Yo, Vault Hunters! If you’re grinding through the early game in Borderlands 4 and hit that wall with Spymaster Horace, I’ve got your back. This robo-spy creep is your third main boss in the “Down and Outbound” mission, and he’s a solid farm spot for legendaries like Aegon’s Dream (that GoT-inspired beast of a rifle), Lucky Clover, and Pacemaker. He’s no Splashzone pushover—he’s got shields, adds, and a nasty phase switch—but with the right prep, you can melt him in under a minute on repeat runs. Let’s break it down step by step.
See also: Borderlands 4 SHIFT Codes
Where He’s Lurking
Horace chills at Horace’s Oversight, smack in the Hungering Plain section of The Fadefields (northeast from Coastal Bonescape). Fast travel to Shut-Eye Keep safehouse or Abandoned Post, grab your Digirunner bike if you got it, and burn northeast past some Order trash mobs. The arena’s at the top of this Order Surveillance Center—a big fortress with ladders, grapples, and optional contraband stashes for extra loot (grab ’em for XP and goodies).
Climb the perimeter, clear Syntactic soldiers (those annoying synth adds), hit vending machines on the roof for ammo/gear swaps, then slide down the giant hatch. Boom—fight starts. Pro tip: Moxxi’s Big Encore machine is right outside the entrance. Post-story, pump cash in there to respawn him infinitely. Sells pay for themselves quick.
Prerequisites
Beat the prologue (Guns Blazing) and first two missions: Warden Scathe and Splashzone. You’re around level 6-8 by now, scaling a tad. No fancy skills required, but pack Shock weapons to shred his energy shield (he’s a Warden-type). Grab Incendiary for his flesh bar after. Equip a solid AR or SMG for adds, and something with splash for crowds. Second Wind ready? Keep a low-HP add alive. Glide Pack from Splashzone helps dodging.
Quick Run Walkthrough
- From Outbounders HQ (post-Splashzone), Claptrap/Rush sends you to rescue ’em and nab Horace’s bolt for intel on the Order.
- Digirunner to Oversight—clear perimeter patrols.
- Inside: Ladder/grapple up floors. Optional: Snag 4 contraband crates (marked on map—one in vents, one on crates post-stairs, etc.). Fight a mini-boss Warhead en route.
- Roof: Vend, drop hatch—arena time.
Fight Breakdown
Attacks, Dodges, & Rhythm: Two phases, tight circular arena with cover pillars. Adds spawn constantly—prioritize ’em to avoid swarms. Horace floats Phase 1, goes psycho melee Phase 2. Element randomizes (Shock/Corrosive usually), but Shock owns shields always. Here is a list of attacks:
| Attack | What It Does | Dodge/Pro Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Projectile Volley | Bursts of homing shots from range. | Strafe circles around pillars. Shoot during gaps. game8.co |
| Swarm Projectiles | Erratic bullet hell filling the room. | Keep moving—grapnel to high ground or opposite side. |
| Witness Drone | Flying hunter bot (yellow armor). | Burst it quick; ignore if low—Corrosive if armored up. |
| Adds (Syntactics) | Synth minions from doors. | Headshot priority; save one for FFYL. |
| Phase 2: Scythe Swings | Horizontal sweeps, overhead slams, jumps. | Backpedal + slide/strafe. Stagger him with Incendiary during windup. ign.com |
| Phase 2: Charges | Rushes with scythe spin. | Sidestep, unload crits on stagger. |
Overall Strategy
- Phase 1 (Shields): Shock spam his face while circling. Clear adds every 10-15 secs. Use pillars for breather. Shields drop fast—then brief invuln + Timekeeper chatter.
- Transition: He rips his bolt, drops to ground, Psycho mode. Swap Incendiary/Kinetic.
- Phase 2 (Flesh): Kite wide—strafe swings, punish recoveries. Incendiary staggers interrupts. Arena edges have ledges for height advantage. On Hard+, his scythe DoT lingers—slide out.
Rhythm: Dodge volley → Burst Horace → Clear 2-3 adds → Repeat. 30-sec clears easy once patterned. Farm loop: Encore reset, loot, repeat—scales forever for god rolls. fdaytalk.com
After the Kill
Loot his red-glowing corpse/chest for Spymaster’s Bolt (quest item). Grab XP, scan it later with Conway for story. Head back to Resistance HQ. Replay anytime via Encore for those sweet legendaries—Aegon’s Dream shreds everything early. Sweeet farm!
