Borderlands 4: Which difficulty should you play on?

Choosing the right difficulty in Borderlands 4 is the key to having a fun experience. Much like the previous mainline entry, the game provides various difficulty options to pick from. Moving towards more challenging options will reward you with better gear and earnings to help you create the ultimate build you’ve been dreaming of.

Each difficulty option will dramatically change how you play the game, allowing you to either have a fun/casual experience or provide ample challenge to make you think twice before picking a fight.

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Borderlands 4 difficulty guide

Hard mode rewards you with extra loot and cash (Image via 2K)

Before you start wondering which difficulty is best for you, it’s essential to know what each of them has to offer. Here are all the difficult options available in the game:

• Easy: The Easy mode is for those who want to relax and immerse themselves in the story of Borderlands 4. Enemies take more damage, even if the weapons you use don’t have proper Elemental Affinity. It is catered more towards players keen on exploring the new planet.
• Normal: The Normal mode is the default difficulty level intended for the game. It offers a balanced experience that will require you to put in some effort to defeat enemies, but not so much that it feels unfair.
• Hard: The Hard mode is designed for those who want to focus on creating strong builds. This mode increases the incoming damage and forces you to use Elemental Affinities if you plan on taking down strong enemies. As a reward, you’ll get more cash and better loot.

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What difficulty should you play Borderlands 4 on?

Strike a balance between story and gameplay in Normal mode (Image via 2K)

The best difficulty to start your Borderlands 4 journey is on Normal, and for a good reason. It strikes a balance between the story and gameplay by preventing excessive handholding. The weapon upgrades you get will have a visible effect on gameplay and feel more meaningful.

If you feel like even the Normal mode is too easy or challenging, the game allows you to switch to another difficulty at any point. Playing with friends in co-op also does not impact your difficulty. Instead, each player will have individual scaling that will affect the damage they take from enemies. Before making a switch, we recommend leveling up and farming some decent equipment.

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Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode in Borderlands 4

Apart from the three main options mentioned above, you also have the Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM). It is an additional difficulty modifier available after finishing the main story, which you can ramp up to level 5 and make the game truly challenging.

Aside from another damage bump, the Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode also increases enemy health by 200%, which makes the use of different Elemental Affinities a necessity. As a reward, you'll get additional XP that can help level your Vault Hunter much faster.

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Check out our other guides on the game:

• Which is the best Vault Hunter to start with?
• Does Borderlands 4 have crossplay and cross-progression?
• Golden Key Shift Codes
• Twitch drops