Borderlands 4, the eagerly awaited next installment in 2K`s prolific shooter series, is set for release this September. Developer Gearbox is now beginning to reveal the new playable characters, kicking off this week with Vex. She`s a new Siren whose deadly abilities manifest at a rather inopportune and stressful moment.
A gameplay overview provides insight into how Vex will stand apart from previous Sirens in the franchise. Sirens in Borderlands are special beings distinguished by glowing tattoos and the capacity to wield psychic powers. Vex shares these traits but utilizes her newly acquired powers primarily to summon a group of loyal minions.
Vex distinguishes herself from earlier playable Sirens through a strong emphasis on summonable minions, positioning her as a necromancer or pet class character. A dedicated skill tree revolves entirely around her large alien cat companion named Trouble. Vex can summon Trouble and teleport the pet across the battlefield. Numerous additional skills and modifiers within this tree enhance Trouble`s combat effectiveness, allowing the pet to absorb more damage, provoke enemies, or even detonate for area-of-effect damage.
Beyond her pet focus, Vex possesses a range of other potent Siren abilities. One allows her to unleash a burst of phase energy, simultaneously grow fearsome wings, conjure a small orb or turret, and fire a projectile from her free hand – all in a single action. Her third and final Siren action skill offers a choice between summoning duplicates of herself for ranged damage output or projecting a psychic reaper that engages enemies in close quarters.
For players keen on planning their strategies, Vex`s complete skill trees are already available for preview, offering a detailed look at her various abilities and potential builds ahead of the game`s launch.
In addition, Gearbox released an animated short film titled `Purple Friday`. This three-minute video provides insight into Vex`s origin story. True to the Borderlands style, the short is excessively violent and filled with humor. It depicts Vex discovering her Siren powers while working a retail job at a store resembling the series` equivalent of a large department store. The narrative includes her developing feelings for a customer, confronting a threatening patron, and even seemingly includes a subtle jab at Borderlands 3 amidst the chaotic and bloody events.
This animated short serves as an entertaining glimpse into the world of Borderlands 4. It also hints at more content to come, as Gearbox plans to release similar videos introducing the game`s other playable vault hunters. These characters are briefly shown gathered around a campfire with Vex at the conclusion of the `Purple Friday` short.
Borderlands 4 is scheduled to release on September 12 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A version for the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to follow later in 2025.