In one word – absolutely! Mayhem mode provides exponentially better loot in Borderlands 3 compared to normal mode. While the enemies become beefier damage sponges, the rewards completely outweigh the increased difficulty. You‘ll gain access to stronger weapons, more cash and Eridium, fast XP gains, and lots of new legendary items.
Mayhem loot scaling is no joke – a Hellshock pistol found on Mayhem 10 can potentially have five times the damage of a normal mode version! The insane bonuses make diving into Mayhem as soon as possible totally worth it.
This guide will break down exactly how Mayhem loot and rewards improve, provide tips to maximize your gains, and offer strategies to thrive in the mayhem. Time to take your vault hunting to the next level!
How Mayhem Mode Increases Loot Quality
Mayhem becomes available after finishing the main campaign and has 10 difficulty levels to choose from. It provides the following bonuses in exchange for beefier enemies:
- Massive boosts to legendary drop rates
- Weapons with higher item levels and damage
- Significantly more cash and Eridium rewards
- Annointment drop rate up by 500% on M10!
- XP gains increased by up to 45% on M10
In addition, two major factors determine the strength of Mayhem gear:
Loot Mayhem Level Scaling
- Weapon levels can exceed the normal cap of 50
- Damage scales exponentially – up to +430% on M10
- Other stats like handling and fire rate also improve
Dedicated Drop Sources
- Target farm bosses/enemies for better versions of assigned legendaries
- Improves anointment rolls and max weapon parts
Here‘s a preview of how crazy Mayhem scaling gets:
| Mayhem | Enemy Health | Weapon Damage | Legendary Drop Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +25% | +9% | +25% |
| 6 | +500% | +60% | +300% |
| 10 | +1250% | +430% | +800% |
Clearly the rewards rapidly outweigh the difficulty as you push higher Mayhem levels!
When to Enable Mayhem Mode for Big Rewards
I recommend activating Mayhem as soon as you reach the max level cap of 50 and finish the main story. Here‘s a quick guide based on your playstyle:
For casual players:
- Start at Mayhem 1-3 to get your feet wet
- Farm bosses on M6+ for massively better loot
- Work up to M10-11 to maximize loot gains
For advanced players:
- Enable M6+ right away for a challenge and huge boosts
- Rush to Mayhem 10 to optimize endgame gear
- Activate True Vault Hunter if you want additional playthrough
The jump from normal to Mayhem 1 is quite manageable. But I suggest cranking it to at least Mayhem 6 as soon as possible to really see major rewards.
At M6 you get a 300% increase in legendary drop rates and 60% better weapon damage. The difficulty spike is noticeable but nothing an endgame build can‘t handle. From there take it step-by-step based on your gear improvements.
Maximize Your Mayhem Farming
To make the most of your Mayhem farming, here are some tips I‘ve gathered from extensively analyzing Mayhem mechanics and optimization strategies:
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Target farm bosses and mini-bosses with assigned legendary drops to improve anointments
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Focus on improving damage first – seek out the top artifacts, class mods, shields for your build
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Synergize with modifiers – play into ‘big gun‘ or elemental boosts for example
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Co-op makes it easier – play with others and combine build strengths
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Take breaks between sessions – prevent boredom and burnout
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Use the Gun Gun on Mayhem 6+ to generate on-level legendaries
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Check vending machines often – purchase scaled gear from cash earned
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Activate the Shlooter artifact – improves world drop rates by up to 100%!
With the exponential loot improvements, you can target farm for perfect rolls on your favorite gear very efficiently in Mayhem. It takes the grind to the next level!
Mayhem Mode Livens Up The Endgame Grind
While Borderlands 3 has a ton of content, Mayhem Mode adds some much needed spice and challenge to the endgame. It provides new milestones to work towards like hitting certain Mayhem levels, creating builds to counter modifiers, and finding those perfectly rolled anointed legendaries.
The insane boost to rewards gives you a constant sense of progression even after hundreds of hours invested. And it‘s quite satisfying finally downing a boss on Mayhem 10 that you‘ve been stuck on!
Of course, it can also lead to burnout faster by repeating bosses endlessly. So be sure to mix up your farming routines and take breaks. I recommend playing Mayhem in shorter 1-2 hour sessions rather than marathon 12 hour farms.
But overall, if you want to experience Borderlands 3‘s endgame at its most rewarding and engaging, Mayhem Mode is a must-enable. The loot will speak for itself once you dive in!
Hopefully this guide has convinced you of how incredible Mayhem loot can be and given you tips to make the most of it. Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments!
