Borderlands 3 Vault Hunters: FL4K’s Skill Trees and Action Skills
FL4K, the robotic “Beastmaster,” was the fourth and final of the Borderlands 3 Vault Hunters to receive a character trailer this week. In the wake of that release, Gearbox also chose to share some more in-depth details about FL4K’s Skill Trees and Action Skills, just as they did with Amara, Moze, and Zane Flynt. In Borderlands 3, the Vault Hunters each have three skill trees, each with an associated Action Skill. However, just like some of the others, FL4K has a slightly unique take on this system. Each of their three skill trees has its own Action Skill and is also associated with one of their three pet beasts.
FL4K’s Skill Trees: Hunter
The first of FL4K’s Skill Trees is Hunter, which features the ‘Rakk Attack!’ Action Skill. This ability summons several Rakk, which will fly up and proceed to divebomb enemies. The Hunter tree is also tied to FL4K’s Spiderant Centurion pet. Whenever this Spiderant is deployed, FL4K will constantly regenerate health, while the beast itself wields a powerful prosthetic drill. The skill tree emphasises critical hits, providing FL4K with bonuses that activate when the robotic Vault Hunter scores such hits.
Gearbox provides rough details of three example skills which players will find on the Hunter tree; Ambush Predator, Megavore, and The Most Dangerous Game. The first, Ambush Predator, is a skill that’s best-suited for long-range sniping; it provides FL4K with increased critical damage and better weapon handling if there aren’t any enemies close by. Megavore, meanwhile, grants FL4K a chance to land a critical hit regardless of where they hit a target. This means that players don’t need to focus on landing headshots, and can also activate other Hunter skills more often! Finally, The Most Dangerous Game is a skill which activates whenever FL4K kills a Badass (or anything stronger). They gain a timed buff which boosts their gun damage, critical hit damage, and weapon handling. Plus, they get literal cash for scoring the kill.
FL4K’s Skill Trees: Master
The second of FL4K’s Skill Trees is Master, which is tied to their Guard Skag pet. While the skag is active, FL4K gains increased damage. The Master tree’s Action Skill is Gamma Burst, which allows FL4K to suddenly teleport their active pet wherever they designate. Plus, a burst of radiation damage is applied at the location. Gamma Burst can also be used to revive their pet, although this will increase the cooldown. While Hunter focuses on critical hits, Master is all about boosting FL4K’s pets.
The three example skills provided by Gearbox for this tree are; Dominance, Psycho Head on a Stick, and Who Rescued Who? The first, Dominance, is a melee attack which turns an enemy into an ally for a brief period of time. (Although, if FL4K hits a wild beast, the duration is twice as long as with other kinds of enemies.) However, the Dominance effect also causes the target to take damage for as long as they remain an ally. The second skill is Psycho Head on a Stick. Whenever FL4K kills an enemy, this skill provides their pet with a brief boost to its speed and damage. The final skill is Who Rescued Who?, which provides an interesting two-way effect; whenever FL4K deals damage, this skill will heal their pet for some of the damage they deal. Simultaneously, whenever the pet deals damage, FL4K will get some health back.
FL4K’s Skill Trees: Stalker
“One of the strongest early game builds for FL4K, I personally think, is using his Fade Away skill with the modification that allows unlimited shots while cloaked,” says Daquan Sease, a QA Tester at Gearbox; “Pair that with the Jakobs manufacturer perk of every critical shot ricochets to another enemy, and you’ll have high powered bullets bouncing everywhere.”
FL4K’s third and final skill tree is Stalker, which is associated with their Jabber Sidekick pet. When this pet is active, FL4K’s speed increases. Plus, Stalker provides access to the Fade Away Action Skill. Upon activation, this skill will turn FL4K invisible and grant him both health regeneration and heightened speed. Plus, they can fire three times while this skill is active that will be guaranteed critical hits. The Stalker tree appears to emphasise elusiveness and healing, providing ways to recover health for both FL4K and their pets.
The three example skills for the Stalker tree are; Lick the Wounds, The Fast and the Furryous, and The Power Inside. Lick the Wounds allows FL4K’s pet to revive him just like another player could; an ideal skill to have if you’re playing solo. The second skill, The Fast and the Furryous, grants FL4K a significant buff so long as they stay healthy. They gain a boost to gun damage and speed, but only so long as they stay above half health. Finally, The Power Inside causes both FL4K and their pet to get a damage boost after FL4K activates an Action Skill. However, if this buff triggers while FL4K is on full health, the buff is doubled!