Borderlands 4's Horrors of Kairos event is the wrong kind of Halloween horror

Borderlands 4 may have launched with some technical difficulties, but other than that, fans were quite happy with the game when it was released. Sure, some Vault Hunters needed nerfs while others required buffs, but the combat itself was and is incredibly satisfying, the loot remains consistently rewarding, and the storytelling has been a step in the right direction. While Borderlands 4s open world and Ultimate Vault Hunter levels require some work to fully clear, by this point many players have done everything there is to do and are patiently waiting for something new. Unfortunately, Gearbox's first stab at significant post-launch content is a big miss, especially compared to the series' past successes.

For those looking for a meaty post-launch experience to dive into, Horrors of Kairos doesn't tick that box. In fact, it's so limited in scope that most players won't even notice there's an event going on, with the new features limited to a minimal “weather” change and two pieces of legendary gear. Unfortunately, both of these additions are largely disappointing, and participating in the event will feel more like the worst part of the iconic General Knoxx DLC from the original Borderlands than anything else. Considering how much better Borderlands 3 managed their Halloween celebration, it's almost shocking how weak Borderlands 4s spin on the holiday is, and it's a worrying sign of some future additions to the game.

Borderlands 4's Horrors of Kairos is a boring gate for weak rewards

Instead of introducing new bosses, basic enemies or locations, the only way to progress in the Horrors of Kairos event is to face world bosses. These fights work exactly as they usually do, with bubbles randomly appearing in the open world and players killing a boss within them. Upon entering the bubble, players experience the “seasonal weather variant” teased for the raider, which is just some bloody rain and a rather underwhelming orange sky. This is the extent of the “newness” within the event, as all the world bosses players fight are exactly the same as the ones they've been fighting since launch. Normally, world boss bubbles are an exciting distraction between activities or mission destinations. But having to farm them constantly sees players driving around all over Kairos waiting for a bubble to pop, with so much downtime between actions that the event becomes a bore almost instantly. If franchise veterans hated running 10 minutes at a time in “The Secret Armory of General Knoxx”, this content is not for them.

Worse, by the way Borderlands expansion had great payoffs between all that drive, whether it's the timed red chest opening at the end of the story or the mother-of-pearl drops from Crawmerax the Invincible, the two new legendaries in Horrors of Kairos are painfully lackluster. The first is the Skully Grenade, and while a throwable skull seems cool in theory, it's incredibly weak and does nothing but sit inside players' Borderlands 4 safe. The Murmor Tediore Assault Rifle is also pretty weak, with its damage not matching the nice bloody armor, though it could theoretically be decent if players make it drop with the right parts. Unfortunately, these two legendaries don't drop very often from world boss bubbles, with players having to open multiple reward chests before getting just one drop. Farming world bosses for hours in hopes of getting the right parts means the Assault Rifle is also a miss, as players are better off going after better legendaries than any of these limited time unlocks.

Borderlands 3 is already entitled to Halloween events

What is so frustrating about this new content is that Borderlands 3's Bloody Harvest was very well received. In the seasonal event, players fought their way through a special spooky map full of themed enemies, with a fun boss fight against Captain Haunt waiting at the end of the location. The map featured a secret puzzle as well as some genuinely good legendaries to hunt, and while Revenge of the Cartels was a much better event, Bloody Harvest was still a strong first outing for Borderlands 3s free updates. How Borderlands 4 managed to fumble the concept so hard after nailing the previous main game that it's anyone's guess, but it's impossible not to compare the two given their similar theme.

Although it may be unfair to say that this content is worse than Little Tina's wonderland DLC, as players had to pay for these controversial content packs while Horros of Kairos is free, the lack of a price tag does not excuse the event from criticism. Players now have a legitimate reason to worry about future post-launch updates Borderlands 4. Additional seasonal events can be as lackluster as Horrors of Kairos, with players fighting the same world bosses for some mediocre (or worse) gear to collect. The “How Rush Saved Mercenary Day” DLC has been described as something similar Borderlands 2s Headhunter package, so that should provide at least an hour or two of genuinely new content, although it won't keep fans busy for too long. With Borderlands 3 to make seasonal events better in addition to having the hugely fun endgame Takedowns, the pressure is on Borderlands 4s Mad Ellie expansion to right the ship, as the game's free updates simply aren't worth looking forward to if Horrors of Kairos is anything to go by.

Released

September 12, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction