How to Farm XP Fast Early On in Borderlands 4

How to Farm XP Fast Early On in Borderlands 4? Leveling up quickly in Borderlands 4 is crucial if you want to unlock powerful abilities, access better gear, and stay ahead of tougher enemies as you progress through the campaign. While the game rewards you naturally for exploring, completing quests, and fighting enemies, there are proven strategies to maximize your XP gains early in the game. This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of the most effective methods to farm XP fast in the early stages of Borderlands 4, so you can level up efficiently and enjoy smoother gameplay.

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How to Farm XP Fast Early On in Borderlands 4

1. Focus on Story Missions and Side Quests

The most straightforward way to gain XP early on is by completing the main storyline. Story missions offer significant XP rewards and often introduce you to mechanics, locations, and enemies. However, side quests are where you can really boost your leveling speed. Many side quests are located near your main objectives, and doing them together saves travel time.

Tips:

Prioritize side quests that are nearby to avoid wasting time traveling long distances.
Pick missions that scale with your level. This ensures XP rewards stay meaningful.
Avoid filler or “fetch” style quests when you’re trying to farm XP quickly—focus on kill-based missions instead.

2. Use Bounty Contracts for Quick Gains

Bounty Contracts are one of the best sources of early XP. Found on Contract Boards near safehouses, these missions often task you with eliminating specific enemies or groups. Compared to collection quests, kill contracts are far more rewarding in terms of XP gained per minute.

Why Bounty Contracts Work:

High XP per completion.
Many contracts can be finished quickly since targets are often nearby.
“Vile Bounties” (special contracts) pit you against elite enemies that drop better loot and yield massive XP rewards.

Optimization:

Collect multiple contracts at once to minimize downtime.
Fast travel back to safehouses after completion.
Use save & quit or reload to refresh available contracts.

This method can easily net you hundreds of thousands of XP per hour when optimized.

3. Farm Drill Sites for Wave-Based XP

Drill Sites are another excellent way to farm XP. These are wave-based encounters where you must survive multiple enemy waves, often capped with a mini-boss or boss fight. They are efficient because they spawn large groups of enemies in a confined space, letting you rack up kills quickly.

Why Drill Sites are Great:

Consistent XP due to the large volume of enemies.
Bonus XP from mini-bosses or bosses.
Great loot drops alongside XP gains.

How to Maximize Efficiency:

Farm Drill Sites near fast travel points to reduce downtime.
Always choose sites that match or slightly exceed your level for the best XP.
Play in co-op for faster clears, as multiple players make waves quicker and increase shared XP gains.

4. Boss Farming with Moxxi’s Big Encore

Borderlands 4 introduces Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine, which lets you respawn defeated bosses for a cash fee. This feature is invaluable for XP farming because bosses provide excellent experience and loot without the need to replay entire missions.

Best Bosses to Farm Early On:

Splashzone – One of the easier early-game bosses, with straightforward attack patterns and quick access.
Any first major boss you defeat during the campaign, as they are often tuned for low-level players.

How to Use Encore Effectively:

Defeat the boss once during your main progression.
Use Moxxi’s Encore Machine to respawn them.
Rinse and repeat until you’ve gained the XP or loot you need.

While this method requires some cash investment, the rewards often outweigh the costs.

5. Red Chest Farming in Stillshore

One of the most reliable early-game XP and loot farms is the Red Chest located in the Stillshore area of the Coastal Bonescape region. This chest always spawns after clearing local enemies, making it a repeatable farm.

Steps to Farm the Red Chest:

Travel to Stillshore and defeat nearby enemies.
Open the Red Chest for loot and XP.
Save and quit or reload your game.
Repeat the process for consistent XP gains.

This method is best combined with other XP farms, as it also provides valuable gear upgrades to help you take on tougher enemies.

6. Co-op Play for Faster Progression

While solo farming is possible, playing Borderlands 4 in co-op mode dramatically increases XP efficiency. With multiple players:

Enemies are defeated faster.
Shared XP allows everyone to level up quickly.
Different builds can complement each other, increasing team efficiency.

If you have friends or can team up with other players online, co-op farming is one of the fastest ways to progress early on.

7. Build and Gear Optimization

The speed at which you farm XP heavily depends on your loadout and skill build. To maximize your efficiency:

Choose AoE Weapons: Shotguns, SMGs, and launchers excel at clearing groups of enemies.
Use Crowd Control Skills: Abilities that stun, freeze, or burn enemies make it easier to handle large waves.
Equip Loot-Boosting Gear: Even early purple-rarity gear can dramatically increase your damage output and farming speed.
Match Elements to Enemy Weaknesses: Using the right element (fire, shock, corrosive, etc.) speeds up kills and XP gains.

8. Save, Quit, and Reload Loops

A common farming trick in Borderlands games is to exploit the save and reload feature. After completing a mission, killing a boss, or opening a chest, you can quit to the main menu and reload your save to reset the encounter.

Best Uses of Save/Reload Loops:

Refreshing bounty contracts quickly.
Re-spawning Red Chests for more loot and XP.
Resetting bosses using Moxxi’s Encore feature.

This method ensures you always have fresh content to farm without waiting for long respawn timers.

9. What to Avoid Early On

Not every activity in Borderlands 4 is worth your time if your goal is to farm XP efficiently. Avoid the following:

Collection Quests: These often take longer and yield less XP compared to kill contracts or drill sites.
Over-Leveled Areas: Enemies far above your level will waste your time and resources.
Low-Level Zones: Once you outlevel an area, XP rewards diminish sharply.

10. XP Farming Rates

If you follow the above methods, you can expect:

Bounty Contracts: ~300,000 XP per hour when optimized.
Drill Sites: Consistent XP with bonus loot and boss XP.
Boss Farming (Splashzone, etc.): Moderate to high XP per run with chances at legendary loot.
Red Chest Loops: Lower XP but great for gear progression.

By mixing these strategies, you’ll level efficiently and maintain strong gear progression.

Conclusion

Farming XP early in Borderlands 4 doesn’t have to be a grind if you use the right methods. Story and side quests provide a solid foundation, while bounty contracts, drill sites, and boss farms give you some of the best XP returns for your time. Red Chest farming and co-op play further boost efficiency, while gear optimization and reload loops keep the grind smooth. Avoid time-wasting missions, focus on high-yield activities, and you’ll find yourself leveling up fast, unlocking powerful abilities, and dominating Pandora before you know it.

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How to Farm XP Fast Early On in Borderlands 4