Gearbox has officially lifted the curtain on the first DLC Vault Hunter for Borderlands 4, introducing C4SH—a high-tech mercenary who blends gadget-driven combat with the looter-shooter’s trademark chaos. This marks the series’ first DLC Vault Hunter reveal, signaling Gearbox’s intent to expand the roster early with bold, experimental designs.
C4SH is pitched as a cybernetic infiltrator with a shady background tied to corporate espionage. Unlike the core Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4, who lean heavily on traditional skill archetypes (tanks, elemental casters, snipers, melee brawlers), C4SH is designed around adaptive loadouts. His kit allows players to pivot mid-fight, shifting from support to damage-dealer depending on the encounter.
Narratively, C4SH is a hired gun whose motives revolve around personal profit—fitting given his name. Gearbox teases him as a “Vault Hunter who never works for free,” and the story integrates credits, bounties, and risk-versus-reward mechanics directly into his character progression.
Core Gameplay Mechanics
C4SH introduces several unique features that set him apart from the base roster:
- Deployable Drone Network
- Players can summon compact drones that provide recon, apply elemental debuffs, or heal allies. These drones scale with skill-tree upgrades, letting you tailor them toward crowd control or high burst damage.
- Augmented Arsenal
- His Action Skill lets him swap between specialized weapon augmentations mid-combat:
- Profit Mode (ammo efficiency + loot chance boosts)
- Payout Mode (damage scaling with critical hits)
- Bailout Mode (temporary shields and speed boosts for survivability)
- His Action Skill lets him swap between specialized weapon augmentations mid-combat:
- Bounty Contracts
- A side mechanic that allows C4SH players to tag priority enemies. Killing these enemies drops extra loot or currency, making him especially appealing for farming runs.
Skill Trees and Build Potential
C4SH comes with three skill trees, each tuned for distinct playstyles:
- Liquid Assets – Focuses on ammo regeneration, loot modifiers, and economy-based buffs. Perfect for players who like farming and treasure-hunting.
- Collateral Damage – Enhances drones, AoE effects, and environmental interactions. Great for co-op synergy and crowd control.
- High Risk, High Reward – Emphasizes critical strikes, mobility, and burst DPS, but at the cost of reduced defenses. Tailored for aggressive solo players.
Because of his hybrid nature, C4SH may become the most versatile farming Vault Hunter in the game’s history, giving players a reason to revisit older content for loot grinds.
How C4SH Fits Into Borderlands 4
The addition of C4SH suggests Gearbox is leaning hard into player agency and customization this time around. While past DLC characters like Gaige or Krieg brought extreme, niche playstyles, C4SH feels like a toolbox character—someone who can adapt to multiple scenarios without being locked into one archetype.
In co-op, he can easily flex between roles, either supplementing a DPS-heavy team with healing drones or amplifying loot gains for farming parties. Solo players, meanwhile, get a highly self-sufficient Vault Hunter who rewards smart positioning and risk management.
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Gearbox confirmed that C4SH will be included in the first Borderlands 4 DLC expansion, scheduled to drop later this year. Players who purchase the Season Pass will get him automatically, while others can buy the character separately.
C4SH looks to be one of the most inventive Vault Hunters yet, not just because of his lore but because of how tightly his mechanics tie into Borderlands 4’s loot-driven identity. If the base game introduces the sandbox, C4SH seems like the character designed to break it wide open—turning every firefight into a high-stakes gamble with the promise of even bigger payoffs. Play Now!
