A Borderlands 4 dataminer has claimed that the game might have featured one of the franchise’s most polarizing characters at one point in its development. Having dug through files for the game, EpicNNG uploaded their findings online.
Warning: Spoilers for Borderlands 3 and 4 below
After spending a chunk of time on Kairos, players eventually run into the Siren Amara in Borderlands 4 as part of their quest to find the villainous Vile Lector. Amara was the playable Siren character first introduced in 2019’s Borderlands 3, but EpicNNG believes that the files they uncovered pointed toward players originally teaming up with a different Siren at this point in the story: Ava.
Alright I guess we’re gonna talk about it:
AVA WAS CUT FROM BORDERLANDS 4
There are numerous files related to her in the game, more specifically outlining that she was completely replaced by Amara late in development. This means yes, she was originally going to team up with… https://t.co/QF8ESnQp0p pic.twitter.com/tBoVNJ8hpq— EpicNNG (@EpicNNG) October 6, 2025
The Siren-in-training made her debut in Borderlands 3, but over the years, she’s become more hated than Claptrap due to her role in that game and her overall character arc. The files discovered by EpicNNG have several “Ava” titles, and Amara uses powers that are very similar to Ava’s own Siren abilities that she inherited from her deceased mentor, Maya.
“It would appear everything aside from references has been completely scrubbed, including audio files, models, and more,” EpicNNG added, noting that this might have been an “intentional blunder” from a Gearbox employee, given just how difficult it is to pick through Borderlands 4 data for clues on post-release content. “This game is airtight on datamining,” they explained. “Nothing pre-or post release is in the files as of now. More credibility to this being intentional[ly] left in by a dev.”
Ava’s role in Borderlands 3 drew a lot of criticism, with many players pointing out her grating personality, her role in getting fan-favorite character Maya killed by the Calypso Twins, and her immature outbursts. Essentially, she was the Scrappy-Doo of Borderlands, but a deleted scene from the game did suggest that a redemption arc for her was on the cards, as she realized how her actions had led to Maya’s death.
Last year, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford asked his audience how they’d feel about Ava returning, with the general consensus being heavily against seeing the young Siren in Borderlands 4.
Whether Ava returns or not remains to be seen, but we do know that another familiar face, Moxxi’s daughter Ellie, will be a major character in the first Borderlands 4 post-launch expansion alongside the new Vault Hunter C4sh.
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