Borderlands 4 features a wide range of enemies, each with its own strengths and weaknesses against different elemental types. Since there are a total of six types of damage in the game, each comes with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Thus, we will see how elemental damage works in the game and understand how you can use it effectively in combat.
1. Kinetic
Kinetic damage is element-neutral, which means no matter what the enemy type is, you’ll get the base-stat damage regardless. If you’re in a situation where enemies have various elemental resistances, using this is always going to be a safe bet.
Also, if you’re playing on the easiest difficulty, relying on elemental damage is negligible. So, using Kinetic damage is certainly the best option. However, if you’re playing on hard difficulty, using this won’t be viable, as they have tougher shells and require mastering elemental damage.
2. Incendiary
Incendiary or flame damage is highly effective against enemies with red health bars in Borderlands 4. If you deal Incendiary damage to these enemies, you’ll deliver extra damage over time. There are also chances you’ll give your foes a Burn status, which deals damage to them over time.
If an enemy is killed by fire damage, their corpse will also be burned away, preventing certain interactions. Additionally, some incendiary weapons can cause splash damage, allowing flames to spread to nearby foes, making them especially deadly against tightly packed groups. Do note, Incendiary is super weak against enemies with blue health.
3. Shock
Shock Damage in Borderlands 4 is especially effective against shielded enemies (yellow health bars), stunning them and dealing damage once their shields are broken. If you don’t have a shock element weapon, you can also use elemental barrels in the field to inflict damage.
If you stack up enough shock damage, chances are your enemies may incur the Electrocute status effect. During this duration, the affected enemy will receive additional shock damage cover time. However, enemies with blue and red health bars are resistant to shock, so keep that in mind when choosing your loadout.
4. Corrosive
Armored enemies (blue health bar) aren’t invincible; rather, they’re extremely weak to Corrosive damage. Like all other elemental damage types, this also stacks up to deal the Corode status effect, which eats away a chunk of their health.
Enemies with red and yellow health bars are resistant to this type of damage, so keep other weapons in hand as well. If you don’t have a corrosive weapon, you can use green elemental barrels in the environment to inflict corrosive damage on nearby foes.
5. Cryo
While Corrosive damage is most effective against Armored enemies (blue health bar), Cyro comes up as the first runner-up. While it may seem disadvantageous, it does have great effectiveness against tank-type enemies. After inflicting enough chill damage, they’ll lose their health over time.
However, do keep in mind that Cyro damage is weak against enemies with a red bar. On a side note, if you’re dealing Cyro damage to enemies with a yellow health bar, it has no damage penalty, meaning you’ll deal consistent base damage without any drop-off.
6. Radiation
If you don’t have a Shock weapon to deal with yellow health bar enemies, Radiation damage is a great alternative in Borderlands 4. When dealing with a large group of enemies, this damage is highly effective. The reason is that the area of effect is large with this type of damage.
If you manage to stack enough Radiation damage on your enemies, they’ll violently explode on kill. However, Radiation is ineffective against armored enemies (blue health bars), so be sure to switch to a more suitable weapon when needed.
That’s everything you needed to know about damage types in Borderlands 4. What loadout are you focusing on with this game? Share with us in the comments!
