Borderlands 4 Specializations: How to Unlock Prestige Trees, Equip Four Passives & Why Respec Costs 5,000 Eridium

After finishing Borderlands 4’s main campaign you unlock the Specialization system — a separate progression layer that adds passive skills to your character and can significantly change how you play. You start at Specialization level 1, gain a purple Specialization XP bar, and earn one Specialization point each time you level that bar; there is no level cap. You can also create a level-30 character after completing the game once and they will have access to Specialization right away.

What Specialization does and how it levels
How the Specialization trees, nodes and prestige unlocks work

What is Specialization in Borderlands 4?

Specialization is a post-campaign passive-skill system that sits apart from your regular class trees. Each character shares the same Specialization pool, and you spend earned points to unlock nodes that grant passive bonuses. Importantly, you can respec Specialization points, but using a respec machine costs 5,000 Eridium. Also, every character starts with one Specialization point at level one and gains more as they fill the Specialization XP bar.

All Borderlands 4 Specialization skill trees explained

The Specialization system is split into base nodes and prestige nodes. Each base node has three passive skills unlocked by spending points in that node. Prestige nodes connect two base nodes and require you to spend 10 points in each of those two base nodes before the prestige node becomes available. You can equip up to four Specialization passives at a time, but to unlock all four slots you must first spend 30 points across the trees.

Survivor

Survivor is focused on staying alive: it increases your maximum health and shields and offers passives that mitigate damage and help you recover. The node contains three skills you unlock by investing points.

Sturdy Stuff — 1 Specialization point
Bullets Are Scared Of Me — 10 Specialization points
The Best Defense — 20 Specialization points

Brute

Brute is a damage-oriented base node that boosts gun damage. It’s a straightforward choice if you want raw firepower from your weaponry.

Lead or Alive — 1 Specialization point
CQC — 10 Specialization points
Riddle You This — 20 Specialization points

Sharpshooter

Sharpshooter improves reload speed, accuracy, and rewards precise play — ideal for snipers and accuracy-focused builds.

Down But Not Out — 1 Specialization point
In The Zone — 10 Specialization points
One Shot, One Kill — 20 Specialization points

Runner

Runner boosts movement speed and melee damage, making it the go-to base node for melee or hit-and-run playstyles.

Bear Arms — 1 Specialization point
Bullet Train — 10 Specialization points
Groundbreaker — 20 Specialization points

Gadgeteer (Prestige)

Gadgeteer is a prestige node that requires 10 points in Survivor and 10 points in Brute to unlock. It focuses on ordnance use by improving ordnance cooldowns and grenade-related effects.

Tripwire — 1 Specialization point
Full Spectrum Arsenal — 10 Specialization points
Fragmentation Payload — 20 Specialization points

Killer (Prestige)

Killer unlocks after you spend 10 points in Brute and 10 points in Sharpshooter. It raises critical hit and status-damage output, making enemies die faster across many builds.

Contamination — 1 Specialization point
Compounding Affliction — 10 Specialization points
Overkill — 20 Specialization points

Daredevil (Prestige)

Daredevil is the action-skill prestige node and unlocks after placing 10 points in Sharpshooter and 10 points in Runner. It reduces action skill cooldowns and strengthens your main ability.

Now With Caffeine — 1 Specialization point
I Am A Gun — 10 Specialization points
A Honed Mind — 20 Specialization points

In short: Specialization adds a flexible layer of passives unlocked by a separate XP bar, has no level cap, limits equipped passives to four (after 30 points spent), and includes prestige nodes that require investment in two base nodes. Respeccing is possible, but expensive at 5,000 Eridium.