You know that feeling when you walk into Moxxi’s bar, drop a few thousand credits into the jar, and she hands you something that looks like a toy but hits like a freight train? Yeah. That’s the Sweet Embrace Borderlands 4 experience in a nutshell. Honestly, it’s kinda hilarious how many people are overlooking this thing just because it doesn't drop from some massive, world-ending raid boss.
Borderlands 4 has been out for a bit now, and while everyone is busy farming the new Invincibles or chasing Pearlescents, the real ones are back in Ccadia Burn tipping Moxxi until their thumbs hurt.
What Is the Sweet Embrace Anyway?
Basically, it’s a Legendary Maliwan shotgun. But it’s not your typical "charge up and spray" Maliwan. This thing is weird. Like, "why are my bullets flying in a geometric shape" weird. It fires four slow-moving projectiles in a perfect square pattern.
The red text reads: Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
If you’re a lore nerd or just appreciate a good pun, the community finally figured out the joke recently. It fires in a square because you aren't "around." Get it? A round? Circle? Yeah, Gearbox is still like that.
How to Get Your Hands on the Sweet Embrace Borderlands 4 Legendary
Forget about boss farming for this one. You don't need to kill a single Psycho to get it. Well, you need the money first, but you get what I mean.
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- Head over to Moxxi’s Bottoms Up bar in Ccadia Burn.
- Find the tip jar on the counter.
- Start dumping cash.
Here’s the thing: don’t be cheap. Tip in $1,000 increments. If you tip the $100 option, you’re going to be there all night. Usually, after you’ve dropped a significant chunk of change—people are reporting anywhere from $10,000 to a cool million depending on your luck—Moxxi will give you a little "kiss" sound effect. Check your mail or just look at her hands; she’ll hand over either the Sweet Embrace or its twin, the Cold Shoulder.
The Farming Loop
Since money is basically water in the endgame of BL4, this is arguably the easiest "farm" in the game. If you get a version with elements you don't like, just keep tipping. It’s a guaranteed way to get an on-level Legendary whenever you feel like your damage is falling off.
Why the "Adoration" Perk Is Low-Key Broken
The unique ability on this gun is called Adoration. It’s the reason the gun shoots in that square pattern. Now, at first glance, a square pattern sucks for accuracy. If you’re at mid-range, the bullets literally go around the enemy’s head.
But if you use it right? It’s devastating.
- Splash Damage is King: These rounds explode on contact. If you’re running a splash damage build—especially on someone like Rafa or Amon—the overlap of those four explosions is nasty.
- Dual Elements: Being Maliwan, it always rolls with two elements. You can swap them on the fly. Pro tip: look for a Shock/Corrosive roll for general gameplay or a Cryo/Incendiary one if you’re heading into the new Mad Ellie DLC areas.
- The "Hugging" Strategy: Because of the way the projectiles spread, you want to be close. Not "point blank and blow yourself up" close, but close enough that all four pellets hit the torso.
The Secret "Inactive Element" Buff
There's been a lot of chatter on Reddit and Discord about a specific enhancement that drops on the Sweet Embrace Borderlands 4 variant. Some versions come with a perk that grants bonus damage based on the inactive element.
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It sounds confusing. How do you deal damage with a fire element you aren't even using?
Basically, the gun adds a portion of your secondary element’s damage to every shot of your primary one. If you’re shooting Shock, but have Fire as your backup, you’re actually applying Fire DOTs (Damage Over Time) at the same time. This is huge for stripping shields and melting health bars simultaneously without having to swap.
Common Misconceptions and Failings
Look, it’s not a perfect gun. I’ve seen some creators call it "S-Tier," and while it’s close, you have to be careful.
Self-Damage is Real.
Because the splash radius is surprisingly large, you can easily down yourself if a Psycho jumps in your face right as you pull the trigger. And since it’s self-damage, it bypasses health gating. One wrong click and you're staring at the "Fight for Your Life" screen.
Accuracy Stats Lie.
The item card might say the accuracy is decent, but because of the square pattern, it feels like zero. Do not try to snipe with this. You will miss. Every. Single. Time.
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Best Builds for Sweet Embrace
If you're playing Vex, you can actually make the slow projectile speed work for you. Using skills that increase projectile lifetime or add homing capabilities turns the square pattern into a heat-seeking box of death.
For Harlowe players, the high base damage of the Sweet Embrace makes it a prime candidate for "One-Shot" builds if you can line up the pellets. Since each of the four projectiles counts as a separate hit, it triggers "on-hit" effects four times per trigger pull.
Final Verdict: Is It Worth the Tips?
Absolutely. In a game where some Legendaries require you to run the same 20-minute gauntlet 50 times just to get a bad roll, the Sweet Embrace Borderlands 4 is a breath of fresh air. It’s quirky, it’s powerful, and it’s distinctively "Borderlands."
Just watch your feet when you’re firing.
Next Steps for Your Loadout:
Check your current bank balance and head to Ccadia Burn. If you have at least $500,000, you can likely walk away with a "God Roll" version (look for the Binary prefix for extra projectiles). Once you have it, respec into your character's splash damage or elemental efficiency tree to maximize the Adoration perk's explosion radius.