Borderlands 4 today released its first major story expansion, "Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned," six months after the game's initial launch. The new downloadable content (DLC) introduces a fresh playable Vault Hunter, C4SH, and a cosmic horror-themed adventure on a new planet. Developer Gearbox Software hopes the substantial update will attract players who left the game due to performance issues and a perceived lack of endgame content.
Post-Launch Turbulence for Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 launched on September 12, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. The game quickly saw over 300,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. Despite this initial success, the looter-shooter faced significant challenges in its first six months. Many players reported severe PC performance issues, including low frame rates, stuttering, and frequent crashes, even on powerful hardware. Shader compilation problems also plagued the PC version.[ign+11]
The technical difficulties contributed to a rapid decline in the player base. Within two to three months of release, Borderlands 4 lost approximately 95% to 96% of its peak Steam players. The game's current concurrent player count on Steam averages in the low four digits. User reviews on Steam reflected this dissatisfaction, with the game holding a "Mixed" rating, showing 62% positive reviews overall and only 45% positive in the last 30 days.[gamerant+8]
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Gearbox parent company Take-Two, acknowledged "a little bit of softness" in Borderlands 4 sales, attributing it to the technical issues. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford also made headlines with outspoken comments, at one point suggesting unhappy PC players could seek refunds. He also reportedly implied some performance complaints were due to players being "4K stubborn".[ign+5]
New Content Aims to Revitalize Interest
The new DLC, "Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned," launched on March 26, 2026, and is positioned as a significant effort to re-engage the community. It introduces C4SH, a brand-new playable robot Vault Hunter who uses a magical deck of cards for randomized, luck-based gameplay. This marks the first of two new Vault Hunters planned for post-launch content.[ign+9]
Players will explore The Whispering Glacier, an entirely new map zone with a cosmic horror theme. The expansion features two major boss fights and 16 minibosses, offering new challenges and opportunities for loot. New Legendary and Pearlescent rarity gear, including three Pearlescent weapons and 11 Legendary items, are available to chase. The DLC also adds 28 new cosmetic items for character customization.[ign+12]
Lead game designer Josh Jeffcoat noted that the DLC allowed Gearbox to experiment with a horror flavor, a departure from the series' usual comedic tone. He expressed excitement to see player reactions to this new direction.[ign+2]
Accessibility for All Players
Gearbox designed "Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned" to be highly accessible. Players can jump directly into the DLC from the main menu, even creating a new character, including C4SH, that starts at level 13. This allows lapsed fans to experience the new content without needing to replay the main campaign. Newcomers can also start their Borderlands 4 journey directly with the expansion.[ign+5]
The DLC arrived alongside a substantial 20GB update for all players. Gearbox reports significant improvements to PC performance with this patch, including an approximately 20% increase in average frame rates across various PC configurations. The update also nearly halved the game's crash rate, reducing it from 0.63% to 0.38% of all sessions. Managing producer Eli Luna stated that while improvements have been made, "we still have a lot of work to do, and we're not stopping anytime soon".[newsroom+4]
Borderlands 4 generated over $150 million in revenue during its first week and sold more than 2.5 million copies across platforms. It achieved the highest launch month dollar sales in franchise history in the U.S., nearly 30% higher than Borderlands 3. Despite these strong financial figures, the player retention issues highlight the importance of continued content and technical support. Gearbox hopes this new, substantial DLC will serve as a compelling reason for players to return for the adventure on Kairos.[games+4]
