Borderlands 4’s first DLC, “How Rush Saved Mercenary Day,” is now available free for all players — but the announcement has sparked frustration among some fans who bought higher-tier editions expecting exclusive content.
Gearbox has said that, to make up for distributing the initial DLC at no cost, owners of the Deluxe and Collector’s Editions will receive an additional DLC pack next year. See the developer announcement for details: Gearbox announcement on Steam. Some Deluxe Edition holders welcomed the move — one Steam user commented, “Everyone is getting this for free, and we’ll get another piece of DLC content. Good decision.”
That said, many players reacted negatively for two main reasons. First, a segment of purchasers feel shortchanged by the free release — they paid for edition bonuses and now see some of that content given away. One Twitter user wrote that they’re upset they purchased a premium edition rather than waiting for the base game.
I’m calling bullshit I’m actually pissed because I paid another of money to get shit others don’t and now I gotta wait for my paid content….I would’ve saved my money and bought the $70 base game instead of the collector SD editionNovember 21, 2025
The most frequent criticism, however, centers on technical performance. Numerous players say they’d prefer bug fixes and optimization over new content. One Steam commenter urged the developer to “fix performance,” citing persistent framerate drops and stuttering. Another suggested comparing optimization techniques with other studios — pointing out that Borderlands 4 feels poorly optimized relative to games using the same engine.
If you own the base game, you can download and try Borderlands 4’s first Bounty Pack DLC immediately.
If you’re playing Gearbox’s newest action RPG, check our Borderlands 4 tips for a smoother start in Kairos, or read our Borderlands 4 review to see our full impressions.
