Borderlands 4 features an awesome cast of four Vault Hunters, each belonging to different archetypes and packing a wide variety of skills. Build-crafting is also better than ever, thanks to expanded options offered by the Firmware system. With that being said, the luxury of choice usually brings with it the headache of making a decision, and the looter-shooter is no different. So, if you’re still stuck on the character-select menu, here are our recommendations for the Vault Hunter you should pick in Borderlands 4.

Best Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter for Solo Players

Image Credit: Gearbox

The best solo Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4 is definitely Vex. Traditionally, Sirens haven’t had the reputation of being one-man armies, but the cynical witch breaks the norm. In action, Vex’s playstyle is reminiscent of Fl4k from Borderlands 3, as the Siren can summon minions to aid her in battle. These Phase entities can tank hits, cause distractions, or dish out damage, giving Vex some breathing room.

In addition to this, her Vault Hunter trait, Phase Covenant, converts her skill and melee damage type to the element of the equipped weapon. This immediately adds a ton of flexibility to the character, allowing you to put together some devastating builds. Vex also comes with skills that can constantly empower and buff the character, which bodes extremely well if you’re playing solo.

Here’s an overview of Vex’s Vault Hunter Trait and Action Skills:

Siren Vault Hunter Trait

  • Phase Covenant: Vex is Attuned to the Elemental Type of her current Gun, converting all Action Skill and Melee Damage into that type.

Action Skills

  • Dead Ringer: Spawn a Phase Clone Minion, choosing Specter or Reaper. Phase Clones lose an ever-increasing amount of health per second, and their damage type matches Vex’s current Attunement when spawned. It can also spawn a Reaper that taunts enemies and deals Melee Attack Damage, or a Specter that deals Gun Damage and cannot move.
  • Incarnate: Vex creates a Phase Explosion, dealing damage to nearby enemies and fully restoring her Health. While active, Vex can use Eldritch Blast and gains increased Movement Speed.
  • Phase Phamilar: Vex is joined by her Minion, Trouble. When killed, Trouble will respawn after a Cooldown. Trigger the Action Skill to teleport Trouble, dealing damage in an area. Trouble then transforms into a Badass, fully restoring health and gaining increased Damage for a duration. Activating Phase Phamiliar will respawn Trouble if he’s currently dead.

Best Tank in Borderlands 4

Image Credit: Gearbox

If you’re looking for a beefy brawler akin to Krieg from BL2, or a devastating lead-spitter like Moze from BL3, then the closest Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4 is Amon. The Forgeknight is a melee specialist, equipped with a hammer, a rocket-powered forgefist, or twinaxes, depending on your chosen Action Skill. The twinaxes in particular can alternate between cryo and flame damage, which makes them pretty handy against vulnerable enemies.

This goes for all three of his Skill Trees, since you’ll find passives linked to elemental damage all throughout. With that said, Amon is at his tankiest with the Scourge Action Skill equipped. This Skill Tree sees him whip out a Forgeshield that absorbs frontal damage to fill a Vengeance meter. When the meter is maxed out, you’ll receive Damage Reduction from the shield for the meter’s duration. This is your opportunity to go offensive and blast through your enemies. It’s this balance between attack and defence that makes Amon the perfect tank.

Here’s an overview of the Vault Hunter’s traits and abilities:

Forgeknight Vault Hunter Trait

  • Forgeskill: Amon gains Forgeskill, depending on his equipped Action Skill. Forgeskills can be activated by pressing and holding an Action Skill.
    • Molten Slam (Onslaughter Action Skill):  Press and hold Action Skill to slam a Molten Forgehammer into the ground, dealing Incendiary Melee Damage to enemies in a large area.
    • Firewall (Scourge Action Skill): Press and hold Action Skill to deploy a Firewall that absorbs enemy Projectiles, and grants Friendly Projectiles that pass through it increased Damage and Projectile Speed. Absorbed Damage is converted into Vengeance if Scourge is active. Enemies near the Firewall take Incendiary Status Effect Damage over time.
    • Double-Edge (Crucible Action Skill):  Press and hold Action Skill to throw a twinned Forgeaxe, dealing Cryo Melee Damage to enemies it passes through and returning to Amon, dealing Incendiary Melee Damage on the way back.

Action Skills

  • Onslaughter: Amon overloads his Forgefist, gaining constant Shield Regeneration, Bonus Incendiary damage with Guns, and increased Movement Speed. Press Action Skill or melee to Rocket Punch, dashing to target enemy, dealing Incendiary Melee Attack Damage in a short-ranged Cone, and causing Stagger.
  • Scourge: Amon equips a Forgeshield that absorbs all frontal damage as Vengeance. Whenever the Vengeance Meter is filled, Forgeshield provides Damage Reduction instead. Vengeance drains rapidly if it has not been gained recently. Press Action Skill to launch a Forgewave, dealing Cryo Ordnance Damage to enemies it passes through, consuming Vengeance to increase damage dealt.
  • Crucible: Amon readies Forgeaxes that can be thrown and picked up off the ground to refund Cooldown. He can throw a Flame Axe, dealing Incendiary Melee Damage, or a Frost Axe, dealing Cryo Melee Damage. Enemies damaged by Forgeaxes are primed for a duration and will detonate when they die or are damaged by a Forgeskill dealing damage to nearby enemies.

Best Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter for Co-op/Crowd Control

Image Credit: Gearbox

If you’re a fan of Amara from BL3 and enjoy manipulating enemy positions, disrupting their abilities, and being a constant nuisance, then Harlowe is the Borderlands 4 character for you. The Gravitar is a former Maliwan scientist, so she’s got a natural affinity for Cryo and Radiation elemental damage. On top of this, she has an exciting arsenal of self-engineered gadgets that can link damage and leave enemies isolated.

Besides crowd control, her Action Skills can also bolster your teammates’ abilities, meaning Harlowe is a great pick for co-op play. At the heart of her archetype is the Entanglement trait, which links all enemies affected by her Action Skill, forcing them to share Gun and Skill Damage. This obviously provides room for some insane combinations that could let you wipe entire mobs in seconds.

Here’s a look at Harlowe’s Trait and Action Skills:

Gravitar Vault Hunter Trait

  • Entanglement: Whenever Harlowe uses her Action Skill on enemies, those enemies become Entangled. Entangled enemies share a portion of Gun Damage and Skill Damage with all other Entangled enemies.

Action Skills

  • CHROMA Acclerator: Fire an Unstable Energy Pocket from Harlowe’s CHROMA Accelerator. The Unstable Energy Pocket passes through enemies and deals Cryo Damage to all enemies it passes near. Pressing Action Skill causes the Unstable Energy Pocket to explode and deal heavy Radiation Damage in a large area.
  • Zero-Point: Press Action Skill to use Harlowe’s HALO Accelerator to place an enemy in Stasis for a duration. Enemies immune to Stasis take damage instead. Pressing Action Skill again causes the enemy in Stasis to be slammed into the ground in the direction Harlowe is facing, and creates a small explosion.
  • Flux Generator: Harlowe throws her Flux Generator in front of her, which projects an Energy Field, dealing Cryo Damage over time and Entangling enemies. Allies inside the Energy Field gain Overshield. Press Action Skill to pick up your Flux Generator and toss it again.

Best Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter for DPS

Image Credit: Gearbox

If you had a ton of fun with a crit-focused Fl4k build or enjoyed using Zane from BL3, then Rafa should feel quite familiar. The Exo-Soldier is in a race against time, with the inevitability of a premature death looming over him. To make the most of his limited lifespan, Rafa wanders around Kairos, obliterating enemies using all the high-tech weaponry built into the very suit that’ll end up killing him.

Having served in Tediore’s military, the character is proficient in dealing Shock and Corrosive damage. All three of his Action Skills are built for decimating enemies, starting with APOPHIS Lance, which lets him fire Shock blasts at will. This Action Skill is especially useful for targeting bosses at range, and once you pair it with the best skills and augments, you’ll be melting through shields with ease.

Rafa’s second Action Skill, the Peacebreaker Cannons, is better at closer ranges, offering some extra frontal firepower to keep rushing enemies at bay. Lastly, the Arc-Knives flip the script entirely, turning Rafa into a ballerina that can pirouette ferociously while slashing through surrounding enemies. This one’s better for taking out mobs, meaning it’s ideal for co-op rather than solo play.

All of his gadgetry gels nicely with the Overdrive trait, which bumps up his movement speed and damage.

On that note, here’s an overview of Rafa’s Traits and Action Skills:

Exo-Soldier Vault Hunter Trait

  • Overdrive: Whenever Rafa activates an Action Skill, he enters Overdrive. While an Action Skill is active, Overdrive’s Duration does not decrease. While Overdrive is active, Rafa gains increased Movement Speed and deals increased damage with all sources.

Action Skills

  • APOPHIS Lance: Equip Rafa’s APOPHIS Lance, an offhand Arm Cannon that decreases Rafa’s Gun Handling, but allows him to fire Piercing Shock Ordnance Blasts. Any unused Charges when APOPHIS Lance ends are converted into Action Skill Cooldown.
  • Peacebreaker Cannons: Rafa equips shoulder-mounted Peacebreaker Cannons, which fire at enemies in front of him for a Duration, dealing Kinetic Gun Damage. Rafa can end Peacebreaker Cannons early, partially refunding Action Skill Cooldown.
  • Arc-Knives: Rafa puts down his Guns and equips his Arc-Knives, blades that deal Melee Damage and Mark Enemies whenever they damage them, causing them to take increased damage for every Mark on them.

And that wraps up our guide on which Borderlands 4 Vault Hunter is best suited for you. Let us know which character you ended up going with in the comments.

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