Can you go to Elpis in Borderlands 4?

Borderlands 4 features a massive open world to explore: Kairos; however, that isn't all. Gearbox Software has confirmed that, in addition to the all-new planet, players will also be able to visit the moon Elpis, which is visible in the sky. This is part of the new, seamless open world that the team has built for this latest Borderlands entry.

Here's everything to know about Elpis in Borderlands 4 and the role it plays in the story we know thus far. Read on for full details.

Note: There are spoilers for Borderlands 3's story below

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Elpis is visitable in Borderlands 4, confirms Gearbox Software head

Elpis is visible in he sky even during daylight (Image via 2K)

In a recent interview with Gamers Guide, Gearbox Software founder Randy Pitchford touched upon various aspects of the upcoming open-world game. In addition to boasting "hundreds of feet" in verticality during outdoor exploration and combat, it will feature Elpis as an integral part of the story and gameplay.

To summarize, during the finale of Borderlands 3, the Siren Vault Hunter Lilith saves Pandora by sacrificing herself to keep Elpis from crashing into the game's main planet of Pandora. She does this by teleporting the entirety of Elpis to another part of the universe.

As fate would have it, however, this action brings the moon into contact with Kairos, crashing into the veil that kept the planet shielded from the outside world, resulting in a "shattered sky" with the purple moon in the heavens above Kairos. This eventually brings the rest of the Vault Hunters, both new and old, onto Kairos, all of whom find themselves waging a war against Kairos's tyrant, the Timekeeper.

Here's how Pitchford put it in the interview:

"Elpis, you can go up there and get up on the moon - everything you can see, you can get to."

This truly puts into perspective how ambitious this latest series installment is. It is unclear what mode of transport players will use to reach the moon, but it has to be some form of spaceship, not unlike the hub of Sanctuary 3 from Borderlands 3. That said, this is not the first time Elpis will be explorable.

The 2014 side entry, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!, from 2K Australia and Gearbox Software took place entirely across the frozen moonscape of Elpis. Players got to meet all-new characters, enemies, biomes, and hostile fauna in a unique story that explored the background of the Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack.

However, it has been well over a decade since that entry, so things have undoubtedly changed drastically up there. Fans must wait until the game's official launch to find out.

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Borderlands 4 will be launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on September 12, 2025. The Nintendo Switch 2 version will arrive on October 3, 2025.