In the Vex Gameplay Overview above, you can witness Vex's destructive Phase energy in action, whether she's blasting enemies to bits with elemental orbs, summoning an entourage of aggressive Phase Clones, or letting her adorable (and deadly) feline Phase Phamiliar, aptly named Trouble, tear the opposition limb from limb. If you're generally a fan of companion classes or like to rack up kills with elemental damage, Vex is a great choice.
Here's a high-level overview of the core Action Skill abilities Vex has at her disposal:
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- [p]Dead Ringer: Use multiple charges to spawn in a posse of Phase Clone Minions, which can be melee-slashing, enemy-taunting Reapers or immobile, turret-style Specters. These Minions aren't long for this world as they continually lose health the moment they spawn in, so enjoy their murderous tendencies while they last.[/p][/*]
- [p]Incarnate: Unleash devastating area-of-effect damage with Incarnate's initial Phase Explosion, decimating nearby aggressors and fully healing Vex in the process. She then enters a temporary powered-up state (peep that skeletal wingspan) which has faster movement and the ability to fire off blistering Eldritch Blasts. [/p][/*]
- [p]Phase Phamiliar: Invite Trouble to show off what a good boy he is, particularly when it comes to chomping down on enemies or fatally smacking them to bits with his tail. When it's time to take out a high-priority target, Trouble can teleport on top of them with an instantly damaging blast before taking on an even more Badass form.[/p][/*]
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Skill tree fundamentals
[p]Every Vault Hunter has access to three unique Action Skills, but only one can be equipped at a time. They also have three distinct skill trees, each stemming from an Action Skill.
By investing points into a skill tree and unlocking its deeper layers, you'll gain access to Augments that provide secondary bonuses to your Action Skills, and Capstones which modify or override specific Action Skill functionalities. Augments and Capstones can only be slotted into the Action Skill for that respective skill tree. Only one Capstone can be equipped at a time, and the same is typically true for Augments.
You can use Action Skills from other skill trees even if you haven't invested any points into them, but you won't be able to equip the powerful Augments or Capstones from one skill tree onto the Action Skill of a different skill tree. Committing Skill Points to the skill tree that will properly synergize with your favorite Action Skill is key!
Each Vault Hunter also has their own Trait: an always-on passive effect that doesn't require any skill points. Vex's Trait is Phase Covenant, which attunes her Action Skill and melee damage to the same Elemental Type as the gun she's currently wielding. Elemental damage types are critical for taking down tougher enemies on higher difficulty levels, so Phase Covenant is a gift that keeps on giving while you level up, incentivizing you to curate a loadout with differing elemental damage guns that ensure you're ready for anything.
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Above, you can watch Vex's new Character Short "Purple Friday," featuring Vex's retelling of the events that set her down the path to becoming a Vault Hunter.
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More to come
[p]We'll also be rolling out dedicated Vault Hunter pages for the remaining crew members Rafa, Amon, and Harlowe, each with their own Gameplay Overview and Character Short, so stay tuned for those!
Borderlands 4 is now available for pre-purchase! Ahead of Borderlands 4's launch on September 12, 2025, make sure you're caught up with the latest Story Trailer. Then get behind-the-scenes insights from Gearbox developers with the ongoing Beyond the Borderlands video series, including "Making a Vault Hunter" and "Welcome to Kairos" with more on the way![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1285190/Borderlands_4/"][/dynamiclink][/p]
