The first thing you’ll do when you jump into Borderlands 3 is decide which of the four playable Borderlands 3 characters, and their respective classes, you want to spend the rest of the game with. This can be a rather daunting question for any player, especially if you don’t know the ins and outs of what each class offers. Luckily for you, we’ve put together this handy ranking so you can find out which is the best Borderlands 3 class for your playing style.
It’s worth noting that all four of the Borderlands 3 classes are fairly well balanced, you can’t really go wrong with whoever you choose. So don’t worry if your favourite Vault Hunter isn’t at the top of our list. Gearbox is also constantly tweaking each of the classes, meaning classes that weren’t so great back when the game launched, might have been significantly improved since you last logged on, and vice versa. For example, Zane the Operator was at the bottom of a lot of people’s lists during the game’s early days, but Gearbox has buffed a number of his abilities to ensure he’s a viable option.
Below you’ll find a description of each of the game’s classes in their current states, with some pros and cons of each one and how they rank compared to the others.
1. Amara The Siren
Amara’s elemental-focused abilities are extremely powerful for both new and expert players. Her action skills, like Phasegrasp in particular, can be instrumental in giving you an advantage over your enemies. Her abilities offer lots of potential for devastating melee builds and she also boasts very high survivability compared to the other classes. One skill that we’d especially recommend is Infusion, which adds elemental damage to any non-elemental weapon and can be extremely useful on the battlefield. Many of Amara’s attacks are fantastic for crowd control, which is important as you’ll mostly be taking on multiple opponents at once.
There aren’t all that many cons for Amara, hence why she’s at the top of our list. But, if we had to choose something, it would be her lack of versatility. Most players will only use a couple of her class mods and stick to them. She doesn’t offer as much room for varied playstyles as some of the other Vault Hunters do.
You can find the full Amara skill tree here.
2. Moze The Gunner
Moze is all about firepower and explosions so, as you might expect, her attacks can deal incredible damage. In particular, Splash Damage can be used to take off huge chunks of enemies’ health bars. Moze also has the (somewhat unfair) advantage of being BFFs with a 15-tonne gun-wielding mech named Iron Bear. Not only is Iron Bear a very strong companion, it’s also easy to use, meaning new players won’t have any trouble mastering it’s abilities.
However there can be disadvantages to some of Moze’s abilities and it can be fairly easy to down yourself with some of her attacks. For example, her Torgue Cross-Promotion skill has a chance to double the radius of her Splash Damage attacks. It’s not hard to get caught within the radius, if you’re not careful. Moze also has fairly low survivability when she’s not piloting Iron Bear, which can make the endgame quite tough, even for more experienced players.
You can find the full Moze skill tree here.
3. Zane The Operative
Zane’s sci-fi assassin skills offer some of the most fun abilities in the game. In particular, his Digi-Clone ability is incredibly effective and you can even combine this with the Barrier gadget to protect yourself while your holographic buddy does his thing. Zane is the only Vault Hunter in the game that lets you use two action skills at the same time, which can be a big help during fights. Also, Zane’s Seein’ Dead class mod, which gives him a chance to activate all of his kill skills whenever he damages an enemy, is arguably one of the best in the game and can be combined to create a truly lethal Borderlands 3 build.
However, despite some of Zane’s abilities reaching the top tier, there aren’t many more that are really worth your time. This means there’s a lack of diversity with his playstyles, as most players will just want to go with the abilities that are most useful. Like, why wouldn’t you? As well as this, Seein’ Dead is only available to players who have purchased the Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot DLC. So, if you haven’t bought this expansion, then maybe you can switch Zane’s place on this list with FL4K.
You can find Zane’s full skill list here.
4. FL4K The Beastmaster
FL4K’s abilities centre around his three trusty companions who he can call upon to give him a helping hand, meaning he’s an excellent choice for any solo player. His skill trees also offer lots of versatility for various playstyles. FL4K’s class mods are largely very effective and his Gamma Burst ability is especially devastating. He also specialises in critical damage, so he is able to unleash deadly shots on his enemies, which is especially helpful for taking down bosses solo.
With that being said, FL4K’s overall damage isn’t what it used to be and it’s actually fairly low compared to its peers. His pets also aren’t always as useful as they might seem. Not only this, but some of his skills don’t work as well as they should when in the heat of battle, particularly Range and Recover and Headcount. FL4K’s health regen is the weakest of the four classes, which means his survivability is fairly low. All of this results in FL4K having a tough time when transitioning into the endgame.
You can find FL4K’s full skill list here.
So there you have it, our rankings of the best Borderlands 3 class for every Vault Hunter. While Amara is the class we’d recommend the most, Gearbox has done a decent job of balancing each class to make sure every Vault Hunter is a viable choice. The dev team also makes regular updates and tweaks to each class, so we’ll be sure to update this list if these changes affect the characters’ rankings. You can also check out our list of the best Borderlands 3 builds to ensure you make the most out of each class.