Too unbalanced for solo play?

[Blade]

I attempted to get into this game but it seems it's been updated so many times over the years with co-op in mind that it's become almost unplayable solo. Don't get me wrong, I've still been enjoying the game even though it's a sloth. It's doable as I killed Knuckledragger my first try which seems to get a lot of people, along with bewm and boom using Black ops Zombies and destiny strategies but that doesn't mean it's fun. Omnipotent bullet sponges that roll around like it's Dark Souls with infinite stamina and infinite ammo armed with aimbots outnumbering you are everywhere. Almost every monster seems to almost one shot me through my shield, even lower level ones.

I assume it's like this because I'm only lv 6 and being an rpg it will balance out but it seems like that's a long and un-fun journey. I've seen lots of veterans saying this too where they came back to the game but it's become so hard and ammo so sparse that they just don't have fun anymore unless in co-op.

When could I expect the game to balance out? If I'm not looking for a frustrating challenge is it worth even trying to get to that point? I ask because I may just uninstall and go to Borderlands 3.

Edit: I appreciate all the advice, this is a great community. I'm switching to borderlands 3 as it sounds more forgiving since what I'm looking for right now is to just relax and take my mind off my broken toe for a few weeks. I'll come back to 2 when I'm feeling better using all this advice.

[Diogenes49]

Keep playing you will find better guns at lvl 6 go kill knuckledragger until he drops a hornet

[Casurin]

Thegame is mostly balanced for single-player and just becomes easier and easier the more players there are.
In a 4-player party it is kinda hard to fail at anything but raids - not really a fun thing for most people that want to play an action-packed looter-shooter.

[Nakos]

Um.... no, not really. You're having that experience because you're new and you're only level 6 (with what is presumably your first character).

The game is fine for solo play. The difference between what my first playthrough was like and what it's like for me now is huge, and the only thing that's changed is my knowledge of the game. (Actually, that's technically incorrect, since I started playing, they buffed the drop rate on most "Legendary" drops (from dedicated sources) up to about 10%. So, if anything, the game has gotten easier).

There's ammo all over the place. Anything that's got a little green light (or green smoke) is a container that can be opened, and most of them will have some ammo in them. Most things have a crit spot. Learn where that is and shoot at it. You also need to understand that the way damage fall-off works in this game is based on level disparity. Even if two weapons look like they should do the same amount of damage based on the card, if one is 5 levels old and the other is your current level, the newer one will do more damage. Because its level is higher.

The point is, you're not supposed to be hanging on to weapons more than 4 or 5 levels, even in Normal mode. The game throws millions of guns at you, pick them up and try them out. Yes, even the common (white) quality ones.

What you face at first are bandits, and animals. Bandits and animals are weak to fire. Are you using Fire weapons against them? Fire weapons are accessible as soon as you meet Sir Hammerlock. (There's a weapon machine right outside his cabin that sells them).

Mind you, the bandits with the flamethrowers are an exception, so use something else against them.

Use whatever your ability is. Each character has a different one, and a different rhythm to how it plays. And if you're really having trouble, try a different character. They all start out about the same, but by level 10ish, the differences will start to become apparent.

Zer0 is probably the most dangerous character (in the hands of an expert), but he can be fragile in the beginning.
Maya can heal herself and her allies.
Axton is tough and durable, and his turret boosts his damage considerably.
Gaige is a lot like Axton, only with a "turret" that moves.
Salvador is (honestly) considered to be broken in how over-powered he is.

Krieg is ... um ... I dunno, he's weird, I don't play him. Some people love him though.


Bottom line: Ask questions. Learn the game. There are a bunch of forum regulars who check here pretty often. If you're honestly interested in learning the game and improving, we'd be happy to help out with advice, strategies, knowledge.

And ... as Diogenes49 said, you can just go kill Knuckledragger repeatedly, he will eventually drop a Legendary pistol called The Hornet. Don't obsess about it though, It's only going to be about level 2 (tops) in Normal mode and even Legendaries get old.

[Blade]

Originally posted by Nakos:

Um.... no, not really. You're having that experience because you're new and you're only level 6 (with what is presumably your first character).

The game is fine for solo play. The difference between what my first playthrough was like and what it's like for me now is huge, and the only thing that's changed is my knowledge of the game. (Actually, that's technically incorrect, since I started playing, they buffed the drop rate on most "Legendary" drops (from dedicated sources) up to about 10%. So, if anything, the game has gotten easier).

There's ammo all over the place. Anything that's got a little green light (or green smoke) is a container that can be opened, and most of them will have some ammo in them. Most things have a crit spot. Learn where that is and shoot at it. You also need to understand that the way damage fall-off works in this game is based on level disparity. Even if two weapons look like they should do the same amount of damage based on the card, if one is 5 levels old and the other is your current level, the newer one will do more damage. Because its level is higher.

The point is, you're not supposed to be hanging on to weapons more than 4 or 5 levels, even in Normal mode. The game throws millions of guns at you, pick them up and try them out. Yes, even the common (white) quality ones.

What you face at first are bandits, and animals. Bandits and animals are weak to fire. Are you using Fire weapons against them? Fire weapons are accessible as soon as you meet Sir Hammerlock. (There's a weapon machine right outside his cabin that sells them).

Mind you, the bandits with the flamethrowers are an exception, so use something else against them.

Use whatever your ability is. Each character has a different one, and a different rhythm to how it plays. And if you're really having trouble, try a different character. They all start out about the same, but by level 10ish, the differences will start to become apparent.

Zer0 is probably the most dangerous character (in the hands of an expert), but he can be fragile in the beginning.
Maya can heal herself and her allies.
Axton is tough and durable, and his turret boosts his damage considerably.
Gaige is a lot like Axton, only with a "turret" that moves.
Salvador is (honestly) considered to be broken in how over-powered he is.

Krieg is ... um ... I dunno, he's weird, I don't play him. Some people love him though.


Bottom line: Ask questions. Learn the game. There are a bunch of forum regulars who check here pretty often. If you're honestly interested in learning the game and improving, we'd be happy to help out with advice, strategies, knowledge.

And ... as Diogenes49 said, you can just go kill Knuckledragger repeatedly, he will eventually drop a Legendary pistol called The Hornet. Don't obsess about it though, It's only going to be about level 2 (tops) in Normal mode and even Legendaries get old.

So basically yeah, it's exactly what people are saying. It's catered more towards the people that have been playing a while rather than people coming into the game with all it's updates. I went with Axton because I read he was an all-rounder and I like being able to adapt to any situation on the fly, it's more or less my play-style in every game that allows it. Then I go and play around with the other characters already having an idea at that point how to use their role being accustomed to all of them basically. I'm not struggling too much, I'm just not enjoying the lengths I have to go to right now to stay alive and it wasn't what I was expecting. Sounds like I just need to give it a little more time. As for the ammo situation, my guns are the same level as the enemies but it takes two clips from most guns to kill any one enemy and that's what I'm dealing with right now I think, sounds like that may just be an early game thing though.

How do I fight KnuckleDragger again, and Is it worth it? The pistol may be legendary but my RPG knowledge tells me even a legendary could be outclassed by a common weapon after a few levels this early on.

[RoboSauce]

My first play I used Axton and hid behind the turret a lot. I played other VHs and learned a lot from them, Krieg and Sal taught me that its possible to be hyper aggressive, Gaige is easy mode in Normal, Maya is easy mode in general (except vs bosses but still not bad)- people look at her healing but she is an offensive powerhouse against mobs. Zer0 is a great VH to play when you are more comfortable in the game and want to mess around more. First play can be tough, especially that first area as getting to Flynt can be tough and he is a pretty tough boss in Normal mode. Its funny how the hype around Elden Ring is that you will die a lot, but BL2 will kill the s*#t out of you lol.

[Nakos]

Originally posted by Blade:

So basically yeah, it's exactly what people are saying. It's catered more towards the people that have been playing a while rather than people coming into the game with all it's updates.

No, the updates extend the game, they don't change the difficulty of the early portion. The basic difficulty of the base game has remained the same, or, if anything, gotten easier over time (as boss drops were tweaked to be more forthcoming).

The game does require you, the player, to learn some skills about how to fight, when to dodge, when to seek cover, how to leverage gear and skills to maximize effectiveness, but that hasn't changed. Yes, there's a learning curve, but no, it hasn't gotten more difficult since the game's release (10 years ago now).

There are more things you can go and do now, even in Normal mode (you have to be at least level 15 I believe). There are a number of DLCs that you can access, but as I say, those extend game play. The base game and base side quests are already way more content than you need to reach 35ish in Normal mode alone.

Originally posted by Blade:

I went with Axton because I read he was an all-rounder and I like being able to adapt to any situation on the fly, it's more or less my play-style in every game that allows it.

That's fine. But from my perspective, I find Axton to be a bit lack-luster. He's dependable, he's good at recovery if he can get out of combat for even a few seconds, but when his turret is on cooldown, he feels a bit underpowered to me.

I prefer Maya and Gaige. Maya has crowd control and healing (which eventually becomes "battlefield control") and Gaige has a horrifically nasty robot that seeks stuff out and kills it; and eventually, the terrifying, 4th-wall breaking Anarchy build.

That said, all the characters are going to feel pretty much the same at level 6. And no matter what skill set you use, you still gotta shoot stuff.

Originally posted by Blade:

Then I go and play around with the other characters already having an idea at that point how to use their role being accustomed to all of them basically. I'm not struggling too much, I'm just not enjoying the lengths I have to go to right now to stay alive and it wasn't what I was expecting. Sounds like I just need to give it a little more time.

I would encourage you to keep trying. It may not feel like it now, but the game does become easier as you learn more about it, and gain more practice.

A key tip: Your shields AREN'T there to absorb damage. They're there to warn you that you need to begin evasive action, or seek cover. They'll take a hit, or two, or three, but after that, they're depleted and you need to make allowances for that.

Some shields are tougher, some are weaker. Some of them add specific utility. You won't see much of that at level 6, but as you progress you'll see more interesting ones.

Originally posted by Blade:

As for the ammo situation, my guns are the same level as the enemies but it takes two clips from most guns to kill any one enemy and that's what I'm dealing with right now I think, sounds like that may just be an early game thing though.

Sounds like you also need to learn the crit spots. If you're trying to kill Knuckledragger with only Claptrap's (white quality) Repeater Pistol, then yeah, you're going to need a lot of ammo. But after that, there's a Jacob's Coachgun which is pretty good at short to medium range. And Sir Hammerlock will give you a decent (green quality) Assault Rifle. He also has a quest for a (green quality) Sniper. But ... that quest can be tough for someone new as it requires the deathblow to be melee.

As I said, check the Weapon Machine outside of Sir Hammerlock's house, it has fire weapons. Additionally, the Weapon Machine in the Southern Shelf Bay area has Torgue pistols and shotguns either of which will make shot work of Bewm Boom.

But by the time you're ready to leave the Southern Shelf and head to Threehorns Divide, all those guns will be starting to show their age.

Originally posted by Blade:

How do I fight KnuckleDragger again, and Is it worth it? The pistol may be legendary but my RPG knowledge tells me even a legendary could be outclassed by a common weapon after a few levels this early on.

The Hornet is a pretty powerful weapon for its level. It has corrosive damage which is strong against armored targets (yellow health bar). Yes, it will be outclassed fairly quickly, but everything is. Obsolescence of gear is quite aggressive in this game. I'd say it's worth killing Kunckledragger a few times, but if the gun doesn't drop, I just move on.

If you want to fight Knuckledragger again, then go to the Southern Shelf (Liar's Berg) and go back outside of town and climb back up the mountain. At the top will be the entrance to the crashed Hyperion Drop-barge. Zone into that. Knuckledragger's arena is just outside. Kill him, check the loot, then just quit to the menu and then "continue". You'll continue to respawn right in the Drop-barge until you go somewhere else via Fast Travel.

[kukuhimanpr]

for new players, in the beginning, i'd suggest to grind earlier level areas. to condition yourself to how borderlands 2 battle works compared to other fps. and to get used to enemy pattern, while identifying which areas are safe and which areas are dangerous to your current character and playstyle. its also because all characters have too few skill points at lvl 5-10. at these levels, you have to rely more on the quality of your gears than your characters' skills and stats. especially if you're new to the game. here's my tips for all vault hunter at that level (don't worry, you can easily respec these skillpoints later at customization station):
-axton need to rely more on hit and take cover, relying much on his turret to attract and tank enemy hits. focus on leveling preparation for easy early game health regen since axton's playstyle is kinda defensive at this point of the game. but his playstyle is also the most similar to call of duty type shoot from cover.

-salvador relies on being aggressive but also carefully use cover and strafing to avoid enemy fire as much as possible while dropping enemies asap. some mixture of inconceivable, incite and hard to kill can help this aggressive skirmish playstyle with some regen from hard to kill if you need to go defensive and heal up at some point.

-maya perhaps has the easiest safe playstyle in the beginning if you don't fight too many enemies at once. phaselock pretty much stun your target until you shoot it to death (you must shoot their critical point while they're phaselocked to kill them easily), you can phaselock them again for shorter durations if you fail to kill your target in one phaselock. foresight, accellerate and sweet release will help boost your dps and reload speed while giving back health for every phaselocked enemy you've killed. maya is the most well rounded character after axton imo, with more emphasis on support. also, maya does really well in controlling mobs compared to other vault hunters.

-zer0 is really hard for beginners if you go melee at early levels. you have to be smart at managing timing between deception's cooldown and positioning yourself between enemies and your targets with as few risks as possible after you use deception. with no healing options in early levels, i'd suggest you just go full sniper zer0 in early levels, with full point into fast hands for faster reload speed. deception goes really well to hide zer0 far from enemies while picking them off one by one.

-gaige, my favorite vh. will have easy time in early level compared to axton. because deathtrap absolutely shred enemies (if there's not much enemies engaging him) while attracting their attention aggressively. also, gaige's anarchy absolutely trump all other vh at these levels. especially at 150xstacks, gaige just need some anarchy, some good shotgun or multi projectile/burst fire weapons, and divide points between close enough and cooking up trouble for easy win by shooting at walls/floors from cover and watch the projectiles shred her enemies, with cooking up trouble giving decent healing for the down time between shootings. gaige is the best.

-krieg... oh here we go... you have to be suicidally aggressive with him... even more than salvador...(krieg is a psycho after all...) you only get healing when you kill enemies with buzz axe rampage (BAR) active. and BAR's cooldown is too long (2 minutes) unless you take damage from enemies which reduces its cooldown... you're pretty much have to play melee krieg if you want some fun time in early game, because explosive/burny krieg only showed their fun moments after level>10-ish. take pull the pin for faster leveling to recompensate for deaths when charging the enemies suicidally (make sure you have the most damaging fire grenades if you can). get bladed guns to enhance your melee damage. get +melee damage bandit shields for extra melee damage when your shield go down, divide points between empty the rage and feed the meat to get extra melee damage and lots of max hp. get used to timing your BAR activation and cooldown carefully while considering you and your enemies positioning and covers. you don't want to end up in open areas with no covers and enemies from all sides shooting at you when your BAR ends. krieg is perhaps the hardest to use for new players in the beginning. but that's also why lots of borderlands 2 players love his playstyle. you won't enjoy playing krieg if you're not a masochist!

after you get past level 10, and you're get used to the game's rhytm. you'll eventually begin to enjoy the experience of wandering around pandora shooting/hacking the sheep out of baddies and greedily hunt and hoard all types of gears. while keeping up with the exponential scaling of enemies' numbers (dps, health, defense, all that statistic stuff...) to make sure you have as few bullet spongy enemies as possible by getting the best gears for your characters with each level up and the right builds for your playstyles. though some badasses, bosses, and all raid bosses are just that bullet spongy, no matter what you do (especially in UVHM (and OP levels, if you're that much of a masochist...))

i hope you'll eventually have fun hunting your desired loots in borderlands 2. or if you just want to have fun with your own way in b2, even if that means using white gears until level 50 or some challenges like that, that's fine too. borderlands 2 is a funtastic game, whether you play in single player or multiplayer (at least until you crave more peaceful game, or more story driven game)

edit: forgot to mention... health vials are very important in early parts of the game. they only appear frequently from killed enemies and containers if you're low on health... its the same gameplay mechanic with ammo. low on sniper ammo? then expect killed enemies and containers to give you much more sniper ammo until your sniper ammo is almost full again. you can abuse this gameplay mechanic to your heart's content. b2 players do that a lot.

[Rainbow Dash]

this game is terribly designed and terribly balanced. you can't reasonably progress and gear up well without wikis (maybe if you have the will and patience and do all the quests and dlcs in normal mode and happen to come by good items, including being lucky for random drops from mobs) because the game doesn't explain much of anything and a solo player, especially at level cap in OP levels and against certain enemies/bosses, will require very specific builds with very specific items that one can't know even exist and where to get them without guides that do just that. or you can leech keys off their social media accounts for the chest in sanctuary (the main hub area) that gives very good items, much better than what you would usually expect from playing "normally" (which is likely intended). it's also possible that the viable builds aren't that fun or that getting the required items in the first place is very difficult or nearly impossible for a solo player (from the moment a guide told you that they exist and how to get them). then comes the fact that even with a character that is well geared up, there is nothing really interesting to do in the game and the gameplay is pretty bad

i played the game 99% solo and chose to pass on the golden key and guides and the game is a very frustrating chore-y slog. as you said the enemies are way overpowered and from TVHM the time and efforts it takes to kill just one trashmob makes it look like it's a bug (and UVHM just hasn't been tested for solo play, or it's dumb on purpose). plus i never really got any good loot, let alone at level cap, outside of farming specific items in specific places for hours for 1 or 2 builds in total (that i had happened to know about from forums and the likes, wouldn't have known otherwise), and the shotgun from jack in normal mode and borderlands loves to make items useless after 2 level ups or not scale properly with the difficulty increase and OP levels

[kukuhimanpr]

normal mode is quite hard for players new to fps. but fps veteran would eventually breeze through it once they get used to the game's rhythm and the timing for level up through quests and grinding gears in certain areas (just like grinding in diablo like rpgs).

true vault hunter mode is where you have to start playing seriously (look up on wikis, guides, etc), avoiding enemy attacks as best as you can, always make sure your gears' levels are not more than 3-4 levels behind your level, and also learning rely on slag as crutch to make sure most enemies are less bullet-spongy (if you intend to play uvhm. at that mode, slag is totally crutch). though if you've managed to farm good amount of badass token to amp up your dps, tvhm won't be much of a slog (some enemies in tvhm also goes down easily without slag).

uvhm is definitely a slog to play through solo... they boost enemy hp too much for that mode... even with slag and up to date gears... lots of grinding required to reach lvl 72 or 80...
this mode is for hardcore borderlands lovers imo. i don't even want to describe OP levels. i've played up to OP 8 in the past. its truly a masochistic experience... blame borderlands 2's exponential scaling system for that. they tried to fix this mistake in b1.5, i dunno how succesful it is in there, but the end game in b1.5 is not as excruciatingly painful slogging as b2's uvhm and OP. i don't want to talk about b3 so i can't offer much help for that.

[Stan McMelons]

i usually struggled in borderlands until i get a couple levels/skills in and find the groove with a set of guns. just keep playing.

[AbedsBrother]

Try to be 3 levels higher than a mission's recommended level, and BL2 becomes fairly easy solo. Harder to get +3 levels in the early stages obv, but do some mundane missions - like collecting audio logs - and you should get there quickly.

[Blade]

Originally posted by Nakos:

Originally posted by Blade:

So basically yeah, it's exactly what people are saying. It's catered more towards the people that have been playing a while rather than people coming into the game with all it's updates.

No, the updates extend the game, they don't change the difficulty of the early portion. The basic difficulty of the base game has remained the same, or, if anything, gotten easier over time (as boss drops were tweaked to be more forthcoming).

The game does require you, the player, to learn some skills about how to fight, when to dodge, when to seek cover, how to leverage gear and skills to maximize effectiveness, but that hasn't changed. Yes, there's a learning curve, but no, it hasn't gotten more difficult since the game's release (10 years ago now).

There are more things you can go and do now, even in Normal mode (you have to be at least level 15 I believe). There are a number of DLCs that you can access, but as I say, those extend game play. The base game and base side quests are already way more content than you need to reach 35ish in Normal mode alone.

Originally posted by Blade:

I went with Axton because I read he was an all-rounder and I like being able to adapt to any situation on the fly, it's more or less my play-style in every game that allows it.

That's fine. But from my perspective, I find Axton to be a bit lack-luster. He's dependable, he's good at recovery if he can get out of combat for even a few seconds, but when his turret is on cooldown, he feels a bit underpowered to me.

I prefer Maya and Gaige. Maya has crowd control and healing (which eventually becomes "battlefield control") and Gaige has a horrifically nasty robot that seeks stuff out and kills it; and eventually, the terrifying, 4th-wall breaking Anarchy build.

That said, all the characters are going to feel pretty much the same at level 6. And no matter what skill set you use, you still gotta shoot stuff.

Originally posted by Blade:

Then I go and play around with the other characters already having an idea at that point how to use their role being accustomed to all of them basically. I'm not struggling too much, I'm just not enjoying the lengths I have to go to right now to stay alive and it wasn't what I was expecting. Sounds like I just need to give it a little more time.

I would encourage you to keep trying. It may not feel like it now, but the game does become easier as you learn more about it, and gain more practice.

A key tip: Your shields AREN'T there to absorb damage. They're there to warn you that you need to begin evasive action, or seek cover. They'll take a hit, or two, or three, but after that, they're depleted and you need to make allowances for that.

Some shields are tougher, some are weaker. Some of them add specific utility. You won't see much of that at level 6, but as you progress you'll see more interesting ones.

Originally posted by Blade:

As for the ammo situation, my guns are the same level as the enemies but it takes two clips from most guns to kill any one enemy and that's what I'm dealing with right now I think, sounds like that may just be an early game thing though.

Sounds like you also need to learn the crit spots. If you're trying to kill Knuckledragger with only Claptrap's (white quality) Repeater Pistol, then yeah, you're going to need a lot of ammo. But after that, there's a Jacob's Coachgun which is pretty good at short to medium range. And Sir Hammerlock will give you a decent (green quality) Assault Rifle. He also has a quest for a (green quality) Sniper. But ... that quest can be tough for someone new as it requires the deathblow to be melee.

As I said, check the Weapon Machine outside of Sir Hammerlock's house, it has fire weapons. Additionally, the Weapon Machine in the Southern Shelf Bay area has Torgue pistols and shotguns either of which will make shot work of Bewm Boom.

But by the time you're ready to leave the Southern Shelf and head to Threehorns Divide, all those guns will be starting to show their age.

Originally posted by Blade:

How do I fight KnuckleDragger again, and Is it worth it? The pistol may be legendary but my RPG knowledge tells me even a legendary could be outclassed by a common weapon after a few levels this early on.

The Hornet is a pretty powerful weapon for its level. It has corrosive damage which is strong against armored targets (yellow health bar). Yes, it will be outclassed fairly quickly, but everything is. Obsolescence of gear is quite aggressive in this game. I'd say it's worth killing Kunckledragger a few times, but if the gun doesn't drop, I just move on.

If you want to fight Knuckledragger again, then go to the Southern Shelf (Liar's Berg) and go back outside of town and climb back up the mountain. At the top will be the entrance to the crashed Hyperion Drop-barge. Zone into that. Knuckledragger's arena is just outside. Kill him, check the loot, then just quit to the menu and then "continue". You'll continue to respawn right in the Drop-barge until you go somewhere else via Fast Travel.

I mean, until I get a weapon that shoots straight I can't really go for the crits, that's what I've been trying to do but with the way accuracy works in this I just can't unless I'm close or until I've increased that stat later on. That's impossible though even as Gunzerker which I'm using now because the moment I step out of cover my shield is gone and I'm almost dead so that's what I'm not having fun with. I thought he was tanky and I could play like this was Doom, not Mass Effect, but every encounter is: enemies spawn, I run like a coward as far back as I can, duck under cover and spend 15 minutes painstakingly picking off bullet sponges.

I have the hornet and it got me passed the 3rd boss but now I'm at mad Mike who has an explosive spread shotgun that one shell will pierce my 438 nova shield and ♥♥♥♥♥ 90% of my 304 health. It doesn't absorb anything at all, just lets me take two hits rather than one. Nor is it enough time to get to cover. He has the high ground and there's just no way to kill him while still having fun. I'm figuring the game out as I go and I don't die too often but hiding and playing scared all the time, knowing one wrong move will cost me my progress without someone to revive me sucks the fun out of this time of game. I guess that's more all that I'm getting at. I know for you guys with all your bonus stats that carry over to new characters it doesn't seem that bad but without them it's a grind. I guess ultimately all I'm asking is if it's like that for a large portion of the game or if it get to a point in a reasonable amount of time that it balances out and I don't have to play so safe and scared without someone else to draw enemy fire too. I am utilizing the advice people give me, like I said I farmed the hornet and use incendiary weapons at my level but with so many enemies that can one shot me always knowing where I am, it gets me by but again, I wasn't expecting to have to play like this I guess. I'm dealing with a really painful broken toe looking for something to take my mind off it but this game just stresses me out and makes it worse. XD

[kukuhimanpr]

about mad mike... enemies with rocket launchers are EXTRA DANGEROUS. so don't feel bad that you had to scurry around as far from them like terrified kids, picking them off slowly from distance. or go bold, make sure there's weak enemies near the rocketeers for easy revive while you try bringing down the rocketeers. at least until you have enough shield/hp/regen/dps to endure and bringing them down quickly, that's the viable way to defeat rocketeers safely.

i'm not a salvador player, from what i've known, salvador playstyle is almost as risky as krieg. but he also has the highest dps potential compared to other hunters due to 2guns mechanic abuse (effective in practice, though stylistically, its the most boring action skill imo). so maybe you just have to embrace the suck until you can find the right gears and battle rhythm to avoid getting one shotted easily. borderlands 2 difficulty is closer to quake/unreal tournament than other mainstream fps, so maybe learning how to get accustomed to quake/ut style gameplay will help you immensely in dancing through enemy fires in borderlands 2.

imo starting from tvhm, borderlands 2 becomes more of a grinding game like diablo instead of fps, because gears and skill choices had very big influences on this game.

[Innocent]

Originally posted by Blade:

I mean, until I get a weapon that shoots straight I can't really go for the crits, that's what I've been trying to do but with the way accuracy works in this I just can't unless I'm close or until I've increased that stat later on.

Are you using Hyperion guns by any chance? These things really messed-up my mind when I started playing. I thought like you that I needed to dump a ton of points in accuracy to get the game to a playable state. Hyperion guns start of with a huge sway but stabilise after a few rounds and become laser accurate if you have a deep mag. The other manufacturers are more standard in their shooting patterns (Bandit guns are also pretty inaccurate though, they're not that good in general).

Originally posted by Blade:

I have the hornet and it got me passed the 3rd boss but now I'm at mad Mike who has an explosive spread shotgun that one shell will pierce my 438 nova shield and ♥♥♥♥♥ 90% of my 304 health.

That fight is absolute cancer for a new player and got me to rage quit at least once. Don't worry, it's an anomaly, not the norm. You can find a little bit of cover behind the pillars opposite to where Mad Mike spawns. The hardest part is getting there. Otherwise, pull out your strongest gun (like a rocket launcher) and kill him fast. Edit: You can also cheese him with a sniper rifle: you can usually find an angle from the bottom where you can see his feet and he can't shoot you. This works fine in NVHM and TVHM (different in UVHM where he has health regen).

Originally posted by Blade:

I know for you guys with all your bonus stats that carry over to new characters it doesn't seem that bad but without them it's a grind.

Most people play with Badass Ranks (BAR for short) off. It's a weird mechanic and honestly feels a bit cheaty, since you can get super high modifiers after playing for a looong time (I've seen +40% in everything). You also don't need it after playing for a while, since you'll have enough knowledge and mechanical skills to beat the game comfortably without it. Don't focus on BAR too much, it's a non-factor.

Edit: Also, in Normal mode and TVHM, almost any situation can be fixed by levelling. If you're struggling, go do side quests, get some levels and better gear, and come back to the story later. Every area and enemies are fixed in level. This will change in the third playthrough (UVHM) but you don't have to worry about this for now.

If you haven't done so, talk to Lilith and do her side quests. This will give you access to some of the best gear in the game: Flame of the FireHawk, Fastball. They are also some of the most fun side quests in the game, and give you a bit of background info behind some of the characters and story. The Unkempt Harold is also available to you as a miniboss drop, and is the best weapon in the game period (although yours will be locked to a lower level until you beat TVHM).

[Blade]

Originally posted by kukuhimanpr:

about mad mike... enemies with rocket launchers are EXTRA DANGEROUS. so don't feel bad that you had to scurry around as far from them like terrified kids, picking them off slowly from distance. or go bold, make sure there's weak enemies near the rocketeers for easy revive while you try bringing down the rocketeers. at least until you have enough shield/hp/regen/dps to endure and bringing them down quickly, that's the viable way to defeat rocketeers safely.

i'm not a salvador player, from what i've known, salvador playstyle is almost as risky as krieg. but he also has the highest dps potential compared to other hunters due to 2guns mechanic abuse (effective in practice, though stylistically, its the most boring action skill imo). so maybe you just have to embrace the suck until you can find the right gears and battle rhythm to avoid getting one shotted easily. borderlands 2 difficulty is closer to quake/unreal tournament than other mainstream fps, so maybe learning how to get accustomed to quake/ut style gameplay will help you immensely in dancing through enemy fires in borderlands 2.

imo starting from tvhm, borderlands 2 becomes more of a grinding game like diablo instead of fps, because gears and skill choices had very big influences on this game.

Gotcha, so basically any way I play is going to be risky and require concentration and skill development. Honestly I should have stayed with axton, the way I'm playing his turret would help immensely, Gaige's deathtrap too. It's definitely a game I can get into but for now it sounds like borderlands 3 is more what I'm looking for. People say it's more forgiving and you can get through the main story without wiki builds or a lot of grinding like in 2. I'll come back to 2 when I feel better using all this advice I got. People really dropped a butt load of help, I like this community. I rarely play online but I might just run through 2 with some randoms for a while.