Vehicular mayhem is a staple in the Borderlands universe, and Borderlands 3 takes it to a whole new level. Forget simply catching a ride; now you’re literally stealing rides, stripping them for parts, and crafting your ultimate road warrior machine! If you’re looking to understand Borderlands 3 All Car Parts and how to maximize your vehicle customization, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will dive deep into every aspect of vehicle customization in Borderlands 3, ensuring you become the master of the Catch-A-Ride system.
Introduction to Borderlands 3 Vehicle Mayhem
Gearbox Software’s leap to Unreal Engine 4 for Borderlands 3 wasn’t just about visual fidelity; it was about rebuilding core systems from the ground up. Vehicle combat was a prime focus, especially given the somewhat clunky driving mechanics of previous Borderlands titles. To tackle this challenge, vehicle controls were entrusted to Gearbox’s Quebec studio, a team with developers who had honed their skills on racing franchises like Need for Speed.
The result? Driving in Borderlands 3 feels intuitive and responsive. During the gameplay reveal event, early impressions highlighted the improved handling and control. Catch-A-Ride stations are more prevalent, meaning you’re never far from your personal vehicle. Fast travel directly to your ride further streamlines traversal, minimizing downtime and maximizing action. But the real game-changer is vehicle customization.
Deep Dive into Vehicle Customization
Borderlands 3 introduces a revolutionary vehicle customization system. By hijacking enemy vehicles and bringing them to a Catch-a-Ride station, you can scan and unlock their unique parts. These parts then become available for you to equip on your own vehicles, allowing for a staggering level of personalization and performance tuning.
There are three distinct vehicle types available at Ellie’s Catch-a-Ride stations: the Outrunner, the Technical, and the Cyclone. Each vehicle boasts a wide array of customizable components, including Body Type, Driver Weapon, Turret Weapon, Mods, Wheels, Armor, Material (skins), and Color Palettes. Let’s break down each vehicle and its available parts.
Outrunner: Speed and Agility
The Outrunner is the quintessential speedster in Borderlands 3.
Developed by one of the big five corporations, it is the fastest land vehicle available and can “outrun” anything else. It cannot outrun other Outrunners, however, since they go the same speed.
Catch-A-Ride Station
Outrunner Statistics
- Speed: 14
- Armor: 4
Outrunner Driver Weapons
- Machine Gun: A standard, reliable machine gun with a high rate of fire.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Tesla Coil: Emits a beam of shock damage that arcs to multiple nearby enemies.
- Found on: Maliwan Outrunners
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Pandora, Ascension Bluff
- Flame Thrower: Projects a stream of flames, perfect for quickly eliminating vehicle occupants.
- Found on: Outrunners
- Location: Pandora, Ascension Bluff
Outrunner Turret Weapons
- Heavy Missile: Deals significant damage, with a 50% damage bonus on direct hits. Gunners can zoom for increased accuracy.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Shotgun Missile: Launches a spread of missiles, devastating at close range. Gunners can adjust the firing pattern.
- Found on: COV Outrunners
- Location: Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Swarmer Missile: Fires a volley of guided missiles that the gunner can direct with a laser.
- Found on: Outrunner, Maliwan Outrunners
- Location: Pandora, Ascension Bluff; Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge
Outrunner Wheels
- Dune Buggy Wheels: Balanced wheels offering a blend of speed and handling.
- Default wheels, available from the start.
- Zip Wheels: Engaging the e-brake charges energy for a flaming boost.
- Found on: Hijack Target Zippy Outrunner
- Location: Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Omni Wheels: Replaces the e-brake with a hover mode, allowing for temporary levitation.
- Found on: Maliwan Hover Outrunners
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge
- Twitchy Wheels: Steerable rear wheels for enhanced maneuverability and tighter turns.
- Found on: Twitchy Outrunner
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex/Outskirts; Pandora, Droughts/Ascension Bluff/Devil’s Razor
Outrunner Armor
- Stripped Armor: Lightweight armor with no added durability.
- Default armor, available from the start.
- Heavy Armor: Plated armor that significantly increases durability but reduces speed.
- Found on: Hijack Target Heavy Outrunner
- Location: Pandora, Ascension Bluff
Outrunner Mods
- Booster Canisters: Balanced boost providing a good mix of speed and duration.
- Default mods, available from the start.
- Energy Cells: Provides three charges of a smaller boost that also emits a shock damage pulse.
- Found on: Pulsing Outrunner
- Location: Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge
- Blaze Booster: A fast-burning booster delivering a powerful initial burst of speed, best used in short bursts.
- Found on: COV Outrunners
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Pandora, Ascension Bluff
- Laser Wings: Boost energy is channeled to create laser blades around the vehicle, damaging nearby enemies during boost.
- Found on: Hijack Target Razor Outrunner
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
Technical: Sturdy and Explosive
The Technical is the go-to vehicle for the Children of the Vault (COV), known for its ruggedness and firepower.
Borderlands 3 Vehicle Technical
Image of a Borderlands 3 Technical vehicle, showcasing its rugged and heavily armed design, emphasizing its role as a COV vehicle.
There’s nothing technical about the way that the CoV built this. But it’s surprisingly sturdy, packs quite a punch and is a blast to drive!
Catch-A-Ride Station
Technical Statistics
- Speed: 12
- Armor: 7
Technical Driver Weapons
- Machine Gun: A classic and reliable machine gun for straightforward combat.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Flak Cannon: A powerful shotgun that fires scrap projectiles, extremely effective at close range.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Promethea, Neon Arterial; Pandora, Splinterlands
Technical Turret Weapons
- Barrel Launcher: Launches explosive barrels. Gunners can detonate barrels mid-air for cluster bomb effect.
- Default weapon, available from the start.
- Sticky Bombs: Launches bombs that adhere to surfaces and enemies, detonating after a timer or when triggered by the gunner.
- Found on: Hijack Target
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Outskirts
- Tire Bombs: Launches tire-shaped bombs that can be remotely steered by the gunner.
- Found on: Hijack Target Spare Tire Technical
- Location: Pandora, Splinterlands
Technical Wheels
- All-Terrain Wheels: The fastest wheels available for the Technical, offering good speed on varied terrain.
- Default wheels, available from the start.
- Monster Wheels: Large wheels that improve handling and overall vehicle durability.
- Found on: Angels and Speed Demons quest
- Location: Pandora
- Barbed Wheels: Allows the Technical to ignore terrain penalties and deals significant bonus ramming damage against flesh.
- Found on: Hijack Target Spiked Technical
- Location: Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Hover Wheels: Replaces the e-brake with a hover mode for temporary levitation.
- Found on: Hover Technical
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Outskirts
Technical Armor
- Stripped Armor: Lightweight armor with no durability benefits.
- Default armor, available from the start.
- Heavy Armor: Heavy plating that increases durability at the cost of speed.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Outskirts; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Guaranteed spawn during “Beneath the Meridian” mission.
- Meat Grinder: Massive ramming damage increase, with even greater bonus damage against flesh.
Technical Mods
- Passenger Seats: Equips passenger seats and a boost module, allowing for squad transport.
- Default Mod, available from the start.
- Fuel Barrels: Provides a continuous, unlimited boost, though less powerful than burst boosts.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Toxic Booster: A less powerful boost that leaves behind corrosive clouds, damaging enemies in pursuit.
- Found on: COV Technical
- Location: Promethea, Neon Arterial; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Jet Booster: A powerful jet engine boost with a charge-up time, delivering exceptional speed once activated.
- Found on: Carnivora Technicals
- Location: Pandora, Carnivora
- Found during the Carnivora chase sequence, only available during this mission.
Cyclone: Nimble and Fast Attacker
The Cyclone is the fastest and most maneuverable vehicle, trading armor for speed and agility.
The Cyclone makes up for its lack of defenses by allowing its driver to outmaneuver other vehicles. It’s armed with an array of fast weapons that can be aimed at 360 degrees.
Catch-A-Ride Station
Cyclone Statistics
- Speed: 17
- Armor: 2
Cyclone Driver Weapons
- Machine Gun: A standard machine gun, reliable and effective.
- Default mod, available from the start.
- Explosive Needle Launcher: Fires volleys of explosive needles that detonate after a short delay.
- Found on: Maliwan Cyclones
- Location: Nekrotafeyo, Desolation’s Edge; Promethea, Meridian Metroplex (True Vault Hunter Mode)
- Sawblade Launcher: Launches powerful, explosive sawblades that deal significant damage.
- Found on: COV Cyclones
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin; Pandora, Devil’s Razor
Cyclone Wheels
- Monowheel: The fastest wheel option for the Cyclone, maximizing its speed potential.
- Default wheel, available from the start.
- Blade Wheel: Offers increased traction and significant bonus ramming damage against flesh.
- Found on: Blade Cyclone
- Location: Promethea, Neon Arterial; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin; Pandora, Devil’s Razor
- Wide Wheel: Improves handling and provides increased durability.
- Found on: Hijack Target Fat Cyclone
- Location: Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
- Hover Wheel: Enables hover mode when activating the e-brake for temporary flight.
- Found on: Maliwan Hover Cyclone
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex
Cyclone Armor
- Stripped Armor: Lightweight armor with no added durability.
- Default armor, available from the start.
- Heavy Armor: Plated armor that increases durability but reduces speed.
- Found on: Heavy cyclone
- Location: Promethea, Meridian Metroplex; Eden-6, Floodmoor Basin
Cyclone Mods
- Heavy Booster: An extremely powerful boost module for maximum speed bursts.
- Default Mod, available from the start.
Express Yourself with Vehicle Skins
Beyond performance parts, Borderlands 3 offers extensive cosmetic customization through vehicle skins. You can personalize your ride with various paint themes and adjust the base colors to truly make it your own.
Skin Themes
Vehicle skins are lootable items that drop throughout the game, just like weapons and gear. They offer a wide range of visual styles to match your personality or faction allegiance.
| Skin Name | Skin Description |
|---|---|
| Default | Classic Look |
| Atlas | You are now sponsored by the Atlas Corporation! |
| Magic Number | “Illusion, Michael” |
| Blue Angels | Who’s the star? You’re the star! |
| Bubblegum | Let’s face it, this paint job would exist even if we didn’t put it here. Chew on this! |
| Children of the Vault | The Calypsos probably wouldn’t like us rocking their color, but who cares? |
| Dahl | You are now sponsored by the Dahl Corporation! |
| Ellie | Ain’t that a beauty? Feel free to change it even though it would break my heart. |
| Follow-Me | Fancy a game of checkers? |
| Forest Camo | Forest Camo? Anyone happen to remember we’re invading a desert planet? |
| Golden Ticket | Big Donny gave his life so you could have this … well you took it from him. |
| Gearbox | Now where have I seen this before …? |
| Halftone | Want this one? Sign here on the dotted line. |
| Hyperion | You are now sponsored by the Hyperion Corporation! |
| Jakobs | You are now sponsored by the Jakobs Corporation! |
| I like dinosaurs | Life huh … finds a way. |
| Leather | A tough leather finish. |
| Maliwan | You are now sponsored by the Maliwan Corporation … wait what? |
| Plaid | So warm and fuzzy |
| Roadkill | Look at this beauty, just like new! Wait, is that blood? |
| Skag | We love Skags. Don’t you? |
| Stealth | For stealthy night operations. Not sure how it works with all these explosives. |
| Thunderbird | Instead of soaring through the sky, you will ram through skags. |
| Torgue | You are now sponsored by the Torgue Corporation! |
| Vaughn’s | Vaughn is serious with this Sunsmasher business. |
| Vladof | You are now sponsored by the Vladof Corporation! |
| Woodland Camo | Ideal for chasing those pesky CoVs on Pandora. |
How to Scan and Unlock Vehicle Parts in Borderlands 3
To expand your vehicle customization options, you need to scan hijacked vehicle parts at a Catch-a-Ride station. Simply drive the hijacked vehicle onto the highlighted digi-struct spots within the station and exit the vehicle. Your ride will be automatically deconstructed, and any new parts will be unlocked for your personal use.
Conclusion: Become a Borderlands 3 Vehicle Customization Expert
Borderlands 3’s vehicle customization system adds a thrilling layer to gameplay. By understanding Borderlands 3 all car parts and how to acquire them, you can build the ultimate vehicle for any situation. Experiment with different combinations of weapons, wheels, armor, and mods to dominate the roads of Pandora and beyond. Get out there, hijack some rides, and become the most stylish and deadly driver in the Borderlands!
