In Borderlands 3, the Guardian Rank is the progression system put in place so that you’re rewarded for playing the game really well. Those of you who have played Borderlands 2 will be familiar with the Badass Rank system from that game and may think this new system is pretty much the same. While it’s true that the new system has some similarities to the one from the last game, it’s much more efficient. This guide covers all you need to know about Borderlands 3’s Guardian Rank system.
Borderlands 3 Guardian Rank System
After finishing the Borderlands 3 story mode, an XP bar known as the Guardian level bar will be above your level. As you play, it will get filled up and raise your level. This will earn you Guardian Tokens which will prove valuable later for you to upgrade your skills and stats.
These can also be earned by finishing challenges and generally you earn more if the challenge is tougher. After you’ve gotten some Guardian Tokens, you can redeem them to raise your character’s bonus stats or you can spend them on Guardian Rewards.
Guardian Ranks
Open your in-game menu and select the Guardian Rank tab to spend your Guardian Tokens. There is no limit on how much you can upgrade your Guardian Rank and you can select which stats get upgraded. The available bonus stats for upgrades are:
Enforcer
- Critical Damage
- Grenade Damage
- Gun Damage
- Gun Fire Rate
- Melee Damage
- Vehicle Damage
Hunter
- Accuracy
- Action Skill Cooldown
- Luck
- Recoil Reduction
- Reload Speed
Survivor
- Fight for Your Life Duration
- Fight for Your Life Movement Speed
- Max Health
- Shield Capacity
- Shield Recharge Delay
- Shield Recharge Rate
Alternatively, you can also spend Guardian Tokens on Guardian Rewards.
Guardian Rewards
These are rare perks that you get by spending Guardian Tokens on particular ranks. You have to spend 10, 15, 25, 35, 50, and 75 Guardian Tokens on each Rank stat category. These rewards can range from new cosmetic items or even new effects. The full list of all the Guardian Rewards and their costs is below:
Enforcer
- 10 Tokens: Red Sans Weapon Skin
- 15 Tokens: Inner Fury (Each shot has +10% Gun Damage when in Fight for Your Life)
- 25 Tokens: Overkill (Your next shot gets the excess damage from a previous kill)
- 35 Tokens: Urban Blammo Player Skin
- 50 Tokens: C-C-Combo (Get an extra second of+2% Gun damage)
- 75 Tokens: Hollow Point (Critical hit takedowns cause explosions)
Hunter
- 10 Tokens: Weapon Skin Dead Set
- 15 Tokens: Bullet Collector (15% more ammo in pickups)
- 25 Tokens: Tag and Frag (Grenades regenerate every 10 kills)
- 35 Tokens: Burning Bright Player Skin
- 50 Tokens: Topped Off (Your Action Skill cools down faster at full shields)
- 75 Tokens: Treasure Hunter (Every kill grants 10 seconds of increased luck)
Survivor
- 10 Tokens: Leather and Regret Weapon Skin
- 15 Tokens: Resilient (Get back full health and shields after Fight for Your Life)
- 25 Tokens: Dead Man’s Hand (During Fight for Your Life, you get aim down sights and no aim penalties)
- 35 Tokens: Hex Bolts Player Skin
- 50 Tokens: Shield Reboot (Shield regenerates after taking down a foe)
- 75 Tokens: Emergency Response (Shield Recharge Delay and Rate is better if you have low health)
That covers all you need to know about the Guardian Rank System in Borderlands 3. Be sure to check out our other walkthroughs for more Borderlands 3 related content!
