How to get anointed gear and what it does in Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 has millions and millions of different unique pieces of gear in it, and one of the rarest pieces of loot that you can acquire in it is called anointed gear, which is an entirely new type of item exclusive to Borderlands 3. In terms of effectiveness and value, it's similar to other pieces of high-end gear — but how can you get it? Also, what does it even do?

Don't fret over those questions too much, fellow Vault Hunter, for we are here to help. Here's our guide to everything you need to know about pieces of anointed gear in Borderlands 3.

So, what is anointed gear?

Anointed pieces of gear are special items that operate differently when related skills are active. Unlike class mods, which directly boost the effectiveness of perks in your skill trees, anointed gear can change what happens when you use those skills while you have that item equipped. For example, a weapon might get a damage boost when you use a certain skill, or alternatively, the gun might get increased accuracy or a faster reload speed (or something else entirely).

In addition, some anointed pieces of gear are class-specific, and some aren't; for example, one assault rifle I found was designed to specifically work with one of the action skills of the Beastmaster FL4K, while the pistol seen in the screenshot above works with any Vault Hunter's action skill. In the end, though, pieces of anointed gear are an incredibly powerful way to augment your capabilities while using an action skill, and the more class-specific gear offers players an opportunity to specialize their character builds.

Anointed pieces of gear don't have their own tier of rarity, but rather have a very low chance of appearing on weapons from other tiers. You can find anointed pieces of common, uncommon, rare, epic, and legendary items, with the common variety having the highest drop chance and the legendary ones having the lowest.

Where can you get anointed gear?

Anointed gear can be hard to find, but one place you can always get some no matter what is from Crazy Earl's vending machine in front of his store on Sanctuary-3, which is Borderlands 3's "home base" location. You can find a wide selection of anointed items in this machine, but most of them will be of a low rarity, and they'll cost you a hefty amount of Eridium, one of Borderlands 3's rarer currencies. You can find high-tier anointed gear in this machine, usually as an Item of the Day, but it's pretty rare.

You can also get anointed gear in regular vending machines and from chests and containers once you finish Borderlands 3 the first time and begin a new playthrough in Mayhem Mode. It may not be as fast or convenient as shopping at Crazy Earl's, but you won't be burning through your Eridium, and because you'll gain a chance to find anointed loot in places you couldn't before, your chances of getting some will go up significantly. Once you finish the story, anointed gear also has a decent chance to drop as part of the rewards you get for successful runs of the Proving Grounds endgame activity.

Finally, all enemies in the game have a chance to drop anointed items, although they have the worst drop rates out of all of the strategies for obtaining the gear. If you're hoping to find an anointed item this way, it's recommended that you play with a group of friends, as Borderlands 3 increases the chances of rare item drops for players that are in a team together.

Borderlands 3 is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for $60.