The heart of every mainline Borderlands experience is, without a doubt, Vault Hunters, as these characters each offer a different style of gameplay for players to choose from. Every main entry has featured four brand-new playable Vault Hunters (and potentially more with DLC), even if some from previous games make a return in a narrative capacity, and Borderlands 4 is no different. However, the ultimate goal should, in theory, be to ensure every new Vault Hunter looks appealing in their own way, but Borderlands 4 has thus far been somewhat uneven in that area.
As is the case with every Borderlands game, Borderlands 4 has four new Vault Hunters for players to choose from — Vex, Rafa, Amon, and Harlowe — but one of these characters seems to have been receiving some preferential treatment from Gearbox in the game's pre-release marketing. Currently, Harlowe has yet to get the spotlight, Amon's marketing has only just begun, and Rafa's fell short of the fourth of Borderlands 4's Vault Hunters, Vex, who has already had plenty of coverage. Needless to say, the game's marketing has been giving Vex some major main character energy, and with just over a month left until Borderlands 4's release, it seems like things might stay that way for the Siren.
Borderlands 4's Marketing Makes Vex Feel Like the Main Character
Vex's Extended Spotlight Shows Gearbox's Hand
If Borderlands 4's pre-release marketing has made anything clear, it's that Gearbox seems to like Vex more than the rest of the game's new Vault Hunters, and that is mostly evidenced by how much coverage she has received by comparison. With Harlowe still behind the curtains and Amon having only just taken the stage, Rafa is Vex's only real competitor at the moment. However, her marketing phase still saw her getting one more video than Rafa did, making it seem like she's the first and favorite child of the bunch.
To be fair, Borderlands 4's Vex looks cool, seems like she plays cool, she has a pet named "Trouble," and, if nothing else, she's a Siren. Playable Sirens throughout the Borderlands series have always been some of the most interesting characters as well as the most engaging to play with, consistently putting them among the most popular playable Vault Hunters. It could be that Gearbox is simply tapping into the popularity of Sirens and saying something like, "Hey, we know you love Sirens, so we think you'll love Vex too," which essentially means she gets first chair while the others are stuck playing second fiddle.
Rafa's Condensed Rollout Undercuts His Importance
At the same time, Borderlands 4's Rafa seems like a fun Vault Hunter to play as well, with the unique capabilities of his experimental exo-suit and his unprecedented mobility. Add to that some energetic dialogue and classic Borderlands charm, and Rafa feels like he might be one of those Vault Hunters players would be remiss not to consider as their main. Nevertheless, he has still received less attention than his counterpart, Vex, during Borderlands 4's pre-release marketing phase, even if it is minimally less, making it feel like Gearbox is unveiling the game's new Vault Hunters, not just in the order that they personally prefer them, but maybe even in the order of how much time and energy they spent on fleshing out each character.
Again, Amon's marketing rollout has only just begun, and he could still receive just as much or even more attention than both Vex and Rafa. At this point, he looks like a fascinating character, not to mention a powerful and versatile one, and that could be enough to tip the scales in his favor. And then there's Harlowe, who has yet to be seen in the same way that the rest of the Vault Hunters have, but it could be that Gearbox is saving Borderlands 4's best for last. Time will tell, but for now, Vex looks like she's getting the lion's share.
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
Borderlands 4 brings intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons to an all-new planet ruled by a ruthless tyrant.
Crash into Kairos as one of four new Vault Hunters seeking wealth and glory. Wield powerful Action Skills, customize your build with deep skill trees, and dominate enemies with dynamic movement abilities.
Break free from the oppressive Timekeeper, a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high. Now a world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect Order, unleashing Mayhem across the planet.
