Best Rafa (Exo-Soldier) Build and Leveling Guide
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This is a red build guide for Rafa the Exo-Soldier with incredible gun DPS potential in Borderlands 4. See the best red build, skills, weapons, guns, and gear to use for Rafa, along with a leveling guide and character playstyle here!
| All Rafa Guides | |
|---|---|
| Leveling Build | Boss Farm Build |
| Arc-Knives Build | Rafa Cosmetics |
| Rafa Skill Trees | |
Best Rafa (Exo-Soldier) Build
| Jump to a Section! | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skill Tree | Skill Progression | Weapons | |||
Rafa Best Skill Tree and Action Skill
| Skill Tree |  Remote Agent |
|---|---|
| Action Skill: Peacebreaker Cannons | |
For the best Rafa build, the Remote Agent skill tree (Red Tree) with Peacebreaker Cannons offers a powerful yet safe way to unleash constant streams of high damage with all your weapons at once. The cannons, together with your own gunfire, can handle both mobs and badasses with ease, providing reliable firepower in even the most chaotic fights.
Rafa Best Skills
| Jump to a Section! | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skill Tree | Skill Progression | |
| Augments | Capstone | |
Best Passive Skills
 | |||
| Skill Tree | Priority Skills | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Remote Agent |  Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage.  Deft Hands Rafa and his Peacebreaker Cannons gain increased Fire Rate.  Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active.  Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored.  CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity.  El Valiente 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.  Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration.  Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active.  Soltado Kill Skill. Double all Overdrive bonuses. | ||
 | |||
| Skill Tree | Priority Skills | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 People Person |  Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active.  The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active. | ||
The best skills for the Leveling Build revolve around maximizing turret damage and the Overdrive buffs that Rafa receives whenever he uses his Action Skill.
The passive skills you get from the People Person Tree will both help empower Rafa's Overdrive state, as The Thrill will increase his Fire Rate while Las Jaras provides Ammo Regeneration while in Overdrive.
Recommended Skill Progression
| Recommended Skill Progression | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage. Lvl 2 | Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage. Lvl 3 | Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage. Lvl 4 | Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active. Lvl 5 |
| Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active. Lvl 6 | Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active. Lvl 7 | CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity. Lvl 8 | CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity. Lvl 9 |
| CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity. Lvl 10 | Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored. Lvl 11 | Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored. Lvl 12 | Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored. Lvl 13 |
 Resiliencia Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active. Lvl 14 | Resiliencia Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active. Lvl 15 | Resiliencia Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active. Lvl 16 | Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration. Lvl 17 |
| Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration. Lvl 18 | Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration. Lvl 19 | Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration. Lvl 20 | Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration. Lvl 21 |
| Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active. Lvl 22 | Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active. Lvl 23 | Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active. Lvl 24 | Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active. Lvl 25 |
| Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active. Lvl 26 | Soltado Kill Skill. Double all Overdrive bonuses. Lvl 27 | Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage. Lvl 28 | Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage. Lvl 29 |
| Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active. Lvl 30 | Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active. Lvl 31 | CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity. Lvl 32 | CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity. Lvl 33 |
| Resiliencia Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active. Lvl 34 | Resiliencia Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active. Lvl 35 | Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored. Lvl 36 | Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored. Lvl 37 |
 Devil-May-Care Overdrive Skill. While Overdrive is active, Rafa gains increased Movement Speed, and gains Health Regeneration. While Overdrive is not active, Rafa takes increased Damage, and gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. Lvl 38 | Devil-May-Care Overdrive Skill. While Overdrive is active, Rafa gains increased Movement Speed, and gains Health Regeneration. While Overdrive is not active, Rafa takes increased Damage, and gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. Lvl 39 | Devil-May-Care Overdrive Skill. While Overdrive is active, Rafa gains increased Movement Speed, and gains Health Regeneration. While Overdrive is not active, Rafa takes increased Damage, and gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. Lvl 40 | The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active. Lvl 41 |
| The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active. Lvl 42 | Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active. Lvl 43 | Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active. Lvl 44 | Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active. Lvl 45 |
| The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active. Lvl 46 | The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active. Lvl 47 | The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active. Lvl 48 | Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active. Lvl 49 |
| Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active. Lvl 50 | |||
As a red build, prioritize Sitiar and Shield Barriest in the Remote Agent tree (Red Tree) for gun damage and shield regen, along with a points in CYA and Juerga for more shield regeneration and increased Action Skill Duration. Round this off with Resiliencia for increased damage reduction while Overdrive is active.
Once you have enough points to get to the next branches, focus on the third branch and rush maxing out Temerario and Everdrive to get the Volatile Hollowpoints Capstone and Soltado as soon as possible, as well as three points in Devil-May-Care. This combination of skills will buff Rafa's Overdrive Mode as much as possible.
With the core build established, continue investing in passives that enhance Fire Rate and provide Ammo Regen. In the People Person tree (Blue Tree) grab The Thrill for higher Fire Rate, and Las Jaras for Ammo Regen so you can fire more bullets before having to reload while outside of Bullet-Buddy Deluxe.
Rafa Best Augment
| Augment | Effects |
|---|---|
 Bullet-Buddy Deluxe
|
• Bonus Fire Damage • Ammo Regen • Turrets shoot explosive bullets when magazine is full • Press Action Skill button to activate infinite ammo (drains Action Skill time) |
Bullet-Buddy Deluxe greatly boosts your DPS with bonus fire damage and ammo regeneration. You can also burn through your Action Skill duration for temporary infinite ammo, making it a strong option for finishing off elite enemies.
Rafa Best Capstone
 Volatile Hollowpoints
|
||
| Tree |
Remote Agent
(Branch 3) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Effect | ||
| Rafa's Peacebreaker Cannons are replaced with Rockets that deal Splash Damage. | ||
For the capstone, Volatile Hollowpoints turns the Peacebreaker Cannons even greater DPS machines, adding explosive rockets for even greater power. The splash damage provides stronger AoE and crowd-control potential compared to the standard cannons.
Rafa Best Weapons
Best Weapon Type for Rafa: Assault Rifles
Assault Rifles pair well with Rafa, offering a constant stream of damage at any range and large magazines to unleash bullets alongside the Peacebreaker Cannons.
Best Manufacturer for Rafa: Vladof
Vladof weapons are known for their high rate of fire, which synergizes well with the infinite ammo that Bullet-Buddy Deluxe provides. Even without Bullet-Buddy Deluxe, their high ammo capacity lets you deal a stream of damage to enemies. The downside, however, is that you will need deal with the reduced accuracy and heavier handling that Vladof guns have.
When looking for a Vladof Assault Rifle, try to find one with the Motile Bipod to offset the heavier handling and gain high accuracy.
Rafa (Exo-Soldier) Leveling Guide
Use Action Skill as Often as Possible
Using Rafa's Action Skill puts him in Overdrive, which increases his movement speed and damage. As such, make sure to use his Action Skill as much as possible to maximize the uptime of Overdrive.
This allows you to move around quickly to dodge incoming fire, while dealing increased damage to quickly take enemies down.
Look for High Capacity Shields
Rafa will need high-capacity shields during his adventures as a lot of his passive skills revolve around increasing its capacity, improving its recharge rate, or even directly restoring shields on kills.
Examples of good high-capacity shields include Tediore shields, which also provide multi-bar shields.
Complete Side Missions and Bounties
To farm EXP efficiently, accept Side Missions and Bounties whenever possible, instead of just aimlessly wandering the map.
Side Missions and Bounties reward you with EXP upon completion, and most of these require you to fight various enemies, allowing you to gain EXP from multiple sources per mission.
Best Rafa (Exo-Soldier) Build Overview
Remote Agent Gun DPS Build
| Skills | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peacebreaker Cannons |
Las Jaras Overdrive Skill. Rafa Regenerates Ammo while Overdrive is active.
The Thrill (Rafa) Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Fire Rate, which is increased even further while Overdrive is active.
Sitiar Rafa gains increased Gun Damage.
Shield Barriest Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Shield Recharge Rate and improved Shield Regen Delay while Overdrive is active.
Juerga Whenever Rafa Critically Hits an enemy, Action Skill Duration is restored.
Bullet-Buddy Deluxe While Peacebreaker Cannons are active, Rafa and his Allies Regenerate Ammo into their Magazine. Rafa's Peacebreaker Cannons deal Bonus Incendiary Damage based on how full his Gun is, and his Turrets shoot Exploding Bullets while his Magazine is full. Pressing Action Skill while Peacebreaker Cannons are active causes Rafa's shots to consume no Ammo, but causes his Action Skill Duration to drain faster.
CYA Kill Skill. Killing an enemy restores Shields based on Rafa's Maximum Health Capacity.
Resiliencia Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Damage Reduction while Overdrive is active.
Everdrive Overdrive gains increased Duration.
Devil-May-Care Overdrive Skill. While Overdrive is active, Rafa gains increased Movement Speed, and gains Health Regeneration. While Overdrive is not active, Rafa takes increased Damage, and gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate.
Temerario Overdrive Skill. Rafa gains increased Gun Damage, but decreased Gun Handling. These Effects are based on how long Overdrive has been active.
Soltado Kill Skill. Double all Overdrive bonuses.
Volatile Hollowpoints Rafa's Peacebreaker Cannons are replaced with Rockets that deal Splash Damage.
|
||||
| Best Weapon Type | Best Manufacturer | ||||
| Assault Rifles | Vladof | ||||
This build revolves around the Peacebreaker Cannons and Turrets, stacking gun damage, and shield regeneration. Assault rifles from Daedalus are preferred, offering versatile damage outputs that synergize well with your Action Skill.
Best Rafa (Exo-Soldier) Build Playstyle
Endless Gun and Cannon Damage
With the Remote Agent skill tree, this build maximizes Overdrive and Action Skill duration to sustain high DPS and survivability while staying mobile. Your guns, cannons, and turrets deliver constant damage output, making the build highly versatile against both groups of enemies and tougher targets with nonstop shooting and explosions.
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Best Rafa (Exo-Soldier) Build and Leveling Guide
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