How rare is pearlescent?

[SeriouSyrius]

Got my first pearlescent on UVHM. I suppose it's the rarest and the strongest.

Never knew this type of rarity existed in my last 4 years. I must be high

Level 1 = White = Common
Level 2 = Green = Uncommon
Level 3 = Blue = Rare
Level 4 = Purple = Epic
Level 5 = Orange = Legendary
Level 6 = Magenta = E-tech
Level 7 = Pink = Seraph
Level 8 = Cyan = Pearlescent

[Nakos]

Enh... no. Two of the strongest weapons in the game are blue. (The Sand Hawk and the Pimpernel). E-tech weapons are mostly crap, although technically they're supposed to be the equivalent of Purple.

Seraphs are generally considered weaker than Legendaries. Pearls are powerful ... but not necessarily more powerful than any given Legendary. So ... maybe they might be more powerful on a case by case basis, but not necessarily.

Like for example, the Bekah is considered the strongest Assault Rifle, but (AFAIR) the Avenger is not considered the strongest SMG.

https://borderlands.fandom.com/wiki/Borderlands_2_Weapons

[Flavum5]

AFAIK E-Tech chance is close to purple. Seraph can be obtained only from Raid-Bosses and vendors. Pearls are pretty rare, some of them can be found as a world-drop, and some of them you can get only from Tubbies.

[SeriouSyrius]

Originally posted by Nakos:

Enh... no. Two of the strongest weapons in the game are blue. (The Sand Hawk and the Pimpernel). E-tech weapons are mostly crap, although technically they're supposed to be the equivalent of Purple.

Seraphs are generally considered weaker than Legendaries. Pearls are powerful ... but not necessarily more powerful than any given Legendary. So ... maybe they might be more powerful on a case by case basis, but not necessarily.

Like for example, the Bekah is considered the strongest Assault Rifle, but (AFAIR) the Avenger is not considered the strongest SMG.

https://borderlands.fandom.com/wiki/Borderlands_2_Weapons

+rep Thanks for the link and explanation. I suppose it's definitely case by case. From my understanding Pearl is the rarest but yes rarity doesn't mean it's the strongest.

[Palumtra]

I thought so too at the beginning that "better rarity" = better quality, but in the end it comes down to a combination of unique effects combined together to create a powerful, often broken combo, and such unique efefcts are not always found on legendary or peal guns, as mentioned already, the Pimpernel and the Sandhawk are the best examples.
There are good pearls tho, like the Butcher, the Bekah which can be devastating when used right, but most other perals are pretty underperforming.
As for E Tech, snipers are to be avoided, the rest can be used for/during levelng if you happen to came across one but otherwise outperformed later on, expect some uniques (which come from quests or raid bosses) like the Slow Hand or Swordsploison and of course the All-Mighty Norfleet.

[Mister Torgue Flexington]

Originally posted by Palumtra:

I thought so too at the beginning that "better rarity" = better quality, but in the end it comes down to a combination of unique effects combined together to create a powerful, often broken combo, and such unique efefcts are not always found on legendary or peal guns, as mentioned already, the Pimpernel and the Sandhawk are the best examples.
There are good pearls tho, like the Butcher, the Bekah which can be devastating when used right, but most other perals are pretty underperforming.
As for E Tech, snipers are to be avoided, the rest can be used for/during levelng if you happen to came across one but otherwise outperformed later on, expect some uniques (which come from quests or raid bosses) like the Slow Hand or Swordsploison and of course the All-Mighty Norfleet.

uh dude, the Sawbar would like a serious word with you

[Palumtra]

Originally posted by Mister Torgue Flexington:

uh dude, the Sawbar would like a serious word with you

I said most, not all :P The Sawbar is an honorable exception too, I know.
My point was that most(!) pearls are pretty weak despite their "rarity".

[Zen_Disaster]

Originally posted by Nakos:

Enh... no. Two of the strongest weapons in the game are blue. (The Sand Hawk and the Pimpernel). E-tech weapons are mostly crap, although technically they're supposed to be the equivalent of Purple.

Seraphs are generally considered weaker than Legendaries. Pearls are powerful ... but not necessarily more powerful than any given Legendary. So ... maybe they might be more powerful on a case by case basis, but not necessarily.

Like for example, the Bekah is considered the strongest Assault Rifle, but (AFAIR) the Avenger is not considered the strongest SMG.

https://borderlands.fandom.com/wiki/Borderlands_2_Weapons

Enh... no. Sand Hawk is far from the most powerful SMG in the game. And if there's a more powerful SMG than the Avenger, I don't know what it is. You know I don't flame friends but those are some outrageous statements with which I must disagree strongly. Personally, I completely avoid speaking about "bests" because I know that saying something is so will invariably cause offense without good reason or purpose.