Borderlands 4introduces four new Vault Hunters, but theBorderlandsseries already has a total of 20 playable Hunters from its various main titles (counting DLCs). Every game in the franchise introduces four new characters to play as, each bringing something new for fans to experiment with. Although the characters often fall into the typical class types—like the magic-wielding Sirenand heavy hitters like Brick—each Hunter has unique branching skill trees that can make each playthrough completely different.
Although every character has their own strengths and weaknesses,some of the Vault Hunters fromBorderlandsgames stand out as being the most fun to play as.For some, this might be due to interesting skill combinations, while others stand out for their larger-than-life personalities that color every battle. Whatever your combat preferences are, some of the playableBorderlandscharacters are in a league of their own.
10Claptrap the Fragtrap
The Wisecracking Robot From Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
After acting as the silly sidekick character in the franchise, the series' one-eyed, one-wheeled, talkative robot got his moment in the spotlight inThe Pre-Sequel.In the game, theever-present character Claptrapbecomes a Vault Hunter, armed with anappropriately hilarious list of skills and dialogue lines.
To be clear, Claptrap isn’t the most fun to play because of his skills, which are fairly standard;he’s fun to play because he and his skills are hilarious. One of the character’s abilities grants him a large buff, for instance, but only if his allies (or enemies) “high-five” him by meleeing him. Leave him hanging, and he may break down sobbing that he just wants to be loved. Only choose this little guy if you’re a fan of puns like “Hey everybody! Check out my package!” and “Cryo me a river!”
9Gaige The Mechromancer
The Mechanic And Her BFF Deathtrap From The Borderlands 2 DLC
Gaigewas added toBorderlands 2as a DLC character, bringingher science project and best friend, Deathtrap,with her. In combat, Gaige can call on the massive anti-bullying mech to fight alongside her, with the giant making quite a sight next to the twin-ponytailed teenager.
The mech-aided Vault Hunter is a divisive one, described as being easy to play but difficult to master. She can be used as a huge damage dealer by decking out Deathtrap in offensive skills, or she can be used for more nuanced play with skills like Anarchy that are more useful the more of them she has stacked. Either way,summoning a large robot into battle is a blast.
8Mordecai the Hunter
And His Trusty Companion Bloodwing From Borderlands
Mordecai from the originalBorderlandsgame set the stage for FL4K and his pets and evenVex the Siren inBorderlands 4and her spectral cat companion, Trouble. The original Vault Hunter was a literal hunter whofought alongside his trusty companion bird, Bloodwing.
The character is a soft-spoken sharpshooter, whose skills with long-range gun firing perfectly complement his bird’s attacks.The two worked as a team to take down enemies,and the combination was a winning one despite the relatively limited skill trees of the firstBorderlandsgame.
7Axton The Commando
The Turret-Wilding Soldier From Borderlands 2
I have to admit, I had forgotten all about Axton until I asked my husband who his favorite Vault Hunter was. While the character has a fleshed-out background story as aformer Dahl soldier forced to go AWOLwhen he was discharged and sentenced to death by firing squad, his personality is simply not as memorable as many of the more colorful characters in the series' history.
However, what Axton lacks in personality, he makes up for with some excellent gameplay.The Commando’s fighting style revolves around his deployable Sabre Turret,which can be upgraded to act as an offensive or defensive ally, or as a distraction. When fully upgraded, the turret can act almost like a second character, providing Axton with buffs and assists that can make or break a battle.
6Athena the Gladiator
The Shield-Wielding Ex-Crimson Lance Fighter From Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Athena first appeared inThe Secret Armory of General KnoxxDLC for the originalBorderlandsas an ally to the player. She shows up again as a playable character inThe Pre-Sequel,revealing more of her background as anassassin and operative of the elite Atlas soldiers, the Crimson Lance.Luckily, by the time we meet her, the formidable Athena is on the player’s side.
Athena’s Kinetic Aspis action skill lets her use her shield in a way that no otherBorderlandscharacter does. When activated,Athena holds her shield up to absorb damage,then throws it at enemies as a powerful projectile. Athena is one of the best supportive roles in the series, with the tactical nature of her skill trees helping the whole team, increasing damage at the cost of her own health, or harnessing elemental damage.
5Lilith The Siren
The First-Ever Siren From Borderlands
Lilith is a key player in all theBorderlandsgames, handling everything from founding the Crimson Raiders inBorderlands 2to literally moving planets inBorderlands 3.The character was one of the original Vault Hunters andthe first playable Siren in the franchise. (She was also the first character I played, so I may be a bit biased.)
Lilith’s Siren skill in the first game was the Phasewalk, which allowed her to go invisible and move faster for a brief period, ending in a blast that hurt anyone around her. The Phasewalk could be ended with a melee attack, and various melee boosts made it ridiculouslyfun to go invisible only to reappear in the middle of the battlefieldwith an explosive melee hit.
4Zane The Operative
The Delightfully Charming Dual-Ability Wielder From Borderlands 3
Zane is hands down the most charming and funny character to play as in theBorderlandsseries, with a quip at the ready for any situation. He’s so charming, in fact, that he managed to entice me away after unfailingly playing as the Siren character in all three previous games. The Vault Hunter is a perfect choice for the undecisive player, being the only character in the entire franchiseable to equip two action skills at the same time(giving up grenades to do so).
Similarly to Axton, Zane’s action skills fall into the defensive (putting up a barrier that protects himself and allies), offensive (summoning shoulder cannons or a rocket-launcher-equipped drone), and decoy (placing a Digi-Clone to distract enemies). The ability to combine two of thesemakes Zane extremely versatileand turns him into an excellent ally in a co-op playthrough.
3Zer0 The Assassin
The Mysterious Possibly-Not-Human Mercenary From Borderlands 2
No one is sure who (or what) Zer0 is,except maybe the resident evil scientist Patricia Tannis. The character speaks entirely in haikus, has a full-body outfit, and expresses himself in holographic emoticons displayed atop his helmet. The one thing that we do know about Zer0 is that he’s an extremely fun character to play.
Zer0 has an odd dual specialty,excelling both in up-close combat thanks to his sword and in long-range combat due to his sniping expertise.Depending on which ability path you choose to follow, Zer0 can either deal out powerful long-distance crits or devastating killing melee blows. Either way, his “decepti0n” action skill ensures that the enemies' attention is focused elsewhere while he zooms around the battleground.
2Maya The Siren
The Fun Phaselock Magician From Borderlands 2
Maya the Siren becomes incredibly important to the story inBorderlands 3,but in the second game, she’s just a Vault Hunter like the rest of the team. Maya takes the concept of the Siren introduced by Lilith in the first game andelevates it to one of the most fun playable characters in the series.
Maya’sPhaselock action skill enables her to essentially lift enemies in a bubble,rendering them immobile for a bit while damaging them. At higher levels, the skill gains additional effects, like elemental damage and spreading to additional enemies if the original Phaselocked enemy dies. The skill can even be changed to turn enemies into allies instead of bubbling them, or pull enemies in and explode, allowing for some fun and chaotic plays.
1Krieg the Psycho
The Unhinged Profanity-Spouting Brawler From The Borderlands 2 DLC
Like Gaige, Krieg wasn’t part of the baseBorderlands 2game, arriving instead as a DLC character. The Psycho has gone on to be one of themost beloved characters in the franchise, thanks in part to hisunique melee focusand in part to histendency to yell ridiculous lineslike"I am the conductor of the poop train!“and"I’m losing blood, gimme yours!”
There’s something incredibly satisfying about running enemies through with a melee weapon while on fire.
In a game all about guns, Krieg goes against the grain and relies on his trusty buzz axe, instead. Krieg’s skills are just as unhinged as him, withone entire skill tree relying on him being on fire.There’s something incredibly satisfying about running enemies through with a melee weapon while on fire and yelling about having the shiniest meat bicycle.
The character of Krieg is the kind of fun writing that fans were worried would be lost ifBorderlands 4is truly more serious, Gearbox wanted it to be. Hopefully, the upcoming continuation of the Vault Hunters saga will still have its share of Kriegs, who’s one of the most fun characters to play as in the entire series.
