If you’ve spent any time on Kairos lately, you’ve probably seen him—the hulking "Warrior-Poet" with the mechanical arm and a serious chip on his shoulder. Amon isn't just another meat-shield character. While he definitely fills the "tank" role for the team, his mechanics are way more complex than just soaking up bullets. Honestly, if you try to play him like Brick or Salvador, you're gonna have a bad time.
He’s the Forgeknight. That basically means he’s a walking factory that churns out elemental weaponry on the fly. Whether it’s hammers, axes, or drones, Amon is all about the "Forgeskill" mechanic.
The Core Gimmick: What Most People Get Wrong
Before we even touch the individual trees, you have to understand how his Action Skills work. Unlike previous Vault Hunters who just press a button and something happens, Amon has a secondary layer. You have your main Action Skill, but then you have a Forgeskill that triggers by holding the button or interacting with his gear.
Most people just spam the primary attack and wonder why their damage falls off in late-game Mayhem levels. The secret is the Priming and Detonation system. It’s kinda like a "mark and execute" loop. You prime an enemy with a specific elemental Forge-weapon, and then you detonate them with a different one for massive area-of-effect (AoE) damage. It’s satisfying. It’s also the only way to melt bosses.
Calamity Tree (The Red One)
This is Amon’s bread and butter for anyone who wants to play fast and loud. It’s heavily focused on Incendiary damage and high-speed aggression. The Action Skill here is Onslaughter, which gives you an empowered fist to rocket-punch across the map.
Key Skills and Synergy
The early game in this tree is all about Impetus. It’s a Kill Skill that boosts your shield regeneration and movement speed. If you’re moving, you’re surviving.
- What Burns Within: Simple 5-point passive that jacks up your fire damage. Essential.
- Forged In Steel: This is a 1-point wonder. It makes Amon briefly immune to all damage whenever he activates a Forgeskill. Since you’re constantly cycling skills, this turns you into a ghost during the heat of battle.
- Storm Guillotine: This is the capstone everyone is talking about. It’s a devastating ultimate that basically turns the battlefield into a blender of fire and physical damage.
If you like the "one-two punch" playstyle where you dash in with a shotgun and then rocket-punch a bandit into the sun, this is your tree. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s very effective for solo players.
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Vengeance Tree (The Blue One)
If the Red tree is the hammer, the Blue tree is the shield—well, a shield that explodes. The main skill here is Scourge. Amon creates a barrier that absorbs incoming damage as "Vengeance." You can then release that energy as a wave of Cryo energy.
Retaliation is the Best Medicine
The Blue tree feels very different. It’s slower but much tankier.
Maiming Strike is a big one here. Your gun crits have a chance to "Weaken" enemies. Weakened enemies take more damage and deal less. It’s a massive debuff that makes high-tier enemies feel like pushovers.
You’ve also got Bullet Hail, which makes your shots ricochet as Elemental Shards. In a room full of enemies, this creates a constant storm of ice that freezes everything in place. Once they're frozen, Amon deals massive melee damage to them.
Pro Tip: Combine the Blue tree's defensive buffs with a high-capacity shield. Skills like Heavy Plate increase your maximum Overshield capacity, making it nearly impossible for regular mobs to break through your health bar.
Cybernetics Tree (The Green One)
This is where things get weird and technical. This tree is all about Shock damage and Forge-drones. The Action Skill is Crucible, which lets you summon weaponized drones to help you out.
The Drone Master Playstyle
The Green tree is for people who like to manage multiple things at once. It’s probably the highest "skill ceiling" build for Amon.
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- Tempered Lightning: This spawns a lightning forge-sword. Every time you activate your skill while the drone is out, it stays out longer.
- Lightning Rod: This is the spicy one. Every time you land a crit with your gun, there’s a chance a literal bolt of lightning will strike that enemy. The damage scales based on the shot that triggered it.
- Storm Surge (Capstone): You throw a twinned forge-blade that deals shock melee damage and leaves a "Forge-storm" on the ground. It’s great for area denial.
The Green tree also has Armor of Contempt, which gives you Overshield whenever you deal Action Skill damage. Since your drones are constantly zapping people, you get a steady stream of protection.
Which Tree Should You Pick First?
Honestly, start with Calamity. The movement speed from Impetus makes the early game of Borderlands 4 feel so much better. The new traversal mechanics like gliding and grappling work perfectly with a high-speed Amon build.
Once you hit the mid-game (around level 30), consider spec-ing into Cybernetics if you find a good Shock weapon. The drone synergy with Honed Point—which allows your drones to crit and restore your cooldown—is almost broken if you gear for it.
Actionable Build Steps:
- For Solo Play: Focus on the Blue tree (Vengeance) until you get Maiming Strike, then dip into Red for the lifesteal from Bloodlust.
- For Co-op: Go Green (Cybernetics). Your drones can help distract enemies while your teammates line up shots, and the Shock damage is great for stripping shields for the whole party.
- Gear Synergy: Look for the "Face-puncher" style weapons if they return. Amon’s melee scaling is insane, especially when you mix Cryo and Fire.
Amon is a complex beast. He’s the most "technical" tank Gearbox has ever designed. Take the time to learn the timing of your Forgeskills, and you'll be the one carrying the team through the endgame raids on Kairos.
If you're just starting out, don't worry about the perfect build yet—just focus on keeping your Forgeskills active. The invincibility frames and the elemental priming will save your life more than any legendary shield ever could.