After spending more than 400 hours across Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 3, and even Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, it's safe to say the series is a core part of my muscle memory at this point. As it's one of my favorite first-person shooters of all time, I've really been looking forward to getting into Borderlands 4, especially after getting a small taste of it during a hands-on preview event in June. In fact, it was during that preview that I decided I would be starting my official journey into Borderlands 4 with Vex, the new playable Siren, and a lot of that is due to the way she plays — and her adorable spectral tiger companion, Trouble, of course.
When I first put my hands on the mouse and keyboard and took control of Vex during the hands-on preview event, playing Borderlands 4 was like second nature to me, even with all the new traversal mechanics and Vex's own unique playstyle. This particular Borderlands entry is more difficult than any before it, and yet I found myself constantly urged by the devs behind me to pursue even greater challenges because, according to them, I could "handle it." Some of this boiled down to my experience with Borderlands in general, but it also helped that I had experience with Vault Hunters similar to Vex in the past, giving me a head start on how I would play her when the game finally came out.
I'm Going All In on Vex and Her Minions
Vex's Reaper Minions Should Make Solo Play Much Easier
I'll occasionally be playing Borderlands 4 with friends — there's no doubt about that. However, I know my friends won't always be available when I am, so it's best that I find a way to increase Vex's survivability and viability in solo play. Fortunately, there's no better way to do that than to take advantage of her ability to summon a Reaper Phase Clone Minion in her Dead Ringer tree. Since her Reaper minions taunt enemies and deal melee damage, it'll increase my chances of survival in solo play, and considering how challenging Borderlands 4 is, I'll definitely need it.
I found that playing with FL4K in Borderlands 3 was really beneficial for me as a solo player at the time, thanks to their elemental pet tank that would taunt enemies, and I'm sure Vex's Reaper minions will sufficiently fill that role as well. Plus, I can increase the melee damage, damage reduction, and critical hit damage of Vex's minions via her Phase Familiar tree, making the Reapers even more effective at both taking and dealing damage.
Vex's Specter Minions Will Help With Crowd Control and Damage
What makes Vex even more enticing for solo play is that I can easily summon Specter minions instead of Reapers, which, while they don't move, still act as additional targets but deal more damage. If Reapers are great for Borderlands 4's boss fights, then surely Specters will be perfect for crowd control. This ability is actually pretty distinct when compared to past Vault Hunters in the series, but the main point is that, knowing how demanding any Borderlands game can be to play solo, not to mention Borderlands 4, I'll need plenty of backup. Thankfully, Vex's Specter minions provide that.
Now, there's a chance I'll dip more into Vex's Phase Familiar tree, if not just to get to fight alongside Trouble a bit. It's actually the playstyle I chose during the Borderlands 4 hands-on preview I did in June, and I really enjoyed watching the mighty tiger go to work when I summoned him. However, as far as Action Skills go, it looks like Dead Ringer is going to meet my needs more, especially considering its diverse uses.
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
