Borderlands 4 drops you on the planet of Chyros with four new faces, and your first big decision is choosing which one to embody. This isn't just a cosmetic choice; it defines your entire approach to combat. Your starting Vault Hunter determines your unique Action Skills, the powerful, cooldown-based abilities that form the core of any build. This time, we have Rafa the Exos Soldier, a Tediore deserter bristling with integrated weaponry; Vex the Siren, a phase-powered brawler who summons spectral allies; Aman the Forge Knight, a cult survivor turned monster hunter who wields a massive shield and elemental axes; and Harlo the Gravitar, a Maliwan scientist who manipulates gravity itself.
Each character comes with three distinct Action Skills, essentially letting you pick one of three sub-classes from the get-go. While you can respec later, understanding their core kits is crucial for a strong start. Here’s the complete breakdown of every new Vault Hunter and what they bring to the fight.
Rafa, the Exos Soldier
Rafa is an AWOL soldier on the run from his former Tediore employers, and his kit reflects that military-tech background. His entire body is augmented with an advanced exo-suit, making him the quintessential soldier class, perfect for players who love overwhelming firepower and direct assaults. His skills revolve around materializing heavy weaponry, enhancing his melee capabilities, or firing devastating energy blasts.
Peacebreaker Cannons
This is Rafa's bread-and-butter gunner skill. Activating it materializes a pair of powerful cannons on his shoulders that unleash a relentless hailstorm of bullets. It’s an ideal 'press button to delete enemy' skill, fantastic for chewing through badasses or clearing a crowded room. Augments for this skill, like 'Bullet Buddy Deluxe', can add incendiary damage and even regenerate ammo for you and your squad, turning Rafa into a mobile support firebase.
Arc Knives
Forgoing guns for a moment, Arc Knives transforms Rafa into a high-speed melee threat. This skill is all about closing the distance and slicing enemies to ribbons. If you prefer a more aggressive, in-your-face playstyle that combines gunplay with rapid strikes, this is the skill for you. It’s a high-risk, high-reward option that can be devastating with the right melee-focused gear and passive skills.
Apoapsis Lance
This skill turns Rafa’s off-hand into a powerful energy cannon. Instead of a flurry of bullets or blades, the Apoapsis Lance fires a single, piercing shock orb that can rip through multiple targets. It’s a tactical skill that rewards good positioning and timing, allowing you to deal massive elemental damage to lined-up enemies or heavily shielded targets. This is the choice for players who want a powerful, situational blast rather than sustained damage.
Borderlands 4 in-game screenshot
Vex, the Siren
As is tradition, Borderlands 4 includes a Siren, but Vex is a far cry from the more mystical Sirens of the past. With a rough upbringing that forced her to fight for survival, Vex wields her supernatural phase energy with brutal efficiency. Her skills focus on summoning spectral minions, creating a combat familiar, or turning herself into a hyper-lethal force of nature. She’s a versatile choice for players who enjoy crowd control and indirect damage.
Deadringer
This is Vex's summoning skill, allowing her to call forth phase-energy minions. You can choose between two types: Reapers, which are aggressive melee units that taunt enemies and draw fire, or Specters, which are stationary turrets that provide ranged support. This skill is exceptional for solo players, as it effectively gives you a disposable squadmate to manage enemy aggression and add supplemental damage.
Phase Familiar
Instead of temporary summons, Phase Familiar gives Vex a permanent companion named Trouble. This familiar aids Vex in combat and, through the game's augment system, can be empowered to fill various roles—becoming a tank, a healer, or a pure damage-dealer. This skill defines a 'pet class' playstyle, where you focus on buffing and directing your companion to control the battlefield.
Incarnate
Incarnate is Vex's self-buffing 'super mode'. Activating it transforms her into a one-woman army, dramatically increasing her movement speed and allowing her to fire a powerful Eldritch Blast from her off-hand. Crucially, she can still wield and fire her equipped weapon simultaneously. This skill is pure chaos, turning Vex into a whirlwind of destruction perfect for overwhelming bosses or clearing encounters that require speed and aggression.
Aman, the Forge Knight
Aman’s backstory is pure Borderlands: he was raised in a cult that worshipped Vault Monsters. When the Vault was opened and his entire cult was wiped out, he dedicated his life to hunting the very beasts he once revered. His playstyle is that of a frontline tank and brawler. He absorbs damage, converts it into power, and unleashes it with brutal force. He's the perfect pick for players who want to stand their ground and hit incredibly hard.
Borderlands 4 in-game screenshot
Scourge
This is Aman's signature tanking ability. When activated, he lifts a massive, impenetrable shield that absorbs all incoming damage. This absorbed energy builds a meter called 'Vengeance'. Aman can then unleash this stored power as a devastating 'Forge Wave', a projectile that damages everything in its path. It’s a classic absorb-and-retaliate mechanic that rewards tactical blocking.
Crucible
Crucible is a versatile elemental throwing skill. Aman can hurl either a Frost Axe or a Flame Axe, dealing damage and priming enemies with a status effect. If an enemy is killed while primed, they explode, dealing significant area-of-effect damage to nearby foes. This makes Aman excellent at chain-reacting through groups of mobs and controlling the elemental flow of a fight.
Onslaught
This skill empowers Aman’s gauntlets, turning him into a self-sustaining bruiser. While Onslaught is active, his shield regenerates at a rapid rate. More importantly, it gives him the ability to perform a rocket-powered punch, dashing instantly to a targeted enemy to deliver a powerful melee strike. It provides both immense survivability and the mobility needed to stay on top of high-priority targets.
Harlo, the Gravitar
Harlo is a former Maliwan combat scientist with an obsessive need to understand the universe's fundamental forces, which she now manipulates for combat. She is a tech-focused character who uses powerful gadgets to control the battlefield through gravity manipulation. Her skills revolve around trapping, suspending, and crushing enemies, making her a master of area denial and crowd control.
Chroma Accelerator
This skill involves a two-part detonation. Harlo first fires an unstable energy pocket that damages any enemy it passes through. At any point, she can activate the skill again to detonate the pocket, triggering a massive explosion that also entangles any surviving enemies in a large AoE. It’s a highly tactical skill that rewards precision and timing, allowing for devastating setups.
Zero Point
As the name implies, this skill weaponizes gravity. Harlo can suspend a group of enemies in stasis, lifting them helplessly into the air for a short period. She can then violently slam them back into the ground, dealing heavy AoE damage. This is an unparalleled crowd-control ability, perfect for neutralizing a dangerous group of enemies or setting them up for an easy kill by your teammates.
Flux Generator
Flux Generator is Harlo's primary support and area-denial skill. She deploys a device that creates a persistent field. Enemies caught within the radius are damaged and entangled, slowing their movement. At the same time, any allies standing inside the field are granted a massive overshield and other powerful buffs. This makes Harlo an invaluable anchor for any team, able to lock down a zone and heavily fortify her squad's position.
Borderlands 4 in-game screenshot
How Action Skills Fit Into Your Build
Choosing an Action Skill is just the first step. In Borderlands 4, this choice is the foundation of your build, effectively your 'sub-class'. Each of the three skills is tied to one of three distinct skill trees (e.g., a red, blue, and green tree). While your active skill is your anchor, you are not locked into its corresponding tree. You can freely allocate points into passives from the other two trees if they synergize with your build.
This system is deepened by Augments and Capstones. Augments are special nodes within each tree that dramatically alter your Action Skill's function. For example, one of Rafa's 'Peacebreaker Cannons' augments, 'InstaFort Battle System', lets him detach the cannons and turn them into an autonomous turret platform. Capstones are the final, ultra-powerful nodes at the end of each tree that can provide game-changing buffs or even complete reworks of a skill's mechanics. This flexibility allows for an immense amount of build-crafting, letting you tailor your chosen Vault Hunter to your exact playstyle.
The Final Take
Your first choice in Borderlands 4 is a big one, but the system is designed for experimentation. If you like pure firepower and a soldier fantasy, pick Rafa. If you want to control the battlefield with minions and strange powers, Vex is your Siren. For those who want to be an unkillable frontline tank who hits like a truck, Aman is the clear choice. And if you prefer a more tactical, gadget-based approach focused on crowd control, Harlo will be your master of gravity. Don't be afraid to visit a respec station and try out all three of their Action Skills—you might just discover your new favorite way to cause mayhem.