Borderlands fans are eating good right now. The last few weeks have seen a big marketing push from 2K and Gearbox, with Borderlands 4's price finally being revealed and hands-on previews dropping a few days later, many of which were glowing about the new looter shooter entry. Now, the slow drip-feed of in-depth information has begun. Borderlands 4 released a story trailer a few days ago, which was quickly followed by an in-depth showcase of Vault and boss fight gameplay courtesy of IGN.
A wealth of new information is now coming to light thanks to Game Informer's Borderlands 4 cover story. Some of the most intriguing details from Game Informer's coverage center around the new Vault Hunters Amon and Harlowe, the latter of which seems to already have the perfect endgame build just waiting in the wings.
The Unwritten Rules of the Borderlands Games Explained
The Borderlands franchise may be an intricately weaved web, but there are a few simple rules for players to follow for an enjoyable experience.
The Best Build for Borderlands 4's Harlowe Might Be a Familiar One
Harlowe's Entanglement Mechanics Sound Great
According to Game Informer's recent Borderlands 4 coverage, Harlowe's three Action Skills will revolve around a new Entanglement mechanic. This mechanic sees Harlowe, The Gravitar, connecting enemies together via the use of rainbow-colored energy. Dealing damage to one will see all Entangled enemies suffer. Harlowe's Action Skills give her three unique ways to Entangle her foes:
- Zero-Point: Harlowe uses her bubble technology to launch enemies into the air. When suspended in midair, enemies are Entangled. Harlowe can then slam these enemies into the ground, onto objects, or into other enemies. Slamming an enemy into another will pass the Entangled effect onto them.
- Chroma Accelerator: Harlowe fires a large bubble in front of her, Entangling any enemies in its path. Once it reaches the end of its arc, the bubble explodes, damaging all nearby foes.
- Flux Generator: Harlowe drops a mine that Entangles and traps any enemies caught in its area of effect.
All of Harlowe's starting Action Skills sound incredibly fun to use, but it's Zero-Point and Flux Generator that may have the most potential when it comes to Borderlands 4's endgame builds.
Harlowe's Ideal Endgame Build Could Follow in Amara's Footsteps
Harlowe's Zero-Point and Flux Generator Action Skills already sound quite similar to the Phasegrasp Action Skill used by Borderlands 3's Amara, which allows the Siren to summon a fist that bursts from the ground and holds a target in place. More specifically, it seems to closely resemble Amara's Ties That Bind Skill, a Tier 4 unlockable on the Fist of the Elements tree that sees enemies surrounding the grasped foe become linked. Any damage dealt to a linked target is shared among all linked enemies.
Amara's Phasegrasp and Ties That Bind skill became incredibly popular for Borderlands 3's endgame builds as it turns the Siren into a crowd-control fiend when paired with the right skills and items. Indiscriminate, Dread, Transcend, and Wrath are all excellent pairings for Ties That Bind, giving Amara's bullets a ricocheting effect, allowing players to reload after defeating a linked enemy, and improving Amara's accuracy, critical hit chance, and gun damage.
It seems like Borderlands 4's Harlowe could be following a similar trajectory. Players will be able to use Harlowe's Zero-Point bubbles or Flux Generator mine to link and paralyze enemies, giving them the opportunity to wipe out large crowds in seconds. And there are bound to be plenty of unlockable skills that make Harlowe's crowd-control even more efficient.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
