Borderlands 4 gets Story Pack 2, Loveless the Hacker and a free-play weekend

Borderlands 4 has just received a hefty content drop, adding a new story pack, a new playable Vault Hunter and another batch of loot for anyone still happily shooting psychos in the face. 2K and Gearbox Software released Version 1.10 on Sept. 10, and it arrives with a free-play weekend that gives curious players a chance to try the base game before opening their wallets.

The update adds Story Pack 2: FL4K and the Last Resort, Bounty Pack 5: Amara and the Vile Shadows, and Loveless the Hacker as an all-new playable Vault Hunter. According to the announcement, the content is available separately, while the relevant bundles and editions include it automatically.

What's actually going on

Story Pack 2 sends players to Providence, a tropical island where returning beastmaster FL4K is trying to save their skag companion Mr. Chew from Tediore. The story moves through an active volcano bunker, jungle ziplines and Tediore’s digiverse servers, with enemies including exo-suit soldiers, heavily armed mechs and minibosses linked to dynamic lava events.

The rewards include two new Pearlescent weapons and 18 pieces of Legendary gear. Bounty Pack 5 provides a repeatable mission built around Amara and disturbances linked to a former Vile Lictor laboratory on Elpis. Completing it unlocks a Vault Hunter skin, a vehicle and an ECHO-4 Drone Skin, alongside a new boss, two minibosses, new enemy types, another Pearlescent weapon and six pieces of Legendary loot.

Loveless the Hacker is the more substantial addition. The ex-Anshin hacker turned assassin has fused biological and digital power, sharing her psyche with a virus that can create a physical Wyrm form. Gearbox describes her playstyle as focused on critical hits, status effects and Corrosive and Radiation damage. She is playable across the base game and DLC zones.

Version 1.10 also raises the level cap by 10 and introduces Vault Hunter balance adjustments. Vault Card 5 adds 24 cosmetic items and four pieces of rerollable gear. A free-play weekend runs through Sept. 13 on Xbox and Sept. 14 on PlayStation and Steam, with platform subscriptions required where applicable.

Why you should care

This is the sort of update that shows why live-service looter shooters are difficult to leave alone. A new zone, a new character and another pile of gear give veteran players reasons to return, while the free weekend lowers the barrier for anyone who has watched Borderlands 4 from a safe distance.

The important caveat is that the free weekend is a trial, not a permanent conversion to free-to-play. Progress carries over if players buy the game on the same platform, but anyone who enjoys the shooting will eventually have to purchase the base game to keep playing after the promotion ends.

Our opinion

Version 1.10 looks like a properly meaty expansion rather than a couple of cosmetic crumbs tossed into the gearbox. Loveless has the most interesting hook, while the new story pack appears designed to give Borderlands 4’s familiar loop another colourful playground.

The free weekend is the right move. Try it if you are curious, but do not mistake a content-packed trial for a no-strings-attached free game. For existing players, this is a good excuse to return; for everyone else, the weekend is the test before the purchase decision.

Sources: 2K and Gearbox Software press release supplied by Redhill; 2K’s official Story Pack 2 announcement; Borderlands 4 official Loveless the Hacker page.