Borderlands 3 Elemental Weapon Types Explained
If you are new to the Borderlands series you may not know everything there is to know about weapon types. Like any good RPG, Borderlands 3 features different types of elemental damage which do different things. To help speed up your learning process, here’s Borderlands 3 elemental weapon types explained.
Elemental Weapon Types
Weapons can be split into two distinct categories: no element or elemental. No element, as the name suggests means you are getting raw damage output without any bonus elemental damage. Jakob is a manufacturer that doesn’t make elemental damage weapon types. On the flipside, Maliwan makes weapons that often have elemental damage with them. Let’s take a closer look at each element type:
- No Element: As mentioned above this is purely raw damage output. Pretty much a jack of all trades weapon type. Can be used on most enemies without losing damage.
- Fire: Fire elemental damage is primarily effective against exposed skin. Ideal on enemies like Psychos, Goliaths, etc. As a bonus Fire elemental weapons have the chance to ignite your enemy which deals DOT damage.
- Corrosive (Pictured): Corrosive elemental damage is most effective on enemies with armor. Armor is denoted by the yellow health bar. This elemental type has a chance to corrode enemies which deals DOT damage.
- Shock: Shock elemental damage is most effective against shields. Shields are denoted by a light blue health bar. To quickly strip away an enemy’s shield you want to use a Shock weapon. This elemental type also has the chance of dealing DOT damage.
- Radiation: Radiation elemental damage doesn’t really have a specific most effective target. What it does have, however, is the ability to irradiate enemies which deals damage to other enemies around the one irradiated.
- Ice: Ice elemental damage is much like radiation. It doesn’t have a specific use case, but it does offer the unique chance of slowing enemies down if cryo triggers.
The elements above should be used thoughtfully in order to make your interactions with enemies easier. Keep in mind some enemies are resistant to certain types of elemental damage, so don’t blast a Flaming Skag with Fire elemental for example.
