Borderlands 4's new tag-team superboss borrows a killer trick from Dark Souls' Ornstein and Smough

Borderlands 4 update 1.7 is coming at the end of May, and its big highlight is the introduction of the FPS game’s second raid boss encounter. This time we’ll be fighting not one, but two purportedly ‘Invincible’ foes at the same time. As if that wasn’t enough, the pair have taken notes from one of the most iconic double battles in gaming: Ornstein and Smough, arguably the most famous challenge in all of Dark Souls. Taking one of these enemies down is just the beginning, therefore, but the rewards should be worth it.

Borderlands 4 Raid Boss 2, to give it Gearbox’s rather bland official moniker, is the pairing of Subjugator and Thol the Invincible. The former floats around the arena to bombard you from the skies, while the latter is a bulky presence who doesn’t leave you much room to maneuver. Initially, they’ll tag in and out, but of course you can expect them to start working together as the fight goes on. It’s what happens when the first of them falls that has me really excited, however.

Borrowing a cue from that aforementioned Dark Souls pairing, the survivor will empower themselves to grow even more dangerous, retreating to their own unique lair for a final showdown. Take out Thol first and Subjugator rises into the sky, transforming into a giant that you’ll have to tackle from floating platforms. Work in reverse and Thol slams through the floor, luring you down into the caverns below, where he casts off his glistening armor to reveal scorched flesh underneath.

I’m an absolute sucker for this dynamic, and am quietly hoping for it any time I come up against two enemies at once, so sign me up now. The rewards promise to be worth it as well. There’s the new Pearlescent Ripper SMG, the Jail-Broken Gatling, which buffs its fire rate, damage, weapon recoil, and chance for additional projectiles with every hit you land on an enemy. Fresh firmware Active Fire grants a big damage boost to full-charge shots if you unleash them at the exact moment they max out, encouraging precision timing.

Four legendaries also join the pool. The Lockjaw assault rifle bounces explosive projectiles between targets. The Shammy Kablammy is a Tediore pistol that douses your enemies in moonshine, then explodes when you toss the weapon at them for damage that scales up based on the number of targets you set on fire. The Flak Cannon heavy weapon promises to tear enemies apart, and the Collector energy shield boasts huge capacity and a quick recharge rate, albeit on a long delay. Finally, there’s a unique class mod for each of the five Vault Hunters, with another coming down the road for the sixth addition in Story Pack 2.

Alongside the new battle, Borderlands 4 version 1.7 will give you a toggle for its new shared character progression feature. By default, the likes of map progress, collectibles, activities, SDU tokens, Vault powers, vehicle skins, and hover drives now all carry across your full list of characters. Gearbox acknowledges that some players might prefer the option to start fresh, however, so you’ll be able to turn this off and create a new Vault Hunter with a completely clean slate.

Borderlands 4 update 1.7 releases for free on Thursday May 28. There’s also a 40% discount on Steam right now, so you’ll pay just $41.99 / £35.99 for the base game, or $77.99 / £71.99 for the super deluxe edition. Head here if you want to get in on the sale while it lasts.

Fancy an early peek at the new raid boss? a Gearbox developer stream on Tuesday May 26 promises to give you just that. Looking ahead, version 1.8 is planned for late June, and will include the free Takedown challenge, promised to be Borderlands 4’s “toughest endgame content yet,” along with the Bounty Pack 3 DLC.