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Rafa is an excellent Vault Hunter for most gun-focused playstyles in Borderlands 4. He benefits from a combination of passive skills related to ammunition and strong weapon enhancements, allowing for various weapon builds. Whether you prefer one-shot shotguns or high fire rate setups that shower enemies with bullets, Rafa can handle it.
Since legendary weapons are some of the strongest guns in the game on Kairos, Rafa performs best when equipped with a full set of legendary gear. As you farm for endgame equipment to progress through Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, keep an eye out for these items to maximize Rafa’s potential.
Hot Slugger
The Hot Slugger is considered one of Rafa’s top weapons, a breech-loaded Jakobs shotgun that gains increased damage with each kill, stacking up to three times. At full stacks, it deals 90% more damage, making it capable of one-shotting most enemies. This shotgun’s high damage output works particularly well with Rafa, especially when your build leverages the Vitriol node in his Remote Agent (red) tree, which adds bonus corrosive damage to the first shot in the magazine. Since Hot Slugger only fires one round per shot, it always benefits from this bonus. Combining it with damage scaling mods allows you to clear UVHM content with ease.
Phantom Flame
The Phantom Flame pistol is a semi-automatic Jakobs revolver that can fire in full-auto mode when aimed. Rafa’s unique augment, Bullet-Buddy Deluxe, allows you to temporarily reactivate your class ability, granting infinite ammo for a short duration. Using this augment with Phantom Flame lets you repeatedly fire hundreds of rounds quickly, massively increasing your damage output. Keeping your reticle over enemy heads ensures precise hits, making this a powerful choice. It also pairs well with the Metal Management node from the People Person (blue) tree.
Kickballer
The Kickballer, a Legendary weapon, is one of the strongest options for Rafa if you have a Jakobs knife with the Penetrator mod, which forces projectiles to critical hit and ricochet. To utilize this, you need a Kickballer with a Jakobs augment, enabling projectiles to bounce multiple times. Firing at enemies’ feet causes projectiles to arc upward, bounce multiple times, and critically strike, creating an endless loop of ricochets that can wipe out most enemies. This setup can be severe on your screen but is very effective against tough foes. Multiple ricochets from nodes that boost bouncing projectiles make this tactic even more deadly.
Swarm
The Swarm grenade is not a traditional weapon but is extremely powerful. Upon impact, it releases a swarm of projectiles that seek out targets, dealing significant damage. Each projectile can kill weaker enemies on its own, and the grenade’s ability to generate continuous damage makes it valuable. Using Rafa’s grenade nodes like Booming Business enhances its effectiveness. Throw these grenades whenever possible for maximum advantage.
Useful Legendary Equipment
Though not weapons, some legendary gear significantly boosts Rafa’s performance and should be prioritized:
- Devastating Dancer: A class mod that doubles the strength of Overdrive buffs, but only while using an action skill. It always includes a Soltado point, which doubles Overdrive effects on kills.
- Firewerks: An armor shield that spawns a missile barrage upon killing an enemy, synergizing well with the Swarm grenade.
- War Paint: A Reptic that temporarily boosts fire rate and movement speed, ideal for powering up before boss fights for increased damage.
Farming for these items, along with powerful weapons like Hot Slugger, Phantom Flame, Kickballer, and the Swarm grenade, will make Rafa significantly more formidable throughout your journey.
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