What to know
- Killshot Vivisecting Throwing Knife occupies the Ordnance slot and function like grenades, requiring direct hits on enemies to activate effects.
- The Penetrator augment turns all incoming damage into guaranteed critical hits for five seconds, enabling massive damage output.
- Other purple throwing knives that guarantee critical hits include Vampiric, Rapid, Augmented, Fully Loaded, and Bullseye Vivisecting Throwing Knife.
- Farming focuses on boss respawns via Encore Machines for efficient loot drops without save-quitting.
- These knives synergize with builds like Bleed Vex, creating infinite damage loops against tough foes.
Throwing knives aren't your typical explosives; you hurl them directly at foes using the same controls as grenades. Upon impact, they deliver immediate damage and apply augments like Penetrator, which forces all subsequent hits on the target to crit. This mechanic shines in fast-paced fights, where you can tag a boss and watch your weapons shred through health bars.
Throwing Knife location
Called "Killshot Vivisecting Throwing Knife", you can farm it from Driller Hole or Splashzone.
How to farm the Throwing Knife
In this guide, we will be farming the Killshot Vivisecting Throwing Knife from Driller Hole. You can try this with Splashzone to score it early in the game as well. Driller Hole is a solid choice for farming the Throwing Knife thanks to his loot pool and relatively straightforward fight. Here’s a step-by-step approach:
Step 1
Progress through the campaign until Driller Hole is unlocked as a boss encounter.
Step 2
Locate an Encore Machine for Driller Hole. These machines let you replay his fight as many times as needed.
Step 3
Activate the Encore and enter the boss fight. Make sure you’re stocked with ammo and healing items, since Driller Hole can dish out steady damage.
Step 4
Defeat Driller Hole and check his loot drop. Look specifically for the Throwing Knife — ideally with the Penetrator augment. You may find them with Repulsor Augment or no augment at all. This is totally based on the fight you take up and the hardness level. You can farm the throwing knife easily early on in the game, but aim for an augmented one.
Step 5
If it doesn’t drop, reset the fight by reactivating the Encore Machine. Repeat as many times as needed until the Throwing Knife appears.
Step 6
Play on higher difficulty settings if possible, as they increase the quality and chances of rare loot.
Step 7
Once you obtain the Throwing Knife, keep farming for rolls until you get the Penetrator augment, since not every Throwing Knife comes with it.
Where to farm the Throwing Knife: Best Encore Machines
Here are the Encore Machines that give you the most consistent chances to farm the Killshot Vivisecting Throwing Knife.
| Encore Machine | Boss Fight | Why It’s Good for Farming | Difficulty Level | Throwing Knife Drop Potential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rippa Roadbirds | Rippa Roadbirds (gang fight) | Multiple enemies increase loot rolls per run, making it easier to see rare drops. | Medium | Moderate chance due to more loot drops at once |
| Splashzone | Splashzone (arena boss) | Quick fight, relatively easy mechanics, repeatable very fast. | Easy–Medium | High chance because of fast clears |
| Driller Hole | Driller Hole (tunneler boss) | Known for dropping powerful gear and specifically targeted for the Throwing Knife. | Medium–Hard | Very high chance, best farm for Penetrator roll |
Best Throwing Knife builds & usage tips
- Use the knife directly on a tough enemy or boss to apply the Penetrator effect. Then switch to your high-damage or status effect weapons to exploit the guaranteed crits.
- Combine it with skills/passives that buff status effects (e.g. bleed, poison) so that those effects also benefit from critical multipliers.
- Time the knife throw so that buffs/debuffs are active when Penetrator is in effect (e.g. after using action skills or cooldowns).
Do all throwing knives deal automatic crit damage?
Although throwing knives in Borderlands 4 are ridiculously buffed, there are certain purple knives that are exceptionally powerful. These are usually the ones with 'Penetrator Augment' and the word 'Vivisecting' in them. We've managed to find a wide variety of these Vivisecting throwing knives with Penetrator Augments. Here's every such throwing knife we know so far:
Killshot Vivisecting Throwing Knife
Vampiric Vivisecting Throwing Knife
Rapid Vivisecting Throwing Knife
Augmented Vivisecting Throwing Knife
Fully Loaded Vivisecting Throwing Knife
Bullseye Vivisecting Throwing Knife
Combined with Vex's Bloodletter passive skill, the 15% increase in damage taken by impacted target, along with Penetrator Augment's automatic critical hits for 5s, these throwing knives deliver guaranteed crit, dealing infinite damage that literally breaks everything.
How is Throwing Knife helpful to in Borderlands 4
The Throwing Knife is one of the best ordnance tools to dramatically boost your damage output, especially in endgame and boss-heavy content. Farming it takes patience and some luck, but using Encore Machines and focusing on bosses gives you the best odds. Once you get it, pairing with critical and status builds turns it into a game-changer.
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