Special Weapon Effects

Found in the stats boxes of guns are sometimes cryptic or humorous messages. These lines indicate a certain effect on the gun. The text itself often gives a hint of what that special ability does, and is also often a reference to a video game, movie, famous quote or any number of things.

Sometimes the description relates to the boss or enemy who dropped the weapon. Such is the case with the description for The Clipper which reads "Don't Drop It... Might Lose A Toe." The Clipper belongs to the boss Nine-Toes and is the reason for his namesake.

The messages can be found in the borderlands game files, and are listed below by type of weapon, and then alphabetically. Some of these effects may not be 100% accurate.

Please note that ALL weapons vary in quality, except Eridian weapons, which are always green. Boss and quest weapons can be from green up to purple, with blue being the most common. Weapons will also vary in accuracy, fire rate, ammo count, etc., based upon what weapon is the basic model. For instance, some revolvers have two rounds. These revolvers generally do more damage than three or six round revolvers. Essentially, orange weapons modify the base gun with their special modifiers.

Alien Rifles
Note that flavor text for Eridian weapons is marked differently and applies to the entire class of alien weapon. Many of these descriptions may never be found on weapons in-game because another file has marked them as inactive.


 * 010011110100110101000111, Eridian Cannon (In binary, it is the ASCII encoding for "OMG".)
 * Anybody need a light?, Eridian Fire Storm (Reference to the Firebat quote from Starcraft)
 * Getting near this thing makes your hair stand on end., Eridian Shock Rifle
 * Hold on...it does what?, Eridian Elemental Rifle
 * I feel like I'm gonna break this thing., Eridian Lightning: Slows movement speed. (Reference to "The Noisy Cricket" from Men in Black.)
 * Lightning never strikes the same place twice, but it can strike freaking everywhere!, Eridian Thunder Storm
 * No face shall go unmelted., Eridian Acid Storm
 * Pew Pew Pew!, Eridian Blaster

Combat Rifles

 * 2 more bullets makes all the difference, Dahl Raven: Five round bursts instead of three.
 * A watchful eye, The Sentinel: Increased zoom.
 * Dragon Fire!, S&S Draco: Chance to set enemies on fire. 3x Incendiary.
 * Guns of the Revolution will never fall silent!, Vladof Revolution: Extended magazine. Seem to have a chance to Daze also.
 * Hold your ground... Forever., Tediore Guardian: Ammo regeneration.
 * Ogre SMASH!, Atlas Ogre: Speculated small chance to stun target. Explosive bullets.
 * The destructor has come, Hyperion Destroyer: Entire magazine is fired in one burst while scoped. (Reference to the character Gozer the Gozerien in Ghost Busters.)
 * TORGUE! Bastard Guns for Bastard People!, Torgue Bastard: Increased damage. (Reference to a speech made by the character Corky in the movie Waiting For Guffman.)
 * War is in your blood, The Meat Grinder: Speeds up fire rate after killing someone. (Reference to Rambo)

Pistols

 * 12 bullets invade your skull, Hyperion Invader: Entire magazine is fired in one burst while zoomed.
 * A gift from Papa Krom, Krom's Sidearm: Fires three-round bursts while zoomed.
 * Ammo is no longer an issue., Tediore Protector: Ammo regeneration.
 * Big Tony Says "Hi", S&S Thanatos: Extended magazine
 * Bring the HEAT!, Maliwan Firehawk: High fire damage and a chance to cause splash fire damage.
 * Don't drop it... might lose a toe., The Clipper: +100% melee damage. (Reference to the gun being Nine-Toes' gun beforehand. He dropped it and presumably lost a toe.)
 * Double Whammy., S&S Gemini: Fires a two round burst each with a two bullet spread. That is, it shoots 4 rounds that cost 2 ammo. May have decreased or inaccurate accuracy rating from modifier. (Reference to a quote in the film Judge Dredd by the protagonist.)
 * Feel the Sting, Dahl Hornet: Gun will be 200% burst fire count and corrosive
 * Sometimes, I Forget To Reload, The Dove: Gun doesn't use ammo. (Reference to The Crow, a film in which the only weapon to be reloaded subsequently killed an actor.)
 * Never stop shooting!, Vladof Rebel: Extended magazine.
 * Omnia vincit amor, Lady Finger: +100% critical damage. (a Latin phrase from Eclogue X by Virgil meaning "love conquers all")
 * Pain Heals., Atlas Troll: Regen health for 1HP/sec when holding in hand.
 * Slice Slice, Hyperion Reaper: +300% Melee Damage, killing an enemy with a melee attack while this weapon is equipped will fully restore your health.
 * Vengeance is yours, Vladof Vengeance: Unknown.
 * Your move, Creep., Torgue Violator: Fires three-round bursts of 3 bullets per shot (Reference to the film Robocop and a quote by the eponymous character.)

Revolvers

 * A beast of many forms - Fire, Lightning, and Poison, Atlas Chimera: Alternates between fire, shock,corrosive and explosion elemental effects.
 * Fools! They called me maaaad!, Madjack: Bullets zig-zag and ricochet. Explosive damage
 * Give Sick, Pestilent Defiler: High corrosive damage, can spread to other nearby targets.
 * It's a helluva thing..., Jakobs Unforgiven: +200% Critical Hit Damage. Either no, or a VERY miniscule chance to fire 2+ bullets (Testing in progress). Also seems to knockback the enemy, with more knockback with more bullets (Masher accessory). The flavor text is part of a line from the film "Unforgiven": "It's a helluva thing, killin' a man. You take away everything he's got, and everything he's ever gonna have."
 * Long and Strong, Dahl Anaconda: Increased accuracy and power. Reference to the Sir Mix-A-Lot song, "Baby Got Back". The lines "I'm long and I'm strong, and I'm down to get the friction on... My anaconda don't want none unless you've got buns, hun."
 * May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't., Atlas Patton: Higher damage. Quote from Gen. George S. Patton
 * Unending Firepower, Tediore Equalizer: Ammo regeneration

Rocket Launchers

 * Beware the Horde!, Vladof Mongol: Fires a large rocket which in turn fires off smaller rockets as it travels.
 * Death rains from above, Hyperion Nidhogg: Rockets have an MIRV effect and split into multiple rockets that hit the ground after a certain distance. The weapon will also have a white text label of "Airburst Rockets" (possibly hidden by the four-line item text limit).
 * It rises!, Leviathan: Rockets are affected by gravity (will arc in their path.)
 * Gonna cook someone today, The Roaster: High fire damage.
 * Monster Kill!, Torgue Redemption: Fires a slow moving rocket with a larger blast radius than typical rocket launchers and uses multiple rounds per shot. (This is a reference to the Unreal weapon The Redeemer which fires remote controlled nuclear warheads, often resulting in the announcer shouting "Monster Kill!".)
 * The Unstoppable Force, Maliwan Rhino: Rocket will explode in flight, potentially multiple times, before reaching the target and detonating.(Reference to the paradox of irresistible force)

Grenade Launchers (Questionable)
The Borderlands localization files contain information on grenade launchers and some flavor text that may accompany them. No true grenade launchers can be obtained within the game currently, but the resources and weapon parts do exist for them, and their unique weapon parts are functional.


 * Artillery Strike!, Dahl Onslaught: Burst fire
 * I feel a storm coming, S&S Rainmaker: MIRV-style shot
 * It Rises!, Leviathan: See the above entry for It rises!
 * Mister Jakobs sends his regards, Jakobs Terror: Unknown
 * Stubbed, The Big Toe: Unknown (game files says it is Nine Toes'.)

Shotguns
Note: The "Holy crap! It shoots rockets!" effect is not displayed in red like other weapon special effects. It can appear on the same weapon as other effects, and depending on the combination, may negate the other effect. For example: A weapon with both "Five heads of Death" and "Holy crap! It shoots rockets!" will only shoot a single rocket with each shot instead of a horizontal spread.
 * Ahhh... Fresh meat!, Hyperion Butcher: 5-shot burst. Fast. (Reference to a quote by the recurring character The Butcher in Blizzard Entertainment's games, found in Diablo and Warcraft III.)
 * Beyond Groovy, Boom Stick: Fires entire magazine in one click as a burst, and each round is a rocket. Fires the number of rounds in the gun's default clip. If the clip is expanded by abilities/class mods you will have the left over rounds to fire in another burst.(Reference to a quote in Army of Darkness(Evil Dead 3), the main character Ash's catchphrase "Groovy" and his favorite shotgun, which he calls his "Boomstick".)
 * Bring out your Dead, Maliwan Crux: High corrosive damage.(Reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
 * Cross their heart, hope they die., S&S Crux: Spread pattern is that of a large plus sign, Crux being Latin for cross. The plus shape is predefined and unaffected by the weapon's accuracy.
 * Drop the Hammer!, Vladof Hammer: Spread pattern is in the shape of a hammer and it is automatic. May take unloading an entire magazine to see the effect.
 * Five heads of Death, Atlas Hydra: Spread pattern appears as a line.
 * Have a nice day!, Torgue Friendly Fire: Spread appears to make smiley face patterns.
 * Holy crap! It shoots rockets!, Shoots a rocket instead of shotgun pellets.
 * I can do this all day..., Tediore Defender: Ammo regeneration.
 * It's a painful thing, The Blister: Corrosive damage and scope.
 * One Bad Dog!, Dahl Bulldog: Extended magazine.
 * Ride the Wave, Dude!, T.K's Wave: Bullets fire out and bounce off the floor making a wave motion.
 * Sniper Rifles are for Chumps., Jakobs Striker: High accuracy.
 * The Legend Lives, Sledge's Shotgun: Knocks back target several feet and 10000% burst fire count.

Sniper Rifles

 * A hunter lives among the stars..., S&S Orion: Each shot ricochets and has a chance of causing shock damage on each hit. After ricochet bullet splits into 3.
 * BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!, Hyperion Invader: Five round burst when scoped.
 * Careful... you might put someone's eye out., Rider: Critical hits on The Rakk Hive may have greatly increased damage. (Needs Confirmation) (Reference to A Christmas Story and the Red Ryder BB Gun.)
 * For the Motherland., Vladof Surkov: Greatly increased reload speed.
 * I have you in my eye, sir., Atlas Cyclops: Massive zoom. (Reference to "The Madness of King George"), also double bullet velocity, according to http://blmodding.wikidot.com
 * I LIKE IT!, Torgue Cobra: High explosive damage. (Reference to the "Cobra Assault Cannon" from Robocop, and comment of one of its users, Emil Antonowsky)
 * Makes their brain hurt, Jakobs Skullmasher: Fires multiple projectiles (like a shotgun) and deals massive critical damage
 * Pele demands a sacrifice!, Maliwan Volcano: High chance that rounds fired will be high yield explosive incendiary rounds, able to ignite enemies near the target. (Reference to the Hawaiian goddess of fire and lava, Pele. )
 * Sniper Killer... Qu'est que c'est, Dahl Penetrator: Fully Automatic. (Reference to The Talking Heads' song Psycho Killer, with the line, "Psycho killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?")
 * The cutting edge, Reaver's Edge: Max zoom.
 * Thwack!, Nailer: Higher critical damage.
 * Trick Shot, S&S Orion: Unknown. The localization files say it is an S&S "Delete" so this may have been removed and replaced by A hunter lives among the stars....
 * Why don't you go shoot yourself an elephant?, Whitting's Elephant Gun: Increased damage, potentially with no scope. Bugs Bunny reference.

Submachine Guns

 * Hallelujah, Tediore Savior: Ammo regeneration. (Possibly a reference to the old song that goes: "Praise the lord and pass the ammunition")
 * I spy with my little eye..., Hyperion The Spy: sports much higher (sniper like) accuracy when zoomed than comparable scoped SMG. (Reference to Harriet the Spy)
 * Smack 'em, Hyperion Bitch: Huge critical hit damage.
 * Tear it up, Torgue Gasher: Fires 3-5 round bursts.
 * The lead wind blows, Bone Shredder: Fires 2 round spreads at the cost of 2 ammo. (Reference to The Fifth Element)
 * The ultimate close quarters feline., Dahl Wildcat: Extended magazine with reduced accuracy, rounds ricochet.
 * We don't need no water..., Maliwan HellFire: High fire damage that triggers on every shot. (Reference to "The roof is on fire" by Rock Master Scott and the Dynamic Three)