Borderlands 4 May Be The Last Game With an Entirely New Siren

Barring Claptrap, there is no element more iconic in the Borderlands franchise than the Sirens. Their abilities as both NPCs and playable Vault Hunters have shaped the series’ story and gameplay, with each entry further detailing just how powerful the beings are. With the introduction of Vex, the newest Siren in the series, Borderlands 4 may take that legacy even further.

Over the years, players have been introduced to six canonical Siren powers: Phasewalk, Phasetrance, Phaseleech, Phaselock, Phaseshift, and Vex’s new ability, seemingly called Phase Covenant. In-universe, the Eridians established a strict limitation that only seven Sirens can exist at any given time. With the upcoming launch of Borderlands 4 on the horizon, this lore raises a critical consideration: the upcoming sequel may be the last game in the series to introduce an entirely new Siren ability.

The Seven Sirens and the Rules of Borderlands Lore

For context, Borderlands 2 established Siren lore. Prior to that, they were an intentionally nebulous element of the first game. In Echo logs, Handsome Jack detailed that no more than six Sirens could exist simultaneously, listing Lilith, Maya, Angel, and the deceased Commandant Steele among the known figures.

Borderlands 3 introduced Amara and Tyreen as new Sirens and replaced the deceased Angel with Tannis. More importantly, it also retconned previous lore and hinted at the existence of a hidden seventh Siren in Borderlands 3. That revelation shifted the understanding of Siren lore entirely, setting the stage for even more narrative complexity moving forward.

This is where the Borderlands franchise’s Sirens currently stand: Lilith, the franchise’s most recognizable Siren, primarily utilized Phasewalk; Angel, and later Tannis, employed Phaseshift to interface directly with technology; Maya and her successor Ava wield Phaselock, a crowd-control ability more than likely also utilized by the late Queen Dido of Athenas; Borderlands 3‘s playable Siren Amara brought Phasetrance to the table, while Tyreen and Troy inherited Nyriad’s devastating Phaseleech.

Commandant Steele: Borderlands’ (Other) Original Siren

One of the biggest gaps in the lore is Commandant Steele, as despite confirmation of her Siren status after the first Borderlands, her actual ability was never revealed. Lore suggests that Lilith, Angel, Maya, and Amara had already manifested their powers during Steele’s lifetime, meaning she could not have wielded any of their abilities. Phaseleech is also unlikely, since Nyriad locked herself away to ensure the power’s secrecy until Tyreen Calypso inherited the ability in Borderlands 3.

This leaves Steele as one of the greatest mysteries in Borderlands franchise history, and if the franchise lore remains unchanged, her unknown ability is the most likely candidate for the next Siren power. If Vex does not turn out to be its inheritor, then a potential Borderlands 5 could finally bring Steele’s ability to the forefront, closing one of the franchise’s oldest narrative gaps.

Vex, Commandant Steele, and Borderlands’ Seventh Siren

The other major oddity of the franchise is the identity of Borderlands‘ supposed seventh Siren. In her final recordings, Nyriad cryptically warned about the danger of this mysterious figure. If Nyriad was only referencing her own decision to lock away Phaseleech, then the number of powers might already be complete. However, if there truly is another undiscovered Siren, then Borderlands 4 could introduce the last original Siren power.

Vex’s Phase Covenant seems entirely unrelated to both Steele’s unknown power and Nyriad’s Phaseleech. By the rules of the established lore, there are only two Sirens and one ability left unaccounted for: whoever inherited Tyreen Calypso’s Phaseleech, and the Siren who took Commandant Steele’s unknown ability. This means Gearbox will soon need to reveal the identity of the seventh Siren, and possibly recycle old abilities in the process.

Vex’s Role in Borderlands 4 and the Siren Canon

Early gameplay suggests Vex’s abilities in Borderlands 4 stem from her passive, dubbed Phase Covenant. While seemingly an all-new ability, the story of Borderlands 4 is set roughly 18 to 19 years after the original game, which places Vex’s age into a range where inheritance from Steele is at least theoretically possible. Either way, that leaves one ability left unknown, and technically, it can’t be all that new.

If Phase Covenant is an all-new ability, this would seemingly make Vex the last truly unique Siren. Unless the lore changes, the Siren of Borderlands 5 is left with two options: the first being the interesting but unsurprising return of Tyreen Calypso’s Phaseleech ability. Considering players don’t actually know what she was capable of, the other would be Steele’s ability, which is the only ‘technically’ new option left available after Borderlands 4.

The Future of Sirens Beyond Borderlands 4

While it would be exciting to see just what Steele’s ability was, it’s obvious Gearbox has painted Sirens into a corner by placing such strict limitations on how many can actually exist. If Vex didn’t inherit Steele’s ability, and the lore of Sirens goes unchanged in Borderlands 4, it could technically mark the end of ‘new’ Siren powers entirely.

For fans invested in the Borderlands story, this might be a double-edged sword. Some may see this outcome as an uninteresting position to leave Sirens in, but it could just as easily be the kind of challenge that forces Gearbox to use existing lore to create interesting new story elements. It all depends on how Borderlands 4 juggles the Siren mythos and if it lays a good foundation for future plot points.

If power succession ends up being the way things go, Borderlands 4 really needs to succeed in being the culmination of over a decade of speculation, tying together unresolved mysteries spawned all the way back in the original Borderlands. If it can stick that landing, repurposing old Siren powers might just work. No matter how that plays out, though, it’s clear from the headcount alone that Borderlands 4‘s Siren lore is setting up for its most definitive moment yet.