If you’ve been exploring the world of Borderlands 4 and want to know how to spawn a vehicle, this guide is for you. I’ll break it down simply, explain when you can unlock vehicles, how to call them when needed, and what upgrades you can expect. Let’s dive in.
When Can You Unlock Your First Vehicle
- The first vehicle in Borderlands 4 is called the MAV-880 Digirunner (sometimes just “Digirunner”).
- You unlock it during the “Down and Outbound” main-quest.
- Before that, you’ll complete earlier missions such as Recruitment Drive, meet characters like Claptrap, and then move on to Down and Outbound. When you reach a certain point, you’ll speak with Conway (via Rush) and that is the moment the Digirunner becomes permanently available.
How to Spawn or Summon the Vehicle
Once you have unlocked the Digirunner, spawning it is fairly simple:
- On PC: press X to summon the vehicle.
- On a console: use the Right on the D-Pad (some sources say left-on-D-Pad depending on control mapping) to spawn the vehicle.
- The vehicle can be summoned almost anywhere (“digi-structed locally”) rather than needing a special station. This means you won’t always have to run to a clinic or station to get one.
Features of the Digirunner
The Digirunner isn’t just for fast travel. It has a few built-in perks:
- Boost & Jump: Helps you move faster and clear small obstacles.
- Weapons: It includes built-in weaponry so you can engage threats while riding.
- Health: The bike has its own health meter. If it gets destroyed, you’ll need to resummon it. Fortunately, there’s no large penalty for doing so.
Customizing & Upgrading Your Vehicle
As you progress in the game, the Digirunner can be customized and improved in several ways:
- Hover Drives: These affect stats like speed, acceleration, handling, and boost. You unlock different “Hover Drive” modules by completing challenges tied to specific manufacturers or by killing enemies with certain weapons.
- Vehicle Skins / Paint Jobs: Cosmetic look changes—skins, paint-jobs etc.—are unlocked through story progression, side quests, and special challenges.
- Vehicle Swap / Select: As you unlock more vehicles (beyond the Digirunner), you’ll be able to choose them via the vehicle select menu under the customization tab.
Other Vehicles in Borderlands 4
After unlocking the Digirunner, more vehicles become available when you complete certain other missions. Here are some of them:
- Driftblade: unlocked after Rush the Gate mission
- Carapacer: via Hise Vile Sanctum quest
- Punchy Whoopster: via Her Flaming Vision quest
- Sprintcraft and Fang Glider are also unlockable through specific missions.
Tips to Use Vehicles Effectively
- Summon the Digirunner before long traversal or when heading into large open-world zones to save time.
- Use boost/jump to avoid terrain obstacles or to quickly reposition during combat.
- Because the vehicle takes damage, try to avoid letting enemies focus it exclusively—it’s easier to resummon than to rebuild.
- Keep an eye on side missions and challenges—they often yield new Hover Drives or skins. They are worth investing time because they enhance both aesthetics and performance.
