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Is Borderlands 4 Introducing the Final New Siren Power? Vex and her Phase Covenant ability may represent the ultimate Siren power in the Borderlands universe. With the established lore limiting existence to seven Sirens at any given time, and six abilities already documented across the franchise, Vex’s introduction could mark a defining moment in Borderlands history.
This comprehensive analysis explores everything we know about Vex from official sources and franchise lore, examining why her debut might signal the completion of the Siren pantheon and what this means for players who have embraced the mystical warrior class throughout the series.
| Siren Aspect | Key Information | Franchise Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Phase Covenant Power | Seventh unique Siren ability | Completes canonical limit |
| Vex’s Abilities | Necromancer summoner hybrid | Revolutionary gameplay approach |
| Lore Implications | Universe’s Siren cap potentially reached | Future games may recycle powers |
The Borderlands franchise has methodically built its Siren mythology over fifteen years, establishing a hard limit of seven simultaneous Sirens across the universe. This isn’t arbitrary worldbuilding it’s a carefully crafted foundation that has shaped every major story element since the original game.
The series has systematically revealed six distinct Siren powers through its evolution. Beginning with Lilith’s Phasewalk in the original Borderlands, we witnessed Maya’s Phaselock mastery in Borderlands 2. The Pre Sequel expanded our understanding, while Borderlands 3 dramatically increased the roster with Amara’s Phasetrance abilities, the Calypso twins’ parasitic Phaseleech powers, and revelations about Angel’s technomantic Phaseshift capabilities.
Vex’s Phase Covenant represents what appears to be the seventh and final piece of this cosmic puzzle. Narrative Director Sam Winkler has confirmed that while the universe maintains its seven Siren limitation, the powers themselves can transfer between hosts when a Siren dies, though the fundamental abilities remain unchanged.
The mathematics are elegantly simple: seven maximum Sirens, seven powers now revealed. Unless Gearbox fundamentally rewrites established canon a decision that would likely disappoint longtime fans invested in the lore’s consistency Vex’s Phase Covenant completes the circle of unique Siren abilities that the franchise has been building toward for over a decade.
Phase Covenant distinguishes itself as completely unlike any previous Siren ability in the franchise. Vex operates as a necromancer summoner hybrid, introducing an entirely new archetype to the Borderlands universe. Her powers manifest through spectral entity summoning and supernatural self enhancement, creating a playstyle that feels both familiar and revolutionary.
Three core action skills define Vex’s unique approach to combat:
Phase Familiar summons Trouble, a spectral purple panther that serves as your combat companion. Unlike simple pets or turrets from previous games, Trouble functions as an intelligent tactical partner capable of drawing enemy attention, flanking maneuvers, and synergizing with your other abilities. Skill tree progressions allow Trouble to gain elemental properties, enhanced durability, and even resurrection capabilities.
Incarnate transforms Vex into a winged entity of destruction, granting aerial mobility and devastating attack capabilities. While sharing some conceptual DNA with Lilith’s mobility focused powers, Incarnate trades stealth for raw aerial dominance. The transformation enables Phase Explosion attacks that can clear entire enemy groups while providing unprecedented battlefield positioning.
Dead Ringer creates Phase Clones that actively engage enemies rather than serving as simple decoys. These spectral duplicates fight with genuine Siren powers, essentially creating a small army under your command. The strategic implications for both solo and cooperative play are substantial, offering crowd control through multiplication rather than traditional lockdown mechanics.
What unifies Phase Covenant is its thematic consistency around death, rebirth, and spectral manipulation. Every ability explores summoning, transformation, or multiplication concepts that remain unexplored by previous Sirens. This isn’t merely another elemental power or crowd control variation; it represents a fundamentally new combat philosophy within Borderlands.
Vex represents a significant evolution in Siren design philosophy when compared to her predecessors across the franchise:
Lilith (Phasewalk/Firehawk): Lilith established the hit and run Siren archetype with invisibility based tactical strikes. Vex’s Incarnate shares the mobility focus but replaces stealth with aerial supremacy. Where Lilith infiltrated enemy lines unseen, Vex dominates from above in full view.
Maya (Phaselock): Maya’s mastery centered on battlefield control through enemy immobilization and elemental manipulation. Vex approaches crowd control differently instead of freezing enemies in place, she overwhelms them with multiple active threats. It’s chaos theory versus direct control, both equally viable but philosophically opposite.
Amara (Phasetrance): Borderlands 3’s brawler brought melee focused devastation to Siren gameplay. While Vex maintains some close combat potential through Incarnate’s explosive abilities, she’s clearly designed for mid range tactical engagement with her summons handling close quarters combat.
Angel (Phaseshift): Though never playable, Angel’s technomancy influenced countless story moments through machine interface capabilities. Her digital manipulation contrasts sharply with Vex’s organic, spiritual focus. Where Angel controlled technology, Vex commands spectral forces.
Troy and Tyreen (Phaseleech): The Calypso twins represented Siren power’s parasitic potential through life draining abilities. Interestingly, Vex’s necromantic themes echo similar darkness but channel it constructively through creation rather than consumption.
Each Siren has introduced fundamentally new gameplay paradigms, and Vex’s summoner transformation hybrid appears to complete the spectrum of possible Siren archetypes. The design space for entirely new approaches seems thoroughly explored.
Based on revealed abilities and established Borderlands combat systems, several key strategies will likely define Vex’s optimal playstyle:
The Summoner’s Paradigm: Vex’s ability to create multiple battlefield participants fundamentally alters encounter dynamics. Previous Sirens required direct engagement with enemy forces, but Vex can delegate combat responsibilities while maintaining tactical oversight. You’re never truly isolated, even during solo play.
Skill tree specializations will likely diverge into three primary paths: companion enhancement (maximizing Trouble’s effectiveness), transformation mastery (extending and empowering Incarnate capabilities), and clone optimization (improving Dead Ringer duplicates). The most effective builds will probably hybrid two approaches, similar to successful multi tree builds in previous games.
Positioning and Control: Unlike previous Sirens who engaged directly or controlled from static positions, Vex operates from a dynamic tactical middle ground. Her summons create multiple threat vectors that force enemy attention division, while she maintains positional flexibility to engage or reposition as needed.
Incarnate’s vertical mobility adds a dimension rarely explored in Borderlands. Aerial positioning provides superior sightlines, escape routes, and attack angles that transform high ceiling areas into tactical advantages and open spaces into aerial hunting grounds.
Cooperative Synergies: Vex’s kit appears designed with team play in mind, offering flexibility to complement any group composition. Her summons can provide additional targets for defensive players, create openings for precision specialists, and add controlled chaos that assault focused teammates can exploit.
The interaction between Vex’s abilities and other Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4 promises interesting combinations. Early footage suggests new character classes with defensive capabilities that could protect Vex during summoning sequences while her spectral army provides offensive support.
The potential completion of all seven Siren powers carries significant implications beyond Borderlands 4. Sirens have served as more than playable characters throughout the franchise they’re narrative drivers, plot devices, and sources of the universe’s mystical elements.
If all seven unique Siren powers have indeed been revealed, future installments face intriguing creative challenges. Borderlands 5 and beyond would need to either:
The most probable path involves power recycling with innovative applications. We’ve already seen this evolution with Lilith’s progression from Phasewalk to Firehawk abilities, demonstrating how identical powers can manifest differently in new hosts or through character development.
This approach could actually benefit future creativity. Rather than constantly inventing potentially forced or overpowered new abilities, developers could focus on innovative applications of established powers. Imagine future protagonists inheriting Maya’s Phaselock but utilizing it for environmental puzzles and traversal rather than pure combat control.
Official Borderlands 4 materials from 2K Games support many observations about Vex’s unique position in Siren hierarchy. Developer documentation indicates that Vex discovered her abilities later in life than most Sirens, explaining her mature, tactical approach compared to younger power wielders like Maya or Amara.
Sam Winkler’s statements about power inheritance flexibility are particularly revealing. His clarification that seven Sirens exist simultaneously but powers can manifest differently in new hosts suggests that even with all base powers revealed, future games could explore radical reinterpretations of established abilities.
Notably, Gearbox’s official announcements have avoided confirming whether additional Sirens exist beyond the known seven. This silence seems significant if more powers awaited revelation, marketing would likely tease that possibility to maintain excitement for future releases. Instead, promotional materials emphasize Vex’s special status as potentially completing the Siren pantheon.
Recent gameplay footage shows Vex utilizing a distinct purple energy signature that differentiates Phase Covenant from other Siren powers not Maya’s blue Phaselock energy or Amara’s orange Phasetrance manifestations. This unique visual identity reinforces Phase Covenant as genuinely new rather than a variation of existing abilities.
The Borderlands community has generated fascinating speculation about Vex’s significance since her reveal. The early nickname “Phasereaper” that emerged before official announcements demonstrates immediate recognition of her death themed abilities as unprecedented for Sirens.
One compelling theory suggests Vex’s Phase Covenant might chronologically be the “first” Siren power the foundational ability from which the other six emerged. This would explain its summoning nature and fundamental feel compared to specialized abilities like Phaselock or Phasewalk. While unconfirmed, such lore development would justify Vex being the final new Siren introduction.
Community discussions have noted parallels between Vex’s abilities and traditional RPG necromancer classes, filling a gameplay niche that Borderlands has never fully explored despite its RPG elements. This addresses long standing fan requests, potentially explaining why Gearbox reserved it for possibly the last new Siren.
Speculation has also emerged about whether Vex’s powers could somehow transcend the seven Siren limit by creating temporary Siren like beings through her summons. While this seems unlikely given established lore constraints, it demonstrates how Vex’s unique abilities inspire creative thinking about the franchise’s future possibilities.
Drawing from franchise experience and Vex’s revealed capabilities, several build concepts should prove effective when Borderlands 4 launches:
The Necromantic Commander Build: Focus entirely on summoning enhancements maximize Trouble’s health, damage output, and revival capabilities while investing heavily in Dead Ringer duration and clone effectiveness. This approach transforms you into a battlefield orchestrator, coordinating spectral forces while maintaining tactical distance. Ideal for players who prefer strategic oversight to direct engagement.
The Aerial Devastator Build: Prioritize Incarnate duration and Phase Explosion damage potential. This build transforms Vex into an angel of destruction, delivering devastation from aerial positions. Expect excellent synergy with explosive weaponry and area effect equipment. Vertical advantage will prove crucial against ground based boss attacks and environmental hazards.
The Phantom Army Build: Balance all three abilities to maintain constant battlefield presence with shorter individual durations but more frequent activations. This creates dynamic combat where enemies struggle to prioritize targets among multiple active threats. This versatile approach should adapt well to varying encounter types and team compositions.
Equipment synergy will be crucial for optimal Vex builds. Anticipate class modifications that extend summon duration, amplify spectral damage output, or enable multiple simultaneous Troubles. Artifacts boosting action skill cooldown reduction will be essential, as Vex appears more ability dependent than weapon focused compared to previous Sirens.
From a game design perspective, Vex’s abilities represent significant technical achievements. Creating convincing AI companions, managing multiple player duplicates, and implementing genuine flight mechanics within Borderlands’ chaotic combat requires sophisticated programming solutions.
Trouble exhibits more intelligent behavior than previous franchise pet companions, demonstrating flanking tactics, threat prioritization, and ability coordination rather than simple damage dealing automation. This represents a genuine combat partnership rather than a deployable turret with mobility.
Dead Ringer clones appear to mirror equipped weapons and passive abilities, creating exponential build complexity possibilities. If each clone benefits from gear bonuses, the mathematical potential for damage output becomes remarkable. This mirrors the build variety that has always distinguished Borderlands from other action RPGs.
Incarnate’s flight mechanics appear smooth and responsive in preview materials, addressing long standing community requests for aerial combat. The seamless transition between ground and air engagement suggests Gearbox has successfully implemented three dimensional combat within their established engine framework.
With Borderlands 4 targeting next generation consoles and PC hardware, Vex’s technically demanding abilities should perform consistently across platforms. However, there may be platform specific optimizations based on hardware capabilities.
PC systems with high end specifications will likely display more detailed particle effects for Vex’s spectral abilities, while console versions may prioritize consistent frame rates during intensive summoning sequences. The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5’s powerful processors should handle multiple AI controlled summons without the performance issues that affected pet classes in previous games on older hardware.
Mouse and keyboard players may have advantages with Incarnate’s aerial combat due to precise aiming requirements during flight, though Gearbox’s historically excellent controller support should minimize any disadvantage for console players.
While no more than seven Sirens can exist simultaneously according to established lore, future games can introduce new characters inheriting existing powers when current Sirens die or transfer their abilities. The powers themselves are eternal, but their hosts change over time.
Unlike mechanical summons or creature companions from previous games, Vex’s spectral summons are direct manifestations of Siren power. They’re extensions of her Phase Covenant ability rather than separate entities, making them more integrated and potentially more powerful.
Absolutely. Vex may be the most solo friendly Siren yet introduced. Her summons provide battlefield presence typically missing in single player sessions, drawing enemy attention and dealing damage while allowing repositioning or recovery time. Trouble alone can handle smaller threats, freeing focus for priority targets.
Gearbox would need to fundamentally alter established lore, risking alienation of longtime fans who value franchise consistency. More likely, they’ll explore new power sources or focus on creative applications of existing Siren abilities rather than breaking their carefully constructed mythology.
Vex appears more complex than previous beginner friendly Sirens like Maya due to managing multiple summons simultaneously. New players might find this overwhelming initially. However, her versatility suggests simpler build paths focusing primarily on Trouble that would work well for beginners while offering depth for advanced optimization.
Analyzing Vex’s reveal and its implications reveals a pivotal moment in Borderlands’ evolution. Vex’s Phase Covenant doesn’t simply complete the seven Siren pantheon it represents the creative apex of unique player ability design within the franchise.
The possibility that Vex might be the final entirely new Siren isn’t a limitation but an opportunity. With all seven powers potentially revealed, future games can focus on deepening rather than broadening Siren mythology. We might explore power inheritance stories, conflicts between Sirens, or the mysterious origins of their abilities.
For players, Vex offers what the community has long requested: a genuine summoner class combining tactical depth with Siren mystique and power. Her abilities promise to revolutionize approach to Borderlands’ signature chaotic firefights, adding strategic layers through battlefield control and aerial supremacy.
When Borderlands 4 launches, Vex will represent everything that makes the franchise special: innovative gameplay mechanics, rich lore development, and the promise of countless hours perfecting builds and conquering challenges. Whether she truly represents the last new Siren or not, she opens new doors for storytelling and gameplay possibilities we haven’t yet imagined.
The seven Siren limit has always represented more than numerical constraint it’s a promise that these characters remain special, rare, and powerful. Vex may complete that promise while simultaneously opening new chapters for franchise development that transcend traditional Siren boundaries. That’s the enduring magic of Borderlands, ensuring continued engagement regardless of future Siren revelations.
