Need a little help - how to play melee zer0 ?

[Casurin]

I recently desided to try switching to melee with my Zero.
Just finished Bunker, lvl 50, and with the bee, Hellfire and some decent snipers i thought why not try the other skilltrees.

So sure, get ridd of most of the snipers, swap to some SMG/Shotgun/Pistols, use a Roid-shield, and go for it.

Buuut - yeah, i svck at it. Killing normal smallfries is easy, but what to do with bigger enemies? Badass psycho or even just shock nomads.
just go in, slap them with all you got, slag and then use shotguns or other closerange weapons?


I'm kinda bad at this cause i usually play pretty much sniper exclusive.

[Lord Cyphre]

You need to manage your roid shields with grenades. The Chain Lightning or lightning bolt work really well, alternatively longbow or lobbed tesla grenades with a low fuse time can also do the trick.
Use a Rapier or Law to maximize your damage output.
Slag the bigger enemies up, enter Deception and strip your shield. The longer you stay in Deception the higher your damage output gets.
Execute them while wielding the Rapier/Law with your stripped shields and try to get as many other bonusses as you can like Backstab and/or aim for crit spots while striking.

[Astro_80 (WASH YOUR HANDS!)]

Originally posted by Casurin:

I recently desided to try switching to melee with my Zero.
Just finished Bunker, lvl 50, and with the bee, Hellfire and some decent snipers i thought why not try the other skilltrees.

So sure, get ridd of most of the snipers, swap to some SMG/Shotgun/Pistols, use a Roid-shield, and go for it.

Buuut - yeah, i svck at it. Killing normal smallfries is easy, but what to do with bigger enemies? Badass psycho or even just shock nomads.
just go in, slap them with all you got, slag and then use shotguns or other closerange weapons?


I'm kinda bad at this cause i usually play pretty much sniper exclusive.

Play your usual playstyle and just stick to it. There is no point doing something you're not comfortable with 100%.

[Count Smashula]

Melee zero is a bit tricky. You'll want a roid shield with good damage and a long recharge delay. Love thumper is a good choice, but it leaves you very vulnerable when you exit your action skill.
You'll want to get the law (unique revolver) or the rapier (Unique assault rifle from pirate DLC) (highest melee damage bonuses).
A rubi or grog nozzle to heal yourself when needed and providing slag. This is what will let you duel badasses.

You'll want your grenade to be either shock tesla or the lightning bolt from tina DLC and use it to destroy your shield so you get the roid bonus before you hit the enemy. If you're using the love thumper, go for a slag grenade (transfusion is possible).

When you do not have deception, you're vulnerable since zero has the worst health and shield bonuses, so keep an eye out for cover.
After that, it comes down to assassinating the right targets and going in and out of combat. It is a bit niche to say the least.
If you're using the law revolver and the order shield, you heal for 100% of all melee damage dealt with the law, so that's a good way to stay alive.

[Casurin]

Cypher - thought so.
Right now i use a Slag transfusion grenade.
Throw the grenade, run towards the enemies (and lose the shield), deception adn strike in the back after the grenade slagged them.

I don't have special gear yet, just a slag-sniper with blade-attachment. But Law/Rapier should help.

I just hoped there was something obvious that i overlooked.



Astro:
You can always try something different - maybe you enjoy it :P
I have a OP8 maya, lvl 30something salv and axton, and an OP5 zer0.
But i didn#t play the game for 2 years and now thought why not do a melee character.

[Lord Cyphre]

This video by Man of low moral fiber provides an in-depth look at Zer0s melee damage formula:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr8XigW4hqA

This should give you good basic knowledge on how to build and gear up a melee Zer0.
Then it´s all about practise.
As you might know "Death Mark" has been altered since this video was first released.
With Gearbox´ last hotfix you can no longer stack it up with Kunai, instead it gives you a flat 80% damage boost.