant difference. Weapons, shields, grenades, and other gear scale with your level and progress, so obtaining the right early loot can help you breeze through tougher battles. Farming early is about gaining advantages that can snowball your strength and make the middle and late stages of the game much more manageable.

By the time you reach the mid-game, farming opportunities will get more complex, but understanding how to efficiently farm in the early stages of the game will give you the confidence and resources to handle whatever comes next. Let's dive into some of the best farming practices and areas in Borderlands 4.

Best Early Game Farming Locations

In the early stages of Borderlands 4, you will be exploring various environments. These zones feature high enemy density and lootable objects, making them prime spots for farming XP, weapons, and other gear. Here are some of the best locations you can farm early on:

1. The Scraphold - A Scrapyard of Opportunity

The Scraphold is one of the first areas that you’ll encounter in Borderlands 4 and serves as an excellent spot to start farming. The Scraphold is a sprawling scrapyard where enemies come in droves, and chests are abundant. The area is full of scavengers and robotic enemies, which makes it a perfect place to farm weapons and ammo early on.

The layout of this area means you’ll encounter lots of small groups of enemies that can be taken out quickly, and there’s always a good chance of finding blue-tier weapons and shields in chests. Additionally, the area offers an opportunity to farm high-damage grenades and special shields with unique effects.

Farming the Scraphold is straightforward. You can clear out waves of enemies, loot the weapons caches, and use the surrounding cover to take down tougher foes. This loop can be repeated with relative ease and efficiency, making it a great spot to pick up gear that will help you survive tougher areas in the future.

2. Bandit Rift Caves - Infinite Waves of XP

Once you’ve progressed past the early parts of the story, you’ll gain access to the Bandit Rift Caves, a location that’s perfect for XP farming. The caves are a wave-based farming location where enemies constantly spawn, giving you the opportunity to rack up experience points quickly. This location is especially useful for players who want to level up faster or need a break from the main storyline.

To farm the Bandit Rift Caves, activate the Rift Beacon at the center of the cave system. This beacon starts a wave of enemies, including Bandit Gunners, Snipers, and Brutes. Defeat the waves of enemies, and once they’re cleared, simply exit the cave and reset the event. If you’ve already progressed far enough in the game, you’ll encounter some tough foes in this area, but with the right strategy and the proper gear, you can clear them quickly.

Because of the infinite waves, you’ll find that this location rewards you with a high volume of loot after each wave, with chances to earn blue and purple-tier items. Plus, with each wave, you’ll continue to accumulate XP, making this a valuable spot to keep returning to.

3. Verdant Outskirts - Mid-Level Farming

Once you reach the Everdeep region, the Verdant Outskirts is another prime location for early farming. This area is filled with wildlife and rebels, both of which drop useful loot as you progress through the area. You’ll find large groups of enemies, often with special elite versions among them. These elite enemies, like Corrupted Beastmasters or Rebel Gunners, will drop a higher amount of XP and better loot than regular enemies, making it a key area to target during your farming runs.

The Verdant Outskirts also features multiple weapon chests hidden in specific locations, and it’s the perfect spot to farm early sniper rifles, assault rifles, and elemental weapons. The region is somewhat more dangerous than the earlier areas, so be prepared for tougher encounters. However, the loot that you can obtain here is worth the challenge.

A key farming tip for this area is to focus on kiting enemies around the environment. Use the natural cover around the area to separate enemies into manageable groups, and pick them off one by one. The high number of elite enemies in the area guarantees that you’ll be rewarded with great loot drops.

Boss Farming: Early Game Legendary Drops

While farming regular enemies is effective for gathering loot, boss farming is another important way to get valuable early-game gear, including legendary items. While legendaries in the early game aren’t as plentiful as they will be later on, there are several bosses in Borderlands 4 that are great to farm early.

1. Geargrind – The First Legendary Farm

Geargrind, a mechanical boss located in the Scraphold, is one of the first real bosses you’ll encounter. He is an excellent farm target because he has a high chance of dropping legendary weapons like the Grinder SMG—a powerful early weapon. The boss is relatively easy to defeat, especially if you use the right weapon or elemental type to exploit his weaknesses.

After you defeat him, you can quickly reset the fight by saving and quitting, and then reloading the game. This allows you to farm him repeatedly for a chance at the legendary Grinder SMG and other loot. Geargrind is a straightforward boss fight, so you’ll be able to defeat him in a matter of minutes, making it an efficient way to farm for legendaries early on.

2. Warden-Unit 7B – Shield and Utility Gear Drops

Another boss to target is Warden-Unit 7B, which can be found in Steelwind Barricade. This boss is a shield-heavy enemy, making it an ideal farm for getting early shields that increase your survivability. It has a higher drop chance for defensive gear, especially shock-based shields, which are particularly useful when dealing with mechanical enemies.

While Warden-Unit 7B may not drop as many offensive weapons as other bosses, the defensive gear it drops will allow you to tank more damage and take on harder enemies in the early game. Just like Geargrind, you can farm this boss repeatedly by resetting the area after each kill, allowing you to gather more shields and utility items.

3. Rattleshade Twins – For Mobility and Damage

The Rattleshade Twins, located in the Verdant Outskirts, are a pair of tough mini-bosses that can be farmed for high-damage pistols and movement speed relics. These two enemies are fast and will work together to overwhelm you if you’re not careful. However, they drop great loot for mobility-based builds, such as Twinstrike pistols that allow you to dual-wield handguns.

Defeating the Rattleshade Twins is a bit more challenging than Geargrind, but the loot rewards are well worth it, especially if you’re looking to build a damage-oriented character. They drop fast-firing weapons and relics that boost movement speed, which is critical for dodging enemy attacks and staying mobile during tough battles.

Vendor Reset Trick

Vendors play an important role in Borderlands 4, and knowing how to reset their stock can be an effective farming method. Vendors sell a variety of gear, including weapons, shields, grenades, and even legendary items. If you’re looking for specific gear, you can force a vendor stock reset by saving your game, quitting to the main menu, and reloading the game. This trick resets the vendor’s stock and gives you a fresh chance to purchase useful items.

Tips for Early Farming Success

Prioritize Shields: In the early game, it’s essential to focus on defensive gear like shields. You’ll encounter numerous enemies with high damage output, so survivability should be a top priority. Look for shields that increase your health regeneration, resistances, and elemental defenses.

Farm for Elemental Weapons: Early on, having weapons with elemental effects (like fire, shock, or corrosive) can make a huge difference. These weapons are effective against certain enemy types and can quickly take down armored foes or disrupt shields.

Keep an Eye on Ammo: Ammo conservation is key in the early game. Always check for ammo crates after defeating large groups of enemies, and make sure you’re using the most efficient weapon for the situation. Switch between weapon types to maximize your damage output and ammo efficiency.

Use Fast Travel and Resets: Many of the farming areas allow you to fast travel out and back in, which resets enemies and loot. This lets you farm areas quickly and move on without having to backtrack too much.

Conclusion

The early game in Borderlands 4 is filled with opportunities for efficient farming. Whether you're grinding for Borderlands 4 Items for sale, gathering gear, or looking for your first legendary weapon, using the strategies outlined in this guide will give you a solid foundation to build upon as you progress through the game. The right farming areas, bosses, and gear will ensure that you stay strong, and the loot you collect will help you survive and thrive in the more challenging parts of the game. Happy farming, and good luck, Vault Hunter!