A new Borderlands means a new set of Vault Hunters to pick from, and Borderlands 4 comes with four different characters at launch. For the uninitiated, Vault Hunters are the focal point of the game’s class system, with each character being a unique archetype designed with a specific playstyle in mind. All four characters feature fleshed-out skill trees alongside passive abilities and signature action skills, which can make picking between them tricky. If you want to learn more about them, check out everything about all the Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4 so far here.
All Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
As mentioned earlier, Borderlands 4 will feature four Vault Hunters at launch, continuing the series’ tradition. While the four characters are brand-new, they slot into familiar archetypes such as the Siren, the Berzerker/Tank, and the high-tech Soldier. Here’s an overview of each Vault Hunter, including a look at their action skills:
1. Vex, The Siren
Sirens are arguably the most iconic archetype in Borderlands, and the latest character to join their ranks is Vex. Armed with a cynical and sarcastic demeanour on account of her rough upbringing, Vex is a ‘dark Siren’ who can manifest physical beings into existence.
One of her action skills, Phase Phamiliar, lets her summon a feline friend called Trouble into battle. The purple-colored sabertooth cat is actually based on the real-life pet of Nick Thurston, the game’s lead designer, and it can fight autonomously alongside Vex. The cat can further transform into a Badass, and while it can be killed, it will respawn once again.
Her second action skill, called Dead Ringer, sees the character create three clones of herself. On triggering the skill, players can either summon Reapers carrying scythes or Spectres equipped with guns. The final action skill we know of is called Incarnate, and it allows Vex to dish out Eldritch blasts, all while regenerating her health. These abilities make the Siren an excellent crowd control character who can draw enemy aggro off herself quite easily.
2. Rafa, the Exo-Soldier
Born and raised in microgravity, alterations to Rafa’s bone structure and musculature made it impossible for him to survive on his own. As a result, he signed up to tour with Tediore’s military force, not knowing that he was signing his life away to the weapons manufacturer. After realizing the corporation’s true intentions, Rafa went AWOL. However, his freedom has a timer on it, since the exo-suit keeping him alive could also kill him at any time.
Tussling with the possibility of an unremarkable death every day, Rafa has developed a devil-may-care attitude. He now lives to quench his thirst for adventure, which is reflected nicely in his dialogue.
The character has been described as the most “agile Vault Hunter to date,” thanks to his impressive collection of high-tech weapons. Rafa’s action skills include Arc-Knives, which sees the character whip out the twin blades mounted on his arms. Hacking away at enemies using them deals melee damage and shock damage. The skill also comes with a dash, which lets him lunge in the direction of his foes.
Next up is the APOPHIS Lance, an off-hand Arm Cannon that Rafa can dual-wield alongside his equipped weapon. The lance functions like a charge-based Tediore gun and fires slow-moving Piercing Shock Ordance Blasts that deal shock damage. While its damage output is respectable, the action skill can only fire three charges before requiring a cooldown.
Rafa’s third action skill is the Peacebreaker Cannons. These shoulder-mounted launchers rain fire down on the enemies in the character’s line of sight. They’re somewhat similar to the Zane’s MNTIS Shoulder Cannons from BL3, barring the fact that the Peacebreaker Cannons are entirely automatic.
Based on his skill set, Rafa packs plenty of potential to deal insane amounts of damage, especially when paired with builds that make the most out of his advanced equipment.
3. Harlowe, the Gravitar
Harlowe is a combat scientist hailing from the Traunt family, with whom BL3 players will likely be familiar. And just like General and Captain Traunt, she’s proficient with Maliwan weapons. She uses her supreme intellect to develop new gadgetry, allowing her to tilt the odds in her favor during combat. All of her abilities are based on a mechanic called Entanglement, a rainbow-colored ailment that spreads damage to every enemy caught in its spell.
Harlowe’s action skills let you manipulate enemies and entangle them for chained impact. We got a small glimpse at her first skill, Zero-Point, during the BL4 gameplay trailer. On being activated, the character can suspend an enemy mid-air and trap them inside a bubble. This can be followed up by a slam into the ground, or a clash with objects, nearby walls, or even other enemies.
Her second action skill, Chroma Acclerator, sees Harlowe charge up an unstable energy pocket that blasts forward and entangles any enemy caught in its radius.
Her final action skill is called the Flux Generator, a pulse mine imbued in the Entanglement ailment that spreads to all enemies within its blast radius. Given her skillset, the character is suited for a strategic playstyle as compared to the Vault Hunters. The ability to make any enemy vulnerable to massive damage, coupled with the chained impact afforded by her Entaglement affliction, makes her excellent for crowd control or as a one-woman wrecking crew that can blow through enemy hordes with ease.
4. Amon, the Forgeknight
Amon is Borderland 4’s designated brute/berserker, something that is given away almost immediately by his appearance. The character is shredded, to say the least, with facial hair resembling that of a Viking.
He can slash furiously at his enemies using battleaxes or pull out a shield to avoid oncoming damage. He was previously part of a monster-worshipping cult until the monster turned on its followers, leaving Amon as the sole survivor. This event saw him transition to the high-octane life of a Vault Hunter, but the character still finds time to indulge in some poetry.
Amon’s action skills include projectile launches, melee attacks, and a damage-absorbing shield. The hulking brute can also have secondary action skills with each primary one, enhancing their effectiveness even further.
As for the skills themselves, Crucible sees him hurl elemental axes in the direction of his enemies, with its secondary skill turning them into multi-elemental throws. Next up is Onslaughter, an incendiary punch that can be followed up by an AoE hammer-slam thanks to its secondary skill. Lastly, we have Scourge, which lets Amon stick out a shield that absorbs damage and then hit back using a projectile whip.
Here’s what the game’s lead designer had to say about Amon: “He’s got a sword, he’s got an axe, he’s got a hammer, he’s got a shield, he’s got a spear, he’s got a whip. He’s got everything that you might expect from a sci-fi Viking.”
And that wraps up everything we know about the Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4 so far. We’ll be sure to update this article once more details arrive. Until then, let us know which Vault Hunter you’re most excited to play as in the comments below.
