Borderlands 4 Guide: Mastering The Baud – The Ultimate Weapon Breakdown

Introduction

Vault Hunters, prepare to wield what may be the most powerful weapon in Borderlands 4. This guide is a deep dive into The Baud, a legendary shotgun that I initially overlooked but now consider foundational for endgame builds. Its strength lies in its unique mechanics, vast array of potential rolls, and a hidden damage multiplier that makes it scale incredibly with your skills. We'll cover exactly what The Baud is, where to farm it, the specific rolls you need, and the secret behind its staggering damage output, so you can efficiently buy Borderlands 4 Boosting to expedite your path to securing this essential gear.

1. What Is The Baud?

The Baud is a Dataless shotgun with a unique property unlike any other weapon in its class.

Core Perk: It is classified and counts as all five weapon types simultaneously: Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Pistol, and SMG.

Key Difference: While most Dataless weapons simply change firing modes, The Baud genuinely counts as using each type. This means skill tree bonuses, class mods, and anointments that specify "Sniper Rifle Damage" or "Pistol Damage" will all apply to The Baud when using the appropriate mode.

Why This Matters: This allows The Baud to benefit from a huge variety of damage bonuses and makes it exceptionally easy to fit into almost any build.

2. The Secret: The 5x Gun Damage Multiplier

The true, game-breaking power of The Baud comes from a hidden mechanic:

The Bug/Feature: The Baud currently receives 5x the value from all generic Gun Damage increases.

The Math: A +15% Gun Damage bonus from your skill tree doesn't give The Baud +15% damage. It gives it +75% damage (15% x 5).

Demonstration: With no gear or skills, a Baud shot might hit for 2,861 damage. After applying a single +15% Gun Damage skill, the shot jumps to approximately 5,006 damage—a 75% increase, confirming the 5x multiplier.

Note on Stickies: This 5x multiplier applies to sticky damage as well, scaling them linearly. While stickies are powerful due to their stacking nature, they do not receive any extra hidden multiplier beyond the 5x gun damage benefit.

3. Understanding Ammo Swap & Damage Multipliers

The Baud always has a secondary fire mode that swaps its ammo type. This isn't just cosmetic; it changes your damage output and fire rate based on complex internal multipliers.

Damage Multiplier Reference (When Swapping From Shotgun Mode):

Sniper Rifle Ammo: ~1.13x damage (Highest per-shot damage)

Pistol Ammo: ~1.10x damage

SMG Ammo: ~0.95x damage (But has the highest fire rate)

Assault Rifle Ammo: Lowest damage multiplier.

Practical Takeaway:

For maximum per-shot damage, seek a Baud with Sniper Rifle ammo.

For stacking sticky bombs the fastest, a Baud with SMG ammo is superior due to its high fire rate, despite the slight damage penalty.

Always use the secondary fire mode. It is almost always more accurate and deals more damage than the default shotgun spread.

4. Farming Location: Axe Mall

To farm The Baud, you must defeat the boss Axe Mall.

Location: The Abandoned Augur Mine in the CCIA District.

How to Get There:

Fast travel to the final "Defiance" station in the storyline.

Exit the area and take your first immediate left.

Follow the path upward into the mine.

Drop Rate Warning: Axe Mall is notoriously stingy with Baud drops. Evidence suggests legendary drops from bosses are not equally weighted, and The Baud appears to have a lower drop chance than others in his pool. Persistence is required.

5. God Rolls: What to Look For

Not all B audio are created equal. You are hunting for specific manufacturer and accessory rolls.

Manufacturers & Parts The Baud CAN Roll:

Ripper, COV, Atlas.

Elemental (even without Maliwan parts) or Kinetic.

Sticky accessory.

Manufacturers & Parts It CANNOT Roll:

Jakobs, Maliwan, Underbarrels.

Top-Tier Roll Recommendations:

1. The Boss Melter: Torgue Sticky Baud

Why: Torgue stickies are the premier boss-killing tool in BL4. Pairing them with The Baud's 5x damage scaling results in catastrophic damage.

Best Ammo Type: SMG for fastest sticky stacking. Sniper ammo is also excellent for harder-hitting stickies.

Priority: This is the #1 roll to hunt for general endgame boss deletion.

2. The Crit Monster: COV Baud with "Duct Tape Mod"

Why: The COV-exclusive Duct Tape Mod accessory grants 100% Critical Hit Chance while the gun is overheating.

Synergy: This is incredibly powerful on characters like Vex, who can use the Sniper ammo mode to trigger skills like Bloodshot with guaranteed crits, creating massive damage chains.

Best Ammo Type: Sniper Rifle for high-damage crits.

Elemental vs. Kinetic: A good Kinetic Baud is often preferable, as it provides a reliable, unresisted damage source for any fight. While elemental variants are strong, they are not mandatory.

6. Quick Summary & Farming Checklist

Weapon: The Baud (Dataless Shotgun).

Power Source: Hidden 5x multiplier on Gun Damage bonuses.

Farm Spot: Axe Mall in the Abandoned Augur Mine (CCIA District).

Target Rolls:

For Bossing: Torgue Sticky variant with SMG or Sniper ammo.

For Crit Builds: COV variant with the "Duct Tape Mod" and Sniper ammo.

Always: Use the secondary fire mode (not the shotgun spread) for better accuracy and damage.

Equip your best luck gear and start the grind. Once you get the right roll, The Baud will redefine your power ceiling in Borderlands 4. For a faster route to the perfect drop, we recommend MMOEXP for cheap Borderlands 4 Boosting services.