Amon is a towering force in Borderlands 4 and he’s been described as the “most complicated” Vault Hunter in Borderlands history. We caught up with Lead Character Designer Nick Thurston to find out why.
In the 16 years since Borderlands revolutionized the looter shooter genre, we’ve seen dozens of unique playable characters come and go. From Brick in the very first game to Claptrap himself in the Pre-Sequel, there has been no shortage of crazy ideas distinguishing each Vault Hunter from the last.
Now with Borderlands 4 fast approaching its September 12, 2025 release, four new additions join the ever-expanding lineup. How are they standing apart from all who have come before, you ask? Well, we don’t have all the answers just yet, but for the likes of Amon – now officially the tallest character in Borderlands history – complexity was the differentiating factor.
While still designed to be approachable for players of all skill levels, Amon has been described as the most complex Vault Hunter ever released. We spoke with Amon’s lead designer to unravel why that’s the case.
What goes into designing a new Vault Hunter
The origin of each and every new Vault Hunter is a different story, as Gearbox’s Thurston told us.
“Sometimes, you walk into a room and the project has been in pre-production for four years. ‘Here are the people. Fill out what they actually do now.’
“And sometimes, we have like one or two that are set in stone, the other two we know the archetypes, but we don’t know their personality, background, or the aesthetics. So it really just depends.”
Regarding Amon, the hulking behemoth capable of summoning all manner of elemental weapons, he was actually “the last to be fully fleshed out.”
At first, Amon was someone else entirely, Thurston explained. Another Vault Hunter design was in place, and artwork had even been created to establish the visual identity of this character. Ultimately, plans changed, for “reasons” the dev couldn’t quite disclose. What we did glean, however, is that this original character is now an NPC in Borderlands 4. Fans will have to dig to find out who exactly they are, however.
“He was a completely different Vault Hunter at the very beginning,” Thurston said. “We always knew we needed a brute, a goliath-type character. We had Brick, we had Krieg, but we haven’t really done it in a big way for a minute.
“He was the least defined when I came in. He’s the character I’m most proud of because I had the most agency bringing him to life.”
But what exactly makes this character so unique and especially so complex? Well, it has to do with the little fact they effectively double the total abilities of everyone else.
Double dipping
When it comes to controlling Amon, there’s a fair bit to keep in mind. While his skills are relatively straightforward, summoning projectiles, honing in on melee, and the like, it’s his traits that make him stand out.
Amon gets to double up. By tapping the Action Skill button, he does one thing. By pressing and holding the same input, he does something else. As such, “he essentially has double the skills that any other Vault Hunter has,” as Thurston put it.
“So just because you have 2x the abilities, by nature, means you have more options. It also means you have more opportunities to mix and match.
“Complexity, I almost hate the word. Some people say it and they’re excited. Some people hear it and they’re like ‘ahh, I’m gonna stay away.’ When we’re talking about complexity with Amon, it’s not that you’ll be doing calculus while you play as Amon, it’s more like he just has the most abilities, and that’s because of his trait.”
Historically, certain builds haven’t exactly been favored when it comes to endgame grinding across Borderlands titles. You eventually reach a point where, say, melee-oriented setups struggle to contend with the biggest badasses of them all. That’s not going to be the case in Borderlands 4, at least not if Thurston has anything to say about it.
“In my heart, I’m an action RPG player, I love to min-max, I love to break the game. I’m the guy who’s trying to deal billions of damage, probably have frame drops as a result of murdering too many monsters. That’s the kind of person I am. When it comes to our skill trees, they’re so vast. I really want players to be able to find an endgame build that suits their playstyle and that they will be successful with.
Historically, melee characters have existed, but when you come to an endgame scenario, it kind of drops off. I’ve paid particular attention, and this should be the game where almost any different gameplay style, you will be able to find success in the endgame.”
Amusingly, Thurston even joked that if his words don’t hold up at launch, he “promises to buff things” shortly after. “I love to buff!”
Amon’s tragic backstory
Like always, our ragtag group of Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4 unites against a common enemy, but how they find themselves in the midst of a fight against The Timekeeper is mostly being kept under wraps.
What we do know is Amon has a horribly grim tale of loss and immeasurable grief. Having grown up in a cult worshipping a Vault Monster, said baddie eventually broke free and slaughtered the community. Everyone except Amon, that is.
Now, he dedicates his life to exacting reprisal on every Vault Monster he can get his gargantuan hands on.
He certainly wants the loot, but that’s not why he’s going into vaults,” Thurston said with a laugh. “All the legendaries in the world are whatever to him. He wants to rid the world of Vault Monsters.”
You can check out Amon’s diverse skill trees and help get his revenge when Borderlands 4 goes live in just a few weeks on September 12.
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