Borderlands 4 patch 1.11: new stutter, shader compiling and the reported Denuvo removal

Borderlands 4 got its Version 1.11 update on October 22, and on PC it left two stories that do not quite fit together. PC Gamer reports that the patch triggered a flurry of performance complaints, and according to PC Gamer, Gearbox says the new stuttering problems “should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile.” At the same time, TechPowerUp and PC Games Hardware report that the patch appears to have removed Denuvo and that some players are seeing higher frame rates. On October 1 we covered which graphics cards cleared the requirements while the game was 50% off. What is new is how the game runs after this patch.

What is going on with patch 1.11

• Stutter: according to PC Gamer, the patch set off a flurry of performance complaints, and Gearbox ties the new stutter to shader compiling. Separately, TechPowerUp notes that some players still see severe frame rate dips even after the update.
• Denuvo: according to TechPowerUp and PC Games Hardware, the patch appears to have quietly removed Denuvo DRM. The game’s binaries are 171.69 MB smaller, and several packages are gone from the game files. The patch notes do not mention it, and there is no official confirmation. TechPowerUp notes the game still uses Symbiote, 2K’s in-house DRM.
• Higher fps: TechPowerUp cites content creator EpicNNG, who saw 1440p frame rates at medium settings go from around 50 fps to 70-80 fps. TechPowerUp also points out there is no hard benchmarking data to back this up. PC Games Hardware warns that nobody can say where the gain comes from, since the same patch includes stability and performance optimizations. In its own lab tests over recent years, Denuvo moved CPU fps by at most five percent.

The official Version 1.11 notes focus mostly on fixes for Story Pack 2: FL4K and the Last Resort and on balance changes for Loveless, the newest Vault Hunter.

What to do if you see stutter

Here is what the sources say:

• Give it time: according to PC Gamer, Gearbox says the new stutter should resolve as the shaders finish compiling.
• Make sure the patch is applied: the Version 1.11 notes ask players to restart the game so the update goes through and to prevent connection errors in matchmaking.
• If problems continue: the notes point players to 2K Support and the PC Troubleshooting Guide.

Borderlands 4 PC requirements

The RTX 3060 and RTX 4060 clear the minimum but grade D against the recommended, so they run the game with little headroom. The RTX 3070 moves up to C. The RTX 4070 clears the recommended but still grades C. The RTX 5070 and the RX 9070 XT grade B. The RTX 2060 falls short of the minimum. Grades are measured against the recommended and assume 16 GB of RAM, while the recommended asks for 32 GB.

On Steam Deck, Valve rates it Verified. You can find more details on its Steam Deck page.

Can your PC run Borderlands 4?

Here is how your rig grades against Borderlands 4 and Borderlands 3:

Game	Rec. GPU score	Rec. RAM	Min. RAM	Your PC
Borderlands 4	25,040	32 GB	16 GB	?
Borderlands 3	9,850	16 GB	6 GB	?

The full game page shows your grade with your detected GPU and RAM.

Sources: PC Gamer, TechPowerUp, PC Games Hardware, Borderlands 4 on Steam, Version 1.11 update notes