Borderlands 4: Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide (Endgame Ranks & All Boss Locations)

Borderlands 4’s main endgame challenge is Ultimate Vault Hunter mode. You’ll progress through ranks by defeating different types of bosses. This mode is a significant departure from how True and Ultimate Vault Hunter worked in earlier Borderlands games. We’ll explain everything in this guide, but be aware that it contains spoilers!

Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide (Endgame Ranks & All Boss Locations) | Borderlands 4

The Basics of Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode

Okay, so UVHM – that’s Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode – is different than how things worked in past games. Usually, harder difficulties meant starting a whole new game from scratch, right? But not this time! I don’t have to replay the entire story campaign to unlock it. I can just jump back into specific missions if I need to, which is awesome. It’s a lot more flexible than just being locked into a New Game+ cycle.

UVHM is more similar to Mayhem Mode in Borderlands 3. You progress by completing tasks to raise your UVHM Rank from 1 to 5, and each rank makes the game more difficult. As you increase your rank, you’ll also find better loot, with a significant improvement in quality happening at UVHM Rank 1.

You’ll also have complete access to the Firmware system. This means you can move Firmware between different items, letting you complete 3-piece sets. These sets give significant bonuses and will be your primary way to increase your power in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode.

Just be aware that transferring firmware isn’t free. The process permanently damages the equipment that originally contained the firmware, so think carefully about what you’re using it on.

After finishing the main story, you can start UVHM by completing these specific missions.

Zane’s Firmware
Maurice’s Black Market Vending Machine
Moxxi’s Big Encore
Lilith’s Wildcard Mission

To see how you’re doing in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, look under the “Ultimate Vault Hunter” section within the Challenges tab of the Missions menu.

Ultimate Vault Hunter Rank Scaling

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals, here’s a helpful table summarizing how UVHM changes the game world.

UVHM Rank	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
Enemy Health	+150%	+200%	+250%	+300%	+350%
Damage Taken by the Player	+12%	+14%	+16%	+18%	+20%
Cash Drops	+20%	+25%	+30%	+35%	+40%
Eridium Drops	+20%	+25%	+30%	+35%	+40%
Combat XP	+10%	+12.50%	+15%	+17.50%	+20%
Loot Quality	Improved, though we don’t know how exactly yet. Seems to mainly give better Firmware drops.
Enemy’s Elemental Defenses	Identical to Hard difficulty.

You can change your current difficulty level (UVH Rank) at any time during the game. Just pause, go to Session Settings, and select your desired rank from the Ultimate Vault Hunter Level menu. You can also disable UVH and return to normal gameplay if you prefer.

Just so you know, only the person hosting the game can adjust this setting. In a multiplayer game, the host controls the current UVH Rank level.

How to Unlock Each UVH Rank

As we’ve discussed, progressing to each new UVH rank requires defeating certain bosses and completing a special mission given by Lilith. Each rank has its own unique bosses and mission, and you must complete them in order, starting with rank 1 and ending with rank 5.

Fortunately, you’ll be facing bosses you’ve already defeated during the main story. Wildcard missions are also familiar – they’re essentially tougher versions of story missions with stronger enemies and unique challenges, like only being able to score hits with headshots. But the core gameplay remains the same.

Just a reminder: you can find a list of tasks and track your progress under the ‘Challenges’ tab within the ‘Missions’ menu. This will show you what you’ve completed and what’s still left to do.

Now that’s covered, let’s explore how to unlock each Ultimate Vault Hunter rank in Borderlands 4, and where to find the bosses you’ll need to defeat.

UVH Rank 2

Song’s Over – Kill Bramblesong in UVH1 (Abandoned Auger Mine in Stoneblood Forest)
Omega 86’d – Kill Bio Armored Omega Thresher in UVH1 (Fades District in Dominion)
- Only available if you’ve completed the “One Gassy Issue” and “One Slimy Issue” side missions first.
Bio Break – Kill Bio-Bulkhead in UVH1 (Synthetic Nave in the Dissected Plateau)
No Points Awarded – Kill Sydney Pointy Legs in UVH1 (Ripper Drill Site in the Hungering Plain)
Ultimate Vault Hunter – Complete “Rush the Gate” Wildcard mission in UVH1.

UVH Rank 3

Pelted – Kill Shadowpelt in UVH2 (Abandoned Auger Mine in Cuspid Climb)
Now Who’s Gonna Watch This Core? – Kill Core Observer in UVH2 (Order Bunker in The Howl)
So I Felt Like – Kill Rocken Roller in UVH2 (Abandoned Auger Mine in Ruined Sumplands)
Blasted Furnace – Kill Frank the Furnace in UVH2 (Ripper Drill Site in Idolator’s Noose)
More Ultimater Vault Hunter – Complete “His Vile Sanctum” Wildcard mission in UVH2.

UVH Rank 4

Draggin’ Wagon – Kill Battle Wagon in UVH3 (Ripper Drill Site in Stoneblood Forest)
But What If… You Were The Fake? – Kill Mimicron in UVH3 (Order Bunker in Idolator’s Noose)
Who Named This Guy? – Kill the Immortal Boneface in UVH3 (Ripper Drill Site in Cuspid Climb)
Bloom Boom – Kill Skull Orchid in UVH3 (Abandoned Auger Mine in Grindstone of the Worthy)
Even More Ultimater Vault Hunter – Complete “Her Flaming Vision” Wildcard mission in UVH3.

UVH Rank 5

This rank is different from the others – you’ll only complete Wildcard missions. To begin, just chat with Lilith at Moxxi’s Bar. Here’s a breakdown of the challenges and their corresponding missions:

The Inception – Complete “Primordial Vault: Fadefields” Wildcard mission in UVH4.
The Origin – Complete “Primordial Vault: Terminus” Wildcard mission in UVH4.
The Base – Complete “Primordial Vault: Carcadia” Wildcard mission in UVH4.
Super Ultimater Vault Hunter – Complete “The Timekeeper’s Order” Wildcard mission in UVH4.

That covers everything you need to progress through all the Ultimate Vault Hunter ranks in Borderlands 4, including where to find each boss. It will take a while, as you’ll need to defeat many bosses with a well-planned character build, but now you know exactly what to do!

2025-09-17 05:38