We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Borderlands 3 leveling guide: how to level up fast

Looking to breeze through some of the bloat and hit endgame sharpish in Borderlands 3? Here’s our guide

borderlands 3 level up fast

Borderlands 3 leveling isn’t for everyone, and most players will want to take their time with Gearbox’s sequel, especially considering the last main Borderlands release was five years ago. But if you’re looking forward to the endgame grind for the best gear and Borderlands 3 legendary weapons then knowing the most efficient way to reach max level cap is crucial information.

By the time you reach the end of the campaign you should already have progressed most of the way through the Borderlands 3 leveling process, but there’s Gearbox has ensured there are countless reasons to keep grinding after you’ve beaten the final challenge. There are challenging trials to beat for loot rewards, a new twist on the Guardian Rank system, and a new game+ system where you repeat the campaign with all of your gear and skills intact. So hitting level cap is by no means a race to be done with the game.

It will take a while before the internet’s finest have assembled a perfect strategy for reaching the Borderlands 3 level cap, but in the meantime we’ve got some handy tips for streamlining the process as much as possible.

Here are the best ways to level up fast in Borderlands 3:

Pick your skills carefully

While we have a selection of the best Borderlands 3 builds, choosing which skills to invest in first can still be a daunting prospect, and can leave you feeling under-leveled if you pick the wrong ones early on.

So as you’re leveling up in Borderlands 3 and unlocking new skills be sure to consider what you want your build to be like, but also what skills you’ll benefit from right now. The absolute fastest way to grind through the campaign and level is to kill quickly and not get stuck in long-winded, difficult battles. So you need to strike a balance between equipping the skills that will aid in the moment, and making sure you’re gearing towards powerful synergies as you reach the end of the Borderlands 3 leveling grind.

Respec yourself

Speaking of skill points, don’t forget that you can go to a Quick-Change machine at any point and respec your skill points, making it easy to change your character build for maximum efficiency.

Focus on the main story

This one’s simple: leave the bulk of side quests and hunting down collectibles like Borderlands 3 Eridian Writing until after you’re done with the main story. Of course you should always wander a little off the beaten track as you’ll stumble upon good loot, fights, and some easier to spot collectibles, and all will aid you in your grind to level 50. But you really don’t want to be trying to tick off every challenge and complete all the side quests as it’s a lot less efficient when it comes to racing for max level.

Play in co-op with a high level friend

This is true of so many leveling processes, but playing with a high level pal by your side will accelerate things substantially. This is especially handy when trying to level up a new character – you’ll unlock new skills every few minutes if there’s a significant gap between the accounts. Of course, combat will be tricky for you, but, if your friend is willing to carry you for a while then this is a great way to catch up.

borderlands 3 xp farm

Grind the endgame

After you’ve ticked off the main quest you’ll unlock Borderlands 3 endgame content like Mayhem Mode, the Proving Grounds, and Circle of Slaughter. Those last two can be repeated time and time again for more XP and loot rewards, so if you’ve finished the main story you don’t need to go and farm the rest of the XP from areas you’ve already trudged through if you don’t want to.

XP boosting loot

Artifacts and class mods can offer small XP boosts, which will make your journey to level cap much, much faster. There’s no sure fire way to find these – the ones we’ve seen dropped very rarely – so keep your eyes peeled when looting.

And those are all of the Borderlands 3 leveling tips we have at this early stage in the game’s life. We’ll be sure to update this with some more guidance soon.