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Borderlands 4 Build

Vex Kinetic Crit Phamiliar - Full Levelling Guide

presentationVex
Leveling
presentationPhase Phamiliar
Updated on Sep 17, 2025
Sep 17, 2025

Build Overview

This Vex Levelling Guide focuses on playing into the Phase Phamiliar Companion Skill and fully playing into Critical Hit Chance and Critical Damage using Kinetic Damage.

This build is a Combo Tree Build using the Red Tree and Green Tree to maximise the Critical Chance and Critical Damage of Vex and our Phase Phamiliar.

This build has a more Glass Cannon approach to Levelling Up granting both Vex and ourPhase Phamiliar incredible amounts of Damage Output at the Cost of Defence.

Because we play into Critical Damage so heavily it makes sense for us to take some of the supporting Skill Nodes that use Critical Hits as an Activation Mechanism . There is is likely to be supporting weapons and equipment that play to this advantage along the way.

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NOTE: This build is still a work in progress. If you have any questions about the build, feel free to jump in my Discord and ask me questions directly.

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Check out my other Vex Phamiliar levelling builds for different playstyles:

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Check out my Vex Phamiliar endgame builds for post campaign setups:

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I'l be live streaming most evenings (GMT) so this is a good time to come ask me questions directly!

Variants

Requirements

  • Kinetic Weapon
  • Have fun!

Overview

This variant focuses on the Initial Levelling Stage of the build adding in the following Perks via the Skill Tree:

Vex Only:

  • Gun Skill Damage
  • Lifesteal
  • Fire Rate
  • Kinetic Attunement

Phase Phamiliar Only:

  • Increased Action Skill Duration
  • Blink Strike

Vex And Phase Phamiliar:

  • Movement Speed
  • Damage Reduction

Skill Tree

Points Spent 0 / 49
LMB Allocate
RMB Unallocate
Phase Phamiliar
2/5
3/3
3/3
2/5
1/5

The skills assigned above are intended to be Progressive through the Campaign and Levelling Stages of the game. This is likely to change when swapping to an Endgame Setup which will be linked here once they are ready for use after Release.

Note: This is a work in progress and will be actively updated on release.

Skill Order

Starter

  • Phase Phamiliar (Red Tree)
  • +3 Hasty Fiends (Red Tree)
  • +2 Grave Sustenance (Red Tree)

First Command Skill

  • Blink Strike (Red Tree)

Build Basic Defence

  • +2 Overprotective (Red Tree)

Command Skill Utlity

  • +3 Grave Command (Red Tree)

Boost Gun Damage

  • +4 Leeching Attunement (Green Tree)

Start Trailing To Capstone

  • +1 Vorpal Fiends (Red Tree)

Skill Info

The premise of this build is to play heavily into Critical Damage and Minion Critical Damage whilst using Lifesteal as your defensive mechanic.

It's important to note that the first thing I recommend to take is Hasty Fiends because Movement Speed tends to be a Premium in most games like this and this is an easy way to gain 15% Movement Speed straight away, along with Damage Reduction. This should make you fairly Tanky early on.

This is backed up by the Utility Skills Grave Sustenance and Grave Command which assist ourPhase Phamiliar Action Skill and Blink Strike Command Skill so that we can use them more often.

Blink Strike is taken for doing Big Damage to Larger Targets when they are Under 50% Health and should be usable regularly due to Grave Command.

Defensively we utilise Leeching Attunement to allow Vex a very sizable amount of Life Leech which along with a small investment into Overprotective granting us Overshield Vex and Phase Phamiliar should allow for enough survivability to get you through the content. It's worth noting that this build is going to be quite Glass Cannon and is designed with that in mind but it should output a lot of Damage.

Lastly we take a Single Point in Vorpal Fiends to start working towards our Capstone Double Trouble which we'l now rush as quickly as we can in the Next Variant.

Weapon Info

This build will require a Kinetic Weapon to work since it plays into Leeching Attunement and will not benefit from this without one. The benefit does last for 6 Seconds after Swapping Weapons so you can used other Elemental Focused Weapons but you will want to probably use a Kinetic Focused Weapon as your main.

Until I can play the game this is the best I can provide but once the game launches I shall update this ASAP afterwards.

Specialization

There are no Specialisations until Endgame.

Strengths And Weaknesses

  • High Mobility
  • Great Damage Output
  • Easy Critical Hits
  • Glass Cannon
  • Action Skill Sustain

Gameplay

It's so early that we don't have access to many of our Skills and you'l come across the Weapons you find in your Playthrough. The following is the rough build rotation:

  • Use Phase Phamiliar to Teleport your Phamiliar onto your Target.
  • Use Blink Strike to deal big damage to Enemies Below 50% Life.
  • Shoot all the things!

Changelog

10th Sept. 2025 / v0.1

  • Added initial planner with skill tree.
  • Updated Skill Tree.
  • Added Skill Order to Skill Tree Section.
  • Added Skill Info to Skill Tree Section.
  • Added Basic Weapon Info to Skill Tree Section.

11th Sept. 2025 / v0.2

  • Added Level 1 - 16 Variant.
  • Added Level 17 - 31 Variant.
  • Added Level 32 - 50 Variant.
  • Added Skill Order to All Variants.
  • Added Skill Info to All Variants.
  • Added Weapon Info to All Variants.
  • Added Gameplay Loop to All Variants.
  • Added Strength And Weaknesses to All Variants.

17th Sept. 2025 / v0.3

  • Added links to other Starter Guides.
  • Added link to new Endgame Guide.

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