Yes, you can change difficulty in Borderlands 4 at almost any point

Borderlands 4 lets you shift difficulty mid-game without restarting your character or losing progress. You can raise or lower the difficulty from the main menu, during gameplay, or when you load a save. The change takes effect when ready in your current playthrough, and your loot, level, and story progress all stay intact.

The game offers four difficulty tiers: Normal, True Vault Hunter Mode (TVHM), Mayhem Mode, and Digistruct Peak. Each one changes enemy health, damage output, and the rarity of weapons and gear you find. You do not need to complete the story on one difficulty before moving to another.

Key Takeaways

  • You can change difficulty from the main menu under Settings or during gameplay by pausing and navigating to the difficulty menu.
  • Raising difficulty increases enemy toughness and the chance of rare loot drops, while lowering it makes combat easier but reduces legendary weapon frequency.
  • Mayhem Mode and Digistruct Peak are endgame challenges that unlock after you finish the main story and require higher character levels to attempt.
  • Changing difficulty does not erase your progress, reset your inventory, or lock you out of story missions you have already completed.
  • Some players lower difficulty temporarily to farm specific bosses or complete side missions, then raise it again for the main campaign.

How to access the difficulty menu during play

While in-game, press the menu button on your controller or Escape on keyboard to open the pause screen. Look for a Settings or Difficulty option in the menu. Select it and you will see the four difficulty choices displayed. Highlight the one you want and confirm your selection. The game will return you to gameplay at the new difficulty level within seconds.

If you are in the middle of combat, the game will pause when you open the menu, so you can change difficulty without being attacked. Once you confirm the change, enemies will resume at the new difficulty when you unpause.

Changing difficulty from the main menu

From the title screen, select Load Game and choose the character whose difficulty you want to change. Before you enter the world, the game will show you the current difficulty and offer you the chance to switch it. You can also access this option from the main menu under Settings, where you can adjust difficulty for any of your saved characters without loading them.

This method is useful if you want to plan your next session at a specific difficulty before you start playing. You can also check what difficulty each of your characters is on without having to load them individually.

What happens to your gear and progress when you change difficulty

Your weapons, shields, grenades, and other inventory items remain exactly as they are. Your character level does not change, and your skill points stay allocated the way you set them. Story missions you have completed stay completed, and side quests you have finished do not reset.

The only thing that changes is how hard enemies hit and how much health they have going forward. Enemies you have already killed do not respawn, and bosses you have defeated stay defeated unless you manually reset the mission or travel to a new area where they spawn again.

How difficulty affects loot and enemy behavior

Normal difficulty drops mostly common and uncommon weapons, with legendary items appearing rarely. True Vault Hunter Mode increases the frequency of rare and epic drops and makes enemies tougher. Mayhem Mode stacks modifiers on top of the base difficulty—these modifiers can buff enemies, change how they behave, or alter the environment in ways that make combat harder or more chaotic.

Higher difficulties also affect enemy types. On lower difficulties, you may face mostly basic enemies with a few tougher variants. On higher difficulties, tougher enemy variants appear more often, and some areas spawn enemies that would not appear on Normal. This means you will see different combat encounters depending on what difficulty you are running.

When to lower difficulty temporarily

Many players lower difficulty to farm a specific boss for a weapon they want, then raise it back up for the main campaign. This is a valid strategy because boss loot tables do not change with difficulty—only the drop rate does. If a boss has a one-in-fifty chance to drop a legendary weapon on Normal, that weapon is still in the loot pool; you just have to fight the boss more times to see it.

You might also lower difficulty if you are stuck on a particular story mission or if you want to focus on side quests without the pressure of tough combat. There is no penalty for doing this, and you can raise difficulty again whenever you feel ready.

Mayhem Mode and Digistruct Peak: endgame difficulty options

Mayhem Mode unlocks after you finish the main story. It stacks random modifiers on top of True Vault Hunter Mode, making combat unpredictable and much harder. You can toggle Mayhem on or off and choose which Mayhem level you want (Mayhem 1 through Mayhem 11, depending on your character level). Higher Mayhem levels drop better loot but require a well-built character and good gear.

Digistruct Peak is a separate endgame arena that you unlock by reaching the level cap. It is a gauntlet of increasingly difficult waves of enemies with no checkpoints. You cannot change difficulty once you start a Digistruct Peak run, so you have to commit to the challenge you choose before you enter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does lowering difficulty lock me out of higher difficulties later?

No. You can move between any difficulty at any time. Lowering difficulty does not prevent you from raising it again or jumping straight to Mayhem Mode once you unlock it. Your character remains may be able to access for all difficulty tiers regardless of what you have played on before.

Will I lose legendary weapons if I change difficulty?

No. Your inventory, including all legendary weapons and gear, stays with you when you change difficulty. The difficulty change only affects what new loot drops from enemies going forward, not what you already have.

Can I change difficulty in the middle of a boss fight?

Yes. You can pause the game and change difficulty even during a boss encounter. The boss will remain at its current health when you unpause, and the difficulty change takes effect on the next hit you take or deal.

What is the difference between True Vault Hunter Mode and Mayhem Mode?

True Vault Hunter Mode is a straight difficulty increase with tougher enemies and better loot. Mayhem Mode adds random modifiers that change how enemies behave or how the environment works, making each run different. Mayhem Mode is harder and requires you to finish the story first.

Do I have to beat the story on Normal before I can play on higher difficulties?

No. You can start a new character on True Vault Hunter Mode or any difficulty you want from the beginning. You do not have to complete Normal first. However, Mayhem Mode and Digistruct Peak require you to finish the main story on that character before you can access them.