Siren

For the playable sirens, see Classes.

Siren
Lilith the Siren, exiting her Phasewalk ability.

Sirens are individuals who have acquired incredible, mysterious powers, and are physically distinguished by elaborate tattoos that cover half of their bodies. It is said that only six Sirens can exist at any given time, and when a Siren dies, their role as a Siren passes on to another individual, either their chosen heir who inherits their powers, or an individual in the universe who instead gets random powers. All Sirens are inexplicably drawn to the planet Pandora at some point in their lives.

Quick Answers

What distinguishes Sirens physically from other individuals in Borderlands?

In the Borderlands universe, Sirens are characterized by their elaborate half-body tattoos and unique powers. A maximum of six Sirens can exist simultaneously, and their powers are transferred to another upon their death. They are known for their Phase-based abilities such as Phasewalk, Phase Strike, and Phaseslam, and their capability to form wings.

Provided by: Fandom

How many Sirens can exist at the same time in the Borderlands universe?

The Borderlands universe permits a maximum of six Sirens concurrently. This was confirmed by Handsome Jack. The Sirens identified during Borderlands 2 were Lilith, Maya, and Angel, with the deceased Commandant Steele being the fourth. In Borderlands 3, two additional Sirens, the Vault Hunter Amara and cult leader Tyreen Calypso, were introduced.

Provided by: Fandom

What happens to a Siren's powers when they die in Borderlands?

In the Borderlands universe, a Siren's powers are transferred to another person upon their death. The recipient can be someone specifically chosen by the Siren or a random individual. Sirens, identified by their intricate tattoos, possess extraordinary powers. Although it's widely believed that only six Sirens can exist simultaneously, the final Eridian writing in Borderlands 3 discloses the existence of a seventh Siren.

Provided by: Fandom

Why are all Sirens drawn to the planet Pandora in Borderlands?

In the Borderlands series, Sirens are attracted to Pandora due to the abundance of Eridium, a mineral they thrive on. A suggested link between Sirens, Eridium, and the Vaults on Pandora could explain their draw to the planet. Even without a prior connection to Eridium, Sirens can establish one.

Provided by: Fandom

What is the significance of the 7th Siren in Borderlands?

The existence of a 7th Siren in Borderlands challenges the established lore that only six Sirens can exist simultaneously. This information is disclosed in the final Eridian writing in Borderlands 3, contradicting Handsome Jack's statement in Borderlands 2. The identity of the 7th Siren remains unknown, accompanied by a caution that she should remain undiscovered. Sirens, identifiable by unique tattoos covering half of their bodies, possess remarkable powers that can be transferred upon their death.

Provided by: Fandom

Overview

There are reportedly six Sirens in existence at the time that the events in Borderlands take place. While the number of living Sirens is limited, this does not mean they all will have the same powers, as there are far more than six Siren power sets in the universe, though the exact number is unknown. Sirens are typically female, and will develop powers whenever they inherit them from the previous Siren. However, exceptions to the "women only" rule do exist, as shown by Troy Calypso, who manifested similar but weaker powers due to being a parasitic twin to Tyreen Calypso.

The unique tattoos are both a defining feature and a side-effect of being a Siren. They manifest when the Siren's powers first develop, appearing on one half of the body, covering them from foot to scalp though some Sirens such as Amara and Steele showed having tattoos on the other side of their body (Steele had some on her belly and Amara gains more and more tattoos on her back and right arm as she gets stronger). Sirens seemingly channel their powers through the arm that possesses the tattoos, which is often seen when Maya uses her power, Phaselock (but this could be because she always holds a weapon in her right hand).

Sirens thrive on Eridium, a mineral that forms the crust of Pandora and later became abundant on the surface after the events of Borderlands. Patricia Tannis suggests that, because of their relationship with Eridium, there should be a connection between Sirens, the Vaults, and the Eridians. This connection is not between Eridium and the individual Siren, as Angel mentions that Maya has no previous connection to Eridium in ECHO recordings, although she is able to eventually gain a connection through study of her powers on Athenas.

The connection between the Sirens and the Eridians is further demonstrated in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!. While the player is working their way through the Eleseer map towards The Vault, it is revealed that Lilith had been following the player the whole time. The Guardians made no effort to stop her, and she says it was "almost as if they wanted her to get to the Vault".

Siren powers are enhanced through the use of Eridium. This is seen at several points in Borderlands 2; where Lilith used Eridium to enhance her Phasewalk ability and heal herself. This is also seen when Handsome Jack uses Eridium to increase Angel's powers. Overconsumption of the material will have negative side effects: Lilith shows signs of addiction to the substance while Angel eventually required a constant feed in order to maintain life function due to being fed enormous amounts over a long period of time, dying shortly after her supply was cut off.

The Eridian writings in Borderlands 3 provide more information on the history of the Sirens as they are written by an ancient Siren named Nyriad. The Sirens lived side by side with the Eridians, yet neither the Eridians nor the Sirens themselves know where the Sirens came from. When a Siren dies, they can choose to pass their powers on to a specific person, or let their powers find a total stranger. In the final Eridian writing of Borderlands 3 ("Warning"), Nyriad talks about the Sirens and ends with "You must never find the Seventh" - that can be interpreted as the fact there are seven Sirens in existence.

The Seer refers to Sirens as "acasuals", meaning that Sirens do not operate by cause and effect, and whose actions hinders the Seer's efforts to achieve "the course" that it foresees and is constantly forced to correct because of the Sirens' actions. The Seer describes them as chaos incarnate, who rip holes in causality like wounds, with the actions of Lilith using Phasewalk on Elpis to save Pandora being considered so especially catastrophic that the course is completely ruined, leading the Seer to believe that since the Sirens can't be controlled anymore, they have to be destroyed.

If a Siren has elected a successor when they pass away, the heir inherits their powers and role as one of the universe's Sirens. If they fail to name such a successor, upon their death their powers are instead thrown into the universe and a new Siren is selected at random and receives random powers. Choosing an heir may be an unbreakable contract with the mysterious force that governs the Siren powers, as even though Troy used Phaseleech to take Maya's powers away from her, upon Troy's death Maya's powers and role as a Siren was properly inherited by Ava.

Nyriad ponders on whenever or not these powers are a blessing or a curse.

Known Sirens

Name	Ability	Role	Status	Appearances
Amara	Phaseslam Phasecast Phasegrasp Phaseflare	Vault Hunter	Alive	Borderlands 2 (mentioned) Borderlands 3 (playable) Borderlands 4 (NPC)
Angel	Phaseshift	Coordinator of Hyperion's network	Deceased	Borderlands (NPC) Borderlands 2 (NPC)
Asha	Animal Control	Vault Hunter, Fyrestone attendant	Unknown	Borderlands: The Fall of Fyrestone Borderlands: Tannis and the Vault
Ava	Phaselock	Maya's apprentice	Alive	Borderlands 3 (NPC)
Commandant Steele	Unknown	Leader of the Atlas Corporation's Crimson Lance brigade	Deceased	Borderlands (NPC) Borderlands: Origins
Dido	Unknown	Queen of Athenas, lover of Typhon DeLeon	Deceased	Borderlands 3 (mentioned)
Lilith	Phasewalk	Vault Hunter, Commander of the Crimson Raiders	Alive	Borderlands (playable) Borderlands 2 (NPC) Borderlands: Origins Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (NPC) Borderlands 3 (NPC) Borderlands 4 (NPC)
Maya	Phaselock	Vault Hunter, protector of Athenas	Deceased	Borderlands 2 (playable) Borderlands 3 (NPC)
Nyriad	Phaseleech	An ancient Siren, sealed The Destroyer within the Great Vault	Deceased	Borderlands 3 (dialogue only) Borderlands 4 (dialogue only)
Patricia Tannis	Phaseshift	Ex-Dahl scientist and archaeologist, ally of the Crimson Raiders	Alive	Borderlands (NPC) Borderlands 2 (NPC) Borderlands 3 (NPC)
Troy Calypso	Phaseleech Phaselock	Twin brother of Tyreen, God-King of the Children of the Vault	Deceased	Borderlands 3 (NPC)
Tyreen Calypso	Phaseleech Phasewalk	Twin sister of Troy, God-Queen of the Children of the Vault	Deceased	Borderlands 3 (NPC)
Iris	Unknown	Explained Sirens to a young Lilith	Deceased	Borderlands: Origins Issue 2: Lilith
Vex	Phase Covenant Phase Clone Minion Phase Explosion Phase Phamiliar	Vault Hunter	Alive	Borderlands 4 (playable)

Known Abilities

While similar in many aspects, each Siren possesses a unique power that makes them different from the rest of their brethren. Some shared characteristics between all known Sirens are the unique markings that appear to cover the left side of their body, the ability to pass on their powers to an heir, and the ability to manifest wings. The same powers can manifest differently for each Siren, as the powers can change some elements to reflect their current wielder. All Sirens are also capable of using Eridium to amplify their powers to a greater extent. Sirens can also charge Vault Keys using their powers.

Phasewalk

Phasewalk is a Siren ability to bridge the gap between dimensions, allowing the Siren to teleport both herself and others across space-time. The ability can also inflict damage upon structures caused by small explosions when the Siren enters or exits phasewalk. It has a heavy connection to the fire element, allowing for flame-throwing and flaming wings to fly.

Phaselock

Phaselock is the ability to lock an object or person in place inside a blue bubble of force. It can also control the mind of phaselocked creature, making them turn on their allies temporarily. By the time of Borderlands 3, Maya has learnt to converge her power and launch it in the form of energy orb, strong enough to destroy metal gates. The power has also been used by Troy to infuse select Children of the Vault bandits with Eridium-infused power, creating the Anointed.

Phaseshift

Phaseshift is technopathy, or the ability to intuitively manipulate technology or anything with an electric current and have said technology obey the phaseshifter's commands and desires.

Phasetrance

Phasetrance is an ability to manifest transparent parts of the human form which the Siren can use to affect the world around her. Known manifestations include six arms emanating from the Siren herself to defend, or a large fist, or series of fists, erupting from the ground or astral projection, being cast towards specific targets. These effects can cause damage in various ways, and in certain cases are also used to restrain targeted enemies.

Phaseleech

The unnamed power of Tyreen Calypso. This ability allowed Tyreen to absorb the life energy of all living beings to increase her own power as well as any unique abilities her target possessed. She demonstrated the use of this ability when she stole Lilith’s Phasewalk ability and later when she absorbed The Destroyer, becoming one with it. Her brother, Troy Calypso also possessed a form of this power but was only able to absorb the power of Tyreen or other Sirens. This ability was previously possessed by the Siren Nyriad, who used it to complete the Great Vault by draining the entire Eridian civilization's energy into herself.

Phaseleech is unique in a way that a Siren with this power cannot charge a Vault Key as it only draws power out of it. A Phaseleech user can also consume large amounts of Eridium continuously without dealing with withdrawal syndrome.

Phase Covenant

Phase Covenant is the power of Vex. This ability can manifest the Phase into a cat-like creature or as ghostly apparitions of the Siren armed with scythes or firearms. The Phase creations seem to have a degree of sentience and the ability to operate autonomously, as Vex has used her specters to intimidate a man who owed her money, after which she had a conversation with the specter about how the operation went down once she summoned it back to her. it can also be used to give the Siren wings and the ability to attack with energy blasts and novas. It additionally allows the wielder to attune to the element of something the Siren has in their hands, such as a gun, and the Siren's tattoos and Phase powers change to match that element.

Trivia

• The Sirens draw their name from the Sirens of Greek mythology; according to legend, depending on the source, Sirens were a group of extremely dangerous human-sized vultures with human heads whose faces constantly changed. They lured sailors to their death by seducing them with their singing. According to other sources, they were beautiful, but still deadly.
• Many sirens have shown the ability to generate wings when using their powers. Lilith's wings appear when using the Phoenix skill, while Maya's appear when Blight Phoenix is active. Angel's wings are shown when her true form as a Siren is revealed. Amara can uniquely manifest up to six arms that array themselves in a wing-like formation behind her back. Commandant Steele was never shown using her abilities.
• It is revealed with Ava and Tannis that Sirens aren't "born" but the power is somehow handed down to them (Maya to Ava, Angel to Tannis). It is unknown how this happens.
  • This concept was likely going to be explored more in Borderlands 3, but one of the primary scenes for it was cut. Content which would have taken place in the aftermath of Maya's death addressed this a little, as after Ava had returned to Sanctuary and reported that Maya had been killed, Lilith tried to check if Ava had inherited Maya's powers. After the funeral on Athenas, Lilith told Ava that Maya had seen something in her and "believed in what [Ava was] going to become" and that Maya had wanted to "light the way" for Ava once she was gone.