Gearbox has released the full patch notes for the Borderlands 3 update on October 24, 2019. The update, known as Patch 3, includes a long list of bug fixes and general adjustments. The Borderlands 3 Update 3 patch notes contain the activation of the Bloody Harvest Halloween event, which will be accessible as soon as players have the update installed. Below, we’ll cover some of the most significant changes and include the full Borderlands 3 patch notes.
Borderlands 3 Patch 3’s biggest changes
Besides the Bloody Harvest event, Patch 3 makes several tweaks and quality-of-life improvements to Borderlands 3. Console players now have access to Photo Mode and can now combine Mayhem Mode and True Vault Hunter Mode into one extreme difficulty mode. Additionally, across all versions of the game, players are now able to specify Mayhem Mode when matchmaking.
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Along with these larger, gameplay-related adjustments, Gearbox implemented several smaller changes. The volume level of the 2K and Gearbox logo intro sequences has been adjusted (presumably to be quieter). The developer also made changes to the split screen UI, adjusted gore textures for increased consistency, added eight new vending machines to the game, and added new Vault Hunter trinkets and customization options. In addition to these, there were a number of bug fixes, which you can find in the full patch notes below.
Borderlands 3 future update plans
Gearbox outlined several features it is looking to address in future patches. The developer mentioned that the highest priority of these is improving stability, which it said will be addressed game-wide in a November update. Gearbox is planning to implement quality-of-life improvements like more Bank space, a Mayhem Mode difficulties, a practice dummy for testing weapons, specific (farmable) loot pools for bosses, character buffs, and skippable cutscenes in future updates. Some of these changes will come with Takedown at Maliwan’s Blacksite, the content drop set to follow the Bloody Harvest, and some will come in the November patch.
Borderlands 3 Patch 3 | Full patch notes
Below, you’ll find the full Patch 3 notes, direct from Gearbox.
NOTES FOR PATCH 3
- Added Support for Bloody Harvest, the free Limited Time Event starting on October 24 and ending December 5.
- During the event, the Main Menu will now become spooky when the micropatch has loaded and the event content is available
STABILITY
- Fixed a report bug resulting in a crash while loading into maps
- Fixed a reported audio crash bug
- Fixed a reported crash that occurred for certain users when level transitioning immediately after throwing a longbow grenade
- Fixed a reported rare crash that occurred for certain users after completing missions
- Fixed a reported crash that occurred for certain users when swapping an equipped weapon
- Fixed a reported crash that occurred for certain users when sorting the Mission Log by region
GENERAL
- [Consoles Only] Mayhem mode is now available in True Vault Hunter Mode on Consoles
- [Consoles Only] Added Photo Mode support for Consoles
- [Consoles Only] Added ECHOcast Twitch Extension support for Consoles
- Added new Vault Hunter customizations and trinkets
- Added ability to specify Mayhem Mode while matchmaking
- Adjusted the volume of the 2K and Gearbox logo intro movies
- Addressed reported concern where some players were missing skill points
- Updated gore stump textures for consistency
- [PC Only] Improved reliability of the voice chat system when open and closing the ECHO menu on PC
- [PC Only] Added a modification so typing in text chat no longer prevents players from fast travelling
- Singularity grenades will no longer cause Saurian corpses to float in the air after dying
- Addressed a reported concern that certain players experienced some Visual FX for the side mission “Transaction Packed” before accepting the mission
- Addressed a reported concern that some players experienced Brick getting stuck after chasing enemies off the cliff near Hector’s Lament in The Anvil
- Made a modification where Amber Lamps no longer has a chance to spawn during the “Defend BALEX” objective of “The Family Jewel” mission
- Addressed a reported concern with the Legendary grenade mod Quasar, where it was not counting towards the optional grenade kills objective in Slaughter maps
- [PS4 Only] Addressed a language code issue present in PS4 activity feeds for English
- Addressed a reported concern where users with their region set to Japan were unable to complete the Fast Travel tutorial
- Made a modification so Safe Area Calibration is now saved when relaunching the game
- Camera no longer resets to a random location when using the Reset Camera function in Photo mode
- Photo mode will now force exit when the player is teleported
- Subtitles are now present when joining another player’s game while a cinematic is playing
- Addressed a reported concern where some sounds were quiet or missing for the second player in split screen
- Made various split screen UI fixes
- Fixed a reported UI issue where the Mayhem Modifier menu would sometimes not appear for certain players
NOTES FOR OCTOBER 24 HOTFIX
As stated in last week’s stream, this week’s changes focus less on weapons and more on fixes across the game. We are gathering data, reading feedback, and working toward improving all aspects of the game. Please keep submitting bug reports to support.2k.com!
WEAPONS
Flakker
- Now consumes 1 ammo instead of 5.
BUG FIXES
- Addressed a reported bug with “Space-Laser Tag” which prevented some players from progressing to the next objective
- Atomic has been modified to no longer become invincible, as has been reported under certain conditions
- Modified Powerhouse Heavy’s attacks to no longer damage players outside of the intended range
- Addressed a concern that Projected shields were taking too much damage from General Traunt’s attacks
- Fixed the reported floating door frame in the Jakobs Theatre
- Addressed a reported potential progression blocker when Rhy’s talks during “Hostile Takeover”
- Increased checkpoint sizes of New-U stations in multiple locations
- Included a modification so that Zane’s Digi-Clone will no longer spawn into the cage in Slaughterstar 3000
Those are a lot of notes to take in, and we’re still hard at work addressing reported issues in Borderlands 3. But given that we’re just about a month out from Borderlands 3‘s launch, we’d like to take this opportunity to outline our plans for future updates, including some of the community’s most frequently requested changes. There can always be unforeseen challenges when working on patches and hotfixes, so we’ll keep you posted on more concrete release timings as these updates continue to progress. Here’s a look at some of the things we’re working to implement in future patches.
PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY
Game performance and stability continue to be our top priorities. The first fruits of that labor will be released in our upcoming November patch, with various improvements game-wide. We’ve also been hard at work improving the game’s stability and more improvements in this regard are expected to be included in the November patch. Performance and stability will continue to be an ongoing effort with more fixes rolled out with each upcoming patch.
THE BANK
Expanding the bank has been the most consistently requested feature by the community. We’ve heard you loud and clear and the groundwork for expanding the bank has already started. The first of several planned expansions will coincide with the release of Takedown at Maliwan’s Blacksite. Expect a significant bank expansion that will more than double the existing space. Additional expansions to the bank will continue to be rolled out over future releases.
DEDICATED LOOT POOLS FOR BOSSES
Several of you have stated a desire to find gear more easily in the game. To do that we are updating the loot pools (the data that determines what in-game items drop) to ensure that more specific gear drops from bosses. That means you’ll be able to go to a specific boss to get the specific gear you’re looking for. We’re working out which bosses get which gear right now and expect this to be ready as part of the November patch as well.
CHARACTER BUFFS
In the late stages of the game when Mayhem Mode is active, we’ve found that player companions (Moze’s Iron Bear, FL4K’s pets, and Zane’s Digi-Clone/SNTL) are reportedly not performing as well as we had expected. To address this, we’re looking at how to adjust damage according to the relevant skills and gear. The goal here is to make sure we have as many viable character builds as possible.
ADDITIONAL MAYHEM LEVELS AND MAYHEM 2.0
Mayhem Mode has been a fantastic addition to the Borderlands world. After receiving some great community feedback, we’ve been hard at work on a significant revamp that will introduce a host of improvements over several upcoming updates.
The first update will be released as part of the Takedown at Maliwan’s Blacksite and includes the first new Mayhem Mode level, Mayhem 4. Expect a significant challenge when it debuts, with tougher enemies that reward players with highly synergized character builds. A new batch of Legendary gear will also only drop while in Mayhem 4 to reward those players who are truly up for the challenge.
Longer term we have plans to overhaul Mayhem Mode with more UI support, new Mayhem Modifiers that change gameplay more dramatically, Mayhem playlists, new rewards, and additional levels of Mayhem to work through. We’re excited about Mayhem 2.0 and we’ll talk more about it when we get a little closer to its release.
VENDING MACHINES
Marcus heard the outcry for more vending machines, so we’re airdropping in some more across multiple maps. Expect new ammo and health vending machines outside of a few boss arenas and a few in some of the bigger environments. Below are the locations where the new vending machines will be appearing:
- Athenas
- Atlas HQ
- Skywell-27
- Lectra City
- Jakobs Estate
- Voracious Canopy
- Tazendeer Ruins
- The Pyre of Stars
SKIPPABLE CINEMATICS
We’re currently investigating the best way to approach letting players skip cutscenes. This is much easier said than done. Under the hood, the game may activate critical events based on cinematics. In order to make sure mission progression isn’t negatively impacted, we need to inspect each cinematic and make sure those events still work correctly. We have a few ideas on how to tackle this problem and expect to have a solution soon.
TARGET DUMMY
Need an easier way to test your gear? We’re going to add a target dummy to the shooting range on Sanctuary III! We feel this is the best location since your bank is also on the ship. This way you can manage and test your builds on Sanctuary III without having to travel anywhere else. You can expect to see this sometime in December.
THE FUTURE
The list above is only a high-level look at what some of our teams are working on. Stay tuned as we continue to add more information and additions to this list. We here at Gearbox are excited about where Borderlands 3 is heading, and we look forward to showing you all the content that’s still to come!
