Solve Borderlands 4’s Grisly Meat is Murder: Find the Waterfall Cave, Shut the Grinder, and Snag a Free Pistol
Borderlands 4’s side quest “Meat is Murder” sends you to a ruined farmstead to investigate a grisly serial-killer case, and it’s more about clues than quest markers. You’ll talk to a survivor in the barn, check four evidence points, sabotage the grinder’s coolant, then track a follower into a cave by a waterfall. The mission also gives XP, cash, Eridium and a pistol at the end.
‘Meat is Murder’ quest location in Borderlands 4
You can start the quest at Harper’s Hideaway in the Fadefields region. Specifically, it’s northwest of the Abandoned Outpost you unlock after the “Recruitment Drive” main quest once you have the elevator. Expect rippers outside and inside the barn, so come prepared with decent weapons and, ideally, a vehicle to speed up travel.
Clear the rippers, destroy the beams at the barn entrance, then speak to Byron inside. He gives you the backstory and asks for help identifying who killed his cousin — that’s when the side quest officially begins.
‘Meat is Murder’ walkthrough in Borderlands 4
Investigate the barn
Once the quest is active, the game gives minimal direction, so you need to inspect four specific spots in the barn:
- The ripper vehicle lodged in the left-center of the barn
- The tally board to the left of the entrance (southeast corner)
- Dismembered body parts on the table in front of the meat grinder
- The animal corpse at the barn’s entrance
After investigating all four pieces of evidence, interact with the radio on the table next to the limbs and listen to the killer’s message. Then Byron will ask you to shut the grinder off so he can get what’s left of his cousin down.
Shut off the grinder (and blow the coolant)
The grinder switch on the nearby platform is malfunctioning. Byron tells you to go outside and sabotage the coolant regulators. Exit through the door to the right of the grinder, approach each coolant tank, open the hatch, and destroy the regulator — either by shooting it or throwing a grenade in. Do this on both sides.
Return to the barn, shoot the body down, then investigate the remains. Rippers will respawn; defeat them to clear the area. After that, head to a tool shop in Fadefields to restock if needed — the shop sits south of the Fishin’ Spot point of interest and has one NPC outside to trade with.
How to find the cave behind the waterfall
Your final objective points you north to Plungeford, a large ripper encampment. However, the cave is at the very top of the settlement, next to a waterfall — not behind it or behind smaller falls lower down. You can clear the rippers for XP or ignore them and enter the cave directly.
Inside the cave you fight Zeke, who is a follower of the murderer but not the killer himself. Defeat Zeke, listen to the radio inside, and the quest concludes.
‘Meat is Murder’ rewards in Borderlands 4
Completing the quest gives you:
- Cash
- Eridium
- Experience points
- A pistol (quality may be uncommon, rare, or epic)
The exact cash and XP scale with your level at completion, and the pistol type appears to be random. If you want to run the mission again, open the ECHO-4 menu, go to the “missions” tab, and pick it from the “replayable missions” list.
Finally, if you’re new to Kairos, consider checking guides for general survival tips and the latest SHIFT codes for free drops. Those resources can help you get more from side quests like this one.
