Borderlands 4 Rafa skill tree: A complete guide 

Rafa is one of the four new Vault Hunters debuting in Borderlands 4. Filling in the shoes of heroes from past entries like Borderlands 2's Zer0 and Borderlands 3's Zane, this Exo-Soldier features some of the most unique playstyles seen among any series entry yet. As such, fans looking to step into his boots for their first playthrough will want to know how he works.

Here's a full rundown of Rafa and his abilities, as well as skill trees in Borderlands 4. Read on to know more.

Also Read: Borderlands 4 Vex Skill tree: A complete guide

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All Action Skills for Rafa in Borderlands 4

Rafa boasts the following unique Action Skills in Borderlands 4, and just like Borderlands 3, only one can be equipped at a time:

• Peacbreaker Cannons
• Arc-Knives
• APOPHIS Lance

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1) Peacbreaker Cannons

Equip Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons, which automatically fire at enemies in Rafa’s crosshairs, dealing Kinetic Gun Damage. If that enemy dies or you press M3, the Peacebreaker Cannons find a new target.

Holding F ends Peacebreaker Cannon, and refunds a portion of the remaining Action Skill Duration as Action Skill Cooldown.

• Turret Damage: 2
• Duration: 18 seconds
• Cooldown: 32 seconds

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2) Arc-Knives

Rafa puts down his guns and equips his Arc-Knives, blades that deal Melee Damage and Mark Enemies whenever they damage them, causing them to take increased Damage for every Mark on them.

• M1: Perform Melee Attacks with Rafa’s Arc-Knives
• M2: Dash Forward and perform a Shock Melee attack
• F: Unleash Rafa’s Blade Fury, which deals Shock Damage to all Marked enemies, and ends the Skill.
• Duration: 32 seconds
• Cooldown: 48 seconds
• Max Marks: 4 per enemy
• Mark Bonus: +6% Damage per Mark
• Melee Attack Damage: 28
• Blade Fury Damage: 55

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3) APOPHIS Lance

Equip Rafa’s APOPHIS Lance, an offhand Arm Cannon that decreases Rafa’s Gun Handling, but allows him to fire Piercing Shock Ordnance Blasts. Any unused Charges when APOPHIS Lance ends are converted into Action Skill Cooldown.

Press M2 to fire a Piercing Shock Ordnance Blast at enemies and consume a Charge, or hold H2 to charge Rafa’s APOPHIS Lance for increased Damage, Projectile Size, and Projectile Speed - at the cost of more Charges.

• Duration: 24 seconds
• Cooldown: 18 seconds
• Charges: 3
• Damage: 157

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All Passives and Augments on Rafa Skill Tree in Borderlands 4

Rafa packs quite a punch thanks to his military-grade gear (Image via 2k)

Rafa boasts the following passive Trait in Borderlands 4:

Overdrive: Whenever Rafa activates an Action Skill, he enters Overdrive. While an Action Skill is active, Overdrive’s Duration does not decrease. While Overdrive is active, gain increased Move Speed and deal increased Damage with all sources.

• Damage: +10%
• Move Speed: +25%
• Duration: 12 seconds

Passive Traits are a new inclusion in this latest game and help differentiate Vault Hunters from one another even further, on top of their other abilities. Besides this, each Vualt Hunter also has Passive and Augment skills, as well as Captsones at the end of a skill tree. Only one Action Skill can be active at any given time, and this can be further enhanced by equipping one Passive and Capstone each.

Read More: All gear rarities in Borderlands 4

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All Passive Skills in Peacebreaker Cannons:

Tier 1 (accessible from the start):

• Sitiar (5): Rafa gains increased Gun Damage (Gun Damage: +5%)
• Deft Hands (5): Rafa and his Peacebreaker Cannons gain increased Fire Rate. Fire Rate: +4%
• Shield Barriest (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active. Shield Recharge Rate: +11%, Shield Recharge Delay: +12%

Tier 2 (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Juerga (5): Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored. Action Skill Duration Restore: +3%, Cooldown: 4 seconds
• Field Repears (3): Whenever Rafa activates an Action Skill, restore a portion of his Maximum Shield Capacity. If his Shields are already full, gain Overshield instead. Shield Restore: +15%
• CYA (5): Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa’s Maximum Health Capacity. Shield Restored: +4% of Maximum Health

Tier 3 (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Resiliencia (5): Overdrive Sill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active. Damage Reduction: +8%
• Maestro (3): Rafa gains increased Skill Damage. Skill Damage: +9%
• Venganza (1): Whenever Rafa’s Shields break after being fully recharged, spawn a free Grenade. If he has a Grenade equipped, use that Grenade instead.
• El Valiente (3): Rafa deals increased Damage from all sources. The fuller Rafa’s Shields are, the greater the bonus. While Rafa’s Shields are at Maximum Capacity, double the bonus. Damage Dealt: Up to +10%

Tier 4 Left (invest 15 skill points to unlock):

• Asymmetric Warfare (5): Indirect Projectiles gain increased Damage. Indirect projectiles include all Action Skill Weapons, Thrown Weapons, and Projectiles not fired from your Gun. Indirect Projectile Damage: +9%

Tier 5 Left (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Errant Spark (5): All Indirect Projectiles deal Bonus fire damage. If the Indirect Projectile already deals Fire Damage. Double the Bonus damage. Bonus Fire Damage: +8% of Damage Dealt
• Ardid (5): Rafa’s Indirect Projectiles gain Life Steal Life Steal: +10%
• Rolling Stone (5): While moving, shots have a Chance to Bounce Off of Rafa. This Chance is doubled while Sliding. Bounce Chance: +7%

Tier 6 Left (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Prorietary Incendiary (1): Melee Override. Press and Hold [V] to lob a STRM Flider at an enemy. Once it reaches its targets, it explodes and deals Fire Splash Damage based on the amount of Ammo in Rafa’s Gun when he threw the STRM Glider. STRM Glider Damage: Up to 138, Cooldown: 16 seconds
• Lateral Pinking (1): Rafa’s Indirect Projectiles gain a chance to Ricochet. Ricochet Chance: +25%

Tier 4 Middle (invest 15 skill points to unlock)

• Confeti (5): Rafa’s Ordnances deal Bonus Damage in his current Weapon’s Element. Bonus Damage: +8%
• Vitriol (5): The first shot fired from Rafa’s fully-loaded Magazine deals Bonus Corrosive Damage. Bonus Damage: +11%

Tier 5 Middle (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Pain Reaction (5): Rafa’s Weapons gain a chance to Ricochet off of enemies with status Effects. Ricochet Damage is based on the Damage Dealt. Ricochet Chance: +3% per Status effect
• Lightning Rod (5): While Aiming with a Gun, Rafa deals Bonus Shock Damage. Each time Rafa hits an enemy this way, deal increased Bonus Damage until he zooms out. Bonus Damage: +2% of Damage Dealt, Additional Bonus Damage: +1% per Critical Hit, Max Stacks: 20

Tier 6 Middle (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• El Alacrán (1): Enemies damaged by Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons have increased Status Effect Chance. Status Effect Chance: 35%, Duration: 8 seconds
• Inspirado (3) (Needs at least 1 point in Lightning Rod): Whenever Rafa inflicts a Status Effect on an enemy, gain increased Action Skill Cooldown rate. and improved Action Skill Duration Rate. This effect stacks. Action Skill Duration Rate: +2%, Action Skill Cooldown Rate: +3%, Duration: 8 seconds, Max Stacks: 10

Tier 4 Right (invest 15 skill points to unlock)

• Barrage (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Splash Damage while Overdrive is active. Splash Damage: +10%
• Everdrive (5): Overdrive gains increased Duration. Overdrive Duration: +11%

Tier 5 Right (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Devil-May-Care (5): Overdrive SKill. While Overdrive is active, Rafa gains increased Move Speed and gains Health Regeneration. While Overdrive is not active, Rafa takes increased Damage and gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. Move Speed: +7%, Health Regeneration: +0.5% per second, Damage Taken: +4%, Action Skill Cooldown Rate: +6%
• Temerario (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Weapon Handling. This Bonus is based on how long Overdrive has been active. Gun Damage: +1% per second, Weapon Handling: -1% per second

Tier 6 Right (invest 10 skill points to unlock):

• Soltado (1): Kill Skill. Double all Overdrive Bonuses. Duration: 8 seconds

All Augments in Peacemaker Cannons:

• (Tier 2) Instinto: Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons gain increased Critical Hit Chance. Pressing F while Peacebreaker Cannons are active causes them to Double their Critical Hit Chance and gain increased Critical Hit Damage, while also causing his Action Skill Duration to drain faster. Kill Skill. Killing an enemy causes Rafa to regain Action Skill Duration, while also causing his Action Skill Duration to drain faster. Critical Hit Chance: +25%, Duration Return: +10% on kill, Critical Hit Damage: +15%, Duration: 8 seconds, Duration Rate: +3% after each kill
• (Tier 2) Bullet-Buddy Deluxe: While Peacebreaker Cannons are active. Rafa and his allies Regenerate Ammo. Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannon deal Bonus Fire Damage based on how full his Gun is, and his Turrets shoot Exploding Bullets while his Magazine is full. Bonus Damage: Up to +20, Ammo Regen: +5%, Explosion Damage: 18, Duration: 8 seconds
• (Tier 4 Left) Hell in a Shell: Pressing F while Peacebreaker Cannons are active causes them to fire two Large Firebombs that deal Fire Damage to a large area. Killing enemies Reduces this Skill’s Cooldown. Damage: 148, Cooldown: 50 seconds, Cooldown Reduction: 5 seconds per kill
• (Tier 4 Middle) Insta-Fort Battle System: Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons also deal Ordnance Damage, and he deals increased Ordnance Damage while Peacebreaker Cannons are active. Pressing F while Peacebreaker Cannons are active causes them to disconnect from Rafa and become a Turret Companion that begins firing at enemies in place. Additionally, it will occasionally fire Grenades at its targets. If Rafa has a Grenade equipped, it copies that Grenade. Pressing F again returns the Turret Companion to Rafa’s back. Ordnance Damage: +10%
• (Tier 4 Right) Unmissable Missiles: Pressing F while Peacebreaker Cannons is active causes them to fire a volley of Homing Rockets at enemies in view, at the cost of Action Skill Duration. Homing Rocket Damage: 22, Rockets: 6, Shot Cost: 5% of Max Duration per missile

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All Passive Skills in Arc-Knives:

The Arc-Knives are the latest new gimmick Action Skill in Borderlands 4 (Image via 2K)

Tier 1 (accessible from the start):

• Handshake Deal (5): Rafa gains increased Gun Damage and Melee Damage. Gun Damage: +3%, Melee Damage: +7%
• Midnight Oil (5): Rafa’s Action Skill deals Bonus Corrosive Damage. The longer the Skill has been active, the greater the Bonus Damage. Bonus Damage: +2% per second
• Expedite (5): Overdrive Skill. Overdrive grants Rafa further increased Move Speed. Move Speed: +5%

Tier 2 (invest 5 skill points to unlock):

• Dial In (5): Whenever Rafa damages an enemy with a Melee Attack, his Melee Attacks gain Critical Hit Chance. This Chance stacks, and all Stacks are removed whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy. Critical Hit Chance: +3% per Stack
• El Corazón (5): A portion of Rafa’s Maximum Health Capacity is converted into Maximum Shield Capacity. Maximum Health Capacity: +10%, Maximum Shield Capacity: +12%
• Diamond Hands (5): Dealing Melee Damage grants Rafa a Stack of Diamond Hands. Gain increased Gun Damage for every Stack of Diamond Hands. Once Rafa deals Gun Damage, Stacks begin to decay quickly until they run out. Gun Damage: +2% per Stack Max Stacks: 100

Tier 3 (invest 10 points to unlock):

• Saldar (5) (Needs at least 1 point in Dial In): Rafa’s Melee Critical Hits gain Lifesteal. Melee Lifesteal: +5%
• In the Zone (3): Kill Skill. Killing an enemy freezes Overdrive’s Duration. Duration: +2 seconds
• To the last (5) (Needs at least 1 Point in El Corazón): Rafa gains increased Gun Damage and increased Skill Damage. The lower his Health, the greater the bonuses. Skill Damage: Up to +9% Gun Damage: Up to +6%
• Hard Sell (5): Whenever Rafa’s Shields break, he instantly gains a portion of his Shield Maximum Capacity as Overshield. The Skill cannot be used again until Rafa activates his Action Skill. Overshield: +9% of Maximum Shield Capacity

Tier 4 Left (invest 15 points to unlock)

• Blowout (5): Whenever Rafa applies a Heavy Arms Mark or Critically Hits an enemy with his Action Skill, they explode in Corrosive Lobbed Projectiles. The longer Rafa’s Action Skill has been active, the more Corrosive Projectiles are spawned. Projectile Damage: 9, Max Projectiles: 6, Cooldown: 1 second
• El Paraguas (5): Rafa gains increased Splash Damage and increased Splash Damage Critical Hit Chance. Splash Damage: +7%, Critical Hit Chance: +3%

Tier 5 Left (invest 5 points to unlock):

• Protecto-Pulse (5): Pressing M2 while Arc-Knives are active or Rafa’s retriggers his Action Skill drains a portion of Rafa’s Shields, and deals that much Sock Damage to nearby enemies. Shield Drained: Up to +20% of Max Shields
• Shock Market (5): Whenever Rafa deals Splash Damage, deal bonus Shock damage based on the Damage Dealt. Bonus Damage: +10% of Damage Dealt

Tier 6 Left (invest 10 points to unlock)

• Liquidation (1): Marked enemies killed by Rafa leave behind a Corrosive Hazard

Tier 4 Middle (invest 15 points to unlock)

• Artilleria (5): Rafa gains increased Ordnance Cooldown Rate. Ordnance Cooldown Rate: +11%
• Collaborate Ignition (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa deals bonus damage of his Weapon’s Element with all Skills and Ordnance while Overdrive is active. Bonus Damage: +12% of Weapons Damage

Tier 5 Middle (invest 5 points to unlock)

• Booming Business (5): Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, he gains a chance to spawn a Free Grenade. If Rafa has a Grenade equipped, spawn a Grenade based on that. Grenade Chance: +50%, Cooldown Time: 12 seconds
• Sinergia (3): Whenever Rafa deals Ordnance Damage, he also deals increased Gun Damage and Melee Damage. This effect stacks. Gun Damage: +2% per Stack, Melee Damage: +4% per Stack, Duration: 8 seconds

Tier 6 Middle (invest 10 points to unlock)

• Hemolitions (1): Overdrive Skill. While Overdrive is active, Rafa may use Grenade while cooling down, at the cost of Health. Every time a Grenade is used this way, it costs more Health until Rafa’s Grenade fully cools down. Health Cost: 10% of current Health
• El Diablito (1): A Portion of all Fire Damage Rafa deals also deals Bonus Fire Ordnance Damage. Bonus Damage: +10% of Damage Dealt

Tier 4 Right (invest 15 points to unlock)

• El Borracho (5): Rafa deals increased Corrosive Damage while his Action Skill is active. The longer it has been active, the greater the bonus. Corrosive Damage: +1% per second
• Empuje (5): Rafa gains increased Action Skill Duration. Action Skill Duration: +7%

Tier 5 Right (invest 5 points to unlock)

• Sustainable Energy (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains Health Regeneration based on how much Overdrive time is remaining. Health Regen: Up to +0.8% Max Health per second
• Motivar (5): Press M2 during Arc-Knives grants increased Overdrive Duration. This Bonus is reset whenever Rafa activates an Action Skill. Duration: +5%

Tier 6 Right (invest 10 points to unlock):

• Cruel Accrual (5): Rafa gains increased Skill Damage with all Skills. The longer his Action Skill has been active, the greater the bonus. Skill Damage: +2% per second

All Augments in Arc-Knives:

• (Tier 2) Altered Cabrón: Whenever Rafa kills an enemy while Arc-Knives is active, restore a portion of his Maximum Health Capacity. Whenever Rafa gains Health, deal Bonus Corrosive Damage with all attacks, and gain increased Movement Speed. This effect Stacks. Bonus Corrosive Damage: +15%, Move Speed: +10%, Duration: 16 seconds, Health Restore: 30 on kill, Max Stacks: 25
• (Tier 2) Dead Man Walking: Arc-Knives does not end when its Duration runs out. Instead, it only ends if Rafa enters Fight For Your Life or activates Blade Fury. While Arc-Knives' duration is depleted. Rafa loses Health instead. Whenever Rafa damages an enemy, he gains Overshield.
• (Tier 4 Left) Thundercutter: Arc-Knives attacks deal Shock Melee Splash Damage. Rafa deals increased Splash Damage. Splash Damage: +50%
• (Tier 4 Middle) Parting Gift: Whenever Rafa activates his Dash Attack, he leaves behind a Grenade. If he has a Grenade equipped, use that Grenade instead. Enemies damaged by these Grenades become Marked. Whenever Rafa applies a Mark to an enemy, apply an additional Mark. Default Grenade Damage: 129
• (Tier 4 Right) Acid Drop: Arc-Knives’ Dash Attack is replaced by Caustic Leap. Causing Rafa to leap forward and create a Caustic Hazard wherever he lands. Whenever a Mark is removed from an enemy, it explodes in a Corrosive Nova. Corrosive Leap Damage: 138, Corrosive Nova Damage: 37

Also Read: All Legendary gear confirmed for Borderlands 4, thus far

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All Passive Skills in APOPHIS Lance

Tier 1 (accessible from the start)

• Rinse (5): Rafa gains increased Reload Speed Reload Speed: +4%
• Las Jaras (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active. Ammo Regeneration: +0.5%
• The Thrill (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate. Gain further increased Fire Rate while Overdrive is active. Fire Rate: +2%, Fire Rate: +3% while Overdrive is active.

Tier 2 (invest 5 points to unlock):

• Preparado (5) (Needs at least 1 point in Rinse): Whenever Rafa reloads his current Gun, he gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. This effect Stacks. Action Skill Cooldown Rate: +4% per Stack, Max Stacks: 100, Duration: 8 seconds
• Pa’ Dentro (5): Activating an Action Skill grants Rafa Health Regeneration. Health Regeneration: +0.5%, Duration: 8 seconds
• Arriba (5): Kill Skill. Whenever Rafa kills an enemy, he gains increased Ordnance Cooldown Rate. Ordnance Cooldown Rate: +9%, Duration: 12 seconds

Tier 3 (invest 10 points to unlock):

• First Impression (5): The first shot fired from a fully loaded Weapon Magazine gains increased Damage. Gun Damage: +8%
• Al Centro (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Weapon Handling with all Weapons and Action Skills while Overdrive is active. The longer Overdrive has been active, the greater the bonus. Weapon Handling: 1% per second
• Metal Management (1): Whenever Rafa activates or retriggers an Action Skill, his Gun consumes no Ammo. Duration: 2 seconds
• Abajo (5) (Needs at least 1 point in Arriba): Whenever Rafa throws a Grenade, he gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. Action Skill Cooldown Rate: +7%, Duration: 12 seconds

Tier 4 Left (invest 15 points to unlock):

• Brain Dump (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains Critical Hit Chance with his guns while Overdrive is active. Critical Hit Chance: +5%
• Conductivo (5): Rafa gains increased Status Effect Chance, and also gains further increased Shock Damage. Status Effect Chance: +2%, Shock Chance: +4%

Tier 5 Left (invest 5 points to unlock):

• El Catrin (5): After Sliding, Rafa’s Action Skill deals Bonus Shock Damage, and he deals increased Critical Hit Damage. Bonus Damage: +6% of Damage Dealt, Critical Hit Damage: +8%, Duration: 3 seconds after Sliding

Tier 6 Left (invest 10 points to unlock):

• Awe (1): Whenever Rafa Shocks an enemy, all shots fired at that enemy are Critical hits. Duration: 2 seconds
• Fiesta (5): Whenever Rafa applies a Status Effect, his Action Skill consumes no Duration, and Apophis Lance consumes no Charges. Duration: +0.50 seconds

Tier 4 Middle (invest 15 points to unlock):

• Drone Defense (5): Whenever Rafa activates an Ordnance, spawn STRM Gliders that hover near him. As he takes Damage, transfer some of that Damage to his STRM Gliders. Once a STRM Glider receives too much Damage, it explodes, dealing Corrosive Splash Damage to nearby enemies. STRM Glider Health: +20, Damage: +37, Max STRM Gliders: 3
• El Soldado (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage while Overdrive is active. This bonus is doubled while Rafa is charging APOPHIS Lance. Gun Damage: +6%

Tier 5 Middle (invest 5 points to unlock):

• The Right Tools (5): Rafa gains increased Ordnance Damage after Reloading his Gun. This Bonus stacks. Ordnance Damage: +12%, Max Stacks: 10, Duration: 6 seconds
• Debtonation (5): Whenever Rafa damages an enemy with an Action Skill, place a Remote Detonator on that enemy. Ordnance Override. Detonate all Remote Detonators. Remote Detonators gain increased Damage and increased Splash Radius for every Remote Detonator. Detonator Damage: +7, Bonus Damage: +3% per Detonator, Splash Radius Scalar: +2% per Detonator

Tier 6 Middle (invest 10 points to unlock):

• Drone Assault (1) (Needs at least 1 point in Drone Defense): Whenever Rafa activates or retriggers an Action Skill, send one of his STRM Gliders at an enemy in his view. Once it arrives, it explodes in a Corrosive Explosion equal to its remaining health.

Tier 4 Right (invest 15 points to unlock):

• Jaque (5): Whenever Rafa damages an enemy with a Skill, he gains a Stack of Jaque. For every Stack of Jaque, he gains increased Overdrive Bonuses. Whenever Overdrive ends, lose all Stacks. Overdrive Bonuses: +1%, Max Stacks: 20
• La Garza (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Weapon handling with Weapons and Action Skills while Overdrive is active. Weapon Handling: +12%

Tier 5 Right (invest 5 points to unlock):

• Mate (5) (Needs at least 1 point in Jaque): When Overdrive ends, convert all Jaque Stacks into Mate Stacks. Gain increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate for every Stack of Mate. Once Rafa’s Action Skill is readied, lose all Stacks of Mate. Cooldown Rate: +3% per Stack, Max Stacks: 20
• Deadline (5): Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate and increased Reload Speed while Overdrive is active. Fire Rate: +3%, Reload Speed: +5%

Tier 6 Right (invest 10 points to unlock):

• Per My Last (5): Whenever Rafa deals damage with an Action Skill to an enemy, he gains a chance to deal that Damage again. Double damage Chance: +4%

All Augments in APOPHIS Lance

• (Tier 2) Sangre por Sangre: Whenever Rafa consumes a Charge, he gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. This Bonus is increased for every Charge consumed. Cooldown Rate: +25% per Charge consumed, Duration: 8 seconds
• (Tier 2) Battery Subscription Service: Apophis Lance gains an Additional Charge. Additionally, whenever Rafa consumes 4 or more charges, gain increased Action Skill Potency. Action Skill Potency: +100%, Duration: 36 seconds
• (Tier 4 Left) Ojo Rojo: Apophis Lance gains increased Critical Hit Chance. Whenever Rafa damages an enemy with Apophis Lance, gain further increased Critical Hit Chance. Critical Hit Chance: +40%, Bonus Critical Hit Chance: +35%, Duration: 8 seconds
• (Tier 4 Middle) Gibistruct Module: Whenever Rafa kills an enemy with his Apophis Lance, spawn a free Grenade on that enemy. If Rafa has a Grenade equipped, spawn a copy of that Grenade instead.
• (Tier 4 Right) Engorged Bore: Apophis Lance gains increased Projectile Size, Projectile Speed, and increased Number of Chains. Projectile Size: +25%, Projectile Speed: +50%, Chains: +3

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All Rafa Capstone perks explained

The Capstone skills help empower Rafa's Action Skills further in Borderlands 4 (Image via 2k)

All Capstones in Peacemaker Cannons:

• (Tier 6 Left) Double-Ought Autoshot: Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons’ Weapons are replaced with Shotguns that deal increased Damage and have increased Pellet Count. Additionally, Rafa’s Turrets gain a chance to Ricochet off of targets. Ricochets deal Reduced Damage, and Critical Hits always Ricochet. (Damage: 3, Pellets: 6, Ricochet Chance: 10%, Ricochet Damage: 50% of Damage Dealt)
• (Tier 6 Middle) Beam Team: Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons’ Weapons are replaced with a Shock Beam and a Corrosive Beam. Each beam automatically locks onto enemies in your view, and may lock onto different enemies. Whenever Rafa applies a Status Effect, gain increased Action Skill Damage. Beam Damage: 7, Action Sill Damage: 20%
• (Tier 6 Right) Volatile Hollowpoints: Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons’ Weapons are replaced with Rockets that deal Splash Damage. Rocket Damage: 33

All Capstones in Arc-Knives:

• (Tier 6 Left) Huracán Especial: Activating Blade Fury causes Rafa to spin his blades, creating a Singularity that draws in all Marked enemies and other nearby enemies while dealing continuous Shock Damage. Whenever this attack kills an enemy, Overdrive grants increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. Damage: 111 per second
• (Tier 6 Middle) Inferno Protocol: While Arc-Knives are active. Rafa’s Exo-Suit stores all Damage Dealt to him. The Exo-Suit then heats up and constantly deals a small amount of Fire Damage to him. Additionally, Rafa’s Melee Attacks deal Bonus Fire Damage. A portion of all Damage Dealt to Rafa is also dealt to enemies he has Marked. Using Blade Fury causes Rafa to consume all stored Damage, and deals Bonus fire Damage based on stored Damage. A portion of all Damage Dealt this way is returned to Rafa as Health. Health Drain: 8 per second, Bonus Fire Damage: Up to 150% of total Damage Taken, Marked Enemy Damage: 20% of Damage Taken.
• (Tier 6 Right) Galvanic Panic: Whenever Rafa performs a Melee Attack while Arc-Knives is active, fire an Acid STRM Glider at an enemy in view. Acid STRM Gliders deal Corrosive Splash Damage based on the number of total Marked enemies. Additionally, killing an enemy while Arc-Knives is active restores Action Skill Duration. Activating Blade Fury causes Rafa to fire a volley of Acid STRM Gliders in front of him and end Arc-Knives. Acid STRM Glider Damage: 46, Acid STRM Glider Bonus Damage: +8% per Marked enemy., Action Skill Duration Restore: +10% per enemy killed

All Capstones in APOPHIS Lance

• (Tier 6 Left) PROJECT: Raiju: APOPHIS Lance’s Weapon is replaced with a close range Shocking Taser Burst. Pressing and holding causes Rafa to deal Shock Damage all around him. The longer Rafa holds this attack, the greater damage it deals. Damage: 74 per second, Damage Scale: +50% per second
• (Tier 6 Middle) PROJECT: Basilisk: APOPHIS Lance now fires a Corrosive Blob that leaves a Corrosive Hazard and Splits into several smaller Projectiles whenever it detonates. The more Charges APOPHIS Lance consumes at once, the more it Splits. Damage: 138
• (Tier 6 Right) PROJECT: Gorgon: Apophis Lance’s weapon is replaced with an Incendiary laser that pierces enemies. Pressing and holding M2 causes the Laser to deal increased Damage and Chain to more enemies as it consumes Charges. Damage: 111 per second

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What kind of playstyles does Rafa have in Borderlands 4?

Rafa amps up the run-and-gun playstyle of Borderlands 4 even further than usual thanks to his chaotic arsenal of Action Skills and abilities. He is all about closing the distance while boasting mobility to overwhelm foes from all angles, empowered by his tactical EXO-Suit. Those who loved the Vault Hunter Zer0 from Borderlands 2 will find a similarly reserved, yet unflinching resolve within Rafa and his playstyle.

However, with his military background and tech-focused skills, he will be more reminiscent of Axton from Borderlands 2 or Moze from Borderlands 3. The red skill tree centered around his Peacebreaker Cannons is the most traditional one here, allowing players to make the most of gun damage, projectile boost, and also variety, thanks to the Cannons also backing up as deployable Turrets.

The green skill tree empowers his Arc-Knives, which feature the most distinct playstyle seen in any Borderlands game to date. Activating this skill switches to a third-person mode, letting Rafa wreak havoc on foes with twin-blade melee attacks. At the same time, it also grants increased elemental effectiveness while debuffing foes.

The final blue skill tree boasts the APOPHIS Lnace, which Borderlands 3 Zane mains will like. It centers around the upkeep of Overdrive while dealing extra damage with his secondary beam Lance, not unlike Zane's shoulder-mounted MNTIS cannons alongside a dose of healthy survivability. Overall, Rafa's fast-paced, crowd-control, gun & tech gameplay will make many returning fans happy.

Read More: Borderlands 4 PC system requirements revealed

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What are the most impactful skill nodes for Rafa?

Some skills will be a game-changer for Rafa in Borderlands 4 (Image via 2K)

In the Peacebreaker Cannons skill tree, the Tier 3 skill El Valiente is notable for increasing damage dealt to enemies by all sources. This is further boosted by the Tier 6 Augments, which do the heavy-lifting by allowing Rafa to pile on the pressure, no matter which format of the Cannons players prefer.

Arc-Knives' Tier 2 Augment, called Dead Man Walking, is a standout, allowing Rafa to continue his assault with the twin blades permanently until he goes down. This can be paired with the Tier 6 Right skill Accruel to increase damage the longer he is in melee form. This is further amplified by the Tier 6 Right capstone skill Galvanic Panic that spawns Corrosive glider drones when striking enemies.

The Engorged Bore Tier 4 Augment in the APOPHIS Lance skill tree ramps up its effectiveness drastically, and he can keep up the offense thanks to the Tier 4 Passive Drone Defense that shields him to an extent from enemy attacks. Furthermore, Tier 6 Left and Right Passives, Awe and Per My Last, allow stacking Crits and Damage with no extra effort.

Also Read: 10 iconic Legendary weapons we want to see in Borderlands 4

Edited by Abu Amjad Khan