All Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters and Their Abilities So Far

Choosing your Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4 represents one of the most critical decisions you’ll make, as each character fundamentally shapes your gameplay experience. These four distinct archetypes feature comprehensive skill trees, passive abilities, and signature action skills that cater to different combat preferences. Understanding each character’s strengths and limitations before committing can significantly impact your enjoyment and effectiveness throughout the campaign.

The launch roster continues Borderlands’ tradition of offering diverse playstyles while introducing fresh mechanics. Veterans will recognize familiar archetypes like the Siren and Soldier, but each character brings innovative abilities that require strategic thinking to master effectively. For players struggling with class selection decisions, this guide provides comprehensive analysis to inform your choice.

As the latest incarnation of Borderlands’ iconic Siren class, Vex introduces a darker thematic approach with her cynical personality shaped by a difficult upbringing. Her unique ‘dark Siren’ designation enables her to manifest physical entities from nothingness, creating versatile tactical options for controlling battlefield flow.

Her Phase Phamiliar ability summons Trouble, a purple sabertooth cat based on lead designer Nick Thurston’s actual pet. This autonomous companion fights independently, can achieve Badass transformation states, and automatically respawns if defeated. Strategic deployment of Trouble effectively draws enemy attention away from Vex, creating openings for strategic positioning.

The Dead Ringer action skill creates three distinct clones that players can customize as either scythe-wielding Reapers or firearm-equipped Spectres. This flexibility allows players to adapt their approach based on encounter requirements and preferred engagement ranges.

Incarnate represents her ultimate offensive capability, unleashing Eldritch energy blasts while simultaneously regenerating health. This makes Vex exceptionally durable in extended firefights where sustain becomes critical.

Advanced Strategy: Master Vex players should deploy clones strategically to flank enemies while using Trouble to absorb damage from primary threats. Combining Incarnate with shield-boosting gear creates nearly unstoppable assault combinations during boss encounters.

Rafa’s unique background growing up in microgravity environments resulted in physiological adaptations that now require a specialized exo-suit for survival. His military service with Tediore ended when he discovered the corporation’s malicious intentions, leading to his AWOL status and current predicament where his life-sustaining equipment could become his executioner at any moment.

This constant proximity to mortality has forged Rafa’s reckless, adventure-seeking personality that manifests through bold combat dialogue and aggressive playstyle preferences.

His Arc-Knives provide both melee engagement options and shock damage application. The integrated dash mechanic enables rapid closing of distances, making him the franchise’s most agile Vault Hunter to date. This mobility proves invaluable for evading area-of-effect attacks and repositioning during intense firefights.

The APOPHIS Lance functions as an off-hand arm cannon that operates similarly to charge-based Tediore weapons. It projects slow-moving piercing shock ordinance with respectable damage output, though limited to three charges before entering cooldown.

Peacebreaker Cannons provide automated shoulder-mounted artillery that rains destruction on visible enemies. While reminiscent of Zane’s MNTIS Shoulder Cannons from Borderlands 3, Rafa’s implementation requires no manual targeting, freeing player attention for primary weapon management.

Build Optimization: Combine Arc-Knives with shock-enhancing artifacts to maximize damage output. The automatic targeting of Peacebreaker Cannons makes them ideal for supplementing damage while focusing on evasion and positioning.

When assembling your four-player squad, consider how Vex’s crowd control capabilities complement Rafa’s high-mobility assault approach. Vex excels at creating space and managing multiple targets, while Rafa specializes in eliminating priority threats with precision strikes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid: New players frequently underestimate the importance of skill tree planning, resulting in poorly optimized builds that struggle in later game content. Allocate skill points with specific combat roles in mind rather than spreading investments too thinly across multiple trees.

Progression Timeline: Expect to spend approximately 2-3 hours experimenting with each character’s basic mechanics before committing to a main. Advanced build optimization typically requires 15-20 hours of gameplay to unlock full potential through skill point accumulation and gear acquisition.

For comprehensive gameplay strategies beyond character selection, our Complete Guide provides additional tactical frameworks. Players focused on equipment should consult the Weapons Unlock guide for detailed loadout recommendations.

Team Composition Advice: Balanced squads typically include at least one crowd control specialist (Vex), one high-damage dealer (Rafa), and complementary support roles. Consider your preferred playstyle—whether you enjoy strategic positioning or aggressive assault—when making your final selection.

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