Master Rafa in Borderlands 4: Ricochet Cannons, One‑Shot Arc Knives, and the Infinite‑Ammo Apophis Lance Loop

Rafa in Borderlands 4 has three distinct directions you can build toward, and the community has already produced tight, tested setups for each. Below you’ll find the most effective community builds for Rafa’s three skill trees, what they rely on, and where to watch the creators show them off.

1. Rafa’s skill trees and playstyles, explained
2. Best Ricochet Peacebreaker build
3. Best melee Arc Knives build
4. Best Apophis Lance build

Rafa’s skill trees and playstyles, explained

Rafa is flexible. In short, each tree steers him toward a clear playstyle.

First, the red tree centers on the Peacebreaker Cannons, which are two back-mounted cannons that fire indirect projectiles. Second, the green tree gives an Action skill called Arc Knives, a melee-focused tool that builds stacks for a powerful finish. Third, the blue tree provides the Apophis Lance, a chargeable electric pistol that can debuff and scale gun damage.

Best Ricochet Peacebreaker build

This build uses the Peacebreaker Cannons with a focus on the *Ricochet* effect, which only triggers on critical hits and then bounces damage to nearby targets or back to the original target. The build leverages two passives: Lateral Plinking (gives indirect projectiles a chance to ricochet) and Asymmetric Warfare (increases damage from indirect projectiles). As a result, criticals with the Peacebreakers lead to repeated damage spread.

For a step-by-step demonstration, watch the build video by RageGaming.

Best melee Arc Knives build

The Arc Knives build is melee-centric and relies on keeping the Action skill up to one-shot many enemies. To do that, you stack Diamond Hands and use the I Am A Gun specialization passive so melee benefits from gun-damage bonuses. Consequently, the build scales heavily with both stacks and weapon bonuses.

Note that this setup also needs specific gear to reach peak performance: the legendary repkit Meta Triple Bypass and items with the Reel Big Fist firmware are commonly used. In short, it’s powerful but gear-dependent.

Odinata’s video walks through the exact skill choices, rotation, and gear used.

Best Apophis Lance build

This blue-tree build treats the Apophis Lance less as the primary damage source and more as a consistent way to apply Shock and buff gun damage. The left side of the blue tree helps the Lance behave like a taser, and passives increase damage enemies take while shocked.

Two key mechanics here are Metal Management (guns use no ammo while the Action skill is active) and Awe (increases critical-hit chances against shocked enemies). Therefore, the loop is: apply Lance, keep enemies shocked, then fire guns without consuming ammo while criticals and Shock synergies do the rest.

Modadalan’s video demonstrates the looping playstyle and skill choices.

Extra resources

If you’re new to Kairos, check a beginner’s guide and a best-classes overview before you commit to a build. Also, guides on SDU tokens, unlocking vehicles, and fast travel are useful if you want to speed up progression. Finally, if you’re doing endgame content, consult the weekly reset times for current challenges.