Borderlands 4's characters will have a high bar to reach, because the series has yet to repeat the heights of Borderlands 2's best character. The next selection of Vault Hunters set to brave Borderlands' planet of Pandora, or any other land in need of exploring, are sure to be memorable. Among the hardened soldiers, magical Sirens, and other assorted rogues and daredevils players have controlled over past installments, the series has proven that is's nothing but experimental with its cast. For that reason, Borderlands 4 will need to swing for the fences with its Vault Hunters to keep pace.
The list of Vault Hunters from past Borderlands games continues to grow, with each game introducing at least four more names. Although the world of Borderlands is treacherous, with danger around seemingly every turn, each individual Vault Hunter is more than ready to tackle whatever lies ahead. In addition to their shared mastery of every gun they can find, they all have their own abilities that can offer them instant advantage in a fight, deal immense damage to their enemies, or both. Their individual personalities give each of them further flavor, making it easy for most player to find one that they like. And for many players, Gaige has proven to be the best choice due to her personality and play style.
Gaige of Borderlands 2 is Still Top Among the Series' Vault Hunters
Among the Vault Hunters, one of the best would be Borderlands 2's DLC Mechromancer, Gaige. Unlike most Vault Hunters, she doesn't have military training or special powers. Instead, she is a high school student on the run with her homemade robot, Deathtrap. With her incredible knowledge of robotics, she was able to forge Deathtrap into an incredibly powerful fighting machine, who only gets stronger as she levels up. However, despite the powerful robot at her disposal, she is still just an untrained teenager in the lethal world of Pandora, which makes her ability to thrive in-game even more impressive than most.
The main thing that sets Gaige apart from the rest of Borderlands' best Vault Hunters is her unique playstyle. The most important part of her kit, as previously mentioned, is Deathtrap, who acts as a summonable ally who will attack enemies for her. However, she has more of a niche than simply having a powerful sidekick. Gaige also has access to the exclusive Anarchy mechanic, which increases her power but lowers her accuracy every time she kills an enemy or empties a gun's magazine. Maximizing Anarchy stacks will make Gaige very inaccurate, but terrifyingly lethal when she manages to land a hit.
Gaige's personality is another big part of what makes her such an excellent addition, even among Borderlands' many goofy characters. Gaige has both punkish and dorky aspects to her personality, fitting for a rebellious tech genius such as herself, and she is capable of spouting several good quips. However, if the player manages to build up a lot of Anarchy stacks, Gaige unlocks a new set of voice clips. As Gaige's Anarchy goes higher, the rush of power gives her a lot of cocky quotes and fourth-wall-breaking lines. It makes playing Gaige with an Anarchy build highly entertaining as well as immensely powerful.
Gaige may have been a DLC character in Borderlands 2, but the series has yet to match her quality in a Vault Hunter since. While Borderlands 4's Vault Hunter lineup has every chance to be fantastic, they will need to go above and beyond to surpass their predecessors. The new Vault Hunters need both powerful, distinctive abilities as well as entertaining personalities in order to make a mark in a world as wild as the Borderlands franchise. Gaige pulled that off with aplomb, explaining why one of the series' best characters to date debuted way back in Borderlands 2.
Borderlands 2 is available now for Android, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
