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13 Best Legendary Weapons in Borderlands 3

MentalMars December 10, 2024 15 Comments

Best Borderlands 3 Legendary Weapons

There are a lot of legendary weapons in Borderlands 3. They all have their own unique special mechanics. However, some of them perform better than others. In this Borderlands 3 Guide, I’m going to tell you which legendary items should be in your backpack. So Vault Hunter, start farming for these items as they can take on everything even on Mayhem Level 10/11.

Best Legendary Weapons

13. Complex Root

Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan Sniper Rifle - Complex Root — Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan Sniper Rifle – Complex Root

The Complex Root is a Maliwan Sniper that shoots 2 projectiles after a 1-second charge up. The projectiles will spawn 13 new projectiles that zick-zack along the trajectory. These projectiles will explode on impact or after a set time has expired.

The Complex Root isn’t designed for long-range sniping as the projectiles don’t travel that far. Don’t use this weapon at close range as its splash damage will down you. Moze player beware of the Torgue Cross Promotion skill because this will boost the splash radius making it impossible to escape the splash damage.

The Complex Root is the most devastating sniper in Borderlands 3.

The Complex Root has an increased chance of dropping from Lani Dixon who is located in Ashfall Peaks on Gehenna. But this weapon can also ‘World Drop’ in the Bounty of Blood DLC.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	47461	47461	47461	47461	47461

Complex Root Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

12. Atlas Replay

Borderlands 3 Legendary Atlas Pistol - Atlas Replay — Borderlands 3 Legendary Atlas Pistol – Atlas Replay

The Atlas Replay shoots explosive projectiles that home in on tracked enemies and deal Splash Damage on impact.

This weapon is great because normally you need to mark enemies yourself before the homing projectiles work. The Atlas Replay’s ALT-fire marks enemies automatically and for every enemy you mark, you gain a fire rate boost.

The Atlas Replay is a Director’s Cut exclusive Legendary and has an increased chance of dropping from Hemovorous the Invincible in Darkthirst Dominion on Pandora. You can also get this weapon from Sera of Supremacy on True Trials but it is also in the general DLC6 loot pool.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
82428	x	x	x	x	x

Atlas Replay Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

11. Face Puncher

Borderlands 3 Legendary Hyperion Shotgun - Face-Puncher — Borderlands 3 Legendary Hyperion Shotgun – Face-Puncher

The Face Puncher is a Hyperion Shotgun that is rather unique because it deals Melee damage instead of regular gun damage. This allows you to create interesting builds with artifacts, for example, providing you with Health or Ammo regeneration but you can also turn this into an elemental or explosive weapon.

The damage on the item card doesn’t seem like much but the Face Puncher holds up in End Game due to Mayhem Scaling giving it a x16 damage multiplier on Mayhem Level 10/11 making it a top-tier legendary item.

The Face-puncher can be obtained from any farmable loot source but has a high chance of dropping from Muldock, the Anointed who is located in Floodmoor Basin on Eden-6.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
2737 x7	x	x	x	x	x
1825 x14	x	x	x	x	x

Face-Puncher Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

10. Sand hawk

Borderlands 3 Legendary Hyperion Sniper Rifle - Sand Hawk — Borderlands 3 Legendary Hyperion Sniper Rifle – Sand Hawk

The Sandhawk is a Dahl Sniper with a unique projectile pattern because this weapon fires a line of 7 bullets that mimic how a hawk flaps its wings.

This weapon can come with the Full-Auto, Semi-Auto, and Burst Fire firing modes. Ideally, you want a Sand Hawk with the Full-Auto & Semi-Auto firing modes because with Full-auto you actually have an SMG and with the Semi-Auto you have a sniper that can shoot as fast as an SMG.

The pellet spread on the Semi-Auto mode is pretty tight making it easier to land all projectiles.

The Sand Hawk is the best sniper in Borderlands 3 but is limited by its ammo capacity, therefore, it’s wise to have some sort of ammo regen in your build.

The Sand Hawk is Mayhem Mode 6 or higher Legendary. You can get it from Katagawa Jr. who is located in the Atlas HQ on Promethea.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	45098 x7	42446 x7	42446 x7	42446 x7	39793 x7

Sandhawk Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

9. Backburner

Borderlands 3 Legendary Vladof Rocket Launcher - Backburner — Borderlands 3 Legendary Vladof Rocket Launcher – Backburner

The Backburner is a Vladof Launcher that shoots Lob-like orbs. On impact, it will create a singularity to pull enemies. For a few seconds, it spits out these mirv orbs dealing damage in the target area. These MIRV Orbs will be thrown in an upward arc and will fall close to the initial explosion.

The Backburner is good for bossing or taking down a tight group of enemies.

The BackBurner is Mayhem Mode 6 or higher Legendary. You can get it from Agonizer 9000 who is located in the Guts of Carnivora on Pandora.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	182120	171407	171407	171407	160694

Backburner Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

8. Blade Fury

Borderlands 3 Legendary Assault Rifle - Blade Fury Screenshot — Borderlands 3 Legendary Assault Rifle – Blade Fury Screenshot

The Blade Fury is a Jakobs Assault Rifle that stands out because it deals both bullet and melee damage.

This is a unique combination as most guns only deal weapon damage. The Facepuncher is the only weapon that deals melee damage but the Blade Fury does both. The Blade Fury isn’t just a strong weapon but its combination of damage also allows for powerful builds.

You can augment the Blade Fury with Artifacts to add elemental damage, health regen, ammo regen, or explosives.

The Blade Fury is redeemable through Vault Card 3 which is part of The Director’s Cut. You are going to need 5 Vault Card Keys to be able to redeem this weapon. The first one is not anointed, the following items will be.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
28639	x	x	x	x	x
13031 x4	x	x	x	x	x

Blade Fury Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

7. Trevonator

Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan Shotgun - Trevonator - LVL65 — Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan Shotgun – Trevonator – LVL65

The Trevonator is a Maliwan Shotgun that shoots a burst of orbs that explode on impact. While most Maliwan weaponry needs to charge up, the Trevonator fires instantly with devastating power.

This is the best base game shotgun in Borderlands 3, it’s powerful and easy to obtain early on in the game.

The Trevonator can be randomly obtained as a world drop from any loot source but it has a 15% chance of dropping from Private Beans who you can farm at the graveyard located on Athenas.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	29461 x3	29461 x3	29461 x3	29461 x3	29461 x3
x	19641 x6	19641 x6	19641 x6	19641 x6	19641 x6

Trevonator Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

6. O.P.Q System

Borderlands 3 Legendary Atlas Assault Rifle - O.P.Q. System — Borderlands 3 Legendary Atlas Assault Rifle – O.P.Q. System

The O.P.Q System is an Atlas Assault Rifle and this weapon is a beast. Originally, locked behind a seasonal event, however, since the permanent inclusion of seasonal events you can have a max-level OPQ System. Although an LVL57 version still performs great on LVL65 M10 and that says something about getting an on-level version.

The Alt-Fire allows you to spawn a drone copy of the weapon for 13 seconds. During this time the drone will shoot at the same target as you are aiming at. The Drone will occasionally shoot shock projectiles. The impact of the shock projectiles can hurt you. The Drone will despawn if you switch weapons.

This is also an amazing weapon to hand over to Zane’s clone.

The O.P.Q. System is a Revenge of the Cartels Legendary. You can get it from Josie Byte, Franco Firewall, and Joey Ultraviolet in Villa Ultraviolet during the Revenge of the Cartels Event.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
35309 x2	x	x	x	x	x

O.P.Q. System Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

5. Light Show

Borderlands 3 Legendary Vladof Pistol - Light Show — Borderlands 3 Legendary Vladof Pistol – Light Show

The Light Show is a Vladof Pistol that fires multiple projectiles that travel in a spinning circular pattern.

This weapon literally shreds through enemies with its high fire rate and damage output. It’s also an amazing gun to give to your Digi-clone while playing as Zane.

The Light Show has an increased chance of dropping from Lasodactyl which is located in the Obsidian Forest on Gehenna. But this weapon can also ‘World Drop’ in the Bounty of Blood DLC.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
35702 x4	30346 x4	28561 x4	28561 x4	28561 x4	26776 x4

Light Show Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

4. Yellowcake

Borderlands 3 Legendary COV Rocket Launcher - Yellowcake — Borderlands 3 Legendary COV Rocket Launcher – Yellowcake

The Yellowcake is a COV Launcher that shoots a projectile in an arching trajectory. The projectile will split after a set distance and those projectiles will also split after a set distance.

Ideally, you want to hit your target at the moment the projectiles split for the second time. This way you deal the most damage as the projectiles are still close together and all impact the target.

The Yellowcake quickly became famous as the weapon accidentally double-dipped a few buffs. While Gearbox Software fixed their mistakes, the Yellowcake still wrecks.

The Yellowcake is a Revenge of the Cartels Legendary. You can get it from FISH SLAP!!!, Tyrone Smallums, and Joey Ultraviolet in Villa Ultraviolet during the Revenge of the Cartels Event.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	x	x	x	x	113106
x	x	x	x	x	107720 x2

Yellowcake Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

3. Flipper

Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan SMG - Flipper — Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan SMG – Flipper

The Flipper is an SMG that takes the Maliwan Charge-up mechanic to the next level because continuous firing will increase the projectile count.

While the projectile count increases (1 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 9) and therefore the damage continues to stack up, the amount of ammo consumption stays the same throughout the process.

The Flipper is great for any Vault Hunter but Moze players get the most out of this weapon as it also deals splash damage.

The Flipper has an increased chance of dropping from Minosaur who is located in Bloodsun Canyon on Gehenna.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	12969	12969	12969	12969	12969

Flipper Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

2. Anarchy

Borderlands 3 Legendary Tediore Shotgun - Unlimited Firesale Anarchy — Borderlands 3 Legendary Tediore Shotgun – Unlimited Firesale Anarchy

The Anarchy is a Tediore Shotgun with a stacking mechanic and when you manage to get ALLL THE STACKS, the Anarchy will deal A LOT OF DAMAGE!!!

Reloading the weapon or killing an enemy provides you with a +30% Weapon Damage boost which can be stacked up 10 times. This grants you +1379% Weapon Damage at Max stacks!!!

I love that this is a callback to Gaige from Borderlands 2 but personally, I don’t like these stacking mechanics. That said, the Anarchy allows you to do a ton of damage making it one of the best Borderlands 3 Shotgun.

You can give this weapon to Zane’s Clone but it also needs to build up stacks before it goes all out.

The Anarchy can be obtained from any suitable loot source, as a world drop on Xylourgos, in the Guns, Love, and Tentacles DLC. Check out this guide for Best Legendary Farm Location in DLC2. It also has a 12.5% chance of dropping from Kukuwajack who is located in Negul Neshai.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
4941 x9	4200 x9	3953 x9	3953 x9	3953 x9	3706 x9
4471 x10	3800 x10	3577 x10	3577 x10	3577 x10	3353 x10
4694 x12	3990 x12	3755 x12	3755 x12	3755 x12	3521 x12
4941 x13	4200 x13	3953 x13	3953 x13	3953 x13	3706 x13
4471 x15	3800 x15	3577 x15	3577 x15	3577 x15	3353 x15
4694 x18	3990 x18	3755 x18	3755 x18	3755 x18	3521 x18
4247 x20	3610 x20	3398 x20	3398 x20	3398 x20	3185 x20

Anarchy Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

1. Plasma Coil

Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan SMG - Plasma Coil — Borderlands 3 Legendary Maliwan SMG – Plasma Coil

The Plasma Coil is a Maliwan SMG that quickly shoots a 16-round burst of elemental orbs. This weapon is locked to the Shock + Radiation elemental combo making it highly effective against shielded enemies, however, the Plasma Coil’s high base damage will swiftly destroy anything in its path.

The Plasma Coils is without doubt the best SMG and one of the most powerful weapons in Borderlands 3, however, obtaining one isn’t the easiest task because it is an Arms Race exclusive Legendary in The Designer’s Cut.

The Plasma Coil can randomly drop from any suitable loot source within the Stormblind Complex located on Pandora but you have a high chance of getting one from the Red Chest in the Madwidth Power area.

Kinetic	Cryo	Fire	Shock	Corrosive	Radiation
x	x	x	81059	x	81059

Plasma Coil Max Damage Numbers LVL 72 (M10)

Honorable Mentions

These weapons didn’t make this list but they are some of my favorite weapons in the game. They are powerful and fun to play with, so check them out!

Additional Resources

Are you looking for a tier list that compares all the weapons or the best items of a specific weapon type, then I have several additional articles that will help you on your way.

Tags: Borderlands 3 Guide, Borderlands 3 Weapon Guides

Written by

MentalMars

I'm a Content Creator by day and a BattleBread Baker at night. I'll provide you with your recommended slice of entertainment! I'm a Gearbox Community Badass and a proud member of the official Borderlands & Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Creator Team (2K Games / NextMakers).