Borderlands 4: Phosphenes (Shiny Legendaries) explained

If you thought Pokemon had the monopoly on Shinies, think again; Borderlands 4 has Phosphenes, which act as a shiny/variant version of the legendary weapons you can find in the game. However, these only show up for guns, and not the various repkits, ordinances, or shields that appear in the game. While an alternate version of a shield could look pretty cool, it’s not the case, as far as we know.

These are incredibly rare though, and while some players have been incredibly lucky, others have struggled to even see one Phosphene show up in Borderlands 4. Here’s what we know about them, and how you can potentially farm them.

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What are Phosphenes in Borderlands 4?

Phosphenes are a rare skin variant for Borderlands 4 legendary weapons that feature a special rainbow effect on them. All 69 of the legendary weapons in the game have the potential to see this color variation, and upon picking one up, a challenge will unlock: Shining the Brightest.

The visual on these Phosphene weapons is fantastic, but it's a pain to farm (Image via 2K Games)

It requires you to farm up all 69 of the legendary BL4 guns, with the Phosphene variation on them. Hellwalker, Hot Slugger, Whiskey Foxtrot, and every other gun in the game has the potential for one of these. Sadly, it’s incredibly rare, and you’re better off not trying to farm for them until you hit level 50, and can easily grind through boss battles.

The Phosphene itself is just a color variant/skin for the gun type you’ve unlocked it for. If you find a non Shiny version of a gun, such as the Hot Slugger, and it has better stats, you can equip the Phosphene skin to it, so you aren’t stuck using a weaker weapon. The hard part is just getting lucky enough to own one, though.

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How can you farm Phosphenes in Borderlands 4?

Any legendary can have this skin; but it's all a matter of luck, and the right difficulty settings (Image via 2K Games)

It appears that Phosphene legendary weapons in Borderlands 4 only spawn if you’re on at least Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode 1, which is the Diablo equivalent of Torment 1. You need to be on the hardest difficulty, but at least one player has confirmed they drop on UVHM 1, so you don’t have to be on the hardest difficulty.

The easiest way to do it is to identify the legendary you’re trying to farm, and focus on that boss, repeating the fight over and over on the hardest difficulty you can manage. If you’re playing on the regular difficulties, these will not spawn, unfortunately. Either way, the drop rate is very low, so we can only wish you good luck, and happy farming.

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Check out our other Borderlands 4 guides and features

• All Weapon Manufacturers in Borderlands 4
• Who is the villain of Borderlands 4?
• What are Enhancements in Borderlands 4?
• Does Borderlands 4 have co-op and crossplay?