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Borderlands 4 Lead Balloon Review — Legendary Shotgun

Published: 7/26/2026 · Updated: 10/4/2026 · As of 2026-07 · Score 8/10

Red Text
For a brick, he flew pretty good.

“What was your first Legendary?” Ask people who just started BL4 and a surprising number will say Lead Balloon. It drops early in Fadefields, and the moment you fire it the screen lights up with explosions. It’s strong without any deep thinking — a Torgue shotgun that makes the perfect first partner.

Where the name and red text come from

The red text “For a brick, he flew pretty good.” is a tribute to a famous line from Sgt. Avery Johnson in Halo 2 (2004). Early on, at Cairo Station, Master Chief blows up an enemy ship along with its bomb, flies through space and lands on a friendly ship. Johnson watches the heavily armored soldier (the “brick”) sail through the air and delivers the line.

Why put it on a shotgun? The unique effect Lightweight makes the projectiles float upward as they fly. “It’s a brick (something heavy that shouldn’t fly), but it flew pretty well” fits a gun whose rounds float almost perfectly.

The weapon name “Lead Balloon” (a byword for something that won’t fly) shares the same “shouldn’t fly, but does” theme. Name, effect and red text all line up — a very Torgue bit of wit.

What kind of weapon is it?

In one line: a shotgun that goes “fire → float → explode → scatter submunitions.”

• Projectiles float upward in a loose arc (Lightweight; this is the Impact-mode behavior — in Sticky mode, covered below, they don’t float)
• Each explosion spawns smaller projectiles that scatter further
• Each shot uses 2 ammo — it’s hungry, but every shot is a big one

Rather than aiming precisely, you lob it roughly into a group and melt them as an area. It feels great early on, when your aim may still be shaky, and takes the stress out of clearing trash.

Impressions

Fire into a clump of enemies and the explosions chain, and every reload leaves a parting bomb rolling on the ground. That “melt the whole area” feeling is just satisfying.

That said, here’s the single most important warning:

Get carried away and you’ll kill yourself It’s a Torgue explosive gun, so if you get carried away and keep blasting enemies at close range, your own explosions (splash) will kill you. Getting into the groove, firing at point-blank range and suddenly finding yourself near death is a classic beginner experience. The trick is not to hug enemies: step back half a pace and burn the area from mid range. Learning just that makes it much easier to handle.

My personal conclusion: the Sticky fire mode is far easier to use. You can stick rounds to enemies before detonating, so you’re less likely to blow yourself up, and it handles dramatically better. If in doubt, go Sticky.

…And then I have to walk that back a little. Impact feels completely different if you fire it while jumping. Shooting down from the air makes your aim land where you expect, and it naturally puts distance between you and the blast, so self-damage drops off. If you tried it standing still on the ground and thought “meh,” jump-shooting is worth a try.

It’s an undeniably strong early partner, but the “don’t get too close” spacing is something you’ll want to learn by feel.

The mechanic

Lightweight: Projectiles float upward and spawn smaller projectiles when they explode.

• Every shot floats up, then splits into smaller projectiles on explosion for multiple hits
• Damage is mostly splash (explosive) → strong against groups
• Each shot uses 2 ammo (heavy on ammo)
• One of the best early-game shotguns (Torgue-style explosive damage right from the start)

Fire mode switching (all Torgue guns)

Being a Torgue gun, it switches between two fire modes: Torgue Impact and Torgue Sticky.

• Torgue Impact: projectiles float upward as they fly and explode the moment they hit (this is the mode where Lightweight’s floating shows up). Use it to spray a group and clear it fast. Firing while jumping makes it much easier to handle (see below)
• Torgue Sticky (👍 recommended): projectiles don’t float; they fly straight, stick to enemies or terrain and then detonate. You can stack several and set them off at once, and since you can stick them and then back off, it’s easier to avoid blowing yourself up at close range. They go where you aim, so self-damage is rarer and it’s far easier to use. If in doubt, pick this one

Worried about self-damage? Use Sticky To deal with the close-range self-damage mentioned above, stick rounds to the enemy in Sticky mode, step back half a pace, then detonate. You keep the damage and stay safe.

Impact transforms when you jump-shoot Impact mode becomes much easier to use when you fire while jumping. You’re shooting down from the air, so rounds go where you aim, and the gap between you and the blast cuts the self-damage risk. Don’t write Impact off based only on how it feels on the ground. (This is a hands-on impression; the projectile behavior itself hasn’t been tested.)

Farming

Why it’s a great early pick The boss Splashzone, in Riptide Grotto in Coastal Bonescape, drops it early in the game (you meet it in the story mission “Recruitment Drive”). The 9% drop rate is on the high side, making it an ideal first Legendary.

Farming route

1. Fadefields → Coastal Bonescape → Riptide Grotto → boss “Splashzone”
2. After clearing the relevant story mission, go back to the arena and reset the fight with the nearby Encore Machine to repeat
3. Raising your UVHM rank adds +2% drop chance per rank (30% via Big Encore)

Licence parts

As a Torgue gun, Lead Balloon can roll up to two licence parts from other manufacturers (0 to 2). The main licences that change how it plays are below (the part list is public information; the fit comments are our own analysis).

What to aim for (our take) For easier hits, the Atlas licence underbarrel (projectiles home in on enemies). For planting stickies fast, the Ripper licence magazine (full auto after charging). For more accuracy, the Hyperion licence grip. To get rid of reloads, the COV licence magazine (watch out for overheat breakage). Check Lootlemon for the current god roll (these fit ratings are unverified).

Firmware synergy

Firmware is a set bonus found on gear Lv25 and up, and it rolls not on weapons but on five slots: shield, ordnance, class mod, enhancement and repair kit. Equipping 1 / 2 / 3 pieces of the same set gives Minor / Major / Full bonuses. It never appears on the gun itself, but sets that boost splash (explosive) damage feed straight into Lead Balloon’s damage.

Airstrike may widen your self-damage too +20% splash radius may also widen the area that catches you. Your own explosions are this gun’s leading cause of death, so the more Airstrike you stack, the more precise your “half a step back” spacing needs to be. (Whether the radius bonus applies to self-damage hasn’t been tested.)

Don’t be fooled by the name “Airstrike” is about missiles raining down from the sky; it does not make you stronger while airborne. In fact, among all 24 firmware sets available at Lv25+, none is conditioned on you being in the air (the best-known air-related effect is Laser Disker’s “200% against airborne enemies”).

Build synergy

Verdict

• One of the best early shotguns and an ideal first Legendary. Anyone can farm it from Splashzone in Coastal Bonescape (9% drop rate)
• A very Torgue gun whose “fire → float → explode → scatter” area control feels great
• The red text is a Halo nod to Sgt. Johnson: “a brick that flew pretty well” matches its floating rounds
• Fire too much at close range and your own explosions will kill you. Step back and control the area from mid range (it’s weak at long-range single-target work)
• Best with Vex’s melee + explosive builds; also synergizes with Rafa’s cannon explosions
• Score: 8/10

Measured stats (from copies we own)

Values read from screenshots of copies we own. Ranges are the observed minimum to maximum, with no conversion, rounding or interpolation.

• Even at the same level with the same prefix, damage varies by up to 54% (Lv48 copies sharing one prefix: 1,092×3 – 1,683×3). The prefix alone doesn’t decide performance; licence parts and roll variance matter more.
• Highest DPS observed so far: 5,524 (Lv48).

Related

• Japanese version: リード・バルーン レビュー
• Same boss (Splashzone): Firewerks (armor shield) / Jelly (grenade)
• Same manufacturer (Torgue): Handcannon (Pearlescent) / Herald (Pearlescent) / Roach
• References: Lootlemon - Lead Balloon / MentalMars - Lead Balloon / Borderlands Wiki