Borderlands 3 Mayhem Mode Explained: How to Start, What It Does

While you could just jump straight into True Vault Hunter Mode once you complete the story campaign of Borderlands 3, this entry introduces an alternative way of farming good loot before you start new game plus. Here’s how the new Mayhem Mode works in Borderlands 3.

Borderlands 3 Mayhem Mode Explained

What It Does

Whereas True Vault Hunter Mode acts as new game plus in Borderlands 3, where you get to carry over all your character progress and re-experience the story, Mayhem Mode functions a little differently, and provides an endless grind of sorts for players who want to farm powerful weapons.

It can only be unlocked at the end of the campaign, and you get to choose between three Mayhem tiers: 1, 2, and 3.

Mayhem 1 is the lowest tier, but already provides a pretty nice bump in difficulty as enemies will have more health and shields, and will also deal extra damage to you.

The difficulty will only increase as you progress through the three Mayhem tiers. However, it isn’t all doom and gloom, as the harder the game is, the more likely your chances are of getting really good drops.

In Borderlands 3 Mayhem Mode, your chances of getting Legendary drops are significantly higher than if you were just playing the game regularly, and this provides you with a good opportunity to gear up properly before jumping into True Vault Hunter Mode.

How to Start Mayhem Mode

As mentioned previously, you’ll first need to complete the story campaign in Borderlands 3. Once the credits have rolled, head back to Sanctuary to check out Lilith’s room, then talk to Tannis about a new contraption on the ship.

From the ship’s bridge, head out into the main hallway and you’ll find a new terminal just off to the side. You can interact with the terminal to activate any of the three Mayhem tiers, or deactivate them entirely.

And that’s all there is to it. If you’re looking for a tougher challenge or just want to farm weapons, just head back to Sanctuary to interact with the terminal.

That’s all you need to know about how Mayhem Mode works in Borderlands 3. Be sure to check our Borderlands 3 guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.