Borderlands 4 is well-known for its massive arsenal of unique and legendary weapons, each offering distinct playstyles and strategic advantages. Among these, the Kaoson Submachine Gun (SMG) stands out as a particularly powerful and sought-after weapon, cherished by both casual players and veteran vault hunters. Its signature ability to fire sticky rounds that detonate on reload or mode swap gives it enormous single-target damage potential, especially in boss encounters. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to acquire the Kaoson, maximize its efficiency, and incorporate it effectively into your loadout.

 

What Makes the Kaoson Special

The Kaoson is a Legendary Vladof SMG that is immediately recognizable by its unique mechanics. Unlike standard SMGs that rely on continuous firing to deal damage, the Kaoson uses sticky rounds that "bank" on enemies. Once you reload or switch firing modes, all the accumulated rounds detonate simultaneously, creating a powerful explosion. This bank-and-blow mechanic allows for massive burst damage, particularly effective against high-health enemies, bosses, and shielded targets.

 

Beyond its unique firing mechanism, the Kaoson also often spawns with beneficial perks, such as magazine size increases, fire rate boosts, or explosive damage enhancements. Its design naturally complements builds that prioritize single-target damage and rapid reloads, making it ideal for both solo and cooperative play.

 

Step 1: Unlock the Arch of Origo

Acquiring the Kaoson requires you to defeat a specific boss in a vault area called the Arch of Origo, located in the Terminus Range region. However, this vault is not accessible from the start. Players must first locate and collect three vault key fragments, which are scattered across Terminus Range:

 

Vestal Garrison: The first fragment is hidden within this mid-tier area. Carefully explore side rooms and enemy caches to find it.

 

The Low Leys: The second fragment is tucked behind environmental puzzles and guarded enemy spawns. Using fast travel points and map markers can speed up the search.

 

Cuspid Climb: The third fragment is at the peak of a high-altitude area. Players may need to navigate tricky platforming or defeat a mini-boss to claim it.

 

Once all three fragments are collected, the Arch of Origo appears as a vault entrance. Activating this vault sets the stage for the boss fight that offers the Kaoson as a potential drop.

 

Step 2: Preparing for the Vault Boss

Before entering the Arch of Origo, it's crucial to prepare adequately. The vault itself is designed with multiple waves of enemies leading up to the final boss, Primordial Guardian Origo. These preliminary waves are a great opportunity to stock up on ammo, apply buffs, and test your movement patterns.

 

Here are some tips for preparation:

Stock up on healing Borderlands 4 Items and shields: Origo's attacks are heavy and can easily overwhelm unprepared players.

 

Optimize your loadout: Equip weapons that handle shields, fast-moving enemies, or aerial targets to make the pre-boss waves easier.

 

Use save points effectively: Some areas near the vault allow you to respawn and retry without losing progress on the vault key, making repeated attempts smoother.

 

By entering the vault well-prepared, you maximize your chances of reaching Origo quickly, which is critical for efficient farming.

 

Step 3: Defeating Primordial Guardian Origo

Primordial Guardian Origo is the primary target for obtaining the Kaoson. This boss has several distinct attack patterns, including heavy beams, area-of-effect strikes, and occasional minion spawns. Understanding these mechanics is key to surviving and effectively farming the Kaoson.

 

Boss Mechanics and Strategy

Shield Phases: Origo often enters shield-only phases. Use high fire-rate weapons or elemental damage suited to shield vulnerabilities to break these defenses quickly.

 

Predictable Attack Windows: Most of Origo's attacks are telegraphed, giving players an opportunity to dodge or reposition. Learning these patterns reduces damage taken and speeds up kills.

 

Targeting Weak Spots: Aim for specific body regions when possible. Certain weak points amplify damage from sticky rounds, making the Kaoson especially effective.

 

Fighting Efficiently

Movement is crucial: Constant mobility helps avoid Origo's heavy attacks and reduces downtime from healing.

 

Ammo and skill management: Bring a build that complements the Kaoson's reload-triggered detonation mechanic. Skills that restore ammo or increase reload efficiency can greatly enhance damage output. You can buy Borderlands 4 Gear to get more ammo.

 

Co-op considerations: Fighting Origo with friends allows you to coordinate attacks, stagger shields, and combine elemental effects, making drops more consistent and fights faster.

 

Step 4: Farming the Kaoson

The Kaoson's drop rate from Origo is based on RNG (random number generation), meaning it may take multiple attempts to obtain the weapon. However, several strategies can maximize efficiency:

 

Fast vault runs: Learn the shortest path from the entrance to Origo to save time on repeated attempts.

 

Save and reload: After defeating Origo, quit to the main menu or reset the instance to respawn the vault quickly. This minimizes downtime between farming runs.

 

Repeat the vault efficiently: Keep a consistent pattern of key fragment retrieval and vault activation to streamline future runs.

 

Aside from Origo, the Kaoson can occasionally appear as a world drop, meaning it may spawn from regular enemies, chests, or even vending machines. While these methods are less reliable, they can supplement your farm and potentially provide Kaoson variants with different elemental types or perks.

 

Optimal Builds and Loadouts with Kaoson

The Kaoson's unique firing mechanism makes it especially potent in certain builds. Players should consider:

 

Elemental Considerations: While the Kaoson is effective as a kinetic weapon, certain bosses or enemies may be vulnerable to specific elements like shock or radiation. Collecting multiple elemental variants allows adaptability.

 

Perk Synergy: Look for perks that enhance magazine size, explosion damage, or ammo efficiency. These perks amplify the Kaoson's natural strength by increasing both the number of sticky rounds and the resulting burst damage.

 

Complementary Weapons: Pair Kaoson with weapons that excel at clearing groups of enemies quickly. This allows you to save Kaoson's heavy-damage burst for bosses or high-priority targets.

 

Class Abilities: Select skills that improve reload speed, trigger explosive effects, or boost elemental damage. Some classes offer abilities that refund ammo or enhance burst damage, making the Kaoson even more devastating.

 

By carefully tailoring your loadout and abilities, you can turn the Kaoson into a boss-melting machine capable of dominating difficult encounters in both solo and co-op gameplay.

 

Conclusion

The Kaoson Submachine Gun in Borderlands 4 is a highly coveted Legendary weapon for a reason. Its unique mechanic of sticky rounds detonating on reload allows for unparalleled burst damage, making it a must-have for vault hunters seeking to dominate bosses and high-priority targets. While acquiring the Kaoson requires careful preparation, efficient farming of the Arch of Origo, and patience through RNG drops, the payoff is more than worth it. By understanding its mechanics, building complementary loadouts, and mastering boss encounters, players can harness the full potential of this explosive SMG and elevate their gameplay experience.

 

Persistence, strategy, and careful preparation will ensure that the Kaoson becomes a staple in your legendary arsenal, delivering the explosive chaos that the name promises.