“His Vile Sanctum” is Borderlands 4’s 14th main mission, set across the Terminus Range. You’ll assault Vile Lictor’s fortress, destabilize a Phase device with help from Bruce, breach the gates through rifts, and end by destroying Eridium relics during the boss encounter. Below is a concise, step-by-step path that matches the mission’s actual flow, plus the reliable way to re-enter the fortress if you exit mid-quest.

Mission setup and requirements

Item Detail
Quest order Main Mission 14 (unlocked after Dark Subject)
Starting area Kairos > Terminus Range > Windspear
Quest giver Defiant Calder
Recommended level 18
Core rewards XP, Money, Eridium, Rare Sniper, Armed Collection Vault Hunter Head, Carapacer Vehicle

His Vile Sanctum mission flow

# Objective Notes
1 Reach Vile Lictor’s fortress Follow Amara to the bridge southwest of Windspear (past The Vestal Garrison); fight across.
2 Kill Orbulus Miniboss at the fortress entrance.
3 Return to Belton’s Bore Triggers a cutscene; then follow Defiant Calder.
4 Reach Power Substation (Substation Canonary) Head north (east of Stoneblood Forest); clear Order forces.
5 Find energy spike and locate Calder Progress through marked chambers inside the substation.
6 Team up with Bruce Use Bruce to push through; clear waves while advancing.
7 Escort Bruce to limiter A, B, C At each limiter: destabilize the Phase device and destroy the limiter.
8 Huddle near Bruce to breach Stand by Bruce to trigger the breach to The Low Leys cave.
9 Enter Phase rifts (three times) Use the rifts in sequence to reach the fortress gates.
10 Infiltrate the fortress interior Disable a barrier using a throwable projectile (see details below).
11 Kill Vile Lictor and destroy Eridium relics There are three relics to break during the fight.

Reach the fortress: bridge fight and Orbulus

Meet Amara at the bridge toward Vile Lictor’s fortress and push across together. Expect two notable enemy types as you advance: Thunderheads (a Bulkhead variant with a head-mounted gun in addition to slam attacks) and Lector’s Fists (small drones that charge and explode on contact).

At the entrance, defeat Orbulus to proceed. After this encounter, the mission sends you back to Belton’s Bore for a cutscene and the handoff to Calder’s plan.

Find Substation Canonary and clear the power station

Head north to Substation Canonary (east of Stoneblood Forest). Inside, you’ll track multiple “energy spike” markers through connected rooms while dealing with Order squads. Keep moving; each cleared area advances Calder’s effort to destabilize the local Phase setup.

Eventually, you regroup with Calder and bring in Bruce—your battering ram for the breach sequence.

Escort Bruce and destroy limiters A–C

With Bruce on point, you’ll repeat a loop three times, one per limiter:

  • Escort Bruce to the next limiter while holding off Order units.
  • Interact as prompted to destabilize the Phase device.
  • Destroy the active limiter (A, then B, then C) to drop its safeguards.

Once all three limiters are down, regroup tight with Bruce to initiate the breach.

Breach the fortress through Phase rifts

Huddling near Bruce moves you into a cave in The Low Leys. From here, work through three Phase rifts in sequence. Each rift hops you forward; after the third, you’ll be positioned at the gates of Vile Lictor’s stronghold and can transition inside.

Inside the fortress: disable the barrier and take the elevator

Early in the interior you’ll hit an energy barrier that needs a specific solution:

  • Circle the area to the northwest corner to find a vent you can open.
  • In the next room, first open the right-hand door to access a throwable projectile.
  • Pick up the projectile and toss it onto the barrier to overload it.
  • With the barrier down, enter the elevator behind it and ride up.

Final encounter: destroy Eridium relics and defeat Vile Lictor

The final arena contains three Eridium relics you must destroy as part of the objective. Break all three while managing the boss pressure; once the relics are down and Vile Lictor falls, the mission wraps, and your rewards roll in.

How to re-enter Vile Lictor’s fortress if you leave

If you fast-travel out mid-mission and need to get back inside, return to Substation Canonary (the power substation). Go to the chamber with the energy spike where you previously huddled with Bruce. Standing in that spot will teleport you back to the cave in The Low Leys. Re-enter the Phase rifts from there to reappear at the fortress gates.

Mission rewards

Category Reward
Base XP, Money, Eridium
Weapon Sniper Rifle (Rare)
Cosmetics Vault Hunter Head (Armed Collection), Vehicle Selection (Carapacer)

With His Vile Sanctum cleared, the story moves into Rising Action. If you plan to return to the fortress later for cleanup or exploration, the Substation Canonary return path remains the consistent way back in during the mission phase.