To obtain the Hot Slugger in Borderlands 4, players must complete specific in-game challenges tied to weapon mastery. This powerful weapon can significantly enhance your gameplay, making it a sought-after item for avid collectors.

Getting the Hot Slugger in Borderlands 4

Jakobs guns are making waves in Borderlands 4, especially with their killer shotguns! One standout weapon is the Hot Slugger, which packs a serious punch with a massive 90% damage boost. Not only is it super powerful, but you can also reload it while doing a cool cowboy spin—talk about style!

How to Snag the Hot Slugger in Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 Hot Slugger location: A map with a red circle highlighting the location of the Craven's Nook Order bunker in the Bones of Sanctuary, to the east of Terminus Ridge.

To get this beast, you need to take down the last boss—Callous Harbinger of Annihilating Death—in the Craven’s Nook Order bunker. This place is located in the Bones of Sanctuary, just east of Terminus Ridge. You’ll have to progress through the campaign to reach this area, which can feel like a trek, but trust me, it’s worth it. Look over the ledge near the bunker door to find a bio canister—use it to break the armor and enter!

Borderlands 4 Hot Slugger location: A player looking at the sealed vault door to the Craven's Nook Order bunker, hidden inside a cave.

Once you’re in, battle your way through to Callous Harbinger and keep defeating him until the Hot Slugger drops. It may take a few tries, but persistence pays off!

What sets the Hot Slugger apart is its unique perk, Blazing Barrel. Every time you score a kill, you gain a 30% damage boost for ten seconds, which can stack up to three times. That’s right; you could boost your damage by a whopping 90% on top of your existing buffs!

This shotgun is a slug type, which means it offers better range and accuracy, and the default reload time is super fast at just 0.9 seconds. You can unleash those Jakobs’ ricochetting critical hits to your heart’s content!

Of course, optimal builds make the Hot Slugger even more epic! Using top-tier setups like Vex’s Vexcalation, Rafa’s Remote Agent, or Harlowe’s Creative Bursts will enhance its already ridiculous capabilities. These builds work so well that you could practically use any weapon and still dominate!

For many players, the character Amon shines with the Hot Slugger, especially since he can freeze enemies with his ice axes from the Crucible. This gives you the perfect opportunity to unleash a barrage of damage without any interruptions.

Get ready to take advantage of the Hot Slugger’s power and unleash chaos in Borderlands 4! Happy hunting!

Game Information Box

Title: Borderlands 4
Developer: Gearbox Software
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date: Estimated Q4 2024
Retail Price: Approximately $59.99
Where to Buy: Available for pre-order on platforms like Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store.

Jakobs guns have long been a top pick, and that’s not changed in this latest installment, with this manufacturer’s shotguns being particularly lethal. So, why not take this inherent strength and pair it with a massive 90% damage boost? That’s exactly what you get with the Hot Slugger.

There are well over 100 legendary gear items in this game, and the Hot Slugger should be near the top of your list, no matter which character you’re playing. It’s powerful, sure, but you also spin it around like a cowboy when you reload it, and that’s just cool.

You can get the Hot Slugger from Callous Harbinger of Annihilating Death, the final boss of the Craven’s Nook Order bunker in the Bones of Sanctuary, to the east of Terminus Ridge. You’ll need to progress the campaign until you can leave the Fadefields region, as not only is this area far away, but you also need to remove the armor on the door—just look over the ledge to the left of the door, and you’ll find a bio canister that you can throw at it to unlock the bunker.

Enter the bunker, fight your way to the end, and beat Callous Harbinger of Annihilating Death as many times as you need to until you get lucky.

What makes the Hot Slugger so unbelievably strong is its unique perk, Blazing Barrel, which blesses you with a 30% damage boost for ten seconds after you get a kill, stacking up to three times. I’ll do the maths for you: that’s up to a 90% bonus damage, on top of any other buffs you might have in your skill tree. Oh, and take note that it’s bonus damage, not specifically gun damage, so this perk effectively increases all of your outgoing damage.

While it only has one shot in the barrel, the Hot Slugger is a slug shotgun (giving it better range and accuracy) with a very fast 0.9-second default reload speed, so you can spam those Jakobs’ ricocheting critical hits to your heart’s content.

It’s a strong enough weapon on its own, but it’s obviously made all the better with the right build. Of course, top-tier builds like Vex’s Vexcalation, Rafa’s Remote Agent, and Harlowe’s Creative Bursts get a good run out of the Hot Slugger—these builds are so broken that you could use almost any weapon and get good results.

However, I think it gives Amon in particular time to shine, largely because he can freeze enemies in place using Crucible’s ice axes so you can blast away with no distractions.

Feel free to drop your thoughts, share your favorite tricks, or secret codes related to this game in the comments below!

By David Smith

Game reviewer, tech journalist and gaming enthusiast. I am an expert on Playstation 4 and 5 games, Xbox games, and PC games from the 2005 and 2025 period.

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