Borderlands Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Throughout Pandora, unique pieces of equipment can be found. These items contain special effects beyond that which is stated directly on the item card.

Borderlands

Flavor Text

Clipper

Found in red in the stats boxes of guns are sometimes cryptic or humorous messages. These lines indicate a certain effect inherent to the gun. The text itself often gives a hint of what that special ability does, and is almost always a pop-culture reference.

Sometimes the description relates to the boss or enemy who dropped the weapon. Such is the case with the description for The Clipper which reads "Don't Drop It... Might Lose A Toe." The Clipper belongs to the boss Nine-Toes and is speculated to be the reason for his nickname.

The messages can be found in the Borderlands game files, and are listed below by type of weapon, and then alphabetically. Some of these interpretations may not be 100% accurate.

All weapons vary in quality, except Eridian Weapons, which are always green (though newer Eridian guns from The Secret Armory of General Knoxx may be blue or orange). Boss and mission reward weapons can be from green to purple quality, with blue being the most common. Weapons will also vary in accuracy, fire rate, ammo count, etc. depending on the model of the weapon. For instance, a two-shot revolver will do more damage than a six-shot revolver of the same level with the same barrel. Essentially, orange weapons modify the base gun with their specific parts and their title (which adds rarity and flavor text).

Many of these descriptions may never be found on weapons in-game because another file has marked them as inactive. Some inactive weapons can be created by modding.

Alien Rifles

Note that flavor text for Eridian weapons is marked differently and applies to the entire class of alien weapon.

Active Weapons

Inactive Weapons

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • Bad is good. BABY! Eridian Firebomb Fires incendiary blob with large explosive radius.
  • For when you want to splat something. Eridian Splat Gun Fires a ball of acid that bursts into three smaller balls on impact.
  • Full of electric death. Eridian Rifle Fires small, lightning balls that bounce off surfaces and deals additional electric damage.
  • I think you have something on your shoe. Eridian Glob Gun Fires a ball of acid in an arching trajectory.
  • Smoke on the water... Eridian Flaregun Fires invisible bullets that go in an arching trajectory and cause fire damage on impact.
  • Splat! Sploch! Spluch! Eridian Rolling Spatter Gun Fires balls of acid like the Glob Gun that bounce.
  • You'll need some bat guano... Eridian Fireball
  • 010011110100110101000111 Eridian Mega Cannon Similar to the original cannon, but more powerful.
  • For when you want to splat the living shit out of something Eridian Stampeding Spatter Gun Fires a corrosive projectile that bounces around.

Combat Rifles

Active Weapons

  • 2 more bullets make all the difference, Raven: Five round bursts instead of three.
  • A watchful eye, The Sentinel: Increased zoom.
  • Guns of the Revolution will never fall silent!, Revolution: Extended magazine, lower rate of fire
  • Hold your ground... Forever., Guardian: Ammo regeneration.
  • Ogre SMASH!, Ogre: Heavy Explosion damage, usually x3 or x4.
  • The destructor has come, Destroyer: Entire magazine is fired in one burst while scoped.
  • TORGUE! Bastard Guns for Bastard People!, Bastard: Increased damage but lower accuracy.
  • War is in your blood, The Meat Grinder': Extended magazine, low accuracy, higher fire rate.
  • Dragon Fire!, Draco: Chance to set enemies on fire, 3x-4x Incendiary. Very high magazine capacity. A glitch in the game prevents the gun from being spawned with the proper title and flavor text ability in its card; otherwise, it does drop in the game.
  • Does your face hurt? It's killin'me..., Mug Shot: Increased weapon zoom.

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • Poison in your veins, Serpens: Highly extended magazine capacity, high corrosive chance and damage, bullets fly in sideways snake-like wave pattern.
  • RAR! BRAR BRAR!, The Chopper: Immense magazine capacity, Fires entire magazine in one trigger pull.
  • Uncommon Power, Avenger: High zoom, +50% Critical Hit Damage, single-shot, ammo regeneration
  • Useful for kicking Hector's bitch ass., Ajax's Spear: Near-sniper accuracy.

Repeaters

Active Weapons

  • 12 bullets invade your skull, Invader: Entire magazine is fired in one burst while zoomed.
  • A gift from Papa Krom, Krom's Sidearm: Fires three-round bursts while zoomed.
  • Ammo is no longer an issue., Protector: Ammo regeneration.
  • Big Tony Says "Hi", Thanatos: Extended magazine
  • Bring the HEAT!, Firehawk: High fire damage and a chance to cause splash fire damage.
  • Don't drop it... might lose a toe., The Clipper: +100% melee damage, Incendiary x1.
  • Double Whammy., Gemini: Fires a two round burst each with a two bullet spread. That is, it shoots 4 rounds that cost 2 ammo. May have decreased or inaccurate accuracy rating from modifier.
  • Feel the Sting, Hornet: Gun will be 200% burst fire count and corrosive.
  • Never stop shooting!, Rebel: Extended magazine & boosted rate of fire.
  • Omnia vincit amor, Lady Finger: +100% critical damage. (Means "Love conquers all.")
  • Pain Heals., Troll: Regen health for 1HP/sec when holding in hand.
  • Slice Slice, Reaper: +300% Melee Damage (note; the melee damage boost is broken), killing an enemy with a melee attack while this weapon is equipped will restore some HP.
  • Sometimes, I Forget To Reload, The Dove: Gun doesn't use ammo. Note: It becomes a Hornet if spawned with the Hornet accessory, with the effects of both the Dove and Hornet. These can be acquired through the mission "Godless Monsters" or by killing Slither on Playthrough 2.5.
  • Vengeance is yours, Vengeance: Chance to bypass shields. This effect is currently bugged.
  • Your move, Creep., Violator: Fires three-round bursts of 3 bullets per shot.
  • Your shoelace is untied..., Sucker Punch: +500% Melee Damage.

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • Bling!, Knoxx's Gold: Gold plated weapon, extremely high value.
  • Say "Hello", Chiquito Amigo: Extended magazines, higher fire rate.
  • There is no escape, Nemesis: Chance for shock and corrosive damage.
  • War is the final option, Athena's Wisdom: Increased accuracy and critical hit damage.
  • You can run, but you can't hide., Stalker: Bullets ricochet 5 times.

Revolvers

Active Weapons

  • A beast of many forms - Fire, Lightning, and Poison, Chimera: Has a chance to either ignite, corrode, or electrocute its target. Bullets themselves deal explosive damage.
  • Fools! They called me maaaad!, Madjack: Bullets move in horizontal zig-zag pattern and ricochet. Deals Explosive damage and has very high rate of fire. Bullets are visible, somewhat slower-moving. Zig-zag path means they can and will swerve around targets at some distances/ranges.
  • Give Sick, Defiler: High corrosive damage, can spread to other nearby targets.
  • It's a helluva thing..., Unforgiven: +100% Critical Hit Damage (displays as +200% since all Revolvers have a hidden baseline boost of +100% critical hit damage).
  • Long and Strong, Dahl Anaconda: Increased accuracy and power.
  • May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't., Patton: Higher damage.
  • Unending Firepower, Tediore Equalizer: Ammo regeneration.
  • Death will reign. Violence: Damage increases as more of health or shields are depleted.

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

Rocket Launchers

Active Weapons

  • Beware the Horde!, Mongol: Fires a large rocket which in turn fires off smaller rockets as it travels.
  • Death rains from above, Nidhogg: Rockets have an MIRV effect and split into multiple rockets that hit the ground after a certain distance. The weapon will also have a white text label of "Airburst Rockets" (possibly hidden by the four-line item text limit).
  • Gonna cook someone today, The Roaster: High fire damage and creates a small mushroom cloud.
  • It rises!, Leviathan: Rockets are affected by gravity . Harder to aim, but very useful for hitting enemies behind cover because missiles will arc downwards in their path. Also the explosion will rise into the air.
  • Monster Kill!, Redemption: Fires a slow moving rocket with a larger blast radius than typical rocket launchers and uses multiple rounds per shot.
  • The Unstoppable Force, Rhino: Rocket will explode in flight, potentially multiple times, before reaching the target and detonating.

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • Take 'em UNDER, Undertaker: Increased damage, magazine size and huge splash damage.

Grenade Launchers (Inactive)

The Borderlands localization files contain information on grenade launchers and some flavor text that may accompany them. No true grenade launchers can be obtained within the game currently, but the resources and weapon parts do exist for them, and their unique weapon parts are functional.[1]

  • Artillery Strike!, Dahl Onslaught: Burst fire six grenades.
  • I feel a storm coming, S&S Rainmaker: MIRV-style shot
  • It Rises!, Atlas Leviathan: Fires a grenade with an extremely large blast radius that uses multiple rounds per shot.
  • Mister Jakobs sends his regards, Jakobs Terror: Projectile is very powerful, has a larger explosion, and is very slow.
  • Stubbed, The Big Toe: Projectiles fire faster, have less recoil, and produce smaller explosions (hence the term "stubbed") referring to Jakob's Terror. Initially meant to be dropped from Nine Toes. Dahl is the intended manufacturer.

Shotguns

Active Weapons

  • Ahhh... Fresh meat!, Butcher: Five-shot burst. Fast.
  • Beyond Groovy, Boom Stick: Fires entire magazine in one click or trigger pull as a burst, and each round is a rocket. Fires the number of rounds in the gun's default clip. If the clip is expanded by abilities/class mods you will have the left over rounds to fire in another burst.
  • Bring out your Dead, Maliwan Crux: High corrosive damage.
  • Cross their heart, hope they die., S&S Crux: Explosive, usually x2. Spread pattern is that of a large cross, Crux being Latin for cross.
  • Drop the Hammer!, Hammer: Explosive, usually x3. Spread pattern is in the shape of a hammer. May take unloading an entire magazine to see the effect.
  • Five heads of Death, Hydra: Spread pattern is five distinct horizontal groupings.
  • Giving you a leg up on the competition!, Baha's Bigger Blaster: Fires as long as the trigger is held down. Increased range for a shotgun.
  • Have a nice day!, Friendly Fire: Incendiary, usually x2. Spread appears to make smiley face patterns.
  • I can do this all day..., Defender: Ammo regeneration.
  • It's a painful thing, The Blister: Corrosive damage and scope.
  • One Bad Dog!, Bulldog: Extended (20-round) magazine. Fast reload.
  • Ride the Wave, Dude!, T.K's Wave: Pellet pattern is a wide rectangle. Pellets are blue and visible. Pellets themselves oscillate up and down in a wave-like fashion. Pellets are slower than normal shotgun blast. Pellets will also ricochet one time off of any surface or object.
  • Sniper Rifles are for Chumps., Striker: High accuracy and pellets cluster closer together, +30% critical hit damage.
  • The Legend Lives, Sledge's Shotgun: Knocks back target several feet and 10000% burst fire count.

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • This dog bites, Jackal: Fires like a grenade launcher.

Sniper Rifles

Active Weapons

  • A hunter lives among the stars..., Orion: Each shot ricochets into three slower projectiles, causing shock damage on each hit.
  • BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!, Invader: Five round burst when scoped.
  • Careful... you might put someone's eye out., Rider: Scopeless sniper with high clip/fire rate.
  • For the Motherland., Surkov: Greatly increased reload speed.
  • I have you in my eye, sir., Cyclops: 5.2x weapon zoom, double bullet velocity.
  • I LIKE IT!, Cobra: High explosive damage.
  • Makes their brain hurt, Skullmasher: Fires 6 projectiles (like a shotgun).
  • Pele demands a sacrifice!, Volcano: High chance that rounds fired will be high-yield explosive incendiary rounds, able to ignite enemies near the target.
  • Sniper Killer... Qu'est que c'est, Penetrator: Fully Automatic.
  • The cutting edge, Reaver's Edge: 3.2x Weapon Zoom, +2 magazine size, high tech.
  • Thwack!, Nailer: Slightly increased crit damage.
  • Why don't you go shoot yourself an elephant?, Whitting's Elephant Gun: Increased damage with no scope.

Inactive Weapons

  • Trick Shot, Orion: Unknown. The localization files say it is an S&S "Delete" so this may have been removed and replaced by A hunter lives among the stars....

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • Good Touch, Kyros' Power: Portion of damage done is used to heal the shooter, damage increase, bullets deal explosive damage.
  • That's my girl..., Bessie: +500% Critical Hit Damage, high Damage, 100% accuracy when zoomed, increased bullet velocity, 2.8x weapon zoom, accuracy is unaffected by Mad Moxxi's "Close combat" modifier.

Submachine Guns

Active Weapons

  • Hallelujah, Savior: Ammo regeneration.
  • I spy with my little eye..., The Spy: Sports much higher (sniper like) accuracy when zoomed than comparable scoped SMG.
  • Smack 'em, Bitch: Improved accuracy under sustained fire. Increases elemental effect. It should add critical hit damage, but its effect is broken.
  • Tear it up, Gasher: Fires 3 round bursts.
  • The lead wind blows, Bone Shredder: Fires 2 round spreads at the cost of 2 ammo.
  • The ultimate close quarters feline., Wildcat: Extended magazine with reduced accuracy.
  • We don't need no water..., Maliwan Hellfire: High fire damage that stacks and triggers on every shot.

From The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

  • Flee the wave!, Tsunami: Rounds shoot with a sideways motion, ricochets, alternating between Shock and Corrosive damage.
  • Phooon!, Typhoon: Increased fire rate, bullets ricochet and split into 3 swirling bullets after a time, forming a trident shape.

Borderlands 2

Main article: Special Weapon Effects (Borderlands 2)

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Main article: Special Weapon Effects (Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel)

Borderlands 3

For a description of special weapon effects in Borderlands 3, see the individual article for that item.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

For a description of special weapon effects in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, see the individual article for that item.

References

Advertisement