Borderlands 4 introduces four new Vault Hunters, each bringing unique playstyles, traits, and action skills to the chaotic world of Kairos. Whether you prefer solo runs, team-based synergy, brutal melee brawling, or advanced elemental setups, there’s a class designed for you. This guide covers every Vault Hunter in detail, reordered for playstyle focus rather than roster listing.
| Vault Hunter | Playstyle | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Rafa – Exo-Soldier | Run-and-Gun, Turrets, Ordnance | Solo players, reliable DPS |
| Harlowe – Gravitar | Crowd Control, Elemental, Support | Co-op support, crowd control |
| Amon – Forgeknight | Melee, Elemental, Tanking | Melee-focused, tanky builds |
| Vex – Siren | Summoner, Elemental, Bleed Builds | Advanced builds, endgame bossing |
1. Rafa – The Exo-Soldier
Playstyles: Run-and-Gun, Turrets, Ordnance
Similar Characters: Roland, Axton, Wilhelm, Zane
Character Trait: Overdrive – Using an action skill triggers Overdrive, granting bonus gun damage and movement speed. Lasts for the duration of your action skill and 12 seconds afterward.
See also: Oddman Borderlands 4 – Punch or Shoot Choice Explained
Rafa is this game’s run-and-gun character, utilizing a Tediore suit to enhance his combat prowess with unique action skill weapons. He plays like a mix of Zane and Wilhelm, although you can use augments to mimic the classic soldier classes seen in previous Borderlands games—Roland, Axton, and Moze.
Skill Trees
- Peacebreaker Cannons: Deploy two shoulder cannons that automatically damage targets. Focus on action skill effectiveness, ricochets, and gun damage.
- Arc-Knives: Swap your weapons for arm-mounted blades that mark targets, increasing damage taken. Focus on melee damage, mobility, and splash damage.
- APOPHIS Lance: Wield an arm cannon that fires explosive beams. Focus on ordnance, weapon performance, and status effects.
Most players are running Peacebreaker Cannons due to their absurd damage output when upgraded, allowing you to clear entire combat encounters without shooting any of your guns. Arc-Knives are great if you want to get up close and personal with your foes, while the APOPHIS Lance tree is perfect for players who want to use their ordnance equipment like a fifth gun.
Action Skills
- Peacebreaker Cannons: Rafa equips shoulder-mounted cannons that fire at enemies in front of him for a duration. Can be ended early to refund part of the cooldown.
- Arc-Knives: Rafa equips Arc-Knives, blades that deal melee damage and mark enemies. Light attacks are standard slashes, heavy attack is a dash, and the action skill unleashes a blade fury that damages marked targets but ends the skill prematurely.
- APOPHIS Lance: Rafa equips an offhand arm cannon that decreases gun handling while active. Firing launches piercing blasts dealing Shock ordnance damage that explode on hit. Charging increases damage and marks targets for bonus damage.
2. Harlowe – The Gravitar
Playstyles: Crowd Control, Elemental Effects, Support
Similar Characters: Lilith, Maya, Aurelia, Amara
Character Trait: Entanglement – Using an action skill on enemies will Entangle them, sharing a portion of all gun and skill damage to other Entangled targets.
Harlowe is effectively Maya from Borderlands 2 with a greater emphasis on support capabilities for her squad. She uses experimental equipment to mimic Siren powers from previous installments, allowing her to Phaselock targets or bless her allies with improved damage and survivability. She’s a highly versatile character and always worth having in a squad.
Skill Trees
- CHROMA Accelerator: Launch an explosive projectile that passes through enemies and deals immense damage. Focus on Cryo and Radiation damage.
- Flux Generator: Deploy a bubble shield that deals Cryo damage to enemies within and regenerates allied shields. Focus on team buffs and weapon performance.
- Zero-Point: Lock an enemy in stasis. Cast again to slam them into the ground. Focus on crowd control, splash damage, and enemy debuffs.
Zero-Point is Maya’s Phaselock ability from Borderlands 2 but with far more customization options through augments, making this a great skill tree for debuffing targets. If you want to dish out damage yourself, the CHROMA Accelerator tree allows you to deal some immense Cryo and Radiation damage. And if you’re interested in supporting your team, nothing tops the Flux Generator tree.
Action Skills
- CHROMA Accelerator: Fire an Unstable Energy Pocket, dealing Cryo damage to all enemies it passes through. Can be recast to detonate, dealing Radiation AoE.
- Flux Generator: Deploys an energy bubble that damages enemies with Cryo while giving allies Overshields. Can be picked up and tossed again when recast.
- Zero-Point: Locks enemies in stasis for a duration. Immune targets instead take damage. Recast slams them into the ground, creating an explosion.
3. Amon – The Forgeknight
Playstyles: Melee, Elemental Effects, Tanking
Similar Characters: Brick, Krieg, Aurelia, Amara
Character Trait: Forgeskill – Amon gains a Forgeskill based on his current action skill. Holding the ability button activates it. Forgeskills deal action skill damage in addition to their intrinsic types, but do not benefit from cooldown.
If you want to play as the Doomslayer in Borderlands, Amon is your character. He’s a juggernaut who demolishes foes with brutal melee attacks and elemental effects. Each skill tree specializes in different aspects of his destructive style.
Skill Trees
- Onslaughter: Infuse fists with fire for rocket punches. Focuses on melee damage, gun damage, and fire/shock effects.
- Crucible: Wield two combat axes that can be thrown and retrieved to refund cooldown. Focuses on ordnance, mobility, and elemental priming.
- Scourge: Wield a shield that absorbs incoming damage and grants resistance. Focuses on survivability, Cryo effects, and incendiary properties.
Onslaughter effectively turns the game into Doom Eternal, letting you leap across battlefields with rocket punches while amplifying your gun-melee loop. Scourge is smoother for leveling, especially with the Ring of Frostfire augment, and Crucible offers insane elemental chaos.
Action Skills
- Onslaughter: Overloads Amon’s Forgefist, regenerating shields, adding incendiary damage to guns, and boosting movement speed. Melee becomes Rocket Paunch, dashing forward with explosive fire damage.
- Crucible: Equips Forgeaxes with three charges. Flame and Frost Axes prime enemies, detonating on death or with Forgeskill damage. Axes picked up refund cooldown.
- Scourge: Equips a Forgeshield that absorbs frontal damage as Vengeance. When filled, provides damage resistance. Recasting launches a Cryo Forgewave that consumes Vengeance for extra damage.
4. Vex – The Siren
Playstyles: Summoner, Elemental Damage, Bleed
Similar Characters: Lilith, Gaige, Athena, FL4K
Character Trait: Phase Covenant – Vex is attuned to the elemental type of her current gun, converting all action skill and elemental damage into that type.
Vex is this game’s Siren, blending mystical power with summoning and high-DPS builds. She excels in late-game boss fights and offers multiple flexible paths depending on whether you prefer minions, clones, or raw elemental nukes.
Skill Trees
- Phase Phamiliar: Summons Trouble, a phantom ally that respawns on cooldown. Great for minion-heavy or casual play.
- Incarnate: Enhances combat abilities, adds Eldritch Blast, lifesteal, and bleed DoTs. Excellent for bleed-focused bossing builds.
- Dead Ringer: Creates phantasmal clones of Vex that mirror her attunement. Strong for leveling with clone-based DPS.
Action Skills
- Phase Phamiliar: Teleports Trouble to enemies, dealing AoE damage, then transforms it into a Badass form with restored HP and increased damage.
- Incarnate: Creates a Phase Explosion that restores health and unlocks Eldritch Blast, a ranged projectile that scales with gun damage.
- Dead Ringer: Spawns Phase Clones (Specter or Reaper). Specters fire guns from fixed positions; Reapers taunt and melee. Clones lose HP over time but deal high damage, with three charges available.
How to Choose the Best Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4
- Solo Players: Vex (Dead Ringer) or Rafa (Peacebreaker Cannons) for sustained DPS.
- Melee Fans: Amon’s Onslaughter and Crucible trees deliver brutal close-range power.
- Support Roles: Harlowe’s Flux Generator keeps teams alive and amplifies damage.
- Endgame Bossing: Vex’s Incarnate and Rafa’s APOPHIS Lance excel against tough encounters.
Borderlands 4’s Vault Hunters offer more build diversity than ever. Whether you want to control the battlefield with spectral clones, smash foes with fiery fists, or rally your team with supportive shields, the game has a character to match your style. Experiment with different skill trees, synergize with friends, and you’ll find endless replay value in Kairos. Play Now!
