Borderlands 4: How to save Quent during Unpaid Tab

Borderlands 4’s Unpaid Tab mission is relatively easy, but it offers you a serious challenge at the end: Save Quent. You only get a minute to figure out the puzzle, and if you can’t, he dies a very unfortunate, painful death. He winds up kidnapped by the Ripper Queen, and her subordinate, Driller Hole, to be forcefully turned into a Ripper, or, just be killed. Either way, it’s not going to be pleasant and he stands a good chance of being taken out.

Unpaid Tab takes place after Siege and Destroy in Borderlands 4, and if you get distracted by all the shiny loot on the ground, you might not have enough time to save Quent. If you’re reading ahead, and want to know what to do, we’re here to help.

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How to save Quent during Unpaid Tab in Borderlands 4

A few moments after defeating Driller Hole in Borderlands 4’s Unpaid Tab mission, the boss gives you one final “gift” from the Queen: the machine turns on, and is getting ready to Ripperfy Quent. You’ll have just one minute to decide what you’re going to do, and if you aren’t in time, he dies.

The above video, at timestamp 54:33 shows exactly what needs to be done. There are three red, glowing pipes in the ceiling that you need to shoot until they explode. They’re glowing bright red and have flames shooting out of them; easy to spot.

You also need to flip the six switches on top of the machine in the center of the room. I blew up the first/closest pipe in the ceiling, ran around the machine flipping the switches, then blew up the remaining pipes in the ceiling. You really don’t have a lot of time, so make sure you’re close enough to both the switches when you’re pulling them to not waste time.

When I completed the saving of Quent in BL4, I was down to 6 seconds. Equip your best, strongest gun too, to make sure you do enough damage to the pipes to obliterate them in short order. Personally, I used the Cold Shoulder shotgun you get from Moxxi's Tip Jar.

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Should you save Quent in Borderlands 4’s Unpaid Tab mission?

Still can't get Quent's name right, huh? (Image via 2K Games)

Perhaps the most interesting thing about saving Quent in Borderlands 4, is that you do not get a reward for it. There’s no extra scene that I saw, other than Zane once again getting Quent’s name wrong. You don’t get bonus exp, guns, or even an achievement.

It’s purely for moral reasons that you save him, or let him die. Quent’s just trying to help his people, and is kind of a dork. But he’s a good person on a planet filled with miserable, evil people that just want to cause chaos. He doesn’t deserve a violent fate at the hands of the Ripper Queen. The right thing to do is to save him; but the game doesn’t punish you if you don’t.

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Check out our other Borderlands 4 guides and features

• All Weapon Manufacturers in Borderlands 4
• Who is the villain of Borderlands 4?
• What are Enhancements in Borderlands 4?
• Does Borderlands 4 have co-op and crossplay?

Edited by Jason Parker