Best Vex Reaper Build in Borderlands 4 (Dead Ringer)

by

Okay, so I’ve been experimenting with Vex in Borderlands 4, and she’s seriously flexible. I’ve gone all-in on the Dead Ringer skill tree, and it’s created a really unique playstyle. This build focuses on maximizing my overshield, healing, and melee damage, but it’s not about getting right in the thick of it. I can hang back, shoot, and let my Reapers – basically, my little minions – handle most of the close-quarters combat. I’m going to break down everything you need to know about this Vex Dead Ringer build that’s all about Reapers and dealing tons of melee damage.

This build will not use the Penetrator Augment Throwing Knife

Best Skills for Dead Ringer Vex (Reaper)

Skill Description Why It’s Useful
Fell Inscriptions (5/5) Vex and her Minions gain increased Melee Damage and Maximum Health Capacity Increase the Melee Damage of Reapers (and Vex), while also increasing Maximum Health for all.
Coven (Augment) Spawning a Reaper grants Vex and her Minions Health Regeneration for a Duration. Vex is going to spawn Reapers a lot for this build, so healing and overcharging shields is a must.
Cursed Blade (5/5) Vex’s Melee Attacks apply Curse to hit enemies, making them take Kinetic Status Effect Damage any time they take Gun Damage. Throw a Phase Knife to Curse enemies to make them take more damage.
Extra Cursed (1/1) Curse Damage now triggers on Minion Melee Damage and deals increaesd Damage when it’s triggered by a Critical Hit. Throw a Phase Knife as a Critical Hit and deal way more damage with Vex’s Reapers.
Grave Quickening (5/5) Kill Skill. Vex gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. The more Vex kills, the quicker she can summon her Reapers.
Blood Sacrifice (1/1) Activate Kill Skills whenever Vex’s Minions die. If Vex’s Reaper dies, a Kill Skill is granted.
Obedient Fiends (5/5) Vex gains increased Minion Damage. Minion Skills and Command Skills gain further increased damage. More damage for Vex’s Reapers is always good.
Ancient Rites (5/5) Vex gains a stack of Ancient Rites for each of her active Minions every second, increasing Minion Damage. Simply by having Minions alive, their Damage increases to +40%
Dark Pact (Capstone) Vex can now equip two Augments, and gains the ability to use Dark Pact. Dark Pact: fully restore Health of all Phase Clones, as well as granting increased Movement Speed and Minion Attack Speed for a Duration. Phase Clones do not lose Health over time while Dark Pact is active, and Health loss is reset when Dark Pact ends. Vex can have two Augments, and she can hold her Action Skill to Restore Health of her Minions and grant them increased Movement Speed and Attack Speed for 12 seconds.
Hellish Harvest (Augment) Minion Skill. Reapers gain the ability to use Hellish Harvest, dealing Melee Damage 3 times in a large area around themselves and regenerating Health for each enemy hit. Reapers will use Hellish Harvest on spawn, and every third time they Melee Attack. Vex’s second Augment allows her Reapers to deal more Melee Damage and provide Health Regeneration for each enemy hit.
Diener (1/1) Dead Ringer gains an additional Charge. Vex can now have 4 active Minions.
Recurrence (5/5) Whenever Vex deals Gun Damage or Melee Damage, gain a Stack of Recurrence, which increases her and her Minion’s Gun Damage and Melee Damage. Deal damage to gain Stacks of Recurrence to increase damage for Minions.
Haruspex (5/5) Melee Override. Vex now throws a Phase Dagger from her offhand that deals Melee Damage to enemies hit. Phase Daggers can Critically Hit. Allows Vex to throw a Phase Dagger to have ranged melee attacks.
Pincushion (1/1) Haruspex now throws 5 Phase Daggers from both hands in a fan pattern. More Phase Daggers means more Melee Damage.
Reverburnations (5/5) Melee Damage dealt by Vex or her Minions has a chance to deal Incendiary Melee Damage. This great buff allows Vex’s Minions to deal Incendiary damage, which is super effective against Flesh (red health).
Blood Is Magic (5/5) Vex deals increased Action Skill Damage the higher her Health. Vex will never run out of Health, so a permanent +35% Damage from her Reapears is essential.

This Vex build focuses on constantly summoning a full team of four Reapers to quickly locate and overwhelm enemies before they can attack. When activated, Dark Pact makes these Reapers nearly invincible, and each active Reaper also regenerates Vex’s health. With the right skills and equipment, Vex will maintain a constant overshield, preventing any damage to her shields. This allows her to safely curse enemies with her Phase Knife while staying at a distance, letting the Reapers handle all the direct combat and deliver powerful, accumulating melee damage.

Best Weapons and Gear for Dead Ringer Vex (Reaper)

The best weapon really depends on your playstyle, but we had a lot of success with the Wombo Combo (using the Rippa Roadbirds, “Saw’s Clench” Ripper Drill Site, Ruined Sumplands, and Carcadia Burn). This Assault Rifle fires quickly and randomly launches extra rockets, effectively doubling your damage with a mix of elemental and kinetic effects. It’s excellent for quickly building up damage before a Groundbreaker Phase Knife throw, but feel free to use whatever you like! To make this weapon even better, use Vladof Enhancements like the Box Magazine or Bullet Hose to boost its fire rate, magazine size, and add a chance to fire an extra projectile. Of course, any upgrade that improves Assault Rifle damage or effectiveness will work well, or just use upgrades for your favorite weapon.

We discovered the Super Soldier Shield (Vile Lictor, Umbral Foundry, Windspear, Terminus Range) was the best shield option. While recharging, it provides an extra layer of protection (Overshield), and when fully charged, it boosts fire rate, movement speed, and ammo regeneration. These benefits, combined with the skills mentioned earlier, keep Vex’s shield consistently active.

The Shield works especially well with the Class Mod called Teen Witch (Primordial Guardian Radix, Arch of Radix, Grindstone of the Worthy, Carcadia Burn). While the skill bonuses aren’t crucial, the Lifesteal ability is very helpful. It allows players to continuously recover Health, Shield, and Overshield due to Vex’s damage output.

This build can be incredibly powerful with a Penetrator Augment Throwing Knife, though it’s not essential. Any explosive grenade will work, but Slippy (Shadowpelt, “Whistler’s Maw” Auger Mine, Cuspid Climb, Terminus Range) is a particularly good choice because it deals extra explosive damage based on your melee damage. Finally, the Repkit isn’t crucial, as Vex doesn’t typically need healing. If you do choose one, prioritize a Repkit that boosts your buffs, such as melee damage or action skill cooldown.

Best Specializations for Dead Ringer Vex (Reaper)

Specialization Perk Description Points Required
Bear Arms Melee Damage now benefits from increases to Gun Damage. 1 in Runner
Groundbreaker Non-Melee Attack Damage and Slam Damage are stored. Melee Attacks and Slam deal Bonus Kinetic Melee Damage based on Stored Damage, and consume it. 20 in Runner
The Best Defense The Vault Hunter gains increased Damage Dealt based on the fullness of their Shield or Health, whichever has higher Maximum Capacity. 20 in Survivor
I Am A Gun Action Skill Damage now benefits from increases to Gun Damage. 10 in Daredevil (10 in Sharpshooter + Runner)

Okay, so this build is all about getting up close and personal! To make it work, I really need to put points into Runner and Survivor skills. I also need to invest in Sharpshooter just to unlock Daredevil. The cool thing is, skills like Bear Arms, The Best Defense, and I Am A Gun all boost my gun damage – and it can stack to over 100% just by mixing melee attacks with my Action Skill! Groundbreaker is super important, though. It basically stores up all the gun damage I do and then unleashes it with my next melee attack for some serious bonus kinetic damage. Honestly, all I have to do is shoot a few things and throw a knife, and things start exploding!

Best Firmware for Dead Ringer Vex (Reaper)

Firmware Bonuses Slots
Action Fist Melee Damage is increased by +15% Action Skill Damage is increased by +10% 2
GOOJFC Action Skill Cooldown Rate is increased by +10% Action Skill Damage is increased by +15% 2
Reel Big Fist Melee Damage is increased by +15% 1

Because Vex’s Phase Knives and Reapers both benefit from increased Melee Damage, we chose Action Fist and Reel Big Fist to boost that damage, along with her Action Skill Damage. We also included GOOFJC to help Vex summon her Reapers more quickly by reducing their cooldown time, and the extra Action Skill Damage is a welcome bonus.

Read More

2025-09-21 17:06