The world of Borderlands 4 is brimming with chaotic encounters, iconic characters, and intricate missions. Occasionally, a glitch or mechanical hiccup may interfere with progression, leaving players scratching their heads. Among these issues, one of the more frustrating ones is the Vile Lictor elevator not working — an obstacle that can halt your campaign at a critical moment. If you’ve found yourself stranded at this malfunctioning lift, don’t worry; this guide will walk you through all the available solutions, step by step.
TLDR
If your Vile Lictor elevator isn’t working in Borderlands 4, first try reloading your last save or leaving and re-entering the area. Make sure all enemies in the zone have been eliminated, as some events won’t trigger until combat is over. If those steps fail, try playing the section in co-op or restarting the console. Gearbox may patch the issue soon, but for now, these workarounds have helped players move forward.
Understanding the Problem
The Vile Lictor elevator is located within one of the mid-game vault areas in Borderlands 4. It typically activates after you defeat a wave of mobs or complete an event. However, many players have reported that the elevator:
- Doesn’t respond to the activation button
- Gets stuck partway through its movement
- Never appears at all in the elevator shaft
From what we’ve gathered across community forums, Reddit discussions, and firsthand testing, the problem can usually be traced to trigger-based scripting that fails to initiate.
Step-by-Step Fixes for the Vile Lictor Elevator Bug
1. Ensure All Enemies Are Defeated
This may sound obvious, but in Borderlands 4, many mechanics are tagged to combat completion triggers. If even one enemy is hidden behind cover or glitched into the environment, the script to activate the elevator may not run. To fix this:
- Re-explore every part of the room
- Use AoE (area of effect) weapons to flush out hidden enemies
- If playing co-op, have one player climb into unusual spots — sometimes enemies get stuck in geometry
After defeating all enemies, wait about 30 seconds. Sometimes the elevator takes a moment to activate.
2. Exit and Re-enter the Area
If the elevator still isn’t doing anything, try backtracking to a different zone. Borderlands 4 autosaves frequently, so:
- Fast travel to the previous safe zone or checkpoint
- Re-enter the Vile Lictor vault and allow the game to reload NPC and object states
- Approach the elevator again after running through the combat encounter
Why this works: Sometimes level scripts only correctly trigger on the initial load or after a reset. This method essentially forces a re-run of the sequence.
3. Reload Your Game
A quick reload is often enough to get things back in alignment. Here’s what to do:
- Open the pause menu
- Select “Quit Game” (not just Resume or Restart from Checkpoint)
- Then reload your campaign save
By reinitializing the level instance, stuck or inactive triggers might reset appropriately.
4. Use Co-op Mode to Your Advantage
Interestingly, some players report the elevator works more reliably in multiplayer sessions. If you’ve been stuck playing solo up to this point, now’s a good time to invite a friend or open your session to matchmade teammates. Benefits of trying co-op include:
- Level scripts having better reliability under multiple player triggers
- Your co-op partner can sometimes see or access things you can’t
- Faster room clearance for combat-triggered elevators
If the elevator works for one player, it may sync and become usable for everyone. This forces your host’s world state to dominate, which cuts through some of the hang-ups caused by desynchronization of scripted events.
5. Restart Your Console or PC
As simple as it sounds, a complete hardware restart clears memory cache and resets gameplay processes that could be causing the problem. Before you try heavier methods (like reinstalling the game), shut down your system entirely and relaunch Borderlands 4. This method has worked for players on:
- Xbox Series X/S
- PlayStation 5
- PC via Steam or Epic Games
Note that closing the game alone doesn’t equal a full restart. Power off your system completely for the best result.
6. Look for Hotfixes and Updates
Gearbox is known for pushing regular hotfixes addressing bugs — especially shortly after major game releases. If you’re experiencing this elevator issue:
- Navigate to the game’s main menu and wait 15 seconds for any hotfixes to auto-load
- Check for a patch by confirming your game is up to date within your platform’s store
- Visit the official Gearbox Software website or their Twitter/X page for patch notes
Sometimes bugs like this are fixed in under a week — although they can take longer depending on severity and player volume.
What NOT to Do
While searching for solutions, some players try extreme methods that can risk corrupting saves or destabilizing progress in other forms. For your safety, avoid:
- Using console command mods: These can crash multiplayer sessions or prevent further mission progression
- Trying to jump glitch your way to the top: You may reach the upper level, but without triggering the proper scripts, the next NPCs or scenes won’t load
If you’re feeling desperate, trust that community-tested methods and official updates remain your safest and most reliable avenues.
Preventing Similar Bugs in the Future
While the unpredictable nature of bugs in an open-world shooter like Borderlands 4 means you can’t avoid everything, here are a few habits to improve session stability:
- Save often, especially before entering named areas like Vile Lictor
- Avoid button-mashing interact sequences — let in-game narrations and triggers complete naturally
- When glitches do occur, report them directly via the 2K Support Page so developers are alerted faster
Conclusion
The Vile Lictor elevator glitch is certainly an annoying part of an otherwise thrilling chapter of Borderlands 4. Fortunately, by following well-tested steps like eliminating enemies, reloading the map, playing co-op, or restarting your platform, you can sidestep this bug and keep the momentum going. With a bit of patience and persistence, the path forward in your vault-hunting journey will reopen — elevator and all.
Keep your weapons hot, your eyes open, and most of all, your fingers off that broken elevator button — at least until it’s ready to go.