Pearlescent rainbow rarity gear coming to Borderlands 4 early next year, Gearbox confirms

Pearl weapons are coming back to Borderlands 4, but they won't be available in time for the game's September launch.

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In a bit of exciting news, Gearbox has confirmed that the ultra-unique pearlescent weapon rarity will return to the franchise. Pearls will be re-introduced via a new Borderlands 4 content drop as part of a robust post-launch content roadmap. Gearbox revealed its plans, confirming that pearl weapons will be added into the game in the first quarter of 2026 (Jan - Mar) as a free update.

The decision is part of the developer's frenzied focus on serving players as many features as possible. Borderlands 4 opens up gameplay in new ways, adding in a grappling hook and even a double jump for the first time in the series, while iterating upon tried-and-true mechanics to create something new like the cross-license weapon crafting system.

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Pearlescent rarity: A new loot tier above Legendary - You asked, we listened: Pearlescents are coming back for Borderlands 4, with plans to add them as a free update to all players alongside Bounty Pack 2 in Q1 2026. Pearlescent gear drops will be incredibly difficult to find, but their power level will match their coveted rarity.

There are no details on which pearlescent weapons will be introduced into Borderlands 4.

Bringing pearl weapons back to the game adds another layer of loot to seek, propelling players even further into the more dedicated realm of enthusiasts. Gearbox says it's gotten "really good" at making Borderlands games and the fourth installment feels like a chaotic, no-holds-barred circus of mayhem that accelerates and evolves gameplay.

Other post-launch content for Borderlands 4 includes two fully-fledged story-based expansions. The first expansion will introduce a new vault hunter with their own skill set, style, and abilities, alongside missions and gear. There are three free content drops planned in the next couple of months, as well as bounty packs with new gear, styles, vehicles, and more.

The first Story Pack will be a bloody, cosmic-horror-inspired tale entitled Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned. As you might've guessed, it stars the one-and-only Ellie, Pandoran mechanic extraordinaire and daughter of Moxxi.

That's all we can say about the narrative specifics at the moment (tune in to our PAX West panel for more), but you can look forward to seeing new and returning characters in each Story Pack. In other words, expect to see a familiar face or two in the second Story Pack, too. For now, you'll have to stay tuned for more details.

If you've played any of the full-fledged DLC adventures from Borderlands 3, you can expect a similar level of intense looter shooter action, gripping stories, and killer new loot to collect in the Borderlands 4's Story Pack DLCs.

Borderlands 4 releases on September 12, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It'll launch on Nintendo Switch 2 in October.