Play as the all-new Vault Hunter, C4SH, and team up with Ellie in a self-contained story campaign across the Whispering Glacier when the cosmic-horror adventure of Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned* arrives as paid DLC on March 26! As the first Story Pack addition to Borderlands 4, Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned (which you can wishlist now) features the most amount of new content in a Borderlands 4 DLC so far:
- New Vault Hunter C4SH the Rogue, playable across all of Borderlands 4's base game and DLC zones
- New map zone, The Whispering Glacier, packed with new story missions, side missions, activities, and collectibles
- Two new major boss fights, 16 minibosses, and new enemy types
- 3 Pearlescent weapons and 11 new pieces of Legendary loot including weapons, gear, and Class Mods
- 28 new cosmetic items
WISHLIST HERE:
A malicious cosmic entity threatens Kairos, and madness lingers on the frigid wind. Join forces with the plucky, take-no-mess Ellie—mechanic extraordinaire and daughter of Moxxi—on a quest to destroy an alien monolith and enter the accursed Vault of the Damned.
Brave the icy wastes of The Whispering Glacier, a frozen expanse littered with the husks of derelict ships and dark secrets. Though you may see and kill things that mortals were never meant to witness, fear not, for the peculiar proprietor Mancubus Bloodtooth is your humble guide through all things otherworldly.
You can learn more about all of the exciting things to see and do in Story Pack 1 with the latest episode of the Gearbox DevCast above, where hosts Andrew Reiner and April Johnson chat with lead designer Josh Jeffcoat.
Alongside the release of Story Pack 1, we'll release a Major Update that introduces the highly requested shared progression, so new characters on the same account will gain access to map progression, SDU tokens, Hover Drives, cosmetic rewards, and activity progression. As noted in our 2026 Roadmap, cross-platform saves are something the team continues to work on for a later update.
New Vault Hunter: C4SH the Rogue
C4SH is a CasinoBot with a new lease on life. After winning a high-stakes card game, he gained a magical deck that imbues him with eldritch boons. This would be a cursed trophy for most people, but for a robot who has been able to game the solar system’s casinos and battlefields with statistical knowledge, he finally knows what unpredictability feels like. For the first time, he feels human. This drives him to play nothing safe, always bet on himself, and take as many risks as possible.
As the first of two new Vault Hunters coming to Borderlands 4 via paid Story Packs, C4SH is playable across the entire game. You can experience everything on Kairos using C4SH's unique set of skills, all while hearing how fascinated he is by anything dependent on chance!
The power fantasy of C4SH's Rogue class is all about going for broke as a devil-may-care gambler, bending luck in your favor to make quick work of enemies. In the Gearbox DevCast, Josh discusses one of C4SH's unique Action Skills: Sleight of Hand. When activated, C4SH draws cards from his randomized deck and throws them to unleash powerful spells.
We'll fully reveal C4SH's gameplay next Monday, March 16, including a rundown of his three Action Skills, distinctive Trait, and three skill trees, so be sure to check back!
New map zone: The Whispering Glacier
Story Pack 1 introduces an all-new region of Kairos: The Whispering Glacier. Across these icy wastes, colossal shards of Eridium pierce through the ground, and the atmosphere is choked by perpetually stormy weather. If you can survive the aggressively arctic climate, you might bear witness to gruesome sights like rivers of blood and gargantuan growths of pulsating flesh.
Those horrific overgrowths create new exploration opportunities, as they can be destroyed later in the mission progression of Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned to unlock new areas, loot, and puzzles.The Whispering Glacier also introduces a new World Boss mechanic, where communing with eldritch trees warps you to a nightmarish dimension where a random boss awaits new prey.
In order to access The Whispering Glacier region, you'll first need to complete the "A Lot to Process" mission in the Fadefields; its content is recommended for Vault Hunters of level 13 or higher. By owning Story Pack 1, you can also roll a new Vault Hunter that skips directly to the Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned content at level 13.
Without spoiling anything, Borderlands fans will definitely recognize returning faces in Story Pack 1. You're no doubt familiar with Moxxi, and obviously Ellie is here; this is also a chance to reunite with oddballs like Mancubus, Pickle, and Crazy Earl. But this self-contained story doesn't require prior knowledge to be enjoyed, so if you're meeting these characters for the first time, we're certain you'll love them just the same.
That also goes for some enemies you'll encounter in The Whispering Glacier, many of which will be familiar if you've explored Elpis in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
New boss fights and enemies
Pretty much everything in The Whispering Glacier wants you dead, and you'll have to contend with new threats including two major boss fights and 16 minibosses. In a throwback to The Pre-Sequel's deadly fauna, you'll need to carve your way through plenty of Kraggons and Scavs. But your deadliest adversaries will be grizzled soldiers of the DAHL Legion, who abandoned their posts on Elpis to wreak havoc on Kairos.
Though DAHL's armed forces are coming to Borderlands 4 as part of Story Pack 1, Josh clarifies that DAHL-manufactured weapons are not. But there's still tons of exciting new loot to chase across The Whispering Glacier. Speaking of which...
New loot and cosmetics
Story Pack 1 features 3 new Pearlescent weapons and 18 new pieces of Legendary gear, including 2 Grenades, 2 Heavy Weapons, 2 Shields, and 5 Class Mods. With these additions to your arsenal, you'll be able to cook up even more powerful Vault Hunter builds!
First introduced in the February 29 Major Update alongside Bounty Pack 2, the new Pearlescent gear rarity is something we're committed to including in all of the big free and paid content updates. These weapons are the manifestation of Ordonite corruption across the darker corners of Kairos, and this rarity level is available to everyone no matter which edition of Borderlands 4 they own, though some Pearlescent gear will require ownership of paid content like Story Pack 1.The three Pearlescent weapons being added as part of Story Pack 1 all require ownership of Story Pack 1 to equip.
Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned also contains a host of new cosmetic items for your collection. Here's the full breakdown of all 28 cosmetics (with some content unlocked via gameplay):
- 2 Vault Hunter Heads usable by all Vault Hunters
- 4 Vault Hunter Skins usable by all Vault Hunters
- 8 Vault Hunter Heads usable by C4SH
- 2 Vault Hunter Bodies usable by C4SH (base + alternate)
- 4 Weapon Skins
- 4 Vehicle Skins
- 3 ECHO-4 Drone Skins & Attachments
- 1 ECHO-4 Frame
C4SH gameplay reveal coming next week
We've got tons of new details on C4SH the Rogue coming soon, including gameplay footage and a new Character Short, so keep your eyes peeled! If you're looking to jump into Story Pack 1 right when it launches on March 26, here's a breakdown of the different ways to acquire this paid DLC:
- If you don't own any version of Borderlands 4: Purchase Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition, which contains Story Pack 1 and 2, the Ornate Order Pack, and Bounty Packs 2-5
- If you already own Borderlands 4 Standard or Deluxe Edition:
- Option 1: Purchase the Vault Hunter Pack that includes Story Packs 1 and 2 plus the Ornate Order Pack
- Option 2: Purchase Story Pack 1 individually
And, as we previously outlined in our 2026 Roadmap, we've got lots of free and paid content coming to Borderlands 4 in the coming months:
- One piece of content a month until Summer, with Raid 2 in April and the Takedown in May - New injections of challenging endgame content, in line with our first raid boss Bloomreaper the Invincible. These updates are free to all Borderlands 4 players!
- Bounty Packs 3/4/5** - Bounty Packs gets you a Vault Card full of new cosmetics and gear unlocked through gameplay, alongside new mission content that dives deeper into the lives of Kairos' memorable characters. All Bounty Packs are included in Borderlands 4 Deluxe Edition and Super Deluxe Edition.
- Story Pack 2*** - Story Packs are our most substantial DLC, including a brand-new Vault Hunter, multiple main missions and side missions set in a new zone of Kairos, new gear to earn, and a bunch of new cosmetics. Both Story Packs are included in Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition.
*Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned is the first of two post-launch DLC Story Packs coming to Borderlands 4. This content is included with Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition and the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, and is also available for separate purchase. Base game required.
**Bounty Packs 3/4/5 are post-launch DLC that is included with the Borderlands 4 Bounty Pack Bundle, and included with the Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions of Borderlands 4. It is also available for separate purchase (base game required). Exact release timings of each Bounty Pack to be announced at a later date and will be subject to change. Terms apply.
*Story Pack 2 is post-launch DLC that is included with the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Pack, and is included in Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition. The Vault Hunter Pack, and the individual DLC packs that make up the bundle, will also be available for separate purchase at launch (base game required). Exact release timings of each DLC pack to be announced at a later date and will be subject to change. Terms apply.
