Game Tips

Game Tips for Borderlands 2

This guide provides actionable tips for all skill levels, grouped by category. Whether you're a new Vault Hunter or a seasoned veteran, these insights will help you survive Pandora.

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Beginner Tips

1. Complete Side Missions for XP and Gear
- Main story missions often push you into higher-level areas. Side missions provide essential experience (XP) and reward equipment that keeps you on level curve. Why: Enemies scale with your level, but equipment does not automatically upgrade. Side missions are the best source of on-level weapons.

2. Always Check Vending Machines
- Vending machines in each area offer a rotating stock of weapons, shields, grenades, and class mods. Buy green or blue items that are your level or higher. When to use: After leveling up or when your gear feels weak. Red text (unique items) can appear in vending machines rarely—always buy them.

3. Use the Correct Element
- Fire is good against flesh (red health bars), Shock against shields (blue), Corrosive against armor (yellow). Explosive works on everything. Why: Elemental matching multiplies damage dramatically. For example, a fire weapon can kill a flesh enemy in half the bullets.

4. Slag Enemies First
- Slag (purple substance) makes enemies take 2x damage (3x in Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode). Apply slag with a weapon or grenade, then switch to a damage element. Beginner tip: Even a low-level slag weapon is useful at any level because debuff duration is fixed.

5. Don't Sell Everything – Farm and Store
- The bank can hold up to 30 items (plus 4 inventory upgrades). Save legendaries, uniques, or on-level purple gear for other characters. Why: Many legendaries are only obtainable from specific bosses, and you may want them for different builds later.

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Combat Tips

#### General Combat

• Use Cover and Slag

- Borderlands 2 is not a cover shooter, but peeking out from behind obstacles while slagging enemies reduces incoming damage. Always fight from a position where you can retreat.

• Melee Override

- Every character has a unique melee override (e.g., Zero's Decepti0n). Use it to close gaps, escape, or trigger special effects. Advanced: For melee builds, equip a weapon with melee damage bonus (e.g., Law & Order combo).

• Finish Off Downed Enemies

- When an enemy is downed (crawling), kill them to prevent them from getting back up. Use a quick melee or a single bullet.

• Use Grenades to Force Enemies Out of Cover

- Transfusion grenades pull enemies out of hiding. Slag grenades apply debuff to groups.

#### Elemental Combat

• Cryo Weapons (from Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep) are excellent for crowd control. Freezing an enemy stops them entirely for a few seconds.


#### Boss Fights

• Study Weak Points – Many bosses have critical hit spots (e.g., Warrior's chest, Bunker's eye). Hitting them staggers the boss and deals extra damage.


• Use Transfusion Grenades – They heal you while damaging the boss. Essential for long fights.


• Bring a Backup Weapon – Bosses often have phases where they become immune to certain elements (e.g., Warrior immune to fire? No, but some bosses change resistances).


• Farm for Legendaries Before Difficult Bosses – Example: farm Savage Lee for the Unkempt Harold (Hyperion pistol) which is incredible against many bosses.


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Exploration Tips



1. Check Every Corner for Gear
- Loot chests are scattered across Pandora. Red chests (weapons) often contain higher quality loot than white. Search behind waterfalls, in shacks, on rooftops.

2. Use Fast Travel Stations
- Each major area has a fast travel station (some hidden). Unlock them all to quickly move between zones.

3. Discover All Named Locations
- Exploration XP is granted for discovering named locations (e.g., "The Dust", "Three Horns Divide"). This adds to your level quickly.

4. Find Hidden Challenges
- Challenges like "Claptrap's Secret Stash" or "Pimon and Tumbaa" reward rare items. Use the map to find question marks.

5. Vault Symbols
- There are 6 Vault symbols to find in each DLC area (e.g., Tiny Tina's, Captain Scarlett). Collecting them gives a special weapon skin and Badass Rank.

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Resource Management



#### Ammo

• Ammo Regeneration – Some class mods (e.g., Soldier's Gunner) regenerate ammo over time. Siren's Restoration skill also regenerates ammo for allies.


• Ammo Drops – Enemies drop ammo based on weapons you have equipped. If you're low on a type, switch to that weapon temporarily to increase drop chance.


• Buy Ammo SDUs – From any ammunition vending machine (up to 27 SDUs per ammo type). Prioritize ammo for your main weapon.


#### Money and Eridium

• Money – Used for ammo, SDUs, and vending machines. Loot piles, enemy drops, and selling gear are main sources. Don't hoard; spend on SDUs early.


• Eridium – Rare purple currency. Use to upgrade backpack (first purchase: 4 slots, cost 5 eridium then increases). Also used for slot machines (bad investment), and golden chest keys. Tips: Save Eridium for backpack upgrades and golden chest keys (from Shift Codes).


#### Golden Keys

• Shift Codes – Enter codes (from social media, newsletters) in the in-game Shift menu to get golden keys. Each key opens the golden chest in Sanctuary for high-level loot (often purple or legendaries). When to use: At level 50 (max in Normal) or during TVHM/UVHM to get on-level gear.


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Builds and Skill Trees



#### General Build Philosophy

• Synergy with Main Weapon: Pick a weapon type that complements your character's skills. For example, Zero skills boost snipers (Critical Ascension) and shotguns (Many Must Fall).


• Mid-game Respec: Respec your skill points (costs money, increases with level) if you find a legendary weapon that changes your playstyle.

#### Beginner-Friendly Builds
#### Advanced Optimizations

• Salvador's Money Shot – Skill increases damage of last bullet in a magazine. Use a low-magazine weapon (e.g., Grog Nozzle + DPUH) for massive burst.


• Maya's Cloud Kill – Residual corrosive cloud. Equip a fire or shock weapon to quickly apply a new cloud. Great for clearing crowds.


• Zero's Bore – All bullets pass through enemies, hitting critical hits multiple times. Use against large enemies like the Bunker for instant kills.


• Gaige's Close Enough – Bullets richochet toward enemies. Combine with high Anarchy and shotguns for insane DPS.


• Krieg's Bloodsplosion – Kill an enemy with explosive damage, causing chain explosions. Use a grenade or Torgue rocket launcher for screen-wipes.


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Economy and Farming



#### Gold Farming

• Best Source: Sell loot from farming bosses. Warrior (after final boss) can be farmed for loot and eridium. Each kill yields multiple weapons.


• Vending Machine Sniping – Check Torgue vending machines in Campaign of Carnage for Unkempt Harold (common) or Norfleet (rare).


• Slot Machines – Not worth it. Use eridium only for backpack upgrades.


#### Legendary Farming

• Use a Spreadsheet – There are many online resources (e.g., lootlemon.com) that list drop sources for each legendary.


• Farm Bosses – Most legendary items drop from specific bosses (e.g., Savage Lee drops Unkempt Harold, Bone Head 2.0 drops Bonus Package). Reloading area (save and quit) respawns them.


• Treasure Room – In Captain Scarlett DLC, the treasure room in Wurmwater can be farmed for multiple legendaries per run (requires elevator trick).


• UVHM – Enemies have higher chance to drop legendaries. Also, you can reset your UVHM mission progress to farm quest reward items (e.g., Sand Hawk from Captain Scarlett).


#### Badass Rank

• Badass Tokens – Earned by completing challenges (kill X enemies with fire, etc.). Each token gives +0.5% to a random stat (up to +10% per challenge). Strategy: Focus on easy challenges (e.g., kill 100 bandits with melee) to get tokens quickly.


• Respec Badass Points – You can respec your Badass bonuses at any time (limited to 5 times per character). Use this to maximize a particular stat (e.g., +fire rate for a heavy build).


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Advanced Pro Tips



1. Grog Nozzle + Rubi – These unique pistols heal you for a percentage of damage dealt. Equip one in your off-hand (Salvador) to heal constantly while gunzerking.
2. The Bee Shield – Amplifies damage when shields are full. Use with a fast-firing weapon (like Sand Hawk) for insane single-target DPS. Caution: Bee shield makes you fragile.
3. Chain Lightning – Grenade mod that arcs electricity between enemies. Great for stripping shields and applying shock.
4. Moxxi Weapons – Any weapon with "Moxxi" in name (e.g., Good Touch, Bad Touch) heals you for a portion of damage dealt. Use them as healing tools.
5. Save and Quit Strategy – To reset enemy spawns (like for farming), simply save and quit to main menu, then continue. Enemies respawn, but mission progress is saved.
6. Use a Shield with High Capacity – In early game, a turtle shield (high capacity but slow recharge) is better than a fast recharge one because health regen is rare.
7. Elemental Interplay – Combining elements can cause reactions: Shock + Corrosive = no special effect, but using a slag weapon before any other element is always beneficial.
8. Class Mods and Relics – Class mods greatly enhance skills. Relics boost passive stats (e.g., +50% ammo regen specific weapon type). Always equip one that complements your build.

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Multiplayer Tips




• Share Loot – In co-op, loot is individual for each player (unless you choose coopetition mode). Communicate to avoid double farming.


• Revive Teammates – Maya's Res skill can revive from a distance, but any player can revive by meleeing a downed ally. Do it quickly as enemies often swarm.


• Coordinate Slag – One player should focus on applying slag while others deal damage. This synergy is crucial in UVHM.


• Use Mic – Coordination for boss fights (like Terra or Voracidous) makes it much easier.


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Character-Specific Tips



#### Axton (Commando)

• Gemini skill allows two turrets. Place one offensively, one defensively (e.g., near you).


• Longbow Turret – Throw turret to high ledges or behind cover to draw aggro.


• Gunner Class Mod – Great for ammo regeneration and increased fire rate.


#### Maya (Siren)

• Phaselock can immobilize enemies, including flying ones like Surveyors. Use to cancel attacks.


• Res is invaluable in co-op. Phaselock a downed ally to revive instantly.


• Cloud Kill + Fleet (speed boost when shield depleted) makes you a fast damage-dealer.


#### Salvador (Gunzerker)

• Money Shot works best with a large magazine weapon in main hand and a low-magazine weapon (like Grog Nozzle) in off-hand.


• Inconceivable – Chance to not consume ammo when gunzerking. This can chain with Money Shot for unlimited shots.


• Bruiser Class Mod – Increases health and gunzerking duration.


#### Zer0 (Assassin)

• Decepti0n – Use it to escape bad situations or to get behind enemies for backstab bonus.


• Critical Ascension – Stack critical hits for massive sniper damage. Use Lady Fist (hyperion pistol with high crit damage) to stack quickly.


• Execute – Melee override that lunges forward. Good for closing gaps.


#### Gaige (Mechromancer)

• Anarchy – Lose accuracy but gain fire rate and damage. Use shotguns (e.g., Fibber) and Close Enough skill for richochet.


• Death Trap – Deploy it when overwhelmed. It can revive you if you go down (if you have Upshot Robot skill).


• Best Friends Forever tree provides survivability.


#### Krieg (Psycho)

• Release the Beast – At low health (below 33%), activate action skill to transform into a melee monster. Use a Rough Rider shield (no capacity) to stay low health.


• Bloodlust stacks increase melee damage. Kill stuff to maintain stacks.


• Firehawk Shield (Flame of the Firehawk) – creates fire novas on shield depletion. Combine with Krieg's ability to constantly deplete shields.

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Farming Routes for Top Gear

1. Warrior – After final boss, save and quit at Eridium Blight entrance. Run back, kill Warrior, loot chest (and optional warrior drop). Yields legendaries, eridium.
2. Savage Lee – Spawns in The Dust near Ellie's garage. Drops Unkempt Harold. Fast run from entrance.
3. Bone Head 2.0 – In Three Horns Divide, near the bridge. Drops Bonus Package (grenade mod). Easy farm.
4. Hunter Hellquist – In Arid Nexus - Boneyard, after the quest. Drops The Bee shield. Use a fire weapon to kill quickly.
5. Tinder Snowflake – In Marcus's Mercenary Day DLC (headhunter). Drops Creamer (rocket launcher) and many chests. Good for money and eridium.
6. Treasure Room (Captain Scarlett) – After completing Wurmwater quest, elevator glitch allows repeated loot runs. Contains many chests.

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This guide covers the essentials to master Borderlands 2. Remember, the most important tip is to have fun and experiment with different gear and builds. Happy hunting!