Borderlands 4‘s “Meat is Murder” quest kicks off an investigation into a dangerous serial killer, and it all starts at a farm. Well, it used to be a farm. Now it’s just a place where a lot of dead bodies are. It’s also a convenient area to farm experience points and a chance to get a decent pistol once you finish the first leg of the investigation.
Our Borderlands 4 “Meat is Murder” walkthrough breaks down each step, including investigating the barn and finding the supposed killer behind a waterfall.
‘Meat is Murder’ quest location in Borderlands 4
You can pick up the “Meat is Murder” quest at Harper’s Hideaway in the Fadefields region. It’s northwest of the Abandoned Outpost base you capture after clearing the “Recruitment Drive” main quest and gaining access to the elevator, but you’ll want to come prepared with a good selection of weapons. Its days of bucolic tranquility are long gone, and the spot is a ripper base now. We also recommend putting this quest on hold until you get a vehicle. There’s a bit of travel involved, and riding your digibike makes things go a lot faster.
Anyway, when you’re ready, clear all the rippers outside the barn and inside, and then look to the right of the barn entrance. Destroy the beams barricading the door, and speak to Byron inside. He’ll tell you what happened — it’s a long story that you can’t skip — and then when he asks for your help identifying who killed his cousin, you can officially accept this as a side quest.
‘Meat is Murder’ walkthrough in Borderlands 4
And after it begins, it leaves you to guess at what to do next, with no quest markers and minimal help from Byron. What you need to do is investigate four points of interest inside the barn:
- The ripper vehicle jutting out of the ground in the left-center of the barn
- The tally board to the left of the entrance, in the barn’s southeast corner (behind the ripper vehicle)
- The dismembered body parts on a table in front of the meat grinder
- The corpse of an animal at the barn’s entrance
After you’ve investigated all four pieces of evidence, interact with the radio on the table next to the dismembered limbs. Wait for the killer’s monologue to end, and then Byron asks for help getting what’s left of his cousin down by shutting the grinder off. The switch is on the platform to your left, but as you see when you try to shut it off, it’s malfunctioning.
Byron tells you to go out back and blow up the coolant regulators. Exit the barn via the door to the right of the meat grinder, and approach the coolant tank from either side. Open the hatch, fire at the regulator device or throw a grenade in there, and then repeat these actions on the other side.
Go back into the barn, shoot the body down, and investigate what’s left of Harper’s body. More rippers show up after that, and once you defeat them, your next stop is a tool shop in the middle of the Fadefields, south of the Fishin’ Spot point of interest. Speak to the only person wandering around outside the tool shop and, if necessary, replenish your ammo.
How to find the cave behind the waterfall
The final step takes you further north to Plungeford, a large ripper encampment, but the objective is a bit misleading. The cave is next to a waterfall at the top of the settlement, not behind it or any of the smaller waterfalls in Plungeford. You can deal with all the rippers for a healthy amount of experience points or just ignore them and enter the cave. Inside is Zeke, a devoted follower of the murderer — but not the murderer himself. Defeat him, listen to the radio, and then the quest ends.
‘Meat is Murder’ rewards in Borderlands 4
For all your effort, you get:
- Cash
- Eridium
- Experience points
- A pistol that may be uncommon, rare, or epic
In our experience, the amount of cash and points earned seems to vary depending on your level when you complete the quest, and the type of pistol you get doesn’t appear to be set, either. If you want to replay the mission for more rewards, open the ECHO-4 menu, navigate to the “missions” tab, and select it from the “replayable missions” section.
If you’re just getting started in Borderlands 4, check out our essential tips for surviving on Kairos, and keep up to date with the latest SHIFT codes for some free drops. We’ve also got a breakdown of all weapon and part manufacturers in Borderlands 4, an explainer for how to get more SDU tokens, and a list of every silo and safehouse location to help you on your travels.
