You're in Caustic Caverns. Everything is green, glowing, and trying to melt your face off. If you’ve played Borderlands 2 for more than ten minutes, you know the vibe. But then you pick up a ECHO log from a Varkid or a random box, and suddenly you’re on a scavenger hunt that feels more like a riddle from a sadistic geography teacher. This is the Borderlands 2 The Lost Treasure quest, and honestly, it’s one of the most frustratingly fun side missions in the entire game.
It’s not hard because the enemies are tough. By the time you get here, you’ve probably killed thousands of bandits. It’s hard because the game stops holding your hand.
You get four clues. No waypoints. Just a map that looks like a bowl of neon spaghetti and a vague hint about "switches." Most players end up running in circles around the Acid Seep until they eventually give up and check a wiki. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there.
Finding the ECHO logs: The Part Everyone Forgets
First off, you can’t even start the Borderlands 2 The Lost Treasure quest until you’ve actually progressed far enough in the main story to access Caustic Caverns. Usually, this happens around the time you're dealing with Sanctuary’s "relocation" issues. You find a ECHO recorder dropped by a badass enemy or tucked away in a pile of junk.
The quest tells you to find four clues. These aren't items you pick up; they are physical switches hidden in the environment. The problem is that Caustic Caverns is multi-layered. You think you're standing right on top of a clue? Nope. It’s actually forty feet below you in a tunnel filled with Volatile Crystalicks that want to stomp your brains out.
Let’s talk about the clues.
The first one is under the bridge. Simple enough, right? Wrong. You have to head toward the Infested Warehouse. Look for the massive support pillars holding up the rail tracks. There’s a switch tucked onto the side of one. It doesn’t glow much. It doesn't make a sound. You just have to be looking right at it.
The second clue is in the trash. Or, more specifically, the "Garbage Plant." This area is crawling with Threshers. You’re looking for a small shack. Don't look for a chest; look for a circuit breaker style switch on the wall. If you’re playing on Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM), keep an eye out for Rabid Stalkers here. They will ruin your day while you're trying to read a wall.
Navigating the Varkid Ramparts
The third switch is located high up. You need to head to the Varkid Ramparts, which is that vertical nightmare section of the map. You’ll know you’re in the right spot when the sky turns that sickly orange-green and about fifty billion Larval Varkids start hatching.
Climb. Keep climbing. You’re looking for a switch attached to a metal pillar near the edge of the cliffs. Honestly, the view is great, but don't stand still. The badass Varkids in this area have a nasty habit of spitting corrosive bile that lingers.
👉 See also: Dandys World Ship Chart: What Most People Get Wrong
Finally, the fourth clue is near the elevator. This is the big massive lift that takes you up to the Varkid observatory area. The switch is actually underneath the platform area. It’s sneaky. Gearbox developers clearly had a lot of fun hiding these in spots that defy standard "look at the floor" loot logic.
Flipping the Switches in Varkid Observatory
Once you have all four clues—which basically just means you’ve interacted with four hidden levers—the quest updates. Now you have to go to the very top of the map. This is the Varkid Observatory.
If you haven't cleared the area yet, get ready. You’ve got a long walk.
Inside the building at the top, there are four levers on a console. If you look at the clues in your quest log, they give you a hint about the order. But let’s be real: you just want the loot. The order is usually tied to the hints provided in the ECHO logs, but many players just mash them until the light turns green.
The actual solution? You need to flip them so they all stay down. If you mess up, the game usually resets them. It’s a basic logic puzzle that feels weirdly out of place in a game that is usually about shooting guys in the "midget" category until they explode into money.
Is the Treasure Actually Worth It?
So, you did it. You found the Borderlands 2 The Lost Treasure quest switches, you reached the top, and you opened the red chest. What do you get?
Usually, it’s a Dahl Longbow.
Wait, don’t roll your eyes. The Longbow is a unique sniper rifle. It’s weird. It fires arrows. Actual Minecraft-style arrows. This is a crossover weapon, a nod to the Minecraft Easter egg hidden elsewhere in the Caustic Caverns (where you fight Creepers to get skins).
The Longbow doesn’t have a scope. When you aim down sights, it looks like you’re playing a different game entirely. It deals massive damage, but the projectile speed is slow. You have to lead your targets. It’s a "skill" weapon.
✨ Don't miss: Amy Rose Sex Doll: What Most People Get Wrong
Is it the best sniper in the game? No. That’s probably the Lyuda or the Pimpernel. But is it cool? Absolutely. It’s one of those items that defines the "weird" era of Borderlands gear.
Why This Quest Still Annoys People Ten Years Later
The reason this quest keeps coming up in forums and Reddit threads isn't because it’s bugged. It’s because Caustic Caverns is a masterclass in confusing level design.
The map overlay in Borderlands 2 is 2D. But Caustic Caverns is deeply 3D. There are layers of caves, overhangs, and pipes. The Borderlands 2 The Lost Treasure quest forces you to explore the corners of the map that have zero relevance to the main plot.
Most people miss the switches because they are looking for "lootable" objects. These switches look like background assets. They look like the thousands of other non-interactive boxes scattered around Pandora.
Also, the enemies. God, the enemies.
If you’re doing this on a high Mayhem level or in OP levels, Caustic Caverns is a gauntlet. You have Crystalicks that are immune to everything except melee or explosive damage to their legs. You have Threshers that pull you across the map. You have Varkids that evolve into massive boss-level threats if you don't kill them fast enough.
Doing a scavenger hunt while a Super Badass Varkid is screaming in your ear is a specific kind of stress.
Common Misconceptions and Failures
A lot of players think the quest is broken because the markers don't show up. It's not broken. It's an "unmarked" style quest by design. You have to use your eyes, not the mini-map.
Another common mistake? Thinking the clues are in the boxes. You'll see a lot of people opening every single cardboard box in the warehouse thinking a ECHO log will pop out. Nope. Once you have the initial quest from the corpse/box, the "clues" are just the switches themselves.
🔗 Read more: A Little to the Left Calendar: Why the Daily Tidy is Actually Genius
If you can't find the last switch, it’s almost always the one in the Ramparts. It’s tucked behind a shipping container near a cliff edge that most people sprint past because they’re being chased by a swarm of stingers.
How to Speedrun the Quest
If you’re on your third or fourth character (maybe you're leveling a Krieg or a Gaige and just want the XP), don't fight everything.
- Maya: Use Phaselock to keep the heavy hitters away while you click the switches.
- Salvador: Just Gunzerk and run. You have enough health regen to ignore most of the chip damage from the acid pools.
- Axton/Gaige: Drop your turret or Deathtrap. They act as a distraction. The Varkids will aggro onto the summons, giving you a five-second window to find the switch on the wall.
Honestly, the fastest way is to ignore the enemies entirely. Run to the switch, click it, and keep moving. Most enemies in Caustic Caverns have a "leash" distance. If you run far enough, they’ll stop following you. Except for the Stalkers. Stalkers are jerks and will follow you to the ends of the earth.
The Actionable Path Forward
If you’re stuck right now, stop looking at the map.
Go to the Infested Warehouse first. Walk under the tracks. Look at the pillars. That's one.
Then go to the area with the massive digger/drill. Look for the small buildings near the acid. That’s two.
Head up the circular path toward the Varkid nests. Look at the metal supports near the cliff. That’s three.
Go to the elevator. Check the side panels. That’s four.
Once you’ve got those, head to the Observatory. Flip the levers. Get your Minecraft bow.
This quest is a rite of passage for Borderlands 2 completionists. It’s not about the loot—even though the Longbow is a fun novelty—it’s about proving you actually know how to navigate one of the most complex maps Gearbox ever built.
Grab a corrosive weapon (for the loaders) and an explosive weapon (for the Crystalicks), and get it done. Just watch where you step; the acid is a lot deeper than it looks.