Kairos Weekly #2 (July 19-25, 2026): Dead ECHOs launches, Bounty Pack 4 detailed, Story Pack 2 dated
Two things landed this week: Gearbox’s first scripted podcast, and the July 23 DevCast that put real detail on Bounty Pack 4 and gave Story Pack 2 a title and a date.
Official announcements
Borderlands: Dead ECHOs premieres (July 21)
Gearbox’s first scripted narrative podcast.
- Follows Watts, a DAHL ECHO operator, and their partner Junie, trading in ECHO logs that were never meant to surface.
- Available on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Apple, iHeart Radio and Pandora.
- A limited run: new episodes weekly for several months.
Gearbox DevCast (July 23)
- Bounty Pack 4: Murders and Acquisitions ships July 30 with Version 1.9.
- It comes in two separately purchasable parts — the narrative content and Vault Card 4.
- Story Pack 2: FL4K and the Last Resort is dated September 10, bringing FL4K back from Borderlands 3.
- The all-new Vault Hunter Loveless the Hacker and Bounty Pack 5 arrive alongside it.
We have a full breakdown of Bounty Pack 4’s dedicated drops, six new Legendaries and the Pearlescent PRISM in a separate article.
Weekly Activities (July 23-30)
| Slot | Content |
|---|---|
| Big Encore Boss | Divisioner (tougher variant) |
| Wildcard Mission | Exit Through the Rift Shop (Experienced / Contagious / Deflector) |
| Guaranteed Legendary | Vamoose (Ripper sniper rifle) |
| Maurice’s Black Market | Relocated |
Verified in-game data: 128 pieces logged
Two low-level copies worth putting numbers on.
Transmitter (Ripper grenade)
A Lv30 copy carrying the unique Void Message effect plus Explosive (+21% grenade damage) — a prefix-to-augment pairing that matches our confirmed lookup table.
Sidewinder (Torgue heavy)
A Lv30 copy at 2,809 DPS — 1,872 per shot, 5-round magazine, 199cm blast radius, 1.5s reload.
All figures are from the level they were recorded at. Gear scales with level, so these are not comparable to post-level-cap copies.
What we learned later
- Bounty Pack 4 shipped on schedule, July 30 with Version 1.9 (Issue #3).
- No price was announced for Story Pack 2 this week. That came at the August 20 DevCast (Issue #6).
FAQ
What is the Weekly Wildcard Mission for July 23-30, 2026?
Exit Through the Rift Shop, with the Experienced, Contagious and Deflector modifiers. The guaranteed reward is the Vamoose Ripper sniper rifle.
When does Story Pack 2 release?
September 10, 2026. The title — FL4K and the Last Resort — and the date were both revealed at the July 23 Gearbox DevCast.
What is Borderlands: Dead ECHOs?
Gearbox's first scripted narrative podcast. It follows DAHL ECHO operator Watts and their partner Junie trading in off-the-books ECHO logs. It runs on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Apple, iHeart Radio and Pandora.