Rafa the Exo-Soldier is a speed-driven hybrid in Borderlands 4. His three skill trees, Apophis Lance, Peacebreaker Cannons, and Arc Knives, let him transform from a crit-stacking gunner into a tanky overdrive bruiser. This guide covers builds, skill orders, weapons, gear, and leveling 1–50, with all details verified against official skill trees and top build guides.
1. Rafa Build Overview (Skills & Playstyle)
Rafa Exo-Soldier attributes
Rafa thrives on nonstop aggression. His kit revolves around Overdrive, his class trait that boosts gun damage and movement speed while any Action Skill is active. With the right skills and gear, Rafa reaches 75% crit chance, near-infinite fire rate, and constant ammo sustain. Beginners will find him straightforward: activate an Action Skill, keep Overdrive running, and mow down everything in sight.
2. Rafa Skill Trees Explained
Rafa’s skill trees each offer a distinct playstyle. Apophis Lance focuses on high-risk, high-reward plasma bursts tied to Overdrive. Peacebreaker Cannons deliver ranged AoE firepower and rapid-fire scaling for mobbing. Arc Knives unlock a melee hybrid path, combining sustain and close-range aggression. Understanding how these trees differ is key to planning Rafa’s leveling route and late-game builds.
2.1 Apophis Lance (Best Burst Gunner Build)
The Apophis Lance tree converts Rafa’s arm into a plasma cannon with charge levels. It excels at burst damage, but its real strength is tied to Overdrive scaling. Skills like El Soldado grant +150% gun damage while charging the Lance, letting you chain devastating crit bursts. Best for bossing and late-game crit setups.
2.2 Peacebreaker Cannons (Best AoE Ranged Build)
The Peacebreaker Cannons give Rafa shoulder-mounted firepower. With augments, they can become auto-turrets for hands-free DPS. Skills like Deadline (+75% fire rate, +125% reload) and The Thrill (+65% fire rate) scale his ranged DPS into absurd levels. This is Rafa’s cleanest mobbing path while leveling.
2.3 Arc Knives (Best Melee Hybrid Build)
Arc Knives equip dual energy blades, turning Rafa into a close-range brawler. With skills like Resiliencia (damage reduction) and Juerga (crits restore Action Skill), Arc Knives combine sustain with burst melee. This tree shines in co-op, where Rafa can dive into melee while allies cover from range.
3. Best Augments & Capstones for Rafa
- Brain Dump – Grants +75% gun crit chance during Overdrive. Core of all DPS builds.
- El Soldado – +150% gun damage while charging Apophis Lance. Doubled with Dancer Class Mod.
- Deadline – +75% fire rate and +125% reload speed. Essential for DPS uptime.
- Instinto – Augment that restores Action Skill duration and grants crit chance on kill. Great for mobbing.
- Resiliencia – Damage reduction during Overdrive. Crucial for survivability.
4. Rafa Leveling Guide (1–50)
Rafa’s cleanest path is to start with Peacebreaker Cannons for mobbing, respec into Arc Knives at 20 for sustain, and finish in Apophis Lance at 35 for boss-shredding burst damage. Below are the detailed point allocations.
4.1 Rafa Leveling Build 1–20 (Peacebreaker Starter)
Goal: Build crit chance, fire rate, and sustain for mob clearing. Easy for beginners with any weapon.
- Deadline (5/5) – Huge fire rate and reload buffs.
- The Thrill (5/5) – More fire rate during Overdrive.
- Las Jaras (3/3) – Ammo regen keeps guns firing endlessly.
- Sitiar (3/3) – Additional ammo sustain and reloads.
- Brain Dump (5/5) – Core crit scaling; pushes crit chance to 75% with Overdrive.
Total by 20: Fully online gun build with infinite ammo, high fire rate, and 75% crit uptime.
Peacebreaker Build
4.2 Rafa Leveling Build 20–35 (Arc Knives Hybrid)
Goal: Add survivability and sustain while keeping Overdrive up permanently.
- Resiliencia (5/5) – Massive damage reduction during Overdrive.
- Juerga (3/3) – Crits restore Action Skill duration.
- Instinto (augment) – More crit chance and uptime on kills.
- Shield Barrier (3/3) – Overdrive skill: 200% shield recharge rate & delay reduction.
- Al Centro (3/3) – Balances gun handling, fixes projectile velocity issues.
Total by 35: Nearly unkillable hybrid. Crits keep Action Skills running, shields stay full, and Overdrive never ends.
Arc Knives Build
4.3 Rafa Leveling Build 35–50 (Apophis Lance Crit Boss Killer)
Goal: Maximize burst DPS with El Salado + crit stacking for bosses and endgame farms.
- El Soldado (5/5) – +150% gun damage while charging Lance.
- Soltado (5/5) – Extends Overdrive bonuses, doubling uptime.
- Respec into Dancer Class Mod – Doubles all Overdrive bonuses.
- Deadline + Brain Dump synergy – near 95% crit with Jacobs parts.
- I Am A Gun (capstone) – Scales Action Skill damage from gun damage, letting Rafa’s skills chunk bosses.
Total by 50: Endgame crit monster. Bosses melt under Torque stickies and 90–95% crit chance.
Aphophis Lance Build
5. Borderlands 4 Rafa Skill Point Allocation (1–50)
Rafa’s skill point path from level 1 to 50 is straightforward once you know which tree to focus on at each stage. Starting with Peacebreaker gives the best crit and fire rate bonuses for early leveling, Arc Knives at mid-game adds survivability and sustain, and Apophis Lance powers up Rafa’s endgame boss damage. Below is the full skill point allocation with the exact order you should follow.
5.1 Peacebreaker Build 1–20
- 2–6: Deadline (5/5)
- 7–11: The Thrill (5/5)
- 12–14: Las Jaras (3/3)
- 15–17: Sitiar (3/3)
- 18–20: Brain Dump (3/5)
5.2 Arc Knives Build 20–35
- 21–25: Resiliencia (5/5)
- 26–28: Juega (3/3)
- 29: Instinto (augment)
- 30–32: Shield Barrier (3/3)
- 33–35: Brain Dump (finish 5/5)
5.3 Apophis Lance Build 35–50
- 36–40: El Soldado (5/5)
- 41–45: Soltado (5/5)
- 46–48: I Am a Gun (3/3)
- 49: Deadline (finish 5/5)
- 50: Brain Dump (already maxed)
5.4 Allocation Summary
Peacebreaker (1–20): Deadline → Thrill → Las Jaras → Sitiar → Brain Dump
Arc Knives (20–35): Resiliencia → Juega → Instinto → Shield Barrier → Brain Dump
Apophis Lance (35–50): El Soldado → Soltado → I Am a Gun
6. Best Weapons for Rafa in Borderlands 4
- Bod (with Torgue stickies) – Insane scaling; each gun damage buff stacks multiplicatively.
- Wombo Combo – Heavy crit synergy, perfect for mobbing.
- GMR – Fires slowly by default but feels fast with Rafa’s fire rate buffs.
- Torgue sticky launchers – Perfect for bossing; every sticky crits with Brain Dump active.
Aramid Bod Shotgun
7. Best Gear for Rafa (Shields, Repkits, Mods & Firmware)
- Shield: Super Soldier – Full shields = fire rate + movement speed. Alternative: Watts 4 Dinner for bonus Shock damage.
- Repkit: Triple Bypass – Core of Rafa’s cooldown engine. Use to instantly refresh Action Skill.
- Class Mod: Dancer – Increases all Overdrive bonuses by 100%. Best-in-slot for every Rafa build.
- Firmware: 3x Dead Eye (crit damage), 2x High Caliber (fixes projectile velocity, multiplicative gun damage).
- Enhancements: Quintain with Jacobs crit synergy, or general gun fire rate/crit enhancements.
Super Soldier Shield
8. Best Solo vs Co-op Builds for Rafa
Solo: Stick to Peacebreaker → Arc Knives → Apophis Lance path. You get crit uptime, ammo regen, and shields that never break, making solo farming smooth.
Co-op: Focus on Arc Knives sustain. With Resiliencia and Shield Barrier, Rafa tanks damage while allies unload DPS. Instatito keeps uptime rolling in large fights.
9. Best Rafa Endgame Specializations & Firmware
- Riddle You This – Stacking gun damage; perfect with high fire rate builds.
- In the Zone – Extra gun damage and crit damage scaling.
- Daredevil – Pairs with Triple Bypass for constant cooldown refresh.
- I Am A Gun – Action Skill damage scales off gun buffs; turns Rafa into a boss melter.
Specializations Progression System
10. How to Play Rafa Effectively (Combat Tips & Tricks)
- Keep Overdrive active at all times — never let your Action Skill drop.
- Use Triple Bypass to instantly refresh cooldowns when Overdrive ends.
- Fire through Deadline + Brain Dump windows to maintain 75–95% crit uptime.
- Use Torgue stickies for bosses; fire rate buffs let you stack explosive crits instantly.
- Balance gun handling with Al Centro to avoid projectile slowdown.
11. How to Beat Bosses with Rafa Builds
- Charge Apophis Lance for El Soldado’s doubled gun damage buff, then swap to Torgue stickies or Bod for maximum crit bursts.
- Crit chaining: Brain Dump ensures nearly guaranteed crits; Jakobs parts add 20% more for 95% uptime.
- Cooldown sustain: Daredevil + Triple Bypass = near-infinite Action Skills.
- Burst rotation: Lance charge → crit stickies → Triple Bypass reset → repeat.
12. Best Co-op Team Synergies for Rafa
- Rafa + Vex: Vex minions draw aggro while Rafa stacks crits and shreds bosses.
- Rafa + Amon: Two bruisers dominate the frontline; Amon tanks, Rafa crits.
- Rafa + Harlowe: Gravity control + crit spam = total battlefield lockdown.
13. Common Rafa Build Mistakes to Avoid
- Letting Overdrive end – Rafa loses all buffs once Action Skill stops. Always refresh.
- Ignoring cooldown sustain – Without Triple Bypass, Daredevil, and Juega, you’ll struggle in endgame.
- Over-investing in Apophis Lance early – Stick to Peacebreaker until 35, then respec.
- Forgetting gun handling – Negative handling ruins gun feel. Use Al Centro or firmware fixes.
14. Which Rafa Build Should You Choose?
- 1–20 (Peacebreaker): Fire rate + crit uptime for safe early leveling.
- 20–35 (Arc Knives): Survivability and shield sustain; perfect for co-op.
- 35–50 (Apophis Lance): Endgame crit burst; Rafa becomes a boss shredder.
Final Recommendation: Follow the Peacebreaker → Arc Knives → Apophis Lance respec path. This guarantees the smoothest 1–50 progression and the strongest endgame Rafa build in Borderlands 4. Feel free to go through our Borderlands 4 Beginners Guide.
