Borderlands 4 Sage Against the Machine walkthrough

The Sage Against the Machine mission in Borderlands 4 is one of the many humorous side-quests that the world of Kairos is teeming with. Found in the Terminus Range, this quest has the Vault Hunter try to attain inner peace by following the guidance of an "enlightened" Ripper bandit.

This guide explains all there is to know about the mission, including objectives, rewards, and more. Here are the details.

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Borderlands 4 Sage Against the Machine step-by-step guide

Sage Against The Machine side quest location on the map (Image via 2K)

• Quest giver: Brody Sattva
• Location: Stoneblood Forest, Terminus Range
• Prerequisites: Finish the main mission "A Lot to Process"
• Rewards: XP, Cash, Assault Rifle (Uncommon to Epic rarity), and Eridium

This side mission becomes available as soon as you unlock the Terminus Range biome after defeating the Oppressor (main story boss) and talking to Zadra in her lab. The quest is located in the Stoneblood Forest and can be picked after discovering the area via exploration.

It is given by a Ripper NPC called Brody Sattva, who is eager to help the Vault Hunter achieve inner peace. To do this, he hands them a "mood rock" and tasks them with completing several objectives. Here is a short rundown of everything that needs to be done:

• Take mood rock
• Find Path of Opportunities
• Cultivate awareness of rippers (by killing them)
• Reach Stones of Balance
• Reach the highest point
• Check in with mood rock
• Pick up mood rock
• Reach Den of Acceptance
• Talk to your negative self OR Smack your negative self
• Kill your negative self…and its friends
• Return to Brody
• Place mood rock
• Turn mood rock
• Loot your reward

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Borderlands 4 Sage Against the Machine side quest walkthrough

Mood rock in Borderlands 4 (Image via 2K)

Head to Brody Sattva on the marked location in Southern Stoneblood Forest and pick up the "Ego Prism" quest item after talking to him to begin the Sage Against the Machine side mission.

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Path of Opportunities objective

Head here for the first objective (Image via 2K)

The first objective is to find the Path of Opportunities, meaning tracking down the nearby objective that leads Vault Hunters to a location called Crueltown, which is teeming with Ripper enemies.

As with most things in Borderlands 4, the Vault Hunter must kill all Rippers that spawn in this area.

• Enemies will spawn both on ground level as well as the levels above and at the backside of the camp
• Clear them out to have Brody Sattva talk again before updating the objective.

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Stones of Balance objective

The second objective is near Crueltown (Image via 2K)

The next step in achieving enlightenment, like the great Brody Sattva, is to find the Stones of Balance, which leads to another nearby area. This is a platforming challenge, as you must climb the towering shack to reach the marked vantage point.

• Starting from the ground floor, reach the upper area by mantkling onto it.
• Climb the nearby ladder, and then get onto the roof.
• Glide across onto the hanging platform and hop over to the marked rocks.

A simple platforming challenge awaits (Image via 2K)

Place the mood rock onto the rock pile, wait for Brody Sattva to be done talking, and pick it back up. The third and final step of the Sage Against the Machine quest in Borderlands 4 is to reach the Den of Acceptance, located just a stone's throw away from this parkour challenge.

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Den of Acceptance objectives

Talk to him or smack him, the outcome doesn't change (Image via 2K)

Glide down from the Stones of Balance vantage point to the marked area and talk to a Splice Ripper foe called Ricky Roles.

• Pick between the two options: talk to him or smack him (by pressing the melee button). Regardless of which approach is picked, the outcome will be the same.
• A swarm of Splice Rippers will spawn around the arena, and you'll need to take them down.
• Wait for Brody Sattva to talk and approach him at the nearby counter
• Place the mood rock down on the desk, then flip it
• Collect the cash reward from the nearby cash loot box

Brody Sattva's next client will soon arrive, spooked by the Ripper's appearance, leading to the sagely bandit meeting an untimely death. While this wraps up the Sage Against the Machine side mission in Borderlands 4, you can talk to this new NPC (named Wayward Soul) to start another side quest, "The Next Quest thing".

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Borderlands 4 is available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Check out more articles on Borderlands 4:

• Beginner tips and tricks
• All Augur Shrine locations guide
• Elemental Affinities cheat sheet