Your Guide to Slot Machines in Borderlands 4

What to know

• “Slot machines,” in the form known from earlier Borderlands titles, do not appear in Borderlands 4.
• Alternatives like Moxxi's Big Encore Machine offer Eridium-based boss rematches for targeted loot farming, while Maurice's Black Market Machine sells Legendaries for cash, providing some gambling-like excitement.
• PowerDrop acts as the main gambling activity now, rewarding players with loot depending where the power core lands.
• Community feedback shows many players miss the relaxed “spin-for-fun/spin-for-loot” activity that slot machines allowed.
• The decision aligns with broader industry trends scrutinizing in-game gambling, though titles like GTA keep casinos intact, leaving Borderlands 4 feeling more restrained in its risk-reward loops.

Borderlands 4 mixes things up when it comes to slot machines. The familiar pull-and-win slots from earlier series entries have mostly phased out, leaving players with more curated and limited gambling experiences. If casino-style spinning is what draws you, new mechanics mean you’ll want to know where to find games, how rewards work, and what’s still possible.

What were slot machines in earlier Borderlands games

In Borderlands 2, Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 3, etc., slot machines were in-game devices you could feed currency (or Eridium / tokens in some cases) to spin. Rewards varied: sometimes just cash, sometimes guns, skins, maybe live grenades. There was a risk/reward feel, often just used for fun, for downtime, or chance-based loot.

What Borderlands 4 offers instead

Slot machines in that classic form are absent in Borderlands 4. There’s no “spin the lever” type slot machine dedicated to random loot spins from coin/cash inputs as before.

PowerDrop slot machine is the main event

The central gambling device in Borderlands 4 is called the PowerDrop, found in The Launchpad after progressing through some early missions.

Here's how to play PowerDrop:

Step 1: Head to The Launchpad’s lower level and locate the PowerDrop machine.

Step 2: Purchase a power core at the control panel adjacent to the machine ($500 per attempt).

Step 3: Toss your core into the chute, watching its descent and aiming for the center slot for the highest-value reward.

Step 4: If successful, reclaim your key and open the red weapon chest next to the machine to receive your loot.

Other new ways to chase thrills on Kairos

Without slots, Borderlands 4 pivots to other risk-reward systems that keep the loot hunt engaging. Moxxi's Big Encore Machine stands out as a direct spiritual successor. Spend Eridium to rematch defeated bosses instantly, farming specific drops without reloading saves—a timesaver for grinding Legendaries. Weekly variants amp up the challenge with tougher foes and richer pools.

Then there's Maurice's Black Market Machine, the quirky Saurian's weekly pop-up vendor, where you hunt a random Kairos location to buy top-tier Legendaries for straight cash—no RNG, but the search adds adventure. For pure economy tweaks, the $1 Legendary Vending Machine unlocks via puzzles and sells a chosen orange weapon cheaply, turning excess funds into guaranteed power spikes.

Bank machines, now in four story-unlocked spots like The Launchpad, let you store gear across characters, freeing inventory without the old slot-dump need. These features integrate seamlessly into the open-world biomes, encouraging exploration over idle spinning.

How to adapt if you played for the slot-machine style in earlier games

If “slot machine fun” was part of what you enjoyed, here are ways Borderlands 4 offers similar satisfying mechanics, or ways to approximate them:

• Use Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine to pick favorite bosses and farm their loot without repeating the whole mission hub / load screen loop.
• Save up cash to access Maurice’s Black Market Machine when it spawns. There's a good chance you might pick up Legendaries directly.
• Participate in weekly Wildcard missions / weekly Big Encore Boss for varied loot-chances.
• Explore side content and dynamic events: randomness in loot drops is still part of the loot pool.

Why slot machines were removed (and players’ reactions to them)

Many community posts note that slot machines are missing, and they miss them. Players say the old machines were a fun, low-stakes way to use up surplus money and sometimes get lucky loot.

Removal is likely tied to concerns about gambling/digital gambling mechanics in games, regulatory considerations, or designing for more controlled loot progression. No official statement (that I’ve found) confirms all reasons.

Some players view the new systems (Encore Machine, Black Market, etc.) as improvements - less tedium, more control over loot chase. Others feel the loss of randomness or the “joy of the spin” is a downgrade.

While traditional slot machines are gone, Borderlands 4 keeps gambling in play through PowerDrop and similar quest-driven mechanics. Knowing where to find and how to use these devices can turn your adventure into a treasure hunt, with loot as your prize for both luck and skill.