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Borderlands 4

What to Do First

Add to Watchlist

★ 8 SHiFT Codes as of September 2025
☆ Black Market Location
★ Elemental Weakness Chart
☆ Legendary Weapons
★ Builds: Vex | Amon | Rafa | Harlowe
☆ How to Respec Skill Tree

what to do first

This is a guide about the best things to do first in Borderlands 4. See the best things to do first in the game along with a specific route to help you track the most important loot to collect!

List of Contents

What to Do First in Borderlands 4

What To Do First

What to Do First
Checkmark Complete Down and Outbound
Checkmark Obtain a Vault Symbol
Checkmark Upgrade Your Backpack
Checkmark Complete the First Silo
Checkmark Return the Lost Capsule
Checkmark Claim Another Safehouse

Complete Down and Outbound

Mission Rewards

Complete the third main mission called Down and Outbound to unlock the Vehicle, Respec Machine, Bank, and lost loot. Unlocking the vehicle will make exploration much easier and faster!

By doing this quest, you will also find a Golden Chest that requires a Golden Key to unlock it. However, it is recommended to only open Golden Chests once you achieve a high level since the chest rewards will scale with your current level.

Obtain a Vault Symbol

Vault Symbol

Vault Symbols give an additional 5 SDU and are scattered around the map. SDU's are used to upgrade the storage capacity of your guns, backpack, bank, and lost loot.

Vault Symbol Location

The Vault Symbol can be found inside the building shown above. Climb a set of stairs until you find the glowing red symbol to obtain the SDU reward.

Upgrade Your Backpack

Upgrade Your Backpack

After receiving enough SDU tokens, prioritize upgrading your backpack capacity. This will increase the amount of equipment you can hold, making it easier to pick up the numerous weapons you will find.

Even if you don't plan on using a weapon, picking it up as junk then selling it to a vending machine is a quick and easy way to earn money, even in the endgame.

Complete the First Silo

Silo location

Completing the first Silo is important for your progression as this rewards you with 50 SDU tokens! This location also houses a good number of enemies that will give you a good amount of XP.

Optional World Boss

Dead Bolt Collectible

An optional world boss can be found in an island north west of the Silo. Take note that fighting this boss is difficult, gauge your gear and party numbers first before deciding to fight it!

Defeating the world boss may reward you with good gear and also unlocks the Dead Bolt collectible.

Return the Lost Capsule

Lost Capsule location

The lost capsule is near the Abandoned Post, your first safehouse. The lost capsule is a supply cache that you must bring back to any safehouse to obtain guns of varying tiers!

Lost Capsule Guide

Lost Capsule Guide
1 Place supply cache
Bring the lost capsule to this machine in any safehouse.
2 Supply Cache loot
Wait for the rewards to come out. This may give you a purple gun!

Claim Another Safehouse

Claim Another Safeouse.png
Shut-Eye Keep is a nearby Safehouse that you can easily claim early in the game. Claiming Safehouses not only increases your fast travel network, but also gives you access to more vending machines and bounty boards, which have different contents compared to other safehouses.

Additionally, claiming Safehouses rewards you with 40 SDU Tokens!

How to Access the Safehouse

Safehouse Access Guide
1
Access Elevator Location
When approaching the Safehouse, you will notice that it has two sections. Approach the right section for the access elevator.
2
Use the Side Elevator
Clear out the Order enemies nearby before using the elevator to access the Safehouse. The datapad needed to unlock the Safehouse can be found upstairs.

Borderlands 4 Related Guides

TIPS & TRICKS

Beginner's Guide to Borderlands 4: Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks Guides

Progression Guides
What to Do First Level Cap: What is the Max Level?
How to Farm Bosses How to Level Up Fast
How to Farm and Use Eridium How to Get More SDU Tokens
How to Crush Jamming Device When Do You Get a Vehicle?
How to Unlock More Weapon Slots How to Increase Inventory Capacity
How to Get Stronger Weapons Can You Upgrade Weapons?
Red Chest Farm Location Should You Do Side Quests?
What is Ultimate Vault Hunter? -
General Guides
What to Buy and Sell First How to Respec Skill Tree
Golden Keys Guide All Bank Locations
How to Store and Transfer Items How to Drop Items
How to Claim Deluxe Edition Items How to Fast Travel
Can You Duel? Pearlescent Rarity
Level Scaling Explained How to Summon Vehicle
How to Link 2K Account Weapon Rarity vs Level
Lost Loot Machine Explained Weapons Levels Explained
Weapon Rarity Explained Fishing Guide
What to Spend Money On Movement Guide
Moxxi's Tip Jar Guide: Location and Rewards Should You Save on Golden Keys?
Legendary Vending Machine Locations Should You Wait on Opening Vaults?
Throwing Knife Farm -
Settings Guides
List of All Controls Matchmaking Guide
Difficulty Differences and How to Change Can You Change Character?
Best and Recommended Settings Can You Change FOV?
Can You Change POV? Compiling Shaders Fix
How to Save and Recover Lost Saves Is There a Minimap?
Combat Guides
Death Penalty: What Happens When You Die? Elemental Weaknesses Guide
Incendiary Damage Guide Shock Damage Guide
Cryo Damage Guide Radiation Damage Guide
Corrosive Damage Guide –

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