Gearbox, the studio behind Borderlands 4, says it’s watching community feedback and has “seen the discourse” around overpowered builds — in particular the notorious “crit knife” — and confirmed that adjustments are coming.
Players have called the crit-knife setup “broken” for weeks. A recent online thread spells out why it’s such a problem: the knife creates a single dominant option that discourages experimentation and reduces build variety. As the thread’s author notes, “It’s 100% flat crit chance, absolute. There is nothing in the game that will ever be able to compete with that.”
Developers say they’re aware of the issue and are planning changes. “We will be adjusting it,” Kao wrote, adding that the crit knife’s effectiveness harms playstyle variety and that gun builds relying on it will gain alternative options. Timmins echoed that the studio’s aim is to expand viable builds, and that any changes will serve that objective.
Our intent is always to expand the number of builds, so any adjustment we make is in service of that goal.October 13, 2025
It appears Gearbox has at least one update planned that will tackle the crit-knife controversy. Community reaction is mostly positive — one reply read, “This is a great answer. I love using the knife because it’s a fun gameplay loop, but more options are awesome.” The developers haven’t disclosed the full scope of incoming changes, but players are encouraged that alternatives are being developed.
Hopefully the revisions will create a healthier meta and let more playstyles thrive. Our own Borderlands 4 review calls the game “undeniably an excellent looter shooter,” suggesting it may rank among the series’ stronger entries.
Playing through the new action RPG yourself? Be sure to check our Borderlands 4 tips for a smooth start in Kairos.
Source: gamesradar.com
