Borderlands 4 is one of this year's most anticipated titles, and it just seems like that anticipation continues to grow as Gearbox rolls out reveals for each of the game's new Vault Hunters. Currently, Vex, Rafa, and Amon have all been unveiled, with Vex getting the bulk of the marketing and Rafa coming in at a close second. More on Harlowe is still to come, though her skills have already been revealed, giving players a chance to get a peek at her various build possibilities early. It's not uncommon for a Borderlands game to show off its playable characters ahead of launch, but something about each of Borderlands 4's new Vault Hunters suggests a major shift in the series' identity.
Choosing the right Vault Hunter in Borderlands has always been a core aspect of the player's identity within each game, but it has simultaneously been undermined by another of the series' more prominent core gameplay values. Specifically, one of the biggest selling points of any Borderlands game up to this point has revolved around the number and variety of guns players can acquire within each entry. After all, Borderlands is a looter shooter, and guns account for both aspects. However, Borderlands 4 seems to be taking things in a different direction, making its Vault Hunters more important and powerful than ever, forcing guns to move to the backseat in the process.
Borderlands 4's New Vault Hunters Represent a Core Shift in the Series' Identity
Borderlands Has Always Been (Mostly) About Its Guns
"Guns, guns, guns" has always been the name of the game throughout the Borderlands series, to the point that it really helped define the looter shooter genre. Each mainline installment has even increased the number of weapon variants players can obtain in game, with Borderlands 4 now expected to have billions of different weapons. On paper, that sounds like it could give players a seemingly endless grind as they search for the perfect weapon, but over time, that has proven not to be the case — with the grind remaining intact, but the desire to do so waning.
The main problem with Borderlands rooting its identity in guns is that it almost trivializes any value its Vault Hunters might have otherwise added to each game. Should players find the perfect gun (or at least the gun they really want to play with), there is little need to take advantage of their chosen Vault Hunter's unique playstyle, as the gun then becomes more of an extension of the player than the Vault Hunter. And this problem has only increased as Borderlands has added more guns to its arsenal with each entry. Now, even though Borderlands 4 has the most guns in the franchise's history, it still finds itself in a much better position thanks to its fresh approach to Vault Hunter design.
Borderlands 4 Flips the Script With Vault Hunters That Are More Essential Than Ever
While Harlowe's big reveal is still on the horizon, the playstyle for every one of Borderlands 4's Vault Hunters has been disclosed, and this group already looks more diverse, more complex, and more versatile than any other Vault Hunter lineup in the series' history. For example, Amon, who was most recently revealed, is now being considered a top pick for main among players, simply due to how much his design encourages experimentation. Much of this is due to Borderlands 4's skill trees, though, as they offer an unprecedented number of skills, and the ability to mix and match between trees increases the possibilities all the more.
In other words, instead of trying to find the perfect gun, players are more likely to spend most of their time building the perfect Vault Hunter in Borderlands 4. It's arguably a shift that has needed to happen in the series for quite some time, as Vault Hunters have long had personality but have rarely felt as important as the weapons they hold.
Borderlands 4
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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
