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The four Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters each bring a different combat style, set of abilities, and character concept to the newly revealed planet Kairos. Players can choose from the Forgeknight Amon, Gravitar Harlowe, Exo-Soldier Rafa, and Dark Siren Vex. Their distinct Action Skills give each character a clear role, while expanded skill trees offer room to adapt builds to different preferences.
Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters and the story of Kairos
After the events of Borderlands 3, Lilith teleported Pandora’s moon, Elpis, to another part of space. This revealed Kairos, a planet that had previously been hidden from the wider universe. Several years later, four Vault Hunters crash-land there and find themselves in trouble: hunting for Vaults is illegal on Kairos.
The planet is controlled by the Timekeeper, who seeks order at any cost. The newcomers’ defiance puts them in conflict with his regime, turning their arrival into a fight for survival and resistance. The developers describe the Vault Hunters as independent heroes, each with their own background, personality, and motivation. Some are driven by combat, while others pursue revenge or take on defensive missions.
At launch, players can select from four archetypes. The lineup includes familiar Soldier and Siren concepts alongside the new Gravitar and Forgeknight classes. Creative director Graeme Timmins says the aim is to offer recognizable character fantasies while giving each one a distinctive Borderlands identity. Senior project producer Anthony Nicholson also highlights the importance of making every character feel capable of standing on their own.
Amon: the Forgeknight frontline fighter
Amon is a hulking character who stands over seven feet tall. His movement feels heavier than that of the other Vault Hunters, but he can still run, jump, and travel through the environment. Nicholson describes him as a direct, charge-into-combat fighter, built around durability, damage, melee attacks, and guns.
His Action Skills combine close-range attacks with elemental projectiles. Crucible lets him throw elemental axes, with an alternate action that launches a multi-elemental attack. Onslaughter delivers a flaming punch or a hammer strike that creates area-of-effect fire damage. Scourge provides a shield that absorbs damage and sends it back through a projectile whip. It can also create a wall of fire to block enemy shots and provide cover for Amon and his team.
Practical tip: Amon’s mix of melee, ranged attacks, and defensive cover gives players several ways to approach a fight. His range of abilities may also reward players who like switching tactics rather than relying on one attack type.
Harlowe: the Gravitar crowd-control specialist
Harlowe’s central mechanic is Entanglement. Affected enemies glow with a rainbow-like effect, and damage dealt to one can spread to the other enemies currently caught in the effect. This makes her abilities especially relevant when facing groups, including in co-op encounters.
Zero-Point uses telekinetic powers to lift an enemy and suspend it in the air. Harlowe can then slam the target into the ground, objects, or other enemies; enemies struck this way can also be Entangled. Chroma Accelerator sends out a charged burst of unstable energy, while Flux Generator places a pulse mine that affects enemies across a wide radius.
Nicholson identifies Harlowe as a crowd-control option whose abilities can help co-op partners focus on vulnerable targets. A practical way to use her kit is to apply Entanglement to a group, then coordinate attacks so damage can spread across the affected enemies.
Rafa: the versatile Exo-Soldier
Rafa is designed for a run-and-gun approach. His digistruct abilities let him call up different weapons and equipment, including auto-targeting cannons, an arm cannon, and dual blades. This gives him options for both ranged pressure and close combat.
Apophis Lance fires piercing energy shots, while Peacebreaker Cannons automatically target enemies. Arc-Knives let Rafa move into melee range for a short time. His Overdrive trait increases his movement and damage while he is using Action Skills. Nicholson also points to Rafa’s elemental options, including corrosive damage, which can be emphasized through character choices.
Practical tip: Rafa’s varied tools make him a flexible pick. Players can use his ranged abilities to engage from a distance, then switch to the blades when enemies get close.
Vex: the Dark Siren who summons allies
Vex approaches the Siren archetype through summoning rather than focusing mainly on direct elemental attacks. Her summoned creatures take on the elemental affinity of the gun she has equipped, connecting weapon choice to her abilities.
Dead Ringer can summon up to three melee-focused Reapers or turret-style Specters. Phase Phamiliar calls in Trouble, a beastly minion that can teleport and deal area damage when commanded. Her Incarnate Action Skill creates damaging explosions and buffs Vex. Through her Phase Covenant trait, her Action Skills gain the elemental properties of her equipped weapon.
Nicholson notes that changing weapons can let Vex adapt her summons’ elemental effects to different enemy types. Consider the enemies in an encounter when selecting a gun if you want her summoned allies to complement your damage approach.
Skill trees let players shape each Vault Hunter
Each character has defined traits and Action Skills, but the skill trees provide additional ways to customize a build. Nicholson describes a structure with main trunks and branches, offering multiple routes to specialize. Players can choose among three skills for a Vault Hunter, then tailor them with different augments and capstones.
This means two players using the same character may develop noticeably different builds. Timmins identifies Amon as the most complex character, while noting that his abilities are still designed to be approachable. The developers’ stated goal is for players to be able to try any of the four characters, regardless of their experience with more involved builds.
Choosing among the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters
The four characters offer contrasting ways to play: Amon combines toughness and elemental melee attacks, Harlowe controls groups through Entanglement, Rafa shifts between guns and close-range tools, and Vex uses summons that can reflect her equipped weapon’s element. Their skill trees add further variety, so a character’s initial role does not have to define every part of a build.
Borderlands 4 was announced for release on September 12 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, with the Switch 2 version scheduled to arrive later. For players deciding where to start, the most useful first step is to consider whether they prefer frontline combat, crowd control, flexible weapon use, or summoned allies. Trying more than one option may be worthwhile, since the Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters are designed to support distinct play styles.
