If there's one thing that feels truly special about Borderlands 4, it's the game's Vault Hunters. While they might look bland on the outside (and have even been criticized as much), they are bringing an unprecedented amount of versatility and freedom to the series that it has long needed — if what has been revealed about them so far holds up in execution. Borderlands 4's Vex, Rafa, Amon, and Harlowe all have three skill trees to choose from, each one offering a unique playstyle that players can mix and match with the others, but their real value stems from a major broken tradition that has been in the series since its origins.
In the past, some of the series' Vault Hunters have been built around a particular weapon. For example, each mainline Borderlands game has featured a dedicated "sniper class" — Mordecai in the first game, Zer0 in the second, and Fl4k, somewhat, in the third. Borderlands 4, on the other hand, doesn't feature a sniper class at all, let alone a Vault Hunter that is committed to one weapon type. In other words, as Borderlands 4's Vault Hunters break away from weapon-based archetypes, players are presented with a much larger number of playstyle possibilities, as well as the ability to have more control over the customization of their chosen character.
Borderlands 4's Vault Hunters Feel Like the Most Versatile Yet
A Step Away From the One-Weapon Archetype
"Less borders, more lands" has been Borderlands 4's pre-release motto, marketing itself as a game that intends to allow players to "break free" — another of the game's tag lines — with more freedom than they've ever had in the series. Initially, it felt like this concept centered around Borderlands 4's Kairos, with its seamless design, but it has proven over time to mean far more than that. In essence, the upcoming title looks to be the most limitless Borderlands game yet, putting more power into players' hands than ever before in just about every area of gameplay.
One of the areas where this design philosophy is most evident is in Borderlands 4's Vault Hunters, who are easily the most customizable playable characters the franchise has ever seen. Each Vault Hunter's skill tree is deeper, more expansive, and more flexible than any preceding playable characters in the series, offering players extensive customization and more build variety than they've had in a Borderlands game yet. What's more is that none of these playstyles are tied to a specific weapon type, finally giving each Vault Hunter their own identity apart from the game's guns and highlighting their individual abilities.
More Variety Means More Creative Builds
Ultimately, this means Vault Hunter builds are bound to be more creative, as none of them are restricted to a specific combat role. Borderlands 4's Amon, especially, who already looks like the most versatile Vault Hunter in the game, can fit a wide range of combat scenarios, with melee, ranged, and defensive specializations available across his skill trees. And again, none of these are limited to a particular weapon type and are instead given distinct identities that are rooted in their unique abilities. With an approach like that, players can use whatever weapon type they wish and still be just as effective, which just highlights Borderlands 4's vision to help them break out of the box.
Given how Borderlands has always been about its guns, it's almost refreshing to see Borderlands 4 taking a bold but arguably necessary shift away from that part of its DNA. The series has long been about player expression, but Borderlands 4 seems like it is even more so. Rather than asking players to pick a character that locks them into a narrow lane, it's essentially giving them the keys to the whole road. If Borderlands 4 delivers on that promise, it could mark a turning point for how the series approaches character design, shifting the focus from chasing the right gun for a build to crafting a build that works with whatever guns a player enjoys most.
Borderlands 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
