By Siddharth Patil
Copyright sportskeeda
Borderlands 4 is home to several Vault Monsters across its lengthy campaign on the planet of Kairos. These powerful beasts guard the titular Vaults and will be the final test before you can conquer these gauntlet-style challenges. There are a total of four Vault Monsters in the game, with the final one being tied to a story mission.Note that you must find three Vault Key fragments for each of the first three Vault monsters dotted around the world before being able to fight them. Let’s dive into each boss and learn how to take them down in Borderlands 4. Read on to know more.Note: There are major spoilers for Borderlands 4, including the finale belowAll Vault Monsters in Borderlands 4 and how to beat themPrimordial Guardian InceptusInceptus is the Vault Monster found in the starting region of the Fadefields (Image via 2K)Found in: Arch of Inceptus, FadefieldsPhase 1:Inceptus was the first Vault Monster shown off to the public by developer Gearbox. This is a large, almost reptilian-looking beast with an armored body, two spiked tails, and Corrosive attacks. This creature can perform a variety of attacks, like lunging, pulling, and sweeping in a large area with its tail. It can also grapple with the walls and ceiling, so it’s crucial to track and take it down.The key to beating Inceptus is taking off its armored plates with the Vault Hunter’s grapple, which exposes a weak point on its body that can be shot to deal Critical Hit damage. Since it has a Shield (blue health bar), however, players are advised to use Shock element weapons to burst through and then Incendiary element weapons for its red Flesh health bar once exposed beneath the shield.Inceptus can also occasionally release a bunch of corrosive spores that will fill up the arena, so exploding them before they reach the Vault Hunter is key. In case you do go down due to its large attack range, use the minion spawns in the arena to get a Second Wind. When his Shield drops to around 50% health, it will coccon up at the center of the arena while gaining a Flesh health bar.Phase 2:This phase releases a corrosive cloud on the ground that is unavoidable, so you must use the grapple points that spawn to stay midair while shooting at the coccon’s health bar until depleted. It is also possible to stand atop the grapple points for accurate aiming, though it breaks after a few seconds. Be wary of the spores launched in the air by Inceptus and avoid them while grappling.Once the cocoon has been broken, this will cause Inceptus to come crashing down and get stunned briefly, offering a window to dole out damage. Then it will grapple back up to the center of the arena to strike back with new moves, including underground spikes that track the Vault Hunter, tail swipes, and Corrosive spit that bursts into projectiles upon impact.Repeat the steps until it is dead. The only problematic parts during this boss fight are the sweeping tail attack, which you can avoid by double jumping. Additionally, we advise keeping some of the spawned minions alive to use them for Second Wind when Inceptus gets more aggressive with attacks over the course of the fight.Primordial Guardian RadixThe next boss is in the arid, rocky region of Carcadia Burn (Image via 2K)Found in: Arch of Radix, Carcadia BurnPhase 1:This lanky bipedal boss is similar in design to Inceptus, but instead relies on crowd-control abilities to keep the Vault Hunters on their toes in addition to telekinesis and Shock attacks. Once the fight starts, Radix summons a wave of rocks that float around him, acting as a shield to block attacks, so shooting in between them is key. Its weak spot is its glowing throat area that is exposed at all times.Radix also has a Shield health bar, but unlike Inceptus, it has Armor (yellow health bar) beneath it, so using Shock and Corrosive weapons, respectively, is key. It will perform a lunge attack, which inflicts a lot of damage, as well as shockwaves that can be avoided by jumping. Occasionally, the boss will also chuck a shock-charged rock at the Vault Hunter’s location, which can be avoided by dashing.Phase 2:After its Shield is depleted, the next phase begins. Radix will float into the air while summoning a thunderstorm around itself, which causes lightning to strike around the arena. Stand in spots where the lighting can’t reach you and keep damaging the boss. It will eventually be staggered and return to performing the same moves as before.Keeping distance from it is key, though the floating rocks should incentivize that. When its first Armor health is almost gone, it will dive into the ground and leap out to strike the Vault Hunter. At this point, it will also begin launching charged projectiles from its arm, so staying on the move is important. Radix should go into a second thunderstorm phase when down to the last Armor health bar.Phase 3:This time, it will leap in the Vault Hunter’s direction to deliver a shockwave impact, and all of these moves can hit hard. As always, use the arena minion spawns for Second Winds and save the Repkits for when you’re low on health. If you are having too much trouble, bring along a Repkit and/or Shield that offers resistance to the Shock element.Primordial Guardian Origo Find Origo’s Vault in the snow-laden area of Terminus Range (Image via 2K)Found in: Arch of Origo, Teminus RangePhase 1:This icy monster is capable of flight, making for an intriguing Vault Monster boss fight in Borderlands 4. Just after the cutscene ends, the boss will be mid-air and launch itself at the Vault Hunter’s location. Since it has Shield health, only Shock element weapons will be the most effective, and you should aim for the crystal weak point on its back, which is easiest to hit when Origo is on the ground.The boss can also summon a series of icicle missiles, though they are easy to avoid. It becomes a bit of a challenge when changing elements and performing a breath attack. Origo can switch between Cryo and Incendiary, launching a beam trail of that element that either slows down or burns the Vault Hunter. Additionally, it launches projectiles and a shockwave that can cover the entire arena.Avoid these attacks by using the air geysers dotted around the arena that must be grappled to be opened up. This fight relies a lot on using the most out of verticality, and the Vault Hunter’s Glider will be an invaluable tool for taking down Origo in Borderlands 4.Phase 2:After its first Shield has been depleted, its attacks become faster and more frequent, so you must play around these air geyser spots to avoid damage. At this point, you should be familiar with the boss’s bag of tricks, so it should go down in no time.Primordial Guardian TimekeeperAs is series tradition, the final boss of Borderlands 4 is a Vault Monster (Image via 2K)Found in: The finale of The Timekeeper’s Order main missionPhase 1:After you take down the final boss, Timekeeper’s first phase in Borderlands 4, it is revealed that he, too, is a Vault Monster like the other Primordial Guardians on this list, and gains this new label for the second phase of the fight. Showcasing his true form as a wretched alien monstrosity, the Primordial Guardian Timekeeper boasts Shield, Armor, and Flesh health each.Note that his weak point is his head. The boss will walk around the arena, dishing out powerful attacks, like a beam that leaves behind a damaging trail. When his Shield is halfway down, he will teleport into a triangular projectile that launches itself at the player before the Timekeeper reappears and can launch a grid of lasers.Phase 2:He also boasts some of the other Borderlands 4’s Vault Monster abilities, like Origo’s missiles. When the boss’s Shield has been stripped, it will initiate a phase like Inceptus’ coccon, where the arena floor will damage the Vault Hunter, so you must grapple onto the floating platforms to avoid being downed. He will also occasionally launch a laser that fires a powerful beam, so staying on the move by hopping between platforms is wise.Interestingly, those who have played Borderlands 3 will not be surprised at this finale revelation, as one of the Eridian ECHO Logs labelled “Secrets” from the 2019 game already mentioned the Timekeper as being a Vault Monster.Borderlands 4 is on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 platforms.Check out other articles:Borderlands 4: Beginner tips and tricks4 economy tips to make money fast in Borderlands 4Is the Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition worth buying?All Easter Eggs and secrets in Borderlands 4Borderlands 4: Everything you can get from Moxxi’s Tip Jar
