Alright Vault Hunters, strap in because the Borderlands universe is about to get a whole lot more chaotic! Forget purple and ditch your Eridium, because Borderlands 4 is all about that ORANGE! That’s right, Randy Pitchford himself has dropped a massive hint about a new, insanely powerful orange element called Ordenite, and the theories are already exploding faster than a Torgue grenade. So strap yourselves in as we are going beyond the limits of Eridium!
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Ordenite is seemingly more powerful than Eridium. It being orange is also reflected in the rarity color scheme as Eridium is Purple, one tier below Legendary which is orange.
- Ordenite can be used as an End Game Currency for devoted players kinda how we had Serpah Crystals in Borderlands 2.
- Ordenite seems to be relevant to the story because the Timekeeper’s Vault glows orange instead of purple as seen on previous Vaults in the franchise. This was another detail Randy Pitchford pointed out on Social Media.
- I wonder how Sirens are relevant to the Timekeeper’s Vault as Sirens and Eridium have been used to charge Vault Keys.
Randy Pitchford’s Social Post
Gearbox Software President Randy Pitchford teases a new, more powerful element in Borderlands 4 on Social Media while the community analyzes and speculates about the footage from the Borderlands 4 release date trailer.
You think purple is powerful? You should try orange. Eridium is cool, but have you fucked with Ordenite?
Randy Pitchford
This is Randy’s response to Moxsy’s question about the new orange armor plates we have seen dropping from enemies in the Release Date Trailer. Eridium has been used to supercharge Sirens in the Borderlands franchise. Ordenite is more powerful than Eridium, however, are only Sirens also able to consume this mineral, or because Randy mentioned this in response to the orange armor plates, is this powerup not exclusive to Sirens?
Armor Icons
We have seen Armor Power-Up icons in the corner of the screen. Are these related to these Armor Plates or are the 3 arrowed lines just a coincidence? Because these would affect how we see Ordenite, as a temporary power-up or a rare currency.
We have seen Temporary Power-Ups in the Borderlands franchise before like the Moxxtailes in Borderlands the Pre-Sequel and Science Machine boosters in Borderlands 3. Those types of items randomly dropping from enemies seem like an odd choice unless you want to make the game more accessible to new players.
Rare Currency
Eridium has also been utilized as a rare currency for Storage Deck Upgrades, Raid Bosses, and Cosmetic Items. I can see Ordenite replacing Eridium as it may not naturally be present on Kairos – although Lilith brought a moon filled with Eridium to the planet so they could function alongside each other – the Armor Plate design doesn’t make sense as a currency.
I would like to see an extra Rare Currency in Borderlands 4 that’s tailored to the End Game content like Seraph Crystal from Borderlands 2. Seraph Crystals in Borderlands 2 could only gained from Raid Bosses and gave access to unique weapons. However, pricing should be fair we don’t want a situation like the Borderlands 3 Reroll Machine where you are pumping tons of currency in to get a specific thing. Ordenite as a super rare currency would serve the devoted players who also strive for Pearls.
Synthesized Siren Powers
Fan speculation theorizes that the new playable Siren could be fake and uses those canisters on her arm to synthesize Siren-like abilities. Could she be injecting herself with Ordenite, however, then I would assume her powers and tattoos would also reflect the orange color from Ordenite.
Legendary Vault
Randy Pitchford has also called out that the Timekeeper’s Vault glows yellow instead of purple back when the Borderlands 4 Reveal Trailer dropped. This makes me think that the Timekeeper is using Ordenite as a resource to power this new Vault.
I wonder how Sirens are relevant to the Timekeeper’s Vault as Sirens and Eridium have been used to charge Vault Keys.
Currently, we can only speculate the contents of the Vault but the mystery surrounding the 7th Siren has me and many Vault Hunters intrigued. Are we going to deal with the 7th Siren in this game or is the Timekeeper enough and is this the gateway to Borderlands 5?
While we eagerly await more information, the introduction of Ordenite promises to shake up the Borderlands formula, potentially offering new gameplay mechanics, story elements, and endgame content for devoted Vault Hunters to explore when Borderlands 4 launches on September 23, 2025.
