Borderlands 4 gives every Vault Hunter three distinct skill trees, which means the gap between a focused build and a scattered one is enormous by the time you hit higher UVHM levels. After running all four characters through endgame content, the builds below represent the strongest options available right now, organized by tier and purpose.
Vex skill tree overview
Best builds tier list
According to Game8's tier list documentation, builds are ranked on three criteria: ability to clear all content types well into higher UVHM levels, gear requirements to reach peak potential, and boss clear speed regardless of enemy type.
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S-tier builds require little to no specific gear to reach high potential. A-tier builds need more skill and gear investment to keep pace in late endgame content.
Best Vex builds (Siren)
What is the best Vex build for endgame?
The Lifesteal Incarnate Bleed build sits at the top of the tier list for Vex and focuses entirely on Kinetic Bleed damage. The core loop uses Jakobs weapons to trigger Bloodletter, which has a chance on gun and skill critical hits to apply Bleed, dealing Kinetic Status Effect Damage over time. Stacking this with Essence Leech (lifesteal that doubles when an action skill is active) and Blood Is Power (bonus Kinetic damage based on current lifesteal when health is full) creates a damage-and-survival loop that scales aggressively into late content.
Key skills from the Vexcalation tree include Leeching Attunement for lifesteal and reload speed while attuned to Kinetic, Cursed Blade to apply Curse via melee attacks, and Material Components for increased Kinetic and Kinetic Status Effect Damage. The build is self-sustaining and doesn't demand specific legendary drops to function well.
Dead Ringer (boss farm build)
The Dead Ringer build is purpose-built for single-target boss destruction. Heavy investment in The Fourth Seal skill tree amplifies minion damage, while Ancient Rites stacks Minion Damage for each active minion every second. Prismatic Weaponry adds bonus elemental damage on gun critical hits that changes on reload, and Diener grants Dead Ringer an additional charge.
For weapons, carry Incendiary, Shock, and Corrosive options to hit different enemy weaknesses. Keep at least one Jakobs weapon to proc lifesteal when your health gets low. Maliwan is the recommended manufacturer here for elemental coverage.
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The Dead Ringer build struggles against mixed enemy groups compared to the Bleed build. Stick to boss farming and targeted runs rather than general mob clearing.
Phase Phamiliar (leveling build)
For leveling, Phase Phamiliar from the Here Comes Trouble skill tree is the go-to. Skills like Grave Fiends (stackable kill skill damage for Vex and minions), Mourning (increased kill skill effectiveness), and Trouble Bubble (elemental aura around Trouble during Phase Phamiliar) carry you through the campaign without demanding specific gear. Pair with Tediore SMGs to take advantage of grenade reloads.
Best Rafa builds (Exo-Soldier)
What is the best Rafa build overall?
The Ricochet build earns its S-tier ranking by turning every enemy with a status effect into a ricochet target. Pain Reaction gives Rafa's guns a chance to ricochet off enemies with status effects, with ricochet damage scaling from the damage dealt. Double-Ought Autoshot replaces the Peacebreaker Cannons with shotguns that have an increased pellet count and grants turrets a chance to ricochet off targets, with critical hits always ricocheting.
Jakobs Shotguns are the weapon of choice here. The Kickballer legendary is the top target, with Bonnie and Clyde as a solid alternative. Both generate multiple ricochets per shot, which compounds the damage output dramatically in dense enemy groups.
Corroding Arc-Knives build
The Arc-Knives build rewards players who stay aggressive. The goal is keeping Arc-Knives active indefinitely by chaining kills, with Altered Cabron restoring health on every kill while Arc-Knives are out and dealing bonus Corrosive damage with all attacks. Galvanic Panic fires an Acid STRM Glider at enemies in view on every melee attack while Arc-Knives are active, dealing Corrosive Splash Damage scaled to the number of marked enemies.
Cruel Accrual stacks skill damage the longer the action skill stays active, which turns long fights into escalating damage scenarios. Guns are secondary here, used mainly for Fight For Your Life moments and downtime. Jakobs and Vladof shotguns, SMGs, and assault rifles keep you in close-to-mid range where the build thrives.
Peacebreaker Cannons (boss farm build)
For boss farming with Rafa, the Peacebreaker Cannons build maximizes turret damage and Overdrive buffs. Volatile Hollowpoints replaces the cannons with rockets dealing Splash Damage, while Soltado doubles all Overdrive bonuses on kill. Bullet-Buddy Deluxe regenerates ammo into the magazine while cannons are active and deals bonus Incendiary Damage based on magazine fullness.
Use Vladof Assault Rifles with an element that counters your target boss. An Extra Barrel or Motile Bipod attachment smooths out fights by boosting fire rate or weapon handling respectively.
Best Amon builds (Forgeknight)
What is the best Amon build for boss farming?
The Onslaughter Fire build leans entirely into elemental status effect stacking for boss damage. Electrical Fire creates a feedback loop: burning an enemy also shocks them, and shocking an enemy also burns them. Catastrophe then grants increased Critical Hit Chance when Amon applies Shock, and increased Critical Hit Damage when he applies Burning, with both effects stacking separately.
Stormcutter replaces Molten Slam, letting Amon swing a massive Forgesword that launches a Forgewave dealing Shock Melee Damage to everything it passes through, while also restoring action skill cooldown, duration, and ordnance cooldown per enemy hit. Elemental Ripper SMGs and Shotguns with fire properties are the primary weapon recommendation, with Corrosive or Shock backups for armored targets.
Calamity Melee build
The Calamity Melee build chains Onslaughter's punches with the Pyroclast augment, which fully restores health and shield on activation and surrounds Amon with a Forgestorm dealing Incendiary Status Effect Damage to nearby enemies. Killing enemies inside the Forgestorm restores action skill duration and increases Forgestorm damage.
Into the Fray scales damage dealt and damage reduction based on proximity to enemies, rewarding aggressive close-range play. Jakobs Shotguns handle fire-resistant enemies or fill gaps when Onslaughter is cooling down.
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The Calamity Melee build relies on Onslaughter's shield regeneration to stay in melee range safely. Skills like Brimming Vigor (increased max health and melee damage based on health fullness) and Bloodlust (lifesteal and reload speed when shield breaks) provide the survivability needed to sustain the playstyle.Freeze Crucible build
The Freeze Crucible build combines Frost, Fire, and Shock action skills with strong Kinetic gun damage. Searing Cold causes Frost Axes to apply Freeze on impact while Flame Axes pass through enemies. Blast Furnace stacks increased Damage Dealt whenever Amon or his Forgedrones critically hit or cause a Detonation, with Detonations granting multiple stacks. Critical bullets ricochet to nearby foes, turning Jakobs Shotguns into multi-target tools.
Best Harlowe builds (Gravitar)
What is the best Harlowe build for endgame?
The CHROMA Radiation build holds the S-tier spot for Harlowe. The CHROMA Accelerator action skill fires an Unstable Energy Pocket that deals Radiation Damage and Entangles enemies. Voidstar causes the pocket to strip a portion of enemies' total health and freeze them as it passes. Fissile Launcher then shoots a Radiation Dart at another enemy whenever Harlowe damages an Irradiated or Entangled target.
Dirty Bomb creates a Radiation Explosion on every enemy Harlowe Irradiates, while Demon Core makes the Energy Pocket shoot Radiation Darts at enemies as it travels and automatically Irradiates Entangled enemies when the action skill is active. Shock or Radiation Maliwan SMGs are the weapon recommendation, with Katagawa's Revenge as a notable legendary option.
CHROMA Accelerator in action
Cryo Stasis build
The Cryo Stasis build uses Zero-Point to put enemies in Stasis, then detonates them for massive Cryo Explosions via Cold Storage, which stores all damage dealt to enemies in Stasis and releases it as a Cryo Explosion when Stasis ends or the enemy is Slammed. Cold Plunge creates a Singularity followed by a Cryo Explosion on every Slam, and Keep Ice On That gives all Cryo Damage lifesteal, converting excess healing to Overshield when health is full.
Endothermic Reaction creates a Cryo aura around frozen enemies that scales with Overshield fullness, rewarding builds that maintain high Overshield. The Ohm I Got SMG or Aegon's Dream are the top legendary picks, with Cryo Maliwan SMGs as a reliable fallback.
Flux Generator (leveling build)
For leveling, the Flux Generator build focuses on Entangle uptime and action skill cooldown reduction. Runaway Reaction automatically Entangles any enemy Harlowe applies a Status Effect to, while Confirmative Reality restores a portion of action skill cooldown for Harlowe and allies whenever an Entangled enemy is shot. Potential Transference teleports the Flux Generator on use, creating a Shock Burst and healing allies inside. Radiation Maliwan SMGs are the preferred weapon type throughout the leveling process.
Mad Ellie DLC: what new loot should you target?
Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned adds a substantial pool of new Legendaries and three Pearlescent weapons. According to community documentation on Mobalytics, several of these items have mechanics worth understanding before farming.
The Fearstalker (Jakobs Sniper Rifle, dropped from Nightmare Rifts) alternates between two buff types: critical hits grant Deduction stacks that boost the next non-critical hit by 200% On-Hit Gun Damage per stack, and non-critical hits grant Observation stacks that boost the next critical hit by 100% Gear Crit Damage per stack. At maximum stacks, those bonuses reach 1000% and 500% respectively. The Daedalus Underbarrel license is the top roll since the Daedalus Shotgun can grant 3 Fearstalker stacks per shot.
The Hemorrhage (Vladof Sniper Rifle, dropped from DCN Feuermann) scales damage with distance, ranging from -25% at 0 meters to a capped +75% multiplier at 40 or more meters. Best rolls are Jakobs for ricochet or Ripper for charge magazine.
The Scoot'n'Shoot (Torgue Pistol, dropped from Crazed Earl) spawns Phantom Guns at your previous firing positions that shoot simultaneously with you. Up to 8 can be active at once and they persist until you reload. Phantom Guns benefit from On-Hit bonuses and some On-Shot bonuses, but not Flat Amp sources like Blood Shot. Swapping weapons despawns all active Phantom Guns.
New class mods from Nightmare Rifts include the Tempest for Amon (grants Storm stacks on gun damage, up to 50, increasing Shock Damage, with Elemental Bolts striking nearby enemies for 10 seconds on Forgeskill activation) and the Configuration for Vex (opens Blood Rifts on Action Skill or Command Skill activation, rapidly firing Remnant Minions that deal Kinetic Gun Damage based on the equipped weapon). The Gamer class mod for C4SH triggers Bleed on critical gun hits and has a 7% chance to spawn a Chaos Totem on Bleed kills, doubling while Windfall is active.
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Nightmare Rifts are the primary farming source for most of the new Mad Ellie DLC class mods. Plan your farming routes around these encounters rather than chasing specific boss kills for the mod slots.
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