Alternative Fire mode

Alternate Fire modes (or alt-fire modes) are unique methods of attack featured on many weapons in Borderlands 3.

Many manufacturers utilize this mechanic in various ways, as listed below. Weapons by manufacturers not on this list – COV, Hyperion, Jakobs and Tediore – do not normally possess alt-fire modes.

Overview

By default, a weapon's Alternative Fire mode depends on its manufacturer. All common weapons of these manufacturers will have a variant of these. The only exception are unique and legendary weapons.

Atlas

Atlas weapons shoot a tracking round as a secondary fire mode, which deducts a single round from the user's reserves. Any enemies tagged with tracking rounds will glow red, and all regular shots will target a tracked enemy for a duration that is dependent on the nature of the tracking round fired. Smart-bullets will travel slower and leave a noticeable red trail while homing on targets. An audio cue will denote when an Atlas weapon has locked onto a target, and small red arrows will appear on the crosshairs.

There are three standard types of tracking rounds:

• Tracker Darts
  A small number of darts are shot in a shotgun-like burst. Darts can tag one or more enemies and have a short recharge time. Overall the most reliable and effective tracking system.
• Tracker Puck
  Fires a slow-moving magnetic puck that sticks to the enemy it's shot at. Upon the target's death, it will drop off and has a chance to seek out a new target within a small radius. The puck's tagging effect lasts for eighteen seconds. Designed for tracking large, single targets and generally the least effective form of tracking.
• Tracker Grenade
  A grenade-like charge that is shot in an arc. Bounces up on impact with terrain and explodes into hundreds of darts that will track all enemies within the burst radius. The grenade can prematurely explode on directly impacting an enemy. The grenade's tagging effect lasts for twelve seconds. The best tracking system for tagging many enemies at once.

Dahl

Dahl weapons switch between two different firing modes. This will change the behavior of the gun as well as the sight's zoom.

Of the following, two are available per weapon:

• Semi-Auto
  Single shots; usually combined with a stronger zoom.
  • Damage for all applicable Dahl weapon types will be increased, except for pistols.
• Burst Fire
  A burst of 3-5 bullets. Also usually comes with the stronger zoom magnification.
• Full-Auto
  Holding down the trigger will fire continuously; usually has the weaker zoom

Maliwan

Maliwan weapons can switch between two different elemental damage types.

Torgue

Torgue weapons can switch between their regular explosive projectiles and sticky explosives. Once stuck, these sticky bombs will rapidly explode in sequence of impact when the weapon is reloaded, the mode is switched or the character switches to another weapon. Each successive stuck projectile will do more damage depending on how many rounds detonated before it, for possibly extraordinary amounts of single-target damage.

Vladof

Vladof weapons have various underbarrel attachments that offer a different way of dealing damage. All secondary weapons will use the same ammo type as the weapon they are attached to, making them more efficient in many cases.

Some Vladof weapons' alt fire come with their own magazines which will regenerate after some time on their own and deducts ammo from the user's reserves.

Vladof underbarrel attachments include:

• Pistols
  • Taser
    Tasers fire in a slight arc and will continuously deal damage to both enemies directly hit and enemies around the taser itself, which means even missed tasers can still do damage if the user can keep enemies in the taser's vicinity.
  • Zip Rockets
    Fires tiny rockets in a straight line. It has its own magazine which will regenerate after a short time.
  • Second Barrel
    A secondary barrel below the regular one. The barrels rotate after every shot, increasing the fire rate of the weapon by 25%.
• Assault rifles
  • Grenade Launcher
    Doesn't consume the user's ammo and has a maximum capacity of 2-4. Ammo regenerates slowly over time.
  • Secondary Chain Gun Barrel
    Unique to Bezoomies the Shredifier, it is a second chain gun barrel located underneath the main barrel. By default, only the upper one is active. When toggled, they will rotate by 90°, activating them both for 15% faster fire rate. Ammo consumption and recoil will increase with the fire rate as well.
• Assault rifles/sniper rifles
  • Bipod
    Switching modes deploys a bipod that drastically improves Handling and Accuracy, but reduces movement and aim speed. The user also can't sprint for certain weapons.
  • Shotgun
    Possesses variable projectile counts and pellet damage statistics and takes ammo from the user's reserves. Ammo regenerates slowly over time.
• Sniper Rifles
  • Rockets
    Similar to the assault rifle's grenade launcher, this attachment grants additional explosive projectiles. The amount of Rockets can vary, and consumes ammo from the user's reserves.
    • It should be noted that despite firing rockets, this attachment only consumes sniper ammo.
  • Triple Barrels
    Unique to Bratchnies, two additional barrels in a triangular configuration are underneath the main barrel. Upon toggling the fire mode, the barrels rotate, providing a 35% increase in Fire rate. This comes at an accuracy penalty and more pronounced recoil.
• Heavy Weapons
  • Micro-Rockets
    This alters the method of projectile delivery, rather than being an alternate weapon attached and draws from the current magazine of the weapon. Each round fires two micro-missiles which deal 75% the weapon's stated damage at a high fire rate.
  • Big-Boy Rocket
    The damage dealt by this single rocket is at least double, and sometimes triple that of the normal rocket fired. Has a max capacity of one, which slowly regenerates over time, and draws from the user's ammo reserves.
  • Mortar
    Designed to assault enemies behind cover. Regenerates its round relatively slowly, but does draw from reserve ammo pool and not the current magazine.

Eridian

Only one Eridian weapon, the Eridian Fabricator, exists. This mode consumes 250 Eridium and fires up to 4 items which can be one of the following:

• A legendary weapon.
• A unique weapon with red flavor text.
• A mission reward for a completed mission.

These weapons can spawn with anointments, and at the character's experience level and current mayhem level. However, it will not produce DLC items.

Notes

• Unique and legendary weapons can differ from their manufacturer's regular Alternative Fire Mode in various ways. Examples include:
  • Many, such as the Cloud Kill, Krakatoa, Tigg's Boom, Moonfire, Alchemist and Bearcat have no alt-fire mode, even though the vast majority of their manufacturer's weapons have.
    • In some cases, they use a modifier version of their manufacturer's alt-fire.
  • The Vortex Grenade utilized by Ruby's Wrath is a variant of the Atlas Tracker Grenade. It is fired at a noticeably higher velocity and will bounce forward instead of stopping on the first impact with terrain. When it explodes, it creates an effect identical to a singularity grenade in addition to tracking all enemies in range.
  • The Malak's Bane and ASMD (Dahl Snipers) switch between different projectiles, similar to a Vladof weapon.
  • The Hornet, Hellfire, Crader's EM-P5 and Good Juju are all locked to a specific firing mechanism and changing the fire mode only adjusts the zoom level of the sight (if it has one).
  • The Brashi's Dedication, a Dahl Sniper Rifle, switches between shock and corrosive.
  • The Freeman's fired rockets are laser-guided and will move to wherever the cursor points to and lacks the conventional tracking feature of most Atlas Launchers. It has no alt-fire mode as a result.
  • The Vosk's Deathgrip alt-fire shoots a puck that creates a singularity.
• The speed at which alternate fire modes are selected is determined by the weapon's Handling statistic. This can be improved with Moze's Scrappy skill.
• Atlas Tracking rounds and Vladof special projectiles are affected by Moze's Cloud of Lead skill. This allows them to fire multiple times, which may have varying effects:
  • Atlas tracking rounds are not affected, although more rounds fired means a higher chance to tag an enemy. However, they don't seem to do bonus incendiary damage.
  • Vladof tasers and special rockets, upon triggering the skill, will fire a free round. This can be exploited by using other weapons so they won't draw from the user's reserves, but is most useful with Rocket Launchers.
  • This skill is bugged with Torgue weapons' alt-fire in that the bonus incendiary damage does not apply to the explosion.

Media

A Vladof assault rifle from the Official Gameplay Reveal. Only the upper barrel is active.

The same gun in Alternative Fire mode. Both barrels are active.