Borderlands 3: All Playable Characters, Ranked (2024)

Borderlands 3 has four different Vault Hunters to choose from, with Gearbox not planning to add new ones anytime soon. Each of the existing Vault Hunters has their own dynamic playstyles, which is a big part of what makes the game so replayable. Each Vault Hunter is great in their own way depending on how players want to use them, so there really isn't necessarily a "bad" playable character in the game.

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Ranking the Vault Hunters is difficult because it really depends on the player and the gear that they can acquire. As stated above, each Vault Hunter has their strengths and weaknesses and so players owe it to themselves to use them all to find out which works best for them. Given the right gear, they can all be unstoppable, though certain Borderlands 3 characters can utilize that gear much better than others.

Updated October 28, 2021 by Tom Bowen: It may now be more than two years old, but Borderlands 3 remains incredibly popular with players. A big part of this is down to its many well-received DLC offerings, although regular updates and community events have also helped in this regard. With a Borderlands movie on the way and a physical edition of the game's Ultimate Edition set to release for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles in just a few weeks' time, none of that seems likely to change anytime soon. For those who are just starting out in the game and are still unsure of which of the Borderlands 3 characters is right for them, this guide should help to make things a little clearer.

4 Zane The Operative

Zane is the game's Operative, though isn't the easiest character to work with. Most of his skills require a more tactical approach to combat than his peers, meaning players will need to spend a fair amount of time familiarizing themselves with when and where to use them. He can summon a clone of himself, a drone, or an impenetrable shield, each of which can be invaluable in certain situations.

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When used correctly, Zane can be extremely powerful and is great for both dealing and dealing with damage. The only issue is that he’s by far the least accessible of all the Borderlands 3 characters. The other three classes have pretty straightforward skills that aren't too difficult to get the hang of and for the most part are very user-friendly by design. Zane, however, requires a bit more work to get his full potential, specifically stacking up his Kill Skills.

Zane's Kill Skills buff just about every stat imaginable, including Fire Rate, Damage, and Movement Speed. Most players typically speed into his Hitman skill tree due to the capstone skill, Seein’ Red. This allows Zane to automatically activate every Kill Skill immediately after using his Action Skill. It makes him a jack-of-all-trades character that isn’t as flashy as the other three. Zane should be given a chance, but he’ll probably be best suited to the more experienced Borderlands players.

3 FL4K The Beastmaster

FL4K is the Beastmaster class who always has a pet companion by its side at all times. Each of its three Skill Trees has a specific Action Skill and Pet attached to it. Its three Action Skills are Fade Away, Leave No Trace, and Gamma Burst. The three pets to choose from are a Skag, a Jabber, and a Spiderant. The game even lets players name them! As far as pets go, the skag is the most practical since it increases FL4K’s damage as long as players have it with them.

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The biggest problem with FL4K, however, is that Fade Away trumps all other Action Skills in Mayhem Mode. Fade Away allows FL4K to turn invisible for a few seconds and its next three shots are a guaranteed critical hit. Once players have unlocked FL4K’s Guerillas In The Mist Augment, which gives FL4K unlimited critical hits for a short few seconds (at the cost of less critical damage), they're really not going to want to use any other Action Skill.

FL4K is best reserved for boss melting thanks to Fade Away. If players are taking down Wotan, it’s best to have an FL4K in their group as they can easily chew down the health bar in a short few seconds. To some, FL4K is the best Vault Hunter in the game, which is understandable considering Fade Away can be super overpowered. It’s just that Fade Away is the only reason to play FL4K in Mayhem Mode, giving players fewer options altogether.

2 Amara The Siren

Amara is the Siren for Borderlands 3 and she is essentially a combination of Lilith and Maya from the previous games. Amara’s skill trees let players choose one Action Skill, an element, and an Action Skill Augment. They get to choose from either Fire, Shock, or Corrosion for the elements. The great thing is that all the Augments work for each of her Action Skills, which isn't the case with the other Borderlands 3 characters.

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Amara is a great character for crowd control. She has a ton of abilities that allow her to take full control of the battlefield. For example, her Ties That Bind Action Skill is the same as her Phasegrasp, except this time, nearby enemies are linked and they all share a portion of the damage dealt. When doing the Maliwan Takedown, it’s great to have an Amara and bring down the number of enemies in quick succession.

Amara does have a melee build option but this still needs a few buffs to be worth taking on Mayhem 4. Since she’s the Siren class, she’s best utilized for her massive elemental damage output. Her most overpowered (and overlooked) skill is Remnant. This shoots out a tracking elemental orb after killing an enemy. The orb's damage is based on any overkill damage from the previous enemy, resulting in a ton of kills that can chain together without even trying. Amara is best used if players want a ton of DPS without having to shoot as much.

1 Moze The Gunner

For players who just want to blow everything up, then Moze the Gunner is the perfect option. She’s also just the most fun to play. At initial release, Moze wasn’t as powerful since her Iron Bear mech didn’t scale well in Mayhem Mode. Thanks to recent updates, Iron Bear’s weapon damage is insane, being able to melt bosses in Mayhem 4 easily. Iron Bear is both a defensive and offensive tool to use in combat. If players are close to death, they can easily hop into Iron Bear and avoid it completely.

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Each of her skill trees is worth using. That being said, most players love to spec in both her Bottomless Mags and Demolition Woman trees. Both of those tree names pretty much explain what they specialize in. Bottomless Mags gives Moze so much ammo regeneration and Demolition Woman is just splash damage galore. Those who like the idea of their grenades doing critical hits will want to invest in Moze's Pull The Holy Pin skill, which gives grenades a 30% chance of landing a critical. If players have a weapon that spams multiple grenades, then each of those also has a chance, leading to some satisfying and explosive results.

Overall, Moze is probably the best among the four Borderlands 3 characters since she excels at mobbing and bosses, whereas the others typically specialize in one or the other. She's just an absolute blast (pun intended) to play as, especially for newcomers to the franchise. Her skills don't require as much preparation and strategy compared to the others. Also, who doesn't love jumping into a mech?

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