Which Borderlands 4 character should you play?

Picking which Borderlands 4 character to play is the first and most important decision you'll make, determining which badass Vault Hunter abilities you'll have access to as you venture across Kairos to stop the Timekeeper and his cronies. And Borderlands 4 doesn't make things simple since each Vault Hunter now has three unique Action Skills, three separate Skill Trees, each with three branches that offer their own Augments and Capstone skills, and there are even Vault Hunter Traits to bear in mind too.

So, if you're still trying to deliberate on which character class to play as, here's some good news – I've already rolled credits on the game, and can help you to decide which Borderlands 4 character will fit your playstyle best as well as which ones are considered the overall best.

Best Borderlands 4 characters

Right now, Vex and Rafa are arguably the best Borderlands 4 characters. Both have standout skill trees that help them dish out plenty of damage in various ways, which will obviously help you kill things faster and therefore farm bosses faster for the best loot. Builds that focus on Vex's Dead Ringer skill and Rafa's Peacebreaker cannons are especially effective since they let you use your guns while your summons do their thing - kill stuff.

That doesn't mean Amon and Harlowe are bad and not worth using though. The right build can help them excel and their lesser emphasis on raw damage (both are a bit more on the supportive side) means they have an important place in a team if you're playing with friends - Amon serves as a brawling tank who can draw attention away from the squishier characters while taking a beating while Harlowe's various crowd-control and support effects can protect teammates.

Most importantly, Borderlands 4 being a single-player game with no real competitive aspects to it means picking the best character is not only unimportant but also subjective due to personal preferences and differing playstyles. Not to mention that balancing updates can massively change things anyway, nerfing particularly busted builds or buffing unexpected combinations of skills to make new builds.

Borderlands 4 character classes explained

The four Vault Hunter characters that you can play as in Borderlands 4 all have their own Action Skills and skill trees that turn them into badass, loot-hoovering killing-machines. You'll be familiar with the basics if you've played any previous Borderlands game but Borderlands 4 has a few twists on the character class formula.

All four characters - Vex, Rafa, Amon, and Harlowe - have access to the following:

• Vault Hunter Trait: A unique perk that is specific to each character, adding a little extra spice to their kits.
• 3 Action Skills: Powerful abilities with longer cooldowns that have the potential to deal a lot of damage or cause mayhem in some other way. You can freely switch your Action Skill to a different one in the 'Skills' menu.
• 3 Skill Trees: Skill Points earned from levelling up can be spent on useful Skills that bolster your Vault Hunter's power in various ways. Skill Trees are also independent of Action Skills and you can even spend Skill Points in multiple trees for a range of benefits.
  • Augments: Each of a character's three Skill Trees has five Augments each, which can radically change how the relevant Action Skill works, adding entirely new powers. While you can equip only one Augment at a time, they do not cost Skill Points to activate and you can change the one you're using whenever you want.
  • Capstones: Like Augments, Capstones add massive boosts to a specific Action Skill and are free to unlock, but the catch is that they're found right at the end of each Skill Tree branch, so unlocking them requires a lot of Skill Points.
• Class Mod slot: You'll eventually start finding Class Mod items which grant free skill points in specific perks and other buffs when equipped.

All of these unique elements can be mixed and matched to create the basics of your build, then you can start adding on guns, shields, and ordnances that enhance it even more for maximum boss-melting. Furthermore, Borderlands 4 damage types and elemental weaknesses should be an important consideration in your build too, with many skills adding elemental effects or enhancing existing ones to help you fight as efficiently as possible.

Remember, if you aren't vibing with your build, you can always reset your skills with a Borderlands 4 respec to try something new. And if you keep getting gear, especially class mods, that are better suited to other characters, store them in your Borderlands 4 bank and you can collect them later.

Borderlands 4 Vex, the Siren

• Vault Hunter Trait - Phase Covenant: Vex becomes attuned to the elemental damage type of her currently held gun, converting all Action Skill and melee damage into that type.
• Elemental affinities: Kinetic, all

The best Borderlands 4 Vex build is a versatile Vault Hunter who is all about dishing out damage while sustaining health from action skills. While Incarnate fully heals Vex and allows her to cast damaging Eldritch Blast, it can also be built for more lifesteal and survivability options. As for her other action skills, Phase Phamiliar lets Vex summon Trouble – a beastly companion best-suited for longer fights – while Dead Ringer allows for spawning a maximum of three spirits, which don't last as long as Trouble but can either tank for Vex or focus on shooting to maximize damage.

If you're planning a solo campaign or want that flexibility to summon help for your tank while dealing damage, Vex is an excellent pick. But if you would prefer something a little more straightforward, consider a Vault Hunter that doesn't have to keep an eye on summons.

Borderland 4 Amon, the Forgeknight

• Vault Hunter Trait - Forgeskill: Amon gains a Forgeskill based on the chosen Action Skill.
• Elemental Affinities: Incendiary, Cryo

Amon is as frontline as they come, with the best Borderlands 4 Amon build thriving in the middle of combat. Crucible – which gives Amon three Forgeaxes to throw and retrieve – is one of the more offensive-leaning of the three, forcing you to wade into the thick of things to grab your axes and refund cooldowns. Similarly, Onslaughter – which gives bonuses to shields, damage, and movement speed along with a Rocket Punch dash to enemies – encourages getting in between your allies and the foe. On the defensive side, Scourge lets Amon block all damage from the front while sending out waves of Cryo damage, which again helps maintain that frontline for your team.

If you want to feel big and brash – and who doesn't in Borderlands? – Forgeknight is the best option. And if you're a fan of shotguns, this is the best pick for enabling that close-up playstyle.

Borderlands 4 Rafa, the Exo-Soldier

• Vault Hunter Trait - Overdrive: Rafa goes into Overdrive whenever his Action Skill is activated, granting a temporary boosts to damage and movement speed.
• Elemental Affinities: Shock, Corrosive

Although the Exo-Soldier lacks defensive options, best Borderlands 4 Rafa build more than makes up for that with ludicrous DPS and a very straightforward kit. In terms of action skills: the Peacebreaker Cannons are automated shoulder-mounted turrets, the Apophis Lance fires shock blasts, and Arc-Knives enable a dual-swords playstyle that's perfect for fans of Borderlands 2's Zero.

See what we mean about the straightforward kit? If your heart is set on being the dedicated damage-dealer and you can work with offence being the best defence, give the Exo-Soldier a whirl.

Borderlands 4 Harlowe, the Gravitar

• Vault Hunter Trait - Entanglement: Harlowe's Action Skills Entangle enemies, causing them to share any damage they take.
• Elemental Affinities: Cryo, Radiation

Like Vex, the best Borderlands 4 Harlowe build offers more of a versatile strategy in comparison to Rafa or Amon. While her Chroma Accelerator action skill – a detonatable explosive – is all about large area-of-effect damage, her other skills are more about locking down enemies. Zero-Point can be used to throw an enemy in stasis (then slam them into the ground), while Flux Generator creates an energy field that deals cryo damage and entangles enemies while granting overshield to allies.

If you'd like to be a jack-of-all-trades with more defensive options, Harlowe is your pick. Those area-of-effect abilities make Harlowe very well-suited for clearing fodder or locking down a Badass, which makes her a particularly strong pick for anyone planning to play through Borderlands 4 with friends in co-op.

Now that you know what all the characters are like, see what your in for with the Borderlands 4 mission list and you might want to know how long it takes to beat Borderlands 4.

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