Corrosive weapons are great for defeating Armored enemies in Borderlands 3 because they deal increased damage against those enemy types. While you won’t encounter many Armored enemies at the start of the game, they are prominent in End Game Content and many bosses feature an Armor bar. Dealing 150 to 175% damage can make all the difference when taking on the most challenging content. In this Borderlands 3 Guide, I’ll tell you which weapons you should have in your arsenal.
Table of contents
Corrosive Damage Explained
Corrosive damage is strong against Armor and causes targets to melt. Melting deals high damage over a 7-second duration (21 ticks).
| Playthrough | Health | Shield | Armor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | 80 | 70 | 150 |
| True Vault Hunter Mode | 65 | 50 | 175 |
| Mayhem Mode | 65 | 50 | 175 |
Why do you want to use Corrosive Weapons?
You will encounter many armored enemies playing Borderlands 3 in True Vault Hunter Mode and/or Mayhem Mode. These yellow armor bars are weak against Cryo and Corrosive damage, with Corrosive being the most effective.
The enemies during Borderlands 3’s End Game have much bigger health bars and matching the enemy’s elemental weakness becomes more essential during this stage. So if you want to eliminate them swiftly, it’s best to have at least one Corrosive weapon in your backpack at all times because
Corrosive weapons deal 150% damage against armor in normal mode and 175% damage against armored targets in True Vault Hunter Mode/Mayhem Mode. So matching elements becomes very lucrative on higher difficulty tiers. Check out this guide if you want a complete breakdown of all the elemental damages.
What are the Best Corrosive Weapons in Borderlands 3?
Here is an overview of the best corrosive weapons in Borderlands 3. They are grouped per weapon type so you can decide which one works the best in your character build. The first one in each list would be my personal favorite but that doesn’t rule out the others.
Best Corrosive Pistols
The Gargoyle is my favorite Crossive Pistol as it has some hidden powers. This COV weapon shoots corrosive darts that deal damage on impact and then explode dealing this same amount of damage again. When you fire the Gargoyle it frequently shoots out the blobs in a small arc. This is where the real power of this weapon lies as these will do 5 times the base damage. It’s a very effective weapon but it does consume your ammo.
Best Corrosive SMGs
These 3 SMGs are all great but the Dark Army is my personal favorite because it deals great damage and I like the additional drones that assist you. When you reload this weapon, the drones deal increased Damage and gain the Elemental Damage Type of your weapon for a short time.
Best Corrosive Assault Rifles
The Breath of the Dying is a Corrosive Assault Rifle, which I want to highlight because this Dahl weapon has an interesting legendary effect. When you defeat an enemy with the Breath of the Dying, it will create an explosion that shoots out multiple projectiles in all directions. This is fun while mobbing but also very effective on Wotan as destroying segments of this boss will also trigger the effect but the wave of new projectiles will immediately impact the Raid Boss, dealing massive damage.
Best Corrosive Shotguns
The Reflux is an awesome corrosive shotgun in my opinion because it’s powerful but also spreads that damage to nearby enemies. This Hyperion weapon links enemies together by creating energy beams between them and sending the weapon’s pellet damage to the linked target 10 times. The Reflux is great for mobbing but that special ability isn’t as helpful during big boss encounters.
Best Corrosive Snipers
The Lyuda is a great Corrosive Sniper as you can use it as an Assault Rifle. The bullet from the Vladof weapon will split into 3 projectiles whereas the 2 on the outside will fan out. If you get the distance between you and your target just right, you can hit all 3 projectiles onto a single target, dealing massive damage.
Best Corrosive Launchers
The Backburner is an awesome Vladof Launcher that also comes in a Corrosive variant. This weapon shoots a slow-moving orb that explodes on impact creating a singularity effect while also spitting out additional MIRVs in an upwards arc. Great for single targets and while mobbing.
Best Corrosive Grenades
While grenades aren’t the most viable damage source during End Game, the Fish Slap is the best because it can trigger the “Ground Breaker” Guardian Rank Perk resulting in massive damage. The bouncing delivery mechanic can be challenging unless you can use your Action Skill to deliver it. The other suggestions on this list are homing grenades and therefore much easier to use.
These are my recommendations as the best Corrosive weapons. If you have any suggestions or honorable mentions, then let me and the community know in the comments below.
MentalMars
