Borderlands 3 SHiFT codes unlock Golden Keys, perhaps the most important resource - or at least the most desired one - in the entire game, since the Golden Key Loot Chests they correspond to often drop incredible loot that always corresponds to the player's level, rounding out their gear near-perfectly any time. SHiFT codes have also traditionally unlocked skin customizations as well, although that appears to be less prevalent in Borderlands 3, at least in the early days of its launch.

Borderlands 3 is receiving strong reviews, with many praising its departure from Pandora to a wider galaxy as all it really took to shake things up in-game enough to vary the franchise's play patterns a little. While the external atmosphere surrounding Borderlands 3 was as cold as the space players traverse between planets leading up to launch, the game's quality shone through once release occurred and players began diving into the min-maxing involved in building the perfect character. With plenty of content planned for the future and a strong base of satisfying, loot-based end-game loops hooking players early, Borderlands 3 seems poised to make a run at other co-op online shooters like Destiny and Anthem.

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Borderlands 3 SHiFT codes are unique as a resource because the thing they often unlock, Golden Keys, are often best reserved for the end-game rather than spent during storyline progression. That's because weapons tend to replace each other fast during the narrative journey and even the best mid-level guns will become obsolete within a small amount of levels, making the finite resource that is Golden Keys crucial as a management element within the game. Luckily, Gearbox Software has so far been pretty generous with Borderlands 3 SHiFT codes, so players will have a chance to make good use of them even if they do manage to burn through the first few inadvertently without realizing how important they are just to gear their favorite character.

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Borderlands 3 SHiFT Codes List & Rewards

  • ZFKJ3-TT3BB-JTBJT-T3JJT-JWX9H - 3 Golden Keys
  • 9XCBT-WBXFR-5TRWJ-JJJ33-TX53Z - 3 Golden Keys
  • ZRWBJ-ST6XR-CBFKT-JT3J3-FRXJ5 - 1 Golden Key
  • Z65B3-JCXX6-5JXW3-3B33J-9SWT6 - 1 Golden Key
  • ZFKJ3-TT6FF-KTFKT-T3JJT-JWX36 - 1 Golden Key
  • HXKBT-XJ6FR-WBRKJ-J3TTB-RSBHR - 1 Golden Key

Borderlands 3 SHiFT Code Resources

Gearbox and studio employees sometimes share time-sensitive Borderlands 3 SHiFT codes. Here's a quick run-down of who to keep tabs on:

How to Get Borderlands 3 SHiFT Codes

Beyond just using this resource to find them, there are other ways to acquire SHiFT codes, usually through Gearbox Software's fan reward program of the same name. Once players sign up for SHiFT, which is required to redeem the codes anyways, they'll be able to link their various gaming accounts to the service and have the SHiFT code redemption tied into whatever platform they play Borderlands 3 on. SHiFT also serves as a useful promotion outside of the codes themselves, playing nicely with the Borderlands 3 ECHOCast extension for Twitch that allows viewers to participate in streamers' playthroughs of the game and sometimes acquire loot simply by watching them.

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How to Use Borderlands 3 Golden Keys

Now that players have actually gained the Golden Keys, how do they use them? It's actually not as straightforward as they might like - there are some players who go through Borderlands 3 without ever realizing they had access to additional content. To redeem a SHiFT code and get a Golden Key, players actually need to navigate to the mail section of the social tab, which isn't really made clear during gameplay and can easily get overlooked, since it doesn't come into play very often outside of with this promotion. Players will also find any other content they acquired through preorders, DLC promotions, and more in this section. Once the player finds their inbox, they simply need to accept the SHiFT code Golden Keys and they will be added to their character inventory.

Each Borderlands 3 Golden Key is a one-time resource that can't be earned again, so players need to be extremely smart about how they use them. First, they need to access the Golden Chest, which is on-board the Sanctuary 3 spaceship that unlocks after the end of the 4th mission in Borderlands 3 that kicks off the intergalactic nature of its adventure. The Golden Chest has its own mini-map icon, so once on Sanctuary 3, it's hard to miss.

Opening a Golden Chest guarantees players loot that's at least Uncommon rarity or above, although it's often much better than that. The loot will also be perfectly matched to the players' level at the time of the Golden Chest's opening, so they'll always be guaranteed to get a weapon that's as high-level as possible for them to still equip. Upon using the Golden Key and acquiring all the loot inside the container, the Golden Chest will then re-seal and be unusable unless a player uses another Borderlands 3 Golden Key to unlock it again.

When Should Borderlands 3 Players Use Golden Keys?

Golden Keys are a finite resource and they're also one of the easiest ways to suddenly be geared for end-game content once a player gets to that point. In no way will the loot routinely be the best-in-slot for a character build, but it will at least give them a much easier time of navigating through Mayhem Mode or True Vault Hunter Mode once those options are unlocked. For that reason, players should avoid using Borderlands 3 Golden Keys until they're very far into the game, potentially even hoarding them until their second playthrough.

The only other time a player should consider using a Golden Key is if they've been horribly unlucky with loot drops and require better gear to have a fighting chance to get through difficult content. While this is extremely unlikely, as Borderlands 3 quests are pretty generous in awarding decent items and the sheer amount of loot generally guarantees players don't get stuck because of gear issues, it's not outside the realm of imagination. In that scenario, simply to save time, using a Golden Key is probably fine.

Next: Borderlands 3 Tips & Tricks For People Who Want To Master The Game