Borderlands 4 Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide

Borderlands 4 has arrived, and players once again face the classic question of which Vault Hunter to choose first. The game introduces four brand-new Vault Hunters, each with flexible builds, unique personalities, and distinct action skills that can completely shape the gameplay experience. Early testers have explored these characters and, while not every detail can be shared, there is already enough insight available to help players make an informed and enjoyable decision.

Borderlands 4 Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide

How Vault Hunters Works

Before diving into individual characters, you need to grasp the fundamental systems that define every Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4. These mechanics form the backbone of your entire experience.

Action Skills

Every Vault Hunter wields three Action Skills. These are not just abilities; they are your primary tools for survival and destruction. You select one at a time, but you can freely swap between them as your build evolves.

Each Action Skill connects to its own dedicated skill tree, though you're absolutely free to invest points across multiple trees. This flexibility lets you create hybrid builds that blend different combat approaches.

Augments and Capstones

Within each skill tree, you'll discover five Augment options that fundamentally alter how your Action Skills behave. Think of augments as passive modifications - you can only have one active per tree, so choose wisely.

Capstones represent the ultimate expression of each skill tree. These powerful abilities completely transform your Action Skills, adding entirely new functions. Rafa's Arc Knives, for example, can gain a devastating whirlwind finisher, while his shoulder cannons can transform into rocket launchers or shotgun arrays.

Unique Traits

Each Vault Hunter possesses an unchangeable Unique Trait that influences their entire gameplay approach. These aren't minor bonuses - they're core mechanics that shape how you engage with combat systems.

Rafa: The Exo-Soldier (DPS)

Rafa embodies pure aggression wrapped in military-grade exoskeleton technology. This former soldier fled his army when they refused to let him leave, and now his advanced gear makes him a devastating force on any battlefield.

Borderlands 4 Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide

Unique Trait: Overdrive

Rafa's Overdrive trait activates whenever you use an Action Skill, providing significant movement speed and damage increases. The beauty lies in its duration. Overdrive remains active for the entire Action Skill, then grants an additional 12 seconds after the skill ends.

This mechanic rewards aggressive, sustained combat. You're not just getting a brief damage spike; you're entering an extended period of enhanced performance.

Lance

The Lance transforms Rafa's off-hand into a devastating arm cannon. While it reduces your gun handling, the trade-off delivers massive piercing shock damage that cuts through multiple enemies.

You can rapid-fire for consistent damage or charge shots for devastating single hits. The shock element makes Lance particularly effective against shielded enemies, while its piercing nature excels in crowded encounters.

With the right skill tree investment, you can unlock multiple charges for this ability, giving you greater flexibility in combat. Its shield-breaking power is exceptional, allowing you to shred through even the toughest defenses with ease. Each shot delivers piercing damage that can strike several enemies at once, making it highly effective against groups.

Peace Breaker Cannons

Press the Action Skill button to deploy twin shoulder-mounted cannons that automatically target enemies in your field of view. These cannons deal kinetic damage and adapt brilliantly to any situation, whether you're facing a single elite or a mob of psychos.

The cannons' adaptability makes them exceptional for players who want reliable damage output without complex positioning requirements.

Arc Knives

Arc Knives transforms Rafa into a hyper-mobile shock warrior. You gain new attack combinations that propel you forward with significant momentum, while the alternate fire delivers a devastating dash attack.

Every attack applies marks to enemies. When you exit Arc Knives mode, these marks detonate for additional damage. Your skill tree choices determine whether you focus on quick mark application and detonation or extended melee combat.

When you activate Arc Knives, you immediately gain a boost to mobility, allowing you to dart around the battlefield with speed and precision. Begin by chaining your attacks to apply marks across multiple enemies. Use the dash attack to reposition yourself quickly while also dealing a burst of shock damage. Once you have applied enough marks, exit the mode to trigger detonations that unleash powerful area-of-effect damage.

Recommendation: Start with Peace Breaker Cannons for new players. Their versatility and built-in survivability bonuses make them ideal for learning Borderlands 4's combat flow, especially on higher difficulties.

Harlowe: The Gravitar

Harlowe approaches combat like a physics experiment with deadly results. This former Maliwan scientist combines cheerful optimism with devastating gravitational manipulation, creating a character that's both endearing and terrifying.

Borderlands 4 Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide

Unique Trait: Entanglement

Harlowe's Entanglement trait creates invisible connections between enemies affected by her Action Skills. When you damage one entangled enemy with guns or skills, all connected enemies share a portion of that damage.

This mechanic transforms single-target weapons into AoE devastation tools. Land a critical hit on one enemy, and watch entire groups suffer the consequences.

Chroma Accelerator

The Chroma Accelerator launches an unstable energy projectile that deals cryo damage to every enemy it passes near. You can detonate it manually for massive radiation damage, making it equally effective for crowd control and single-target elimination.

Tactical Applications:

• Thread the projectile through enemy groups for maximum entanglement
• Save manual detonation for high-value targets
• Combine with entanglement for devastating chain reactions

Zero Point

Zero Point encases a target in a stasis bubble, completely removing them from combat. You can then grab the bubbled enemy and hurl them at other targets, turning them into a living projectile.

Enemies immune to crowd control effects simply take burst damage instead, ensuring Zero Point remains useful against all enemy types.

The skill tree offers incredible customization - you can focus on creating multiple bubbles quickly or maximizing the damage potential of your improvised projectiles.

Flux Generator

Flux Generator creates a beneficial area that provides massive overshields to you and allies while dealing cryo damage over time to enemies inside. The bubble also applies entanglement, making it perfect for setting up devastating combo attacks.

You can reposition the generator by reactivating the skill, allowing for dynamic battlefield control.

Vex: The Siren

Vex channels otherworldly phase energy to dominate battlefields through summoning and elemental mastery. Think of her as Borderlands 4's answer to a warlock - she commands spectral allies while wielding devastating magical attacks.

Borderlands 4 Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide

Unique Trait: Phase Covenant

Phase Covenant attunes all of Vex's Action Skills and melee attacks to match her currently equipped weapon's element. Holding a cryo weapon? Your summons and abilities deal cryo damage and apply freeze effects.

This trait encourages weapon diversity and tactical element switching. Maliwan weapons with on-demand element swapping become particularly powerful in Vex's hands.

Dead Ringer

Dead Ringer spawns multiple clone minions that fight alongside you. You choose between Specters (ranged attackers that remain stationary) and Reapers (melee fighters that can taunt enemies).

These summons inherit your current elemental attunement and lose health over time, encouraging active management rather than passive reliance.

Tactical Considerations:

• Specters excel at providing covering fire from elevated positions
• Reapers draw aggro and excel in close-quarters combat
• Mixed deployments offer maximum battlefield coverage

Incarnate

Incarnate creates a phase explosion that fully restores Vex's health while granting increased movement speed and access to Eldritch Blast as an off-hand attack.

You can reduce Eldritch Blast's cooldown by shooting enemies with conventional weapons, creating a satisfying gameplay loop of mixing gunplay with magical attacks.

Phase Familiar

Phase Familiar provides a permanent beast companion called Trouble that persists until killed. Activating the Action Skill teleports Trouble to your target location, dealing area damage and temporarily boosting its combat effectiveness.

Unlike Dead Ringer's disposable summons, Phase Familiar requires active management and positioning for maximum effectiveness.

Recommendation: Choose Dead Ringer or Phase Familiar for your first playthrough. Both provide additional targets that draw enemy fire, significantly improving survivability on higher difficulties.

Amon: The Forgeknight

Amon stands as Borderlands 4's premier tank, wielding massive shields and forge-crafted weapons with equal skill. This former cult member turned vault monster hunter combines incredible durability with surprising mobility.

Borderlands 4 Ultimate Vault Hunter Guide

Unique Skill: Forge Skill

Amon's unique Forge Skill changes based on his equipped Action Skill, accessed by holding the Action Skill button:

• Molten Slam (with Onslaught): Ground-pound attack dealing incendiary damage in a large area
• Firewall (with Scourge): Deployable barrier that absorbs enemy fire and enhances friendly projectiles
• Double Edge (with Crucible): Thrown axes dealing cryo damage going out, incendiary returning

Onslaught

Onslaught overloads Amon's forge fist, providing constant shield regeneration, bonus incendiary gun damage, and increased movement speed. The rocket punch ability lets you dash to enemies while dealing cone-shaped melee damage.

This skill transforms Amon from a static tank into a mobile bruiser who can engage at any range.

Scourge

Scourge deploys a massive forge shield that absorbs all frontal damage, converting it into Vengeance energy. When the Vengeance meter fills, you gain damage reduction instead of absorption.

You can launch forge waves that deal cryo damage, with damage scaling based on your accumulated Vengeance.

Crucible

Crucible provides three charges of forge axes that you can throw and retrieve to refund cooldowns. You choose between flame axes (incendiary) and frost axes (cryo) based on tactical needs.

Enemies damaged by forge axes become Primed, detonating when they die or take Forge Skill damage, creating satisfying chain reactions.

Forge Axe Strategy:

1. Prime multiple enemies with axe throws
2. Use Forge Skill to trigger detonations
3. Retrieve axes to maintain charge availability
4. Switch elements based on enemy weaknesses

How to Choose Your Vault Hunter

Your ideal Vault Hunter depends on your preferred combat approach and group dynamics:

Choose Rafa if you want:

• High-mobility combat with sustained damage bonuses
• Versatile Action Skills that adapt to any situation
• Military-themed abilities with technological flair

Choose Harlowe if you want:

• Battlefield control through physics manipulation
• AoE damage through creative enemy positioning
• Support capabilities that benefit team play

Choose Vex if you want:

• Summoning gameplay with magical themes
• Elemental adaptation and weapon synergy
• Indirect combat through minion management

Choose Amon if you want:

• Tank gameplay with surprising mobility options
• Melee-focused combat with ranged capabilities
• Forge-crafted weapons and defensive mastery

Remember that Borderlands 4's skill system allows significant customization within each character. Your initial choice sets the foundation, but your build decisions will ultimately define your combat experience. Choose the Vault Hunter whose core mechanics excite you most, as you will be spending countless hours mastering their unique approach to pandemonium.