Borderlands 4 Vex Skill tree: A complete guide 

Vex is Borderlands 4's new Siren character who can use her Phase energy to decimate foes. Whether through pet companions or empowering herself to dish out damage and boost her own healing, she is a solid first pick for any newcomer to Gearbox's latest first-person looter-shooter RPG. Since builds are a cornerstone of Borderlands gameplay, this guide will explore Vex's full Skill Tree in detail.

From passive skills and active ones to new Augments and Capstones, this should give players an idea about the type of playstyle they want to focus on in Borderlands 4.

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All Action Skills for Vex in Borderlands 4

Vex has three unique Action Skills under her belt:

• Phase Phamiliar
• Incarnate
• Dead Ringer

1) Phase Phamiliar

Vex is joined by her Minion, Trouble. When killed, Trouble will Respawn after a cooldown. Press F to teleport Trouble, dealing Damage in an area. Trouble then transforms into a Badass, fully restoring Health and gaining increased Damage for a Duration. Activating Phase Phamiliar will Respawn Trouble if currently dead.

• Trouble Respawn Cooldown: 20 seconds
• Trouble Damage: 18
• Trouble Respawn Damage: 82
• Cooldown: 45 seconds
• Duration: 20 seconds

2) Incarnate

Vex creates a Phase Explosion, dealing Damage to nearby enemies and fully restoring her Health. While active, Vex can use Eldritch Blast and gains increased Movement Speed. Eldritch Blast: Press L1 to fire an Eldrich Blast from her offhand, dealing Damage to nearby enemies on impact. Dealing Gun Damage reduces Eldrich Blast’s Cooldown.

Press and Hold F to end Incarnate early, partially refunding cooldown.

• Phase Explosion Damage: 151
• Eldrich Blast Damage: 100
• Eldrich Blast Cooldown Reduction: 2.5%
• Movement Speed: +25%
• Cooldown: 55 Seconds
• Duration: 25 Seconds

3) Dead Ringer

Charge Skill (3). Spawn a Phase Clone Minion, choosing Specter or Reaper. Phase Clones lose an ever-increasing amount of Health per second, and their Damage Type matches Vex’s current Attunement when spawned. Press M1 to Spawn Reaper, that Taunts enemies and deals Melee Attack Damage Press M2 to Spawn a Specter, that deals Gun Damage and cannot move.

• Reaper Damage: 29
• Specter Damage: 8 per shot
• Health loss per second: 5%
• Health loss increases per second +4%
• Cooldown: 35 seconds

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All Passives and Augments on Vex Skill Tree in Borderlands 4

Each skill tree is home to a number of unique Passive Skills (Image via 2K)

To start, Vex has the following unique passive Trait:

• Phase Covenant: Vex is Attuned to the Elemental Type of her current Gun, converting all Action Skill Damage and Melee Damage into that Elemental Damage type.

Like Borderlands 3, each Action Skill has its own fully fleshed-out skill tree to invest in, featuring unique Passive Skills and Augments. Passive Skills boost the Vault Hunter's capabilities in numerous ways, while Augments enhance their Action Skills and Capstones change how those Action Skills work in powerful ways.

Note that only one Action Skill can be equipped at a time, which is enhanced by equipping 1 Augment and 1 Capstone skill.

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All Passive Skills in Phase Phamiliar:

Tier 1 (accessible from the start):

• Grave Sustenace (5): Kill Skill: Restore a percentage of missing Action Skill Duration. (Missing Action Skill Duration Restored: +4%)
• Enchantment (5): Vex gains bonus Kinetic Damage with weapons while her Action Skill is active. (Bonus Kinetic Damage +6%)
• Blood is Magic (5): Vex deals increased Action Skill Damage the higher her Health. (Action Skill Damage +6%)
• Hasty Friends (3): Vex and her Minions gain increased Movement Speed and Damage Reduction. (Movement Speed +10%, Damage Reduction 14%)

Tier 2 (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Grave Command (3): Kill Skill - Restores a percentage of Trouble’s Command Skill Cooldown and Respawn Cooldown. (Command Skill Cooldown +7%, Respawn Cooldown +7%)
• Overprotective (5): Kill Skill: Vex and her Minions gain Overshield. (Overshield +4%)
• Yowl and Bay (5): Vex’s Minions gain increased Maximum Health Capacity. Vex gains increased Gun Damage for a Duration after Commanding Trouble. (Maximum Health Capacity: +5%, Gun Damage: +5%, Gun Damage Duration: 8 Seconds)

Tier 3 (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Mourning (5): Vex’s Kill Skills gain increased Effectiveness. (Kill Skill Effectiveness +6%)
• Claw and Bang (5): Vex and her Minions gain increased Melee Damage and Ordnance Damage. (Melee Damage +6%, Ordnance Damage +6%)
• Overheal (3): While Vex has Overshield, she and her Minions gain Health Regeneration. (Health Regeneration +1%)
• Vorpal Friends (5): Vex and her Minions gain Critical Hit Damage. (Critical Hit Damage +3%)

Tier 4 Left (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Icy Attunement (5): Attune Kill Skill: While Vex is Attuned to Cryo, killing an enemy restores Ammo and Ordnance Cooldown. Effects persist for a Duration after Attunement is switched. (Ammo Restoration +4%, Ordnance Cooldown Restoration +4%, Attunement Duration 6 Seconds)
• Blast Rites (5): On Ordnance Activation, Vex gains Overshield and increased Fire Rate for a Duration. (Overshield: +5%, Fire Rate: +4%, Fire Rate Duration: 8 seconds)

Tier 5 Left (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Overspirited (5): Kill Skill. Killing an enemy with Ordnance Damage or Action Skill will spawn an Explosive Remnant that deals Cryo Ordnance Damage to nearby enemies. Explosive Remnant gains increased Damage based on Overkill Damage. (Damage: +15, Overkill Bonus Damage: +10%, Cooldown: 6 seconds)
• Blasted Fiends (5): Vex gains increased Ordnance Damage. A percentage of Vex’s Ordnance Damage increases Minion Damage. (Ordnance Damage: +6%, Minion Damage: +10% of all increases to Ordnance Damage)
• Corporeal (3): Vex and get Minions gain increased Maximum Overshield Capacity and Overshield Duration. While Vex has Overshield, she and her Minion(s) gain increased Damage Dealt. (Maximum Overshield Capacity: +10%, Overshield Duration: +10%, Damage Dealt: +10% while Vex has Overshield)

Tier 6 Left (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Shiver (5): Vex gains increased Cryo damage and Cryo Status Effect Damage. (Cryo Damage: +6%, Cryo Status Effect Damage: +3%)

Tier 4 Middle (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Elemental Essence (5): Vex gains increased Elemental Damage. Double this effect when an Action Skill is Active. (Elemental Damage: +4%)
• Keen Fiends (5): Minion Damage gains Critical Hit Chance against any part of enemies. (Minion Critical Hit Chance: +4%)

Tier 5 Middle (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Infernal Sum (5): Vex and her Minions deal increased Critical Hit Damage to enemies below 66.6% HP. (Critical Hit Damage: +7%)
• Sacrificial Essence (5): Kill Skill. Vex and her Minions gain increased Damage Dealt, but Vex gains increased Damage Taken for a Duration. Stacks are lost when Vex dodges or enters Fight For Your Life. (Damage Dealt: +1.5% per Stack, Damage Taken: +3% per Stack, Max Stacks: 10, Stack Duration: 40 seconds)
• Reawakening (5): Whenever Vex or her Minions Critically Hit, there is a chance to restore Action Skill Cooldown. (Chance: +5%, Action Skill Cooldown Restored: 4 seconds, Cooldown: 2 seconds)

Tier 6 Middle (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Tail Whip (1): Trouble gains the ability to Tail Whip, dealing Damage in an area over 2 hits. (Damage per Hit: 47, Cooldown: 12 seconds)

Tier 4 Right (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Shocking Attunement (5): Attuned Skill. While Vex is Attuned to Shock, Vex gains Movement Speed and Gun Damage while moving. Effects persist for a Duration after Attunement is switched. (Movement Speed: +6%, Gun Damage: +6% while walking, Attunement Duration: 6 seconds)
• Grave Current (5): Kill Skill. Vex’s Minions gain Bonus Shock Damage. (Minion Bonus Shock Damage: +5% per stack, Stack Duration: 10 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)

Tier 5 Right (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Deadwire (5): When Vex deals Gun Damage, there is a Chance to spawn a Spark Remnant that will seek out a nearby enemy and explode, dealing Shock Minion Damage to nearby enemies. (Chance: 10%, Damage: +60% of Gun Damage Dealt, Cooldown: 2 seconds)
• Grave Thirst (5): Kill Skill. Vex and her Minions gain Lifesteal for a Duration. (Lifesteal:+1.5% per stack, Minion Lifesteal: +3% per stack, Stack Duration: 16 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)
• Infusion (5): When Vex uses Repkit, Vex and her Minions gain Bonus Damage with Weapons and Melee Damage for a Duration. Bonus Damage Elemental Type is based on Vex’s currently equipped Weapon. (Bonus Damage: +6%, Duration: 15 seconds)

Tier 6 Right (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Stormblessed (5): Vex gains increased Shock Damage and Shock Status Effect Damage. (Shock Damage +6% Shock Status Effect Damage: +3%)

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No mater which Action Skill players pick for Vex in Borderlands 4, she can dominate the battlefield (Image via 2K)

All Passive Skills in Incarnate

Tier 1 (accessible from the start):

• Guns and Needles (3): Kill Skill. Restore Repkit Cooldown by a percentage. (Repkit Cooldown Restored: +7%)
• Volatile Essence (5): Vex gains increased Splash Damage. Double this effect when an Action Skill is active. (Splash Damage: +3.5%)
• Leeching Attunement (5): Attun Skill. While Vex is Attuned to Kinetic, she gains increased Lifesteal and Reload Speed. Effects persist for a Duration after Attunment is switched. (Lifesteal: +2%, Reload Speed: +6%, Attunement Duration: 6 seconds)
• Grave Sights (5): Kill Skill. Vex gains increased Critical Hit Damage and Weapon handling. (Critical Hit Damage: +2% per Stack, Gun Handling: +3% per Stack, Stack Duration: 10 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)

Tier 2 (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Fiendish Invigoration (5): When Vex uses a Repkit, she and her Minions gain increased Movement Speed and Fire Rate for a Duration. (Movement Speed: +6%, Fire Rate: +6%, Duration: 10 seconds
• Bloodletter (5): Gun and Skill Critical Hits have a chance to apply Bleed, causing Kinetic Status Effect Damage over time for a Duration. Bleed is affected by Status Effect Application Chance and is considered a Status Effect. (Chance: 25%, Damage: +9% of Gun Damage per second, Max Stacks: 20)
• Grave Implements (5): Kill Skill. Vex and get Minions gain increased Gun Damage for a Duration. (Gun Damage: +3%, Stack Duration: 10 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)

Tier 3 (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Channeling (5): Vex gains increased Action Skill Duration and Attunement Duration. (Action Skill Duration: +4%, Attunement Duration: +6%)
• Material Components (5): Vex gains increased Kinetic Damage and Kinetic Status Effect Damage. (Kinetic Damage: +6%, Kinetic Status Effect Damage: +3%)
• Grave Power (3): Vex’s Kill Skills gain increased Max Stacks. (Kill Skill Max Stacks: +1)
• Target Prescience (5): Vex’s Gun Damage gains Critical Hit Chance against any part of enemies. (Gun Critical Hit Chance: +3%)

Tier 4 Left (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Radiant Attunement (5): Attuned Skill. While Vex is Attuned to Radiation she gains increased Splash Damage and Max Shield Capacity. Effects persist for a Duration after Attunement is switched. (Splash Damage: +6%, Max Shield Capacity: +8%, Attunement Duration: 6 seconds)
• Conjunction (5): Vex gains increased Gun Damage the more Full her Shield and gains Damage Reduction the less Full her Health. (Gun Damage: +6% at full Shield, Damage Reduction: +14.3% at 1 Health)

Tier 5 Left (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Dreadlight (5): When Vex deals Gun Damage, there is a chance to Spawn a Radiation Hazard, dealing Radiation Damage over time. (Chance: 5%, Hazard Damage: +6 per second, Hazard Duration: 8 seconds)
• Restoration Tonic (3): When Vex uses a Repkit, she gains Shield Regeneration for a Duration. (Shield Regeneration: +4%, Duration: 4 seconds)
• Full Moon (5): Vex gains Action Skill Cooldown Rate and Ordnance Cooldown Rate based on fullness of her Shield. (Action Skill Cooldown Rate: +6% at full Shield, Ordnance Cooldown Rate: +6% at full Shield)

Tier 6 Left (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Havoc (5)Vex gains increased Radiation Damage and Radiation Status Effect Damage (Radiation Damage: +6%, Radiation Status Effect Damage: +3%)

Tier 4 Middle (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Drink Full (5): Whenever Vex deals Gun Damage, gain a Stack of Drink Full, increasing Fire Rate. Stacks of Drink Full are lost if a new Stack has not been gained for a Duration. (Fire Rate: +0.12% per Stack Max Stacks: 50 Duration: 5 seconds)
• Keen Mind (5): Vex’s Skill Damage gains Critical Hit Chance against any part of enemies. (Skill Critical Hit Chance: +2%)

Tier 5 Middle (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Phase Pocket (3): Vex gains increased Magazine Size and Weapon Switch Speed. Double this effect when an Action Skill is active. (Magazine Size: +8%, Weapon Switch Speed: +11%)
• Mortal Terror (5): Chance to trigger Kill Skills when Critically Hitting enemies. (Chance: +1%)
• Grave Elements (5): Kill Skill. Vex and her Minions gain Elemental Damage for a Duration. (Elemental Damage: +0.8% per Stack, Stack Duration: 20 seconds, Max Stacks: 10)

Tier 6 Middle (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Strike Me Down (1): Whenever Vex would enter Fight For Your Life, she immediately gets a Second Wind, becomes Invincible for a Duration, and causes a Phase Explosion. (Phase Explosion Damage: 151, Invisibility Duration: 4 seconds, Cooldown: 120 seconds)

Tier 4 Right (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Grave Vitality (5): Kill Skill. Vex gains increased Maximum Health Capacity and Health Regeneration. (Max Health Capacity: +1.0% per Stack, Health Regeneration: +0.1% per Stack, Stack Duration: 20 seconds, Max Stacks: 10)
• Ars Arcana (5): Vex gains increased Skill Damage. (Skill Damage: +6%)

Tier 5 Right (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• A Deeper Grave (3): Vex’s Kill Skills gain increased Duration. (Kill Skills Duration: +8%)
• Blood Shot (5): When Vex uses a Repair Kit, her next Gun Shot will become a Blood Shot, converting damage dealt into Kinetic Damage and dealing Bonus Damage based on her current Health. (Bonus Damage: +10% of Current Health)
• Essence Leech (5): Vex gains Lifesteal. Double this effect when an Action Skill is active. (Lifesteal: +2%)

Tier 6 Right (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Blood is Power (5): Vex gains Bonus Kinetic Damage with Guns based on Lifesteal when her Health is Full. (Bonus Damage: +100% of Lifesteal)

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All Passive Skills in Dead Ringer

Tier 1 (accessible from the start):

• Sanguine Fiends (5): Kill Skill. Vex and her Minions regenerate Health over time. (Health Regeneration: +4%)
• Idle Hands (3): Vex and her Minions gain Reload Speed based on the Fullness of her Health. (Reload Speed: +12% at full health)
• Cold Iron (5): Vex and her Minions gain increased Gun Damage. (Gun Damage: +3%)
• Fell Inscriptions (5)Vex and her Minions gain increased Melee Damage and Maximum Health Capacity. (Melee Damage: +6%, Maximum Health Capacity: +6%)

Tier 2 (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Grave Assault (5)Kill Skill. Vex and her Minions gain increased Fire Rate for a Duration. (Fire Rate: +1.5% per Stack, Stack Duration: 10 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)
• Potents of Suffering (5): Vex and her Minions gain increased Status Effect Damage. (Status Effect Damage: +6%)
• Cursed Blade (5): Vex’s Melee Attacks apply Curse to hit enemies, making them take Kinetic Status Effect Damage any time they take Gun Damage. (Curse Damage: +1, Duration: 10 seconds)

Tier 3 (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Blood Sacrifice (1): Kill Skills are triggered whenever Vex’s Minion(s) die.
• Grave Fiends (5): Kill Skill. Vex and her Minions deal increased Damage. (Damage Dealt: +2%, Max Stacks: 3, Stack Duration: 16 seconds)
• Grave Quickening (5): Kill Skill. Vex gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. (Action Skill Cooldown Rate: +3% per Stack, Stack Duration: 10 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)
• Extra Cursed (1) (Needs at least 1 point in Cursed Blade): Curse Damage now triggers on Minion Melee Damage and deals increased Damage when it’s triggered by a Critical Hit. (Curse Damage on Critical Hit: +200%)

Tier 4 Left (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Blight Attunement (5): Attune Kill Skill. While Vex is Attuned to Corrosive, killing an enemy creates a Haunting Remnant Minion for a Duration that seeks out nearby enemies, dealing Corrosive Status Effect Damage over time. Kill Skill. Restore Haunting Remnant’s duration, if active. (Damage over time: +6 per second, Remnant Duration: 24 seconds, Demnant Duration Restored on Kill: 4 seconds, Remnant Cooldown: 60 seconds, Attunement Duration: 6 seconds)
• Prismatic Ichor (5): When Vex or her Minions apply a Status Effect, apply another random Elemental Status Effect. (Damage: +30% of the initial Status Effect, Cooldown: 5 seconds)

Tier 5 Left (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Keen Suffering (5): Status Effect Damage gains a chance to Critically Hit. (Critical Hit Chance: +3%)
• Ghasterbait (3): Whenever Vex Dodges, she creates a Specter nearby and becomes Invisible for a duration, or her next Gun Shot. (Invisibility Duration: 8 seconds, Cooldown: 120 seconds)
• Shot To Go! (3): When Vex swaps her current Gun, her new Gun has its Ammo partially restored. (Ammo Restoration: +6%)

Tier 6 Left (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Necrosis (5): Vex gains increased Corrosive Damage and Corrosive Status Effect Damage. (Corrosive Damage: +6%, Corrosive Status Effect Damage: +3%)

Tier 4 Middle (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Burning Attunement (5): Attuned Skill. While Vex is Attuned to Incendiary Vex and her Minions gain Critical Hit Damage and Status Effect Application Chance. Effect persists for a Duration after Attunement is switched. (Critical Hit Damage: +6%, Status Effect Application Chance: +6%, Attunment Duration: 6 seconds)
• Recurrence (5): Whenever Vex deals Gun Damage or Melee Damage, gain a Stack of Recurrence which increases her and her Minions’ Gun Damage and Melee Damage. Stacks of Recurrence are lost if a new Stack has not been gained for a Duration. (Gun Damage: +0.16% per Stack, Melee Damage: +0.16% per Stack, Max Stacks: 50, Duration: 5 seconds)

Tier 5 Middle (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Reverburnations (5): Melee Damage dealt by Vex or her Minions have a chance to deal Incendiary Melee Damage. (Chance: 25%, Damage Dealt: +30% of the initial Damage Dealt)
• Haruspex (5): Melee Override. Vex now throws a Phase Dagger from her offhand that deals Melee Damage to enemies hit. Phase Dagger can Critically Hit. (Kill Skill. Phase Dagger’s Cooldown is reset. (Damage: +18, Cooldown: 8 seconds)

Tier 6 Middle (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Burnt Offering (5): Vex gains increased incendiary Damage and Incendiary Status Effect Damage. (Incendiary Damage: +6%, Incendiary Status Effect Damage: +3%)
• Pincushion (1) (Needs at least 1 point in Haruspex): Haruspex now throws 5 Phase Daggers from both hands in a fan pattern. Killing an enemy now only refunds 33% of Phase Dagger’s Cooldown.

Tier 4 Right (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Prismatic Weaponry (5): Vex and her Specters deal Bonus Damage with Gun Critical Hits. Bonus Damage is a random Elemental Type that changes on Reload, and is increased for each active Attunement. (Bonus Damage: +5%, Bonus Damage Multiplier: 50% per active Attunement)
• Obedient Fiends (5): Vex gains increased Minion Damage. Minion skills and Command Skills gain further increased Damage. (Minion Damage: +5%, Command Skill Damage: +5%, Minion Skill Damage: +5%)

Tier 5 Right (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Spirit Bomb (3): Reapers gain Maximum Health Capacity and will release a Spirit Bomb Remnant when they die, dealing Damage of their Elemental Type to nearby enemies. (Reaper Maximum Health Capacity: +10% Spirit Bomb Damage: +37)
• Ancient Rites (5): Vex gains a stack of Ancient Rites for each of her active Minions every second, increasing Minion Damage. Stacks are lost after a duration with no active Mion for a Duration. (Minion Damage: +0.2% per Stack, Duration: 8 seconds, Max Stacks: 40)
• Death Follows Closer (3): Whenever Vex takes Damage while at Low Health, spawn a Reaper nearby. Cooldown: 120 seconds

Tier 6 Right (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Diener (1): Dead Ringer gains an additional Charge

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Action Skills can be perked up via Augments in Borderlands 4 (Image via 2K)

All Augments in Phase Phamiliar

• (Tier 2) Violent Outburst: Command Skill - Command Trouble to explode himself, dealing Ordnance Damage to all nearby enemies and restoring Health to Vex. While Phase Phamiliar is active, sacrifice 33% of his Maximum Health Capacity instead. (Damage: 185, Health Restored: 75% of Maximum Health Capacity)
• (Tier 2) Blink Strike: Command Skill - Command Trouble to Blink Strike target enemy, dealing Damage. Blink Strike always Critically Strikes enemies below 50% HP. (Damage: 86, Cooldown: 25 seconds)
• (Tier 4 Left) Hexus Nexus: Trouble now Taunts enemies, making them more likely to target him. Command Skill - Command Trouble to charge target enemy, dealing Melee Damage in an area on impact and creating a Singularity for a Duration. (Damage: 129, Cooldown: 45 seconds, Singularity Duration: 10 seconds)
• (Tier 4 Middle) Vorpal Fang: Trouble gains a chance to Critically Hit with all attacks. Command Skill - Command Trouble to summon Phase Daggers overhead that fire at nearby enemies, dealing Melee Damage on impact. (Trouble Crit Chance: +10%, Phase Daggers Damage: 23, Phase Daggers Max Stack: 5, Phase Dagger Duration: 15 seconds, Cooldown: 35 seconds)
• (Tier 4 Right) Beast Mode: Command Skill - Command Trouble to enter Beast Mode, becoming Immune to Damage and gaining increased Minion Attack Speed and Movement Speed for a Duration. Kill Skill: Extend Beast Mode's Duration. (Trouble Attack Speed Multiplier: +30%, Trouble Movement Speed Multiplier: +30%, Cooldown: 25 seconds, Duration: 10 seconds)

All Augments in Incarnate

• (Tier 2) Geistwave: Instead of causing a Phase Explosion, Vex launches a Geistwave, dealing Ordnance Damage to enemies it passes through. Each affected enemy takes increased Damage for a Duration. (Damage: 98, Enemy Damage Taken: 30%, Enemy Damage Taken duration: 15 seconds)
• (Tier 2) Energy Vampire: Vex deals Status Effect Damage to nearby enemies over time and gains Overshield for each enemy affected. Kill Skill. Killing an enemy while Incarnate is active will grant a Stack of Energy Vampire, increasing Status Effect Damage. Stacks are lost when Incarnate ends. (Damage: 5 every 0.5 seconds, Overshield: 2 per enemy every 0.5 seconds, Status Effect Damage: 10% per Stack, Max Stacks: 5)
• (Tier 4 Left) Iron Maiden: Phase Explosion and Eldritch Blast restore Shield for each enemy hit and dealing increased Damage based on Vex’s current Shield. (Shield Restoration: 25%, Increased Damage: 15% of Max Shield Capacity)
• (Tier 4 Middle) Witchy Trigger Finger: Dealing Damage with Eldritch Blast or Phase Explosion will Reload Vex’s current Gun and grant a stack of Witch Trigger Finger, increasing Gun Damage for a duration. (Gun Damage: +15% per Stack, Max Stacks: 3, Stack Duration: 15)
• (Tier 4 Right) Grave Harvest: Kill Skill. Killing an enemy while Incarnate is active will spawn a Soul Orb that deals Status Effect Damage over time to nearby enemies for a Duration. Detonate a Soul Orb at range by pressing [E], dealing Ordnance Damage to nearby enemies. Picking up a Soul Orb will restore Health and Action Skill Duration. (Duration: 10 seconds, Damage Over Time: 4 every 0.5 seconds, Detonation Damage: 97, Health Restored: 35%, Action Skill Duration Restored: 20%)

All Augments in Dead Ringer

• (Tier 2) Ghast Blaster: Minion Kill Skill. Specters gain the ability to use Ghast Blast, dealing Gun Damage to all nearby enemies on impact. Specters will use Ghast Blast on Spawn, and after they Reload. (Damage: 78)
• (Tier 2) Coven: Spawning a Reaper grants Vex and her Minions Health Regeneration for a Duration. Spawning a Specter grants Vex and her Minions Critical Hit Chance for a Duration. Both effects can stack. (Health Regeneration: 10%, Critical Hit Chance: 10%, Duration: 20 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)
• (Tier 4 Left) Wither: Minion Skill. Specters cast Wither on an enemy when they Spawn, dealing Status Effect Damage over time, and increasing Damage taken for a Duration. Kill Skill. Killing a Withered enemy allows Specters to use Wither again. (Damage: 7 per second, Damage Taken: +30%, Duration: 15 seconds)
• (Tier 4 Middle) Hellish Harvest: Minion Skill. Reapers gain the ability to use Hellish Harvest, dealing Melee Damage 3 times in a large area around themselves and regenerate Health for each enemy hit, Reapers will use Hellish Harvest on spawn, and every third time they Melee Attack. (Damage 32 per hit, Health Regeneration: 15% of Maximum Health per hit)
• (Tier 4 Right) Banshee’s Wail: Minion Skill. Reapers can now use Banshee’s Wail periodically, dealing Damage to nearby enemies and granting Overshield to nearby Allies. Damage increases apply to Overshield granted to Allies. Damaged enemies deal reduced Damage for a Duration. (Damage: 52, Overshield: 46, Enemy Damage Dealt: -50%, Duration: 10 seconds, Cooldown: 20 seconds)

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All Vex Capstone perks, explained

Capstones also return in Borderlands 4, and are powerful skills accessible at the end of a skill tree.

All Capstones in Phase Phamiliar

• (Tier 6 Left) Trouble Bubble: Trouble now gains Overshield whenever he deals Damage. While Phase Phamiliar is active, Trouble gains an Elemental Aura, dealing Ordnance Damage over time to nearby enemies. (Overshield Gained: 80% of Damage Dealt, Aura Damage: 6 every 0.5 seconds)
• (Tier 6 Middle) Double Trouble: Trouble now gains a Chance to create an Illusion near the enemy when dealing Damage. Critical Hits have double that Chance. Illusions become Badasses while Phase Phamiliar is active. (Illusion Chance: 15%, Illusion Duration: 8 seconds, Illusion Damage Multiplier: 50%, Illusion Damage Taken Multiplier: 300%, Max Illusions: 3)
• (Tier 6 Right) Unsealed: Trouble will now Mark his current target, causing them to take increased Gun Damage from Vex. Kill Skill. When a Marked enemy is killed, Trouble gains a Stack of Unsealed for a Duration, granting Health Regeneration and increased Damage. While Phase Phamiliar is active, Unsealed effects are doubled. (Gun Damage: 50% against Marked Target, Health Regeneration: +1% per Stack, Damage Dealt: +10% per Stack, Stack Duration: 12 seconds, Max Stacks: 3)

All Capstones in Incarnate

• (Tier 6 Left) Desecration: Phase Explosion and Eldritch Blast create Hazards, dealing Damage over time for a Duration. Eldritch Blast is now Homing. If it hits an airborne enemy, it bursts after a delay, dealing Damage to nearby enemies. (Hazard Damage: 15 per second, Hazard Duration: 8 seconds, Flying Burst Damage 65)
• (Tier 6 Middle) Vibe Check: Eldritch Blast is now a Charge Skill (3). Activating Eldritch Blast consumes all Charges to Ricochet on hitting an enemy, for each Charge consumed. Eldritch Blast’s Cooldown reduction from Gun Damage is doubled.
• (Tier 6 Right) Heartpiercer: Eldritch Blast now Sacrifices Health on use, but becomes a Piercing wave. Enemies hit take Damage, and Allies hit restore Health. Gains Bonus Damage and Healing based on Sacrificed Health. Eldritch Blast no longer has a Cooldown. (Health sacrificed: 20% of Current Health, Damage/Health Restored: 78, Bonus Damage/Healing: 150% of Sacrificed Health)

All Capstones in Dead Ringer

• (Tier 6 Left) Heirloom: Specters gain a copy of Vex’s currently equipped Gun for a Duration. Only one Specter can have a copied Gun at a time, and spawning a new Specter will remove the copied Gun from the previous Specter. (Copied Gun Damage Multiplier: -25%, Duration: 8 seconds)
• (Tier 6 Middle) Grim Reaper: Press and Hold F to spawn a Grim Reaper that drains nearby enemies, dealing Status Effect Damage over time and restoring Health for each drained enemy. When an enemy dies while drained, there is a chance a new Reaper will be spawned. (Damage: 7 per second, Health Restored: 1% per second, Chance to spawn Reaper: 33%, Cooldown: 120 seconds)
• (Tier 6 Right) Dark Pact: Vex can equip two Augments and gains the ability to use Dark Pact. Dark Pact: Press and Hold F to fully restore Health of all active Phase Clones, as well as granting increased Movement Speed and Minion Attack Speed for a Duration. Phase Clones do not lose Health over time while Dark Pact is active, and Health loss is reset when Dark Pact ends. (Minion Movement Speed Multiplier: +30%, Minion Attack Speed Multiplier: +30%, Duration: 12 seconds, Cooldown: 42 seconds)

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What kind of playstyles does Vex have?

The new Minions in Borderlands 4 will appeal to fans who picked FL4K in the previous installment (Image via 2K)

Overall, she is for those who want a sidekick to distract foes while they gain enhanced abilities to their own damage, deal debuffs to foes, and more. As is tradition with this class in the Borderlands universe, the Siren in Borderlands 4 also specializes in elemental damage.

This is further augmented by her AI allies, who can turn the tide of battle to give players breathing room while in a pinch. Returning players who mained FL4K and Amara in Borderlands 3 will want to pick Vex as their first Vault Hunter since she is quite similar in many ways to the two heroes.

Phase Phamiliar revolves around summoning her Pet named Trouble with the relevant skill tree enahcning both her and Trouble's damage and survivability. Incarnate is for solo players who do not want to rely on any help, as it is a pure damage Action Skill, while the skill tree revolves around survivability and increased damage — allowing for a true run & gun playstyle with a focus on cooldowns.

Lastly, Dead Ringer features another set of minions, this time, Specter and Reaper. While they aren't as agile or versatile as Trouble, they can help distract over a wider area while the skill trees let players deal debuffs and status effects. This tree combines both the damage aspects of Incarnate and the NPC aid of Phase Phamiliar into one.

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What are the most impactful Skill nodes for Vex?

Starting with Phase Phamiliar, the Tier 4 Augments Nexus Hexus and Beast Mode are really where Trouble can really shine as an aggro-pulling distraction, while the Tier 6 Middle Capstone, Double Trouble, synergizes with this by creating an extra pet illusion.

In Incarnate, the Tier 4 Augments Iron Maiden and Soul Orb stand out for their utility, with the former offering an additional way to restore health while the latter can both deal damage to foes and upkeep her survivability in Borderlands 4. The Tier 6 Right Capstone, Heartpiercer, adds a risk/reward playstyle with its HP sacrifice mechanic, but makes up for it with buffs and removes the Action Skill cooldown.

Dead Ringer's Tier 2 Augment Ghast Blaster and Tier 4 Augment Wither seem excellent. The former is an extra channel to deal gun damage to foes, while the latter increases gun damage taken by foes. This is aided by the Tier 6 Right Capstone, Dark Pact, which allows equipping two Augments at once while also enhancing minion survivability.