If you’re playing Borderlands 4 and want to unlock the Yabai head cosmetic for Vex, this guide will walk you through exactly how to get it. It’s not a mission reward or something you stumble upon—it’s tied to the upgrade system in the game. With the right steps and a bit of effort, you can style your Vault Hunter Vex with this exclusive head. Let’s break down what you need to do, how to get the required items, and tips to make the process smoother.
- Yabai is a head style (cosmetic) for Vex, one of the four Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4.
- It doesn’t affect gameplay stats—it’s purely cosmetic, meant to customize how Vex looks.
- To unlock it, you must complete a specific challenge: “unlock all SDU upgrades”.
What Are SDU Upgrades
- SDU stands for Storage Deck Upgrades, basically parts of your inventory and storage system. Think of expanding weapon slots, backpacks, vault-type storage.
- There are multiple storage decks or categories: weapons (different types such as Assault Rifle, SMG, Sniper, Shotgun, Pistols), bank slots, backpack, lost loot slots, etc.
- Each deck, each slot, has to be upgraded to the maximum. That means you need all storage decks fully upgraded.
How Many SDU Tokens You Need
- To unlock all SDU upgrades requires a fixed number of SDU Tokens. The total is 3,225 SDU Tokens.
- Upgrading sectors one by one costs more each time. Early upgrades are cheaper, but as you progress, each next upgrade in a given deck gets more expensive.
How To Earn SDU Tokens
You’ll need to gather enough SDU tokens. Here are effective ways:
- Complete objectives and challenges in the game. These include:
- Safehouses
- Silos
- Order Bunkers
- Mines (or abandoned mines)
- Ripper Drill Sites
- Clearing enemy camps etc.
- Collectibles such as crates, ancient crawler loot, and interacting with vault symbols also give SDU Tokens, though usually in smaller amounts.
- Focus on tasks that give large token rewards first to speed up things. For example, completing Order Bunkers or Mines tends to give more tokens than smaller collectibles.
Steps to Unlock the Yabai Head
Here’s a step-by-step:
- Play and explore the game world, completing main missions and side missions. While doing so, prioritize objectives that reward SDU Tokens.
- Gather SDU Tokens through clearing big objectives / strongholds, completing challenges, collecting loot.
- Go to the SDU Menu in your customization or inventory interface. Find all the storage decks: weapons (various types), bank, backpack, lost loot, etc.
- Upgrade each deck to its maximum, spending tokens along the way. Remember: costs go up with each level.
- Once all SDU upgrades are maxed, you automatically complete the “unlock all SDU upgrades” challenge. That challenge completion is what unlocks the Yabai head for Vex.
Tips & Things to Keep in Mind
- Don’t ignore minor tasks: some small side missions or collectibles may feel slow, but they add up toward tokens.
- Keep your progress tracked: note which storage decks are left to upgrade. It helps avoid redundancy.
- Early in the game, focus on large-token objectives so you accumulate faster.
- Limit distractions—missions that pay cosmetic rewards not helpful for SDU can be done later.
- Be patient: upgrading all decks fully takes time and resource gathering. But the Yabai head is a prestige cosmetic and worth it if you enjoy customizing your character.
