Borderlands 4 Flash Cyclone Review — Legendary SMG
| Rarity | Legendary |
|---|---|
| Type | SMG |
| Manufacturer | Maliwan |
| Element | Cryo |
| Drop source | The Penitent Steel (Windswept Wastes – Vault of the Damned DLC) |
Red Text
What cyclone? Its a couple of flakes!
This review was machine-translated from the Japanese original. Numbers are checked against the original; if the wording reads oddly, the Japanese version is authoritative.
The more you fire, the higher the fire rate, and it scatters ice explosions and homing projectiles, a Maliwan-made Cryo SMG. Accelerates to max rate in 3 seconds, and on hit fires explosion + tracking projectiles. Freezing (Cryo) stops enemy movement while suppressing with a single weapon.
🧩 Red text source “What cyclone? It’s a couple of flakes!” is a self‑referencing wordplay that pokes fun at the exaggerated weapon name “Flash Cyclone”. “flakes” = snowflakes becomes a pun with Cryo (ice/snow) attribute. Specific work citation as primary source is unverified and the external source is (unverified).
What kind of SMG? (Beginner’s perspective)
- Maliwan-made Legendary SMG. Attribute is Cryo (ice/snow)
- When firing continuously, the fire rate rises from 50% to 100% over 3 seconds (the faster you shoot, the faster it gets)
- Bullets are Cryo Splash. On hit, 5% chance to explode (800%) and additionally up to 3 homing projectiles (each 200%) are scattered
- Cryo freezes enemies to stop their movement, and with explosion + tracking can suppress an area
Unique Effect (Mechanics)
Flash Freeze (Flash Freeze): Accelerates in 3 seconds to fire rate 50%→100% and fires Cryo Splash bullets. On hit 5% chance to explode (800%) + up to 3 homing projectiles (each 200%) are generated.
- In-game: Flash Freeze — Chance on Hit to Explode and Spawn additional projectiles.
- Web (Lootlemon): The Flash Cyclone increases its Fire Rate from 50% to 100% over 3s, firing Bullets in a linear trajectory, dealing 100% Cryo Splash Gun Damage on impact. On Hit, bullets have a 5% Chance to trigger an explosion, dealing 800% Cryo Gun Damage and spawning up to 3 homing projectiles that each deal 200% Cryo Gun Damage.
- Buff history: on 2026-05-07 Maliwan SMG +15% (Lootlemon Changelog)
Drop Farming
| Drop Source | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Penitent Steel (Windswept Wastes) | 9% | Boss drop (Vault of the Damned DLC). Big Encore 30% |
- Available only from the exclusive source/DLC world pool of the Vault of the Damned DLC
Build Compatibility
| Vault Hunter | Compatibility | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rafa | ⭐⭐⭐ | Cryo freeze + explosion for suppression |
| Vex | ⭐⭐⭐ | Maintain fire rate ramp with number of shots |
| Amon | ⭐⭐⭐ | General use |
| C4SH | ⭐⭐⭐ | General use |
Summary
- The more you fire, the faster it gets + Cryo explosion + homing projectiles scattered by a Maliwan-made SMG
- Freezing can stop movement while suppressing an area
- Obtained from The Penitent Steel (Windswept Wastes • Vault of the Damned DLC) 9%
Related
- Same category (SMG): Magnetar / Kaoson
- Reference: Lootlemon - Flash Cyclone / MentalMars - Flash Cyclone
FAQ
What is Flash Cyclone’s unique effect?
Flash Freeze: Over 3 seconds, fire rate rises from 50% to 100%. Fires Cryo Splash projectiles that have a 5% chance on hit to explode for 800% damage while generating up to 3 homing projectiles (each 200% damage).
Where can I obtain Flash Cyclone?
It drops from The Penitent Steel (Windswept Wastes – Vault of the Damned DLC). Drop rate is 9%.