Borderlands 3 has more than one billion guns and each of them was created by one of the game’s nine weapons manufacturers.
These corporations provide your Vault Hunter with the nearly infinite supply of loot you’ll find hidden in Borderlands 3’s loot chests, cardboard boxes and “Dook Huts.” But, they’re also the primary forces shaping the world of Pandora and beyond, and the petty disputes of their CEOs play an important role in the story.
So here’s everything you need to know about Hyperion, Atlas, Maliwan, Dahl, Torgue, Tediore, Vladof, Jakobs and the Children of the Vault.
Hyperion
Until Borderlands 3, Hyperion has been the most important corporation to know. It’s the manufacturer where Handsome Jack rose through the ranks from a humble employee to arrogant CEO, and it’s the company where Rhys, the protagonist of Tales from the Borderlands and an important character in Borderlands 3, got his start.
Hyperion weapons are known for their accuracy. The Official Borderlands Guide, published in 2009, trumpets the accuracy of the guns from this manufacturer.
“All Hyperion guns are meticulously calibrated by our technicians and certified to levels of accuracy never before seen in the industry,” reads the Hyperion sales pitch in that guide.
Ten years later, these guns are still known for the increased levels of marksmanship they enable. With a Hyperion gun, your shots will grow more accurate the longer you fire. And, to make prolonged aiming in the middle of a gunfight less hazardous to your health, Hyperion guns produce a weapon-mounted shield when you aim down the sights.
Atlas
Toward the end of Tales from the Borderlands, holographic Handsome Jack showed Rhys a stock certificate signifying his ownership of Atlas. And, depending on your decisions, Rhys could take that Atlas certificate after things with Jack went south (a decision which this game treats as Tales from the Borderlands canonical ending). As Borderlands 3 begins, Rhys has taken over as CEO of Atlas, but is having trouble dealing with a rival CEO who idolizes him as he once idolized Jack (more on that below).
The guns that Rhys’ corporation produces are defined by their smart bullets. Atlas guns can launch a tracker tag onto enemies and then unleash a barrage of homing shots.
More Borderlands 3:
- Borderlands 3 Damage Types Guide
- How to Save Your Game in Borderlands 3
- Borderlands 3 Inventory Guide — Where to Buy an SDU & Lost Loot
Maliwan
When Borderlands 3 begins, Maliwan is making Rhys’ life a living hell. The company’s CEO, Katagawa Jr., idolizes Rhys to, as Zer0 puts it, a “creepy” degree. He shows that affection in a uniquely Borderlands way — by organizing a hostile takeover of Atlas’ home planet, Promethea.
While patronage to Maliwan may not be great for our old pal Rhys, it’s extremely helpful in situations that call for elemental damage. Guns from each manufacturer have the potential to be elementally charged, but with Maliwan guns, it’s a guarantee. These weapons allow you to toggle between two different types of elemental damage (so your gun remains useful even when you’re up against an enemy of the same type), and can power up for devastating charged blasts — though these shots will cost more bullets.
Dahl
Early on in the game, Claptrap informs your Vault Hunter that some guns now include an alternate fire mode. Dahl weapons are guaranteed to include this feature. That means that equipping a Dahl weapon gives you a few different approaches that you can switch between depending on the task at hand.
Torgue
Torgue guns also include an alternate fire mode. With a gun from the company founded by the quotable Mr. Torgue, you’ll fire slow-moving, but powerful, projectiles instead of standard bullets. When that won’t cut it, you can switch firing mode and fire off a barrage of sticky bombs. These projectiles do more damage if you detonate a bunch all at once.
Tediore
Tediore guns are just as useful on empty as they are with a full clip. When you run out of bullets, rather than reloading, your Vault Hunter will chuck the empty gun at an enemy. It may explode like a grenade; it may sprout legs and run toward them, firing the whole time. Then, a new gun will materialize in your hand.
Vladof
Vladof guns chew through ammo like a Ratch through a Fanatic corpse. These guns fire rapidly and, as a result, consume a ton of ammo and aren’t nearly as accurate as Hyperion weapons. But, they can be modded with under-barrel attachments like “tasers, rocket tubes, and additional gun barrels.”
Jakobs
Jakobs guns are known for their increased potential to earn your Vault Hunter a critical hit. Additionally, they pump out rounds that ricochet after they make contact for an increased chance of killing two Rakks with one stone. The Jakobs logo replaces the “o” with a revolver’s rotating cylinder, and the guns that this corporation manufactures are fittingly inspired by the wood-grained designs of the Wild West.
Children of the Vault
The Children of the Vault don’t just produce daily content, they also produce guns. Borderlands 3’s new antagonists are also the Borderlands universe’s newest weapons manufacturers. The guns created by the Calypso Twins’ company fire off a stream of ammo with a clip size only limited by how much ammo you can carry, at a rate limited by the weapons’ tendency to overheat with sustained fire.
That’s it for now! As we gain more experience with the many, many guns of Borderlands 3, we’ll update this guide with the best strategies for wielding guns from each manufacturer.
