Choosing your Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4 is more than just selecting a character. It defines how you will experience the chaotic mayhem of Kairos. Each of the four heroes offers a distinct approach to combat, shaping everything from your solo survivability to how you fit into a team. Whether you are drawn to mystical minion mastery or prefer charging headfirst into explosions, there is a perfect match waiting for you.
What Makes Each Vault Hunter Unique?
Understanding the core mechanics behind each character helps you make an informed decision that'll keep you engaged through hundreds of hours of loot-hunting madness.
Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter Guide: Which One to Choose and Full Details
Character Progression Systems
Each Vault Hunter features three distinct Action Skills with sprawling skill trees that dwarf previous Borderlands entries. You'll unlock Augments and Capstones that fundamentally alter how abilities function, creating build diversity that encourages multiple playthroughs.
tip
Don't worry about making the "wrong" choice. Borderlands 4 rewards experimentation, and you can always create additional characters to explore different playstyles.
Vex the Siren: Mystical Minion Master
Vex transforms the traditional Siren archetype into something darker and more tactical. Her cynical personality masks a genuine desire to help others, making her perfect for players who enjoy strategic combat with supernatural flair.
Core Mechanics and Trait
Phase Covenant automatically attunes Vex to her equipped weapon's elemental type, converting all Action Skill and melee damage accordingly. This flexibility ensures that you are never stuck with the wrong damage type, since swapping weapons instantly adapts her to any encounter.
Action Skills Breakdown
Phase Phamiliar excels for newcomers—Trouble acts as both damage dealer and distraction, teleporting to enemies and transforming into a Badass form when needed. The Here Comes Trouble skill tree focuses on enhancing your feline companion's survivability and damage output.
Dead Ringer appeals to tactical minds. You'll spawn Specters for ranged support or Reapers for melee tanking. Advanced builds can maintain three clones simultaneously, creating your personal army.
Best Borderlands 4 Vex build - Dexerto
Why Choose Vex?
Pick Vex if you enjoy:
- Mid to long-range combat with magical support
- Solo play with reliable AI companions
- Elemental damage optimization and flexibility
- Strategic positioning over raw aggression
important
Vex introduces Bleed damage—a new elemental type exclusive to her kit that synergizes with lifesteal mechanics for incredible sustain.
Rafa the Exo-Soldier: High-Tech Versatility
Rafa embodies the "one-man army" fantasy through his advanced Deadframe exo-suit. His military background and technological augmentations make him ideal for players who want explosive firepower with tactical options.
Overdrive System
Rafa's signature trait activates whenever you trigger an Action Skill, granting increased movement speed and damage from all sources. Multiple skill tree perks extend and enhance Overdrive, creating a snowball effect that rewards aggressive play.
Action Skills Arsenal
Peacebreaker Cannons deploy shoulder-mounted turrets that automatically engage enemies in front of you. Capstones transform these into shotgun blasts, rocket salvos, or elemental beam weapons, making them perfect for players who love automated damage.
APOPHIS Lance equips an offhand arm cannon firing piercing Shock ordnance. You'll dual-wield this with your primary weapon, and charging shots increases damage, projectile size, and speed at the cost of ammunition.
Arc-Knives trade guns for energy blades that Mark enemies. Each mark increases damage taken, encouraging hit-and-run tactics or all-out melee assaults.
Best Peacebreaker Rafa Build in ...
Build Potential
Rafa excels at:
- Hybrid melee/ranged combat switching
- Grenade spam builds (unlimited ordnance potential)
- High-mobility hit-and-run tactics
- Scaling damage through Overdrive stacking
warning
Arc-Knives builds require positioning awareness—you're deadly up close but vulnerable during approach phases.
Amon the Forgeknight: Unstoppable Tank
Amon survived a Vault monster cult massacre and now dedicates his life to hunting these creatures. His introspective warrior-poet personality contrasts beautifully with his devastating combat capabilities.
Forgeskill Adaptability
Amon's unique trait changes based on equipped Action Skills:
- Molten Slam (with Onslaughter): AoE hammer devastation
- Firewall (with Scourge): Projectile absorption and ally buffs
- Double-Edge (with Crucible): Boomerang axe attacks
This system means Amon feels like multiple characters depending on your build focus.
Tank-Focused Action Skills
Crucible throws elemental Forgeaxes that prime enemies for explosive deaths. Retrieved axes refund cooldowns, encouraging aggressive positioning and resource management.
Onslaughter overloads your Forgefist for constant shield regeneration, bonus Incendiary gun damage, and the iconic Rocket Punch, a gap-closing attack that staggers most enemies.
Scourge equips a Forgeshield absorbing frontal damage as Vengeance. Launch Forgewaves consuming this resource for devastating Cryo area damage.
Best Borderlands 4 Amon builds: Skills ...
Ideal For Tank Players
Choose Amon if you want:
- Maximum survivability with offensive options
- Incendiary and Cryo elemental specialization
- Crowd control through staggers and area effects
- Front-line leadership in co-op scenarios
For an in-depth Amon setup, check out our full Amon build guide.
Harlowe the Gravitar: Scientific Support Specialist
Harlowe brings Maliwan combat science to Vault Hunting with gravity-manipulating gadgets and crowd control mastery. Her enthusiastic personality and love for experimentation make every encounter feel like a physics experiment.
Entanglement Mastery
Harlowe's trait links enemies hit by Action Skills, causing them to share damage. This creates exponential damage scaling against grouped enemies and makes her incredibly effective against swarms.
Gravity-Based Arsenal
CHROMA Accelerator fires slow-moving Cryo energy pockets that explode into Radiation damage on command. Think portable nuclear weapons with crowd-gathering potential.
Zero-Point suspends priority targets in stasis bubbles, removing them from combat temporarily. You can then slam them into the ground for explosive finishers, making it perfect for isolating dangerous enemies.
Flux Generator deploys energy fields dealing Cryo damage over time while granting allies overshields. It's mobile battlefield control that benefits everyone.
Support and Control Focus
Harlowe shines when you enjoy:
- Crowd control and battlefield manipulation
- Co-op support with ally buffs and protection
- Cryo and Radiation elemental combinations
- Scientific precision over brute force approaches
For an in-depth Harlowe setup, check out our full Harlowe build guide.
Playstyle Recommendations
Solo Campaign Excellence
- Vex: Minion support provides consistent backup
- Amon: Survivability ensures you'll reach the endgame
Co-op Team Players
- Harlowe: Unmatched support utility and crowd control
- Rafa: Versatile damage dealing with team-friendly turrets
Beginner-Friendly Options
- Rafa: Straightforward mechanics with clear power progression
- Vex: Forgiving gameplay with AI companion assistance
Advanced Player Challenges
- Amon: Complex resource management and positioning requirements
- Harlowe: Timing-dependent abilities requiring battlefield awareness
Endgame Considerations
Each Vault Hunter scales differently into Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode and raid content:
Vex becomes a powerhouse through minion scaling and elemental flexibility. Her Bleed damage and lifesteal mechanics provide excellent solo survivability.
Rafa dominates through Overdrive stacking and weapon synergies. His grenade builds become increasingly explosive at higher difficulties.
Amon transforms into an unkillable juggernaut whose Forgeskills devastate grouped enemies in raid encounters.
Harlowe enables team compositions that trivialize endgame content through her support capabilities and crowd control mastery.
BL4 Vault Hunter Playstyles Compared to ...
Making Your Final Decision
Consider these key questions:
- Do you prefer active combat or strategic positioning?
- Will you primarily play solo or with friends?
- Are you drawn to magical abilities or technological gadgets?
- Do you want to tank damage or deal it from range?
Your answers point toward your ideal Vault Hunter. Remember, Borderlands 4's deeper customization means every character offers multiple viable approaches, so you are choosing a foundation rather than a limitation.
The chaotic planet Kairos awaits your arrival. Whether you're summoning spectral allies as Vex, unleashing technological mayhem as Rafa, manipulating gravity as Harlowe, or forging weapons from pure determination as Amon, your journey through this looter-shooter masterpiece starts with this crucial choice.
Pick the Vault Hunter that excites you most. Trust your instincts and get ready for hundreds of hours of explosive, loot-filled adventures across the fractured landscapes of Kairos.
For more Borderlands 4, take a look at our Vault Hunter Tier List.