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Borderlands 4 Bismuth-Tipped Dagger Review — Legendary Ordnance

Published: 8/15/2026 · Updated: 11/15/2026 · As of 2026-07

Red Text
Get down with the Bismuth!

It takes the grenade slot, but what you throw is a dagger. The more daggers stick, the more elemental damage the target takes, which makes it a debuff throwing knife. Made by Jakobs, it flies in a fairly straight arc and can crit. When it sticks in an enemy it stays there for 10 seconds, and each stuck dagger raises the elemental damage the target takes by +15%. It is a throw you use to prepare for your main damage.

🧩 Where the red text comes from “Get down with the Bismuth!” is a pun on the English idiom “get down to business” (start on the main task, or get serious), swapping business for the metal Bismuth. It plays on the sound of “Bismuth” in the name “Bismuth-Tipped Dagger” (a dagger with a bismuth tip). No primary source confirms it as a quote from any specific work. Any outside source is (unverified) (to be added if found).

What kind of grenade is it? (for beginners)

• A Jakobs grenade that works like a throwing knife (added with the Story Pack 1 DLC). It flies in an arc and deals damage on impact
• It can crit (you can aim for weak points)
• When it sticks in an enemy, it stays there for 10 seconds. For each stuck dagger, the elemental damage the target takes goes up by +15%
• In other words, it is good for prepping single-target damage. Stick several into a boss or a tough enemy, then chip away with your main weapon to get more damage

Unique effect (mechanics)

Bismuth: When thrown, it flies in an arc and deals elemental ordnance damage on impact. It can crit. When it hits an enemy, it sticks for 10 seconds, and for each stuck dagger the target takes +15% elemental damage.

• In game: Bismuth (+15% elemental damage taken by the enemy for each stuck dagger)
• Web (Lootlemon): Flies in an arc and deals elemental damage on impact. Can crit. Sticks in enemies for 10 seconds, and each stuck dagger gives the target +15% elemental damage taken
• The element depends on the element of the stuck dagger (a Corrosive roll gives +15% Corrosive damage taken, a Fire roll gives +15% Fire damage taken). The earlier note saying “Corrosive” was only one example of an element roll
• The element varies by roll (Fire/Shock/Corrosive/Cryo/Radiation)

Drops and farming

• Corporal Brennan, a Story Pack 1 boss, is the dedicated drop source
• The location is Crooked Teeth (unverified) (from web sources; the original note gave no place name)

Build synergy

Using the “more daggers, more damage” debuff The main point is the +15% elemental damage taken debuff. Stick several daggers to stack it, then chip away with your main weapon, which pays off in boss fights. Matching the element to the target’s weakness should push it even further (unverified).

Summary

• A throwing knife that can crit, thrown from the grenade slot
• Once stuck, it lasts 10 seconds, and +15% elemental damage taken stacks per dagger as a damage-taken debuff
• Good for prepping single-target and boss damage
• A dedicated drop from Corporal Brennan, a Story Pack 1 DLC boss (about 9%)

Related

• Same category (grenades): Buzz Axe (also thrown and can crit) / Jelly
• References: Lootlemon - Bismuth-Tipped Dagger / Mobalytics - Bismuth-Tipped Dagger / MentalMars