Borderlands 4 is much more iterative than it is inventive, but the fourth game in the main series has come up with a few ideas and improvements to shake things up, and changes introduced with the latest playable Siren have certainly caught my attention.
In a new video explaining the abilities of new Vault Hunter Vex, lead game designer Nick Thurston of developer Gearbox highlights the different play styles that our latest playable Siren can lean into. Vex is described as a necromancer-ranger hybrid, combining pet and summon-based combat with deathly energies – spreading her power around the battlefield or concentrating it on herself for more of a warlock fantasy.
"The kind of player that would enjoy Vex, if you're an action RPG player who specifically loves necromancer fantasies or ranger fantasies, it's got everything you need," Thurston says of Vex's skill tree.
But it's his next line that really raises my eyebrow. "She's actually the first Siren to focus specifically also on kinetic damage, so if you particularly enjoy lifesteal and draining your enemies' health for lots and lots of power, you'll have a good time."
The Siren Vault Hunters in Borderlands games have traditionally focused on dealing lots of elemental damage, with at least one fork of their skill tree heavily leaning into it and other nodes often splashing it in elsewhere. There's always been some variation – Borderlands 3's Amara had a notable melee focus, for instance – but Thurston is right: we've never had a kinetic-focused Siren like what Vex appears to be.
Elemental weapons trade lower bullet damage for added damage via status effects, often making Sirens the top (but not only) pick for damage-over-time builds in many games. I've historically split my time between the Siren and assassin-type Vault Hunters in Borderlands, going back to Lilith and Mordecai, so Vex seemingly combining the two could well be a dream class for yours truly.
There's something to be said for burning and electrocuting dudes into mush, but the up-front damage of kinetic weapons can make gunplay punchier, and with all the control modernizations in Borderlands 4, I could see that being my preferred way to play Gearbox's latest FPS.
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