Borderlands has become an incredibly successful series for developer Gearbox Studios. After launching the first game in 2009, Gearbox has released three more mainline series and several spin-offs.
With a fourth game on the way in 2025, I’ve ranked all 20 playable characters, or Vault Hunters, that have been seen in the series so far. Before diving in, it’s important to note that I’m not including the characters in Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, but am adding everyone from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. With that out of the way, let’s dive into the list.
20) Roland – Borderlands 1
I’m starting with Roland, and that’s important because it lets me quickly note that none of the Vault Hunters are bad. In fact, many players might rank Roland much higher, given how important he is to the plot of the first few games. That said, I have him at the bottom spot because he’s mostly a generic soldier-type whose skill tree and action skill don’t let him stand out.
19) Brick – Borderlands 1
Like Roland, Brick’s gameplay isn’t much to write home about. Unless you love playing with grenade launchers, he’s one of the more forgettable Vault Hunters on the gameplay side of things. Still, his melee focus helped set the stage for a few of my favorite characters in future games.
18) Claptrap – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Look, the VaultHunter.EXE ability is a neat gimmick that can be ridiculously powerful if you’re lucky. However, I don’t like relying on RNG to take out my enemies, and playing with Claptrap means you have to listen to his inane dialogue even more.
17) Axton – Borderlands 2
Axton is essentially an upgraded version of Roland. His turret helps buff nearly every gun and makes him a strong character in the early game. That said, he’s still a relatively boring soldier class, so I can’t rank him any higher.
16) Gaige – Borderlands 2
Let me be clear, Deathtrap is such a well-designed pet character visually. However, Gaige’s main mechanic involves building up Anarchy stacks to deal more damage. It’s a nifty mechanic, but one I always get tired of quickly during a Gaige playthrough.
15) Lillith – Borderlands 1
Phasewalk might be a great skill, but the second it ends, you’re quickly reminded of how slow you move without it. It might not be fair to hold that against Lillith, but I can’t help it. On top of that, she’s a bit one-dimensional compared to future Sirens.
14) Krieg – Borderlands 2
Getting to play as a Psycho was a dream come true. Plus, Krieg has an entire skill tree devoted to setting himself on fire. As a melee character, he’s relatively weak compared to the Vault Hunters in my top 10, but he’s a blast to play with if you’re willing to put the time in.
13) Aurelia – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
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Excuse me, how do you feel about cryo damage? If you’re into freezing enemies and dealing big damage with snipers, Aurelia is a great DLC character. Plus, she’s Sir Hammerlock’s evil sister. That alone moves her near the top 10.
12) Mordecai – Borderlands 1
Mordecai was my first love. While the Borderlands 1 skill trees lack the diversity and creativity of future Vault Hunters, Mordecai makes up for it by being one of the most fun glass cannons in gaming. If you can nail your headshots, he’ll merc just about everything quickly. And if Gearbox ever remasters BL1 with updated skill trees, he might rocket to the top of this list.
11) Amara – Borderlands 3
Amara is the lowest-rated Borderlands 3 character on this list, which shows off how good Gearbox has gotten at creating new classes. Her Siren skills are a blast to play with, especially the Phaseslam that lets her get up-close-and-personal when needed. That said, I find her much more fun in a group, so I’m dropping her slightly as a mostly solo player.
10) Nisha – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Look, if you have a character whose skill gives her auto-aim, she’s going to be powerful. Simply put, Nisha is excellent at mowing down lower-level mobs and holds her own against bosses. Her romantic choices are, unfortunately, not as good.
9) FL4K – Borderlands 3
Ever since my days playing World of Warcraft, I’ve been a fan of pet classes. FL4K is essentially Borderlands 3‘s version of a WoW Hunter, so he was always going to be my first choice when BL3 dropped. While I’ve come to prefer two of the other classes, FL4K’s pet-based gameplay is still some of my favorite in the series.
8) Wilhelm – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Wilhelm is also a quasi-pet class with his two drones that assist in combat. I love that you can use his skill trees to spec into dealing damage with Wolf or keeping your team alive with Saint. Plus, the gimmick of Wilhelm adding more cybernetic parts as he levels up is a great touch from Gearbox.
7) Maya – Borderlands 2
Of the Sirens, Maya is my personal favorite. Her Phaselock ability lets her easily control the battlefield, giving you breathing room or locking down a powerful enemy while you take out the other mobs. I’m also a big fan of her skills that let you reload your mag much more quickly, giving huge damage potential with SMGs.
6) Jack – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
The Doppelganger’s clones can turn into some of the most powerful damage-dealers in Borderlands’ history if specced correctly. He chews through just about everything in the game, making him incredibly effective regardless of what you’re going up against.
5) Zane – Borderlands 3
Zane is a culmination of several past Vault Hunters, turning him into a real powerhouse. He has a version of Jack’s Digi-Clone ability, a drone that can deal big damage, and a deployable barrier that keeps him and his friends safe. Zane can also forgo using grenades to access two of his action abilities, making him one of the most versatile classes in the series.
4) Zero – Borderlands 2
Personally, I don’t love Zero’s Deception action skill. It’s not a bad skill, but it is kind of boring compared to some of the gamechangers in BL2. However, I am a sucker for sniper characters and Zero is my favorite. There’s just something special about mowing down enemies with his B0re skill.
3) Moze – Borderlands 3
Moze’s action skill lets her spawn a mech named Iron Bear. I repeat, she can jump into a giant mech every time the cooldown runs out. As you can see from this ranking, it doesn’t get better than that. Oh, and one of her skill trees lets you spawn a second, smaller version of Iron Bear called Iron Cub. Adorable.
2) Athena – Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Athena is Borderlands’ answer to Captain America. She uses her Kinetic Aspis shield to collect enemy damage. Once she has enough juice, she throws the shield back at her enemies, taking them out in quick succession. A masterclass in designing a unique class for a long-running franchise.
1) Salvador – Borderlands 2
On the surface, saying Gearbox gave one of its characters two guns doesn’t sound that great. However, Salvador’s Gunzerker skill completely changed the game, giving him the ability to melt raid bosses in seconds when built correctly. Even if you play without those builds, Sal is a blast. There’s a reason we’ve seen Gearbox bring the feature back in spurts with Nisha, Claptrap, and, technically, Moze via Iron Bear.
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