Kicking off its character-focused campaign, Gearbox has released a dedicated animated backstory trailer and brief gameplay overview for Vex the Siren, Borderlands 4’s latest Vault Hunter. The character short, titled “Purple Friday", tells a hilariously grotesque origin story that’s equal parts social satire and supernatural bloodbath.

Vex: The Siren

Unlike Sirens of Borderlands past, think Lilith’s fire, Maya’s phase lock, or Amara’s astral punches, Vex’s awakening happens during an all-out Black Friday-style brawl at her retail job. In true Borderlands fashion, the trailer turns customer service hell into an arcane nightmare. Facing a crowd of rabid bargain hunters, Vex taps into her latent Siren powers, violently eviscerating shoppers and sending skulls flying across the showroom floor. It’s carnage, it’s comedy, and it’s deeply cathartic for anyone who's ever worked retail.

One moment, she’s clocking in, the next, she’s unleashing psychic death magic and accidentally murdering her workplace crush. At least she gets to keep a new companion out of the deal: a massive, mystical purple cat, one of several spectral summons featured in her Siren skill tree.

Her Abilities & Power

In gameplay, Vex leans heavily into the series’ signature Siren fantasy. She offers powerful crowd control abilities, flashy visuals, and enough magical destruction to rival a Vault full of Torgue explosives. One branch of her skill tree, dubbed Incarnate, lets her transform into a spectral reaper, complete with glowing wings and an Eldritch Blast ability.

The blast isn't just for show, either. From the early footage, it looks like Vex can dish out massive AoE damage while maneuvering across the battlefield in style. Combine that with her creature summons and eerie presence, and you’ve got a class that’s equal parts mage, necromancer, and retail vigilante.

Great Main Pick

With each Borderlands title, players swear they’ll try someone new, yet the Siren always draws them back. Vex continues that trend, proving once again that Gearbox knows exactly how to craft an irresistible power fantasy for chaos-loving mages.

If this is just the first character deep-dive, fans are in for a wild ride. Between Vex’s haunting visuals, her emotionally unstable backstory, and the sheer force of her abilities, Borderlands 4 is shaping up to be a darker, weirder, and somehow even more exciting evolution of the franchise.