Most Fun Characters to Play as in the Borderlands Series

Borderlands features an abundance of playable characters over their games that can be crafted into the ultimate potential for being overpowered and fun. Since Borderlands boasts of being the original looter shooter, it’s no surprise that a world as expansive and chaotic as Pandora would need a slice of fun in order to progress through it, and luckily, the playable characters serve that role well.

Players are free to pick a multitude of characters across the Borderlands series that will be memorable for their personalities and specific skills which provides players with hilarity and power, bringing forth some of the most fun they can have in Borderlands.

Updated on November 5, 2024, by Jake Fillery: As players prepare for the excitement that awaits within the secrecy of Borderlands 4, it might be time to head back to Pandora for one last thrill ride before the next adventure and experience the lives of some of the most fun characters. Whether it’s a fun time punching anything that moves or an experimental style with different skills to make for a true bezerking gunslinger that fights off the rest, the best Borderlands characters to play as certainly offer an immense degree of fun that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.

8 Moze

Summon a Pilotable Giant Mech

• Playable in: Borderlands 3

Moze is one of the best choices for Borderlands 3, especially for solo players who want a little extra firepower to grace their mayhem. Moze has one of the most fun action skills out there, with Iron Bear, which shows her summoning a giant mech suit that can unleash devastation upon the warzone, with or without Moze inside the suit.

Being able to control a giant mech suit feels extremely powerful, especially with the right skill trees invested in that will further bolster the firepower and health of the mech suit. Those who play as Moze will certainly stand out against their Vault Hunter allies.

7 Nisha

A Powerful Gunslinger Who Can Easily Shoot First

• Playable in: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Nisha is a law-bringer who can be absurdly fun in the right hands. Anyone who enjoys a good Western will enjoy putting on Nisha’s holster, and that’s especially true when it comes to her Showdown ability. Increasing the fire rate, reload speed, damage, and accuracy of her weapon, Nisha basically gets a critical hit aimbot for a couple of seconds to really lay down the law.

Nisha’s power can definitely be abused with some of the best gameplay in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and paired with Showdown, players are going to absolutely destroy every minor enemy in sight. Each fight is in Nisha’s favor thanks to her quick draw, and who wouldn’t want to run around with dual pistols?

6 Zane

An Ability Throwing Mercenary

• Playable in: Borderlands 3

Zane is easily one of the more fun Vault Hunter picks for Borderlands 3 thanks to his witty and rude dialogue and his backstory as a Flynt brother. Yet, there’s more to Zane than just that, as he’s a character that can have two active abilities at once, allowing further versatility of use and play in Borderlands 3. Whilst his latter ability might sacrifice his grenade, it can definitely make it worth it to be a gadget-throwing operator.

Zane has a plethora of abilities to choose from, like a digital clone, an automated drone, a barrier shield, and a shoulder cannon. Each of Zane’s gadgets has their own use for situational use, and his flexibility with weapons and gear allows players to enjoy fast-paced mayhem.

5 Salvador

The Gunzerker That Dual-Wields Guns

• Playable in: Borderlands 2

One of the vanilla and exciting options for Borderlands 2 is most certainly Salvador, a man who proves that size matters not, especially when this particular specimen is extremely violent and vulgar. Salvador is a hilarious character who shoots first and asks questions later, but playing as him is even better thanks to his rapidly recharging ability to dual-wield any weapon in the character’s inventory.

Salvador can dual-wield two of the best rocket launchers to great success, allowing him to annihilate the toughest of enemies across Pandora. With weapons that refresh ammo and reload rapidly, the Gunzerker is a solid choice for players who only care about shooting guns and healing back with no consequence.

4 Gaige

The Mechromancer Who Fights With Her Robo-BFF

• Playable in: Borderlands 2

As a playable character in Borderlands 2 via DLC, Gaige presents an entirely new skill set that can benefit all, but especially those players in solo. Gaige’s ability summons D374-TP, her Deathtrap that is more than capable of handling some tough enemies, and even reviving players that go down. Deathtrap is the perfect companion, bringing forth co-op to those who are not playing in co-op.

Gaige is a lot of fun, and Deathtrap definitely makes her an iconic pick. The character has a death machine on the field for an entire minute and paired with the right skills, players are able to create some truly powerful builds that will have them become immortal conductors of death, complete with visual upgrades to Deathtrap the further they progress it.

3 Claptrap

An Upgraded Claptrap With Random Abilities

• Playable in: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Claptrap might annoy some players, not just for the randomness of his abilities, but for the dialogue that spouts from his audio chamber. Claptrap is funny, and a lot of fun to play as, and for players seeking a roll of the dice in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, they should definitely check him out – especially when it can offer a variety of unique styles due to how Claptrap works compared to other playable characters.

Claptrap’s skill set is somewhat random, and his super ability can provide him with unconventional and familiar abilities that permit him to devastate the field. However, there are some drawbacks to Claptrap that make him a high-risk and high reward, as players might find the randomness not in their favor. Either way, it certainly aids the way Claptrap plays.

2 Krieg

A Melee Rusher Who Benefits From Being Hurt

• Playable in: Borderlands 2

Krieg becomes the first playable Psycho character in Borderlands, and as the DLC character to Borderlands 2, he is definitely something players who want a good time do not want to skip. Krieg is all about melee combat, and he greatly benefits from getting injured in the fight, as the right perks will increase his damage and resistance to damage.

Krieg is a lot of fun to play as thanks to his speed and weight. Krieg is a heavy character who cannot be pushed around, and his special ability allows him to wield his axe, throwing it and slashing everyone in his path to gain all of his health back. With the right skills, players can become a mutated version of Krieg, growing in size, health, and strength to bring mayhem to Pandora.

1 Brick

A Berserker That Can Punch Hard And Fast

The original Borderlands featured Brick as the Berserker class, a character who prominently focused on explosives and melee. Brick made for a great choice for those who wanted to embrace the chaos of Pandora, as they could greatly benefit from overwhelming enemies by punching them to death and healing rapidly, showcasing a character that would never back down from the danger and mayhem that awaits.

Brick’s skills and abilities focused on his rage state, which improved melee strength and his health pool, allowing him to be nearly invincible when facing off against enemies. Brick is definitely a viable pick for the potential of fun and ease of access when it comes to creating builds for him.