Example of a corrosive weapon
Corrosive weapons are capable of splashing acid onto multiple enemies, causing them to dissolve. Corrosive damage is particularly good at eliminating Crimson Lance, turrets and vehicles in Borderlands. Similarly, in Borderlands 2, Corrosive damage is extremely useful in dealing with loaders, Hyperion soldiers, constructors, and armored enemies of all types (now indicated by yellow health bars). When the elemental effect triggers, the target gains the Corrode status, taking additional corrosive damage over time. The death animation from corrosive damage is a grisly scene in which green acid eats away at the victims' flesh or plate until they are completely dissolved.
Corrosive acids can be formed by many objects and creatures:
- Guns are the most obvious, as corrosion can be found firing from any weapon type.
- Barrels which are green in color contain corrosive acid and explode, releasing a large splash of acid when ignited.
- Grenades can also deal corrosive damage if a "Corrosive" upgrade is on the equipped grenade mod.
- Shields can also produce an acid burst or nova when depleted. These shields can only be manufactured by S&S Munitions
- Creatures can also have the ability to generate acid. All creatures capable of creating acid are also immune to acid.
- Action Skills can be enhanced by a corrosive artifact, creating the corroding effect when used on enemies.
Main Games
Borderlands
Effectiveness
Spiderant Gyro succumbing to corrosive damage
Corrosive attacks inflict 20% less damage against bare flesh or shields (including shielded armor), but 100% additional damage against unshielded armor.
Subsequent attacks against a corroding target enjoy a 15% damage bonus.
Notes
- Lilith and Mordecai have access to class mods that are specifically tuned to enhancing corrosive damage.
- The transition screen tips state that corrosion is good for countering armor. This includes not only Crimson Lance armor, but the armor on skags and vehicles as well.
- All undead creatures from The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned take no damage over time from corrosion.
Borderlands 2
Effectiveness
| Flesh | Shield | Armor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal mode | 90% | 75% | 150% |
| TVHM | 60% | 40% | 175% |
Notes
- Unlike in Borderlands, in later games, subsequent attacks against a corroding target enjoy no additional damage bonus. This effect has been replaced by Slag.
Borderlands 3
Effectiveness
| Flesh | Shield | Armor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal mode | 80% | 70% | 120% |
| TVHM | 65% | 50% | 150% |
Borderlands 4
Effectiveness
Corrosive weapons deal extra damage to armor and reduced damage to shields and flesh. At higher difficulties resistances and weaknesses are both increased.
| Corrosive effectiveness in Borderlands 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Flesh | Shield | Armor | |
| Easy | 90% | 120% | |
| Normal | 75% | 150% | |
| Hard | 50% | 175% | |
Spin-Off Games
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
In Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, corrosive damage is renamed poison, but keeps the basic mechanics of the corrosive element from previous games in the series, with increased damage to armor and reduced to other enemy health types.
Effectiveness
Poison damage effectiveness varies based on both enemy health type and the current difficulty setting.
| Flesh | Ward | Armor | Bone | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relaxed | 95% | 90% | 125% | 95% | ||
| Balanced | 80% | |||||
| Intense | 70% | |||||
| ||||||||