Published , by Josh Hawkins
Published , by Josh Hawkins
Video game launches are always an interesting time, especially when you’re dealing with a game like Borderlands 3. See, the thing about the Borderlands community, or any looter shooter community for that matter, is that they will always find the best way to get ahead of the curve, even if that means exploiting unintentional game design. One of the biggest exploits that we’ve seen come about in Borderlands 3 since its launch was a broken grenade, one that on the surface seemed trivial at best, but when utilized correctly, it could completely change the way that you approached situations in the game.
Yes, we’re talking about the Porcelain Pipe Bomb. This grenade, which was rewarded for completing a simple side quest on Eden-6, allowed users to head into specific boss fights and then burn that boss in a matter of seconds due to a glitch that made the grenade explode several times after its initial explosion. For many this meant an effective way to grind for experience and levels, as well as Guardian Ranks. For others, who had the unfortunate (or fortunate depending on how you look at it) luck of throwing out the grenade, it was simply a black spot of regret as the same grinding options were not available to those players.
No matter who you feel about exploits or broken items in video games, the latest patch for Borderlands 3 addresses the issue head-on. In today’s Borderlands 3 patch notes, the team at Gearbox writes, “Addressed a reported concern with “Porcelain Pipe Bomb” where it set off multiple explosions when colliding with objects.” The post then continues, “This grenade was never meant to explode multiple times. All enemies in the Borderlands universe are now safe from being instantly melted by radioactive poop.”
We previously showed readers how to get the Porcelain Pipe Bomb, noting that it was by far one of the most powerful weapons in Borderlands 3 at the time. Today's patch marks the end of an era, as the Porcelain Pipe Bomb is no longer the most overpowered weapon in Borderlands 3. But, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sure, being able to level up at an unreasonable rate might have been nice, but it also—in a way—ruins the entire point of playing a looter shooter: the grind. The patch notes also address several other issues, which you can read about in-depth in our previous post.
How do you feel about broken game items like the Porcelain Pipe Bomb? Do you think that using a broken item like that counts as an exploit? Let us know in the comments below as we’re curious to see what our readers think of situations like this.