Borderlands is a series that loves easter eggs and references to pop culture, and Borderlands 4 isn’t shying away from that fact. While there might not be much toilet humor or references to Skibidi Toilet and Hawk Tuah (thankfully), there’s still a handful of pop culture easter eggs in Borderlands 4 that are worth taking a look at and discovering. Players can find the best Borderlands 4 easter eggs right here, along with how to find them, so that you can jump in-game and check them out for yourselves and impress your friends!
Pop Culture References Within Weapon & Item Text
Halo, Mad Max, and Other Iconic Franchises Are Quoted
Plenty of Legendary weapons in Borderlands 4 feature fun easter eggs, not just in the way the gun behaves, but in the red text found in the descriptions. Take the Lead Balloon Shotgun from Splashzone in Riptide Grotto, as players will discover the red text “For a brick, he flew pretty good,” which is a direct quote from Avery Johnson in Halo 2. There’s even the War Paint Repkit from the Meathead Riders in The Old Scrape Drill Site in Cuspid Climb, that reads “You shall ride eternal“, with both name and text being a reference to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). There are plenty of examples like this, such as a mission keycard that reads “It even has a watermark“, after Patrick Bateman’s line in American Psycho (2000). Next time you find a Legendary weapon or a mission-related item, be sure to read the description first so that you can check out the rather humorous text.
Dunk Watson Returns
An 11-Year Slam and Jam is Finally Completed
- Location: “And Welcome to the Jam” in Camp Spinesquelch, Tonnage Peel, Carcadia Burn
Unless players have played Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, they might have missed the very best easter egg in Borderlands 4, which involves the safe return of Dunk Watson. Dunk Watson was a man with a dream, and that dream happened to be performing the Ultimate Slam Dunk, which was so great that he managed to escape the moon of Elpis’s gravitational pull. Dunk Watson has been floating in space for 11 years, and thanks to the And Welcome to the Jam side mission, he can be brought back down to the ground safely, completing the ultimate slam and jam with no need for food, water, or even air. It’s time to welcome back this talented basketball player after spending so long in space!
Tediore Pokemon & Team Rocket
Gotta Catch Them All!
- Location: “Wayward Gun” in Dusk’s Advent, Cuspid Climb, Terminus Range
Players can find an entire side mission dedicated to Pokémon with Wayward Gun, and this quest is all about catching rogue pocket monsters that just so happen to be deadly sentient guns with legs. The side mission is a lot of fun, and players will need to talk to Bash (like Ash Ketchum) to seek out Catch-tainers (Poké Balls) to throw at the Tediore weapons and catch them. It’s a hilarious side mission, but one that has a very on-the-nose reference to Pokémon, especially when the Bomb Squad arrives, parodying Jesse and James from Team Rocket.
Shrek and Donkey
What Are You Doing in Their Swamp?!
- Location: Mirehome, South East of Fortress Indomita in Idolator’s Noose, the Fadefields
If players explore the south region of Idolator’s Noose in the Fadefields, they’ll find themselves stumbling into the Mirehome Point of Interest. This small swamp area is littered with signs that warn trespassers to keep out, but a continued advance will see the Vault Hunters met with a new adversary: Wreck and Burro. It’s obvious that Wreck is a parody of Shrek, and Burro is Spanish for Donkey, Shrek’s best friend. If the names were not obvious, then perhaps the large green ogre makes it more so. Players can kill these two besties and invade their swamp, but there’s no dedicated reward for doing so, just a fun easter egg worth discovering in the open world of Kairos.
Embracer's Bluff is Meta Commentary on Embracer Group
Gearbox Relish in Their Freedom Alongside Take-Two
- Location: Embracer’s Buff, Lopside, Carcadia Burn
Gearbox Software isn’t afraid to speak its mind with certain tongue-in-cheek humor, which is why Embracer’s Bluff might seem a tad familiar. Entering Embracer’s Bluff from within Lopside of Carcadia Burn, players will see a real slum pit. The name Embracer’s Bluff could be a blatant reference to Embracer Group, a company that acquired Gearbox Entertainment (along with Gearbox Software) back in 2021 for $1.3 billion. Embracer’s business tactics of absorbing companies would later backfire when they laid off the entirety of Volition, and they eventually sold Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two. The closing of Volition and the complete control that Embracer had over Gearbox might have seen the developers take their revenge by immortalizing their former owners in Embracer’s Buff, which is run-down, sees its people scavenge, while the mayor lives a lavish lifestyle.
Famous Movie Weapons
Ghostbusters, Men in Black, and Even Game of Thrones All Have Unique Weapons
It’s not just red text of weapons that gets the pop culture treatment, as Borderlands 4 features entire weapons that are designed and have gimmicks around certain movie weapons. If players are lucky enough to get Ohm I Got from Bramblesong in the Bittervein Auger Mine in Stoneblood Forest, they’ll have a literal Proton Pack to shoot, which crackles with ghost-bustin’ energy. There’s even Noisy Cricket, the small but deadly Men in Black pistol that packs a punch, which can be grabbed from Sidney Pointylegs at the Prospects Drill Site in Hungering Plains. Get to farming those Legendary weapons and see what other easter egg guns you can farm for!
Tannis on a Fish
A Returning Easter Egg, Now Featuring Handsome Jack
- Location: North West of The Howl, Fadefields. Shoot explosive barrels: Corrosive, Cryo, Incendiary, Shock, and Radiation, in that order.
Returning easter eggs is always a treat, and when it comes to Dr. Patricia Tannis, they couldn’t be better. While Tannis doesn’t make a physical appearance in Borderlands 4, a cardboard cutout of her does, and it sees her ride a familiar fish. Players can venture to the north west region of The Howl in the Fadefields, and then shoot specific barrels around a shack in order of: Corrosive, Cryo, Incendiary, Shock, and Radiation. Doing so will see players rewarded with a fun little scene in which a cutout of Tannis on a fish explodes a cutout of Handsome Jack. It’s a returning easter egg that also provides players with the Cut That Out trophy, so give it a shot!