This portion of the Borderlands 3 guide catalogs red text weapons and attempts to determine their secret effect. Red text is also known as flavor text. It appears on all Legendary Weapons but it’s not exclusive to just legendaries.

Pistols

Red Text Known Effects
It’s closer than you think! (no it isn’t) Weapon can fire infinitely without using additional ammo
Memento Mori ?
Hey there, superfan! Weapon will constantly ridicule you in Tyreen Calypso’s voice
Yedesh na den’, khleba beri na nedelyu (text is Russian for “If you go for a day trip, take a week’s supply of bread”) Weapon magazine has a vastly increased capacity

Shotguns

Red Text Known Effects
So, my demons. Your time has come. Weapon’s spread fires out a pentagram pattern, guitar riff plays for every shot.

Assault Rifles

Red Text Known Effects
When you charge, yell like Furies ?
Grants the mystical art of exploding smallhands Weapon deals corrosive damage that will explode enemies killed by its corrosion
By one, by two, by three Weapon alternates burst fire modes with each trigger pull: one shot, two shots, and three shots.
Splish splash Weapon fires bullets that shatter on impact into exploding shards that rain across the ground.
Suppressing fires! ?
Set Faisers to kill. Weapon shoots highly concentrated radiation beams at opponents.

SMGs

Red Text Known Effects
Say “cryptocurrency!” Weapon shoots spouts of consistent flames instead of bullets. When reloading, weapon tossed will sprout legs to chase and fire upon enemies.
Now, you will rise Weapon fires corrosive bullets that will cover targets in a cloud of poison that follows them.
I believe ya, but my tommy gun don’t ?
You can’t explain that Weapon fires shots in a spread of 5 bullets across a horizontal line spread, and deal different elemental damage at random.

Sniper Rifles

Red Text Known Effects
One is enough ?
Stark Krakatoa Enemies killed by this weapon will find a small volcano sprouting on their corpse that will explode to deal fire damage to those around them.
Welcome to the End Weapon fires laser rounds that ricochet off of surfaces.
You don’t get into woodblocks unless you are ready to f*** ?

Rocket Launchers

Red Text Known Effects
Damn near killed ’em Weapon unleashes a spread of four rockets laced with radioactive elements per shot.
Crack the skye Rockets fired from this weapon that hit the ground will rise up into the air for a moment before exploding with increased splash damage.

Shields

Red Text Known Effects
Warning: Containment failure Shield provides full radioactivity immunity, while damaging nearby enemies with a constant radioactive cloud.
There’s more than your eye can see Shield provides full shock immunity, and powers your shield instead of damaging you.

Grenades

Red Text Known Effects
Beltalowda! Grenade duplicates into a ring of several grenades before warping to the target to explode in a burst.