When to play DLC?

[Star_Chasm]

Okay, so I've just completed my very first playthrough of the main game as Maya, including all side missions* and I'm almost Level 37.

I own all the DLC for the game, but I'm not sure when to play them, or in what order.

Since it seems that I'm overlevelled for them all in normal mode, I figured I may as well rush through the main storyline in TVHM, then play all the DLC. Is this a valid strategy? I don't know if I'll bother with UVHM at this stage...

Also, there are a lot of places I haven't been to on my map, but it's not clear which corresponds to which DLC. And where do I go for the Headhunter packs, too? If someone could tell me where to go for each (and in the optimum order), that'd be great.


*(all missions except "You. Will. Die. (Seriously)", which I take it is nigh impossible at this point)

[Migz - DH]

The worst time to play the DLC is right after finishing the main line in TVHM, because you're virtually guaranteed to go beyond level 50 while doing all of those, and that will make UVHM very difficult at first.

[Star_Chasm]

Originally posted by Migz - DH:

The worst time to play the DLC is right after finishing the main line in TVHM, because you're virutally guaranteed to go beyond level 50 while doing all of those, and that will make UVHM very difficult at first.

So then when should I do them? Straight away in TVHM?

Wouldn't that still leave me with the same problem for when I beat the main line afterwards in TVHM?

As I said, though, I'm not sure if I'll attempt UVHM anytime soon, so it really mightn't matter all that much.

[CrUsHeR]

You will definitely want to play UVHM in the end, trust me :)
The specs you can play at level 72 are just so much more fun and versatile. And you don't want to stop at 50, knowing that there is so much more to do and see. Plus the game is still very easy at that point.

So i suggest to generally wait with the DLCs until level 72, except Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep you at least want to unlock the first few missions so you can farm yourself a Bee Shield. This is quite a shortcut to speed up the leveling process, because it is much easier to find a new Bee every 2-3 levelups rather than finding a new gun with good handling and stats.

You can also play through pretty much all the DLCs at any point in UVHM, except Captain Scarlett's DLC has one of the most important guns as a rewards for a storyline quest (Sandhawk) so make sure you save that for level 72. Quests and their rewards stay locked at the level where you accepted the quest forever, so you don't want to mess this up.
Torgue's Campaign of Carnage is fairly easy for the most part, while Tiny Tina's might drive you crazy already when you die a couple of times to those skeleton archers at the start. And it gets much worse later on with invisible teleporting skeleton mages and alike. Bring a rocket launcher :)


From a pure time/loot effectiveness point of view, i would suggest to simply play through the main BL2 storyline until at least the Arid Nexus. This will leave you at around level 57-59. Then find something else to do until level 61/62, for example finish the Tiny Tina DLC and/or farm the Bar Brawl in Torgue DLC if you have the firepower to do that 20-30 times in a row without dying. The latter gives you around 20-25 Torgue Tokens per run which you will want at level 72+ for guaranteed legendaries.

Then from 61-72 i simply farm the Arid Nexus Badlands up and down. Rabid Skags give 5-6k exp per kill (!), which is almost as much as the entire Bar Brawl quest in Torgue's. There's a good chance to spawn Tubby Skags which drop the best Legendary COMs, Loot Midgets are common, and there are 3 red chests which will keep you in supply of updated weapons ranging from decent blues over E-Tech SMGs/ARs to legendary/pearlescent BiS guns.
You can probably find your own farming route, just don't miss the 3 red chests + all skag spawns along the way. Saturn might be too tough without proper gear but if you can kill him really fast he will give another 20k+ exp. It's just not worth it to kite him around the place for several minutes.


EDIT: almost forgot, most classes want to unlock the Grog Nozzle as well in Tiny Tina's before anything else. Probably easiest to do this right after starting UVHM at level 50 and arriving in Liar's Berg.

[Star_Chasm]

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

You will definitely want to play UVHM in the end, trust me :)
The specs you can play at level 72 are just so much more fun and versatile. And you don't want to stop at 50, knowing that there is so much more to do and see. Plus the game is still very easy at that point.

So i suggest to generally wait with the DLCs until level 72, except Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep you at least want to unlock the first few missions so you can farm yourself a Bee Shield. This is quite a shortcut to speed up the leveling process, because it is much easier to find a new Bee every 2-3 levelups rather than finding a new gun with good handling and stats.

You can also play through pretty much all the DLCs at any point in UVHM, except Captain Scarlett's DLC has one of the most important guns as a rewards for a storyline quest (Sandhawk) so make sure you save that for level 72. Quests and their rewards stay locked at the level where you accepted the quest forever, so you don't want to mess this up.
Torgue's Campaign of Carnage is fairly easy for the most part, while Tiny Tina's might drive you crazy already when you die a couple of times to those skeleton archers at the start. And it gets much worse later on with invisible teleporting skeleton mages and alike. Bring a rocket launcher :)


From a pure time/loot effectiveness point of view, i would suggest to simply play through the main BL2 storyline until at least the Arid Nexus. This will leave you at around level 57-59. Then find something else to do until level 61/62, for example finish the Tiny Tina DLC and/or farm the Bar Brawl in Torgue DLC if you have the firepower to do that 20-30 times in a row without dying. The latter gives you around 20-25 Torgue Tokens per run which you will want at level 72+ for guaranteed legendaries.

Then from 61-72 i simply farm the Arid Nexus Badlands up and down. Rabid Skags give 5-6k exp per kill (!), which is almost as much as the entire Bar Brawl quest in Torgue's. There's a good chance to spawn Tubby Skags which drop the best Legendary COMs, Loot Midgets are common, and there are 3 red chests which will keep you in supply of updated weapons ranging from decent blues over E-Tech SMGs/ARs to legendary/pearlescent BiS guns.
You can probably find your own farming route, just don't miss the 3 red chests + all skag spawns along the way. Saturn might be too tough without proper gear but if you can kill him really fast he will give another 20k+ exp. It's just not worth it to kite him around the place for several minutes.


EDIT: almost forgot, most classes want to unlock the Grog Nozzle as well in Tiny Tina's before anything else. Probably easiest to do this right after starting UVHM at level 50 and arriving in Liar's Berg.

Wow, thanks for all the details! I'll have to see if I feel like replaying the main storyline again, after beating TVHM, but i suppose there's no real loss if at least I can start Tiny Tina's in UVHM right after (and then a few others later on).

Soo... There's no issue rushing through the main storyline in TVHM, correct? Because that's next on my agenda anyway.

[CrUsHeR]

Well the main storyline in UVHM is a little bit easier, you start in Liar's Berg without the long foreplay and you can directly fast-travel to most areas that you already visited in Normal/TVHM (once they are unlocked storywise).
The only issue is that it's a quite long ride until level 72, and the main story only takes you to around 59-61 depending on how much you skip.


For TVHM i suggest to rush the main story, until regular enemies start to be 3 levels above you (skull icon). If you suddenly start dying frequently, you should do an optional quest hub to catch up. Places like The Fridge, Caustic Caverns or Lynchwood are good for this.

Ideally you want to kill The Warrior at level 50, maybe kill him a few times for better gear to start in UVHM. You earn reduced EXP in TVHM once you reach level 50, but if you enter UVHM at level 51+ for whatever reason you will be greatly underpowered with the level 50 equipment.

[Kadia]

Crusher your hindsight is quite useful. Could you tell me where i can farm the best shotgun and which level i should do that? I'm currently playing TVHM at level 44. Thanks

[CrUsHeR]

Originally posted by protossto:

Crusher your hindsight is quite useful. Could you tell me where i can farm the best shotgun and which level i should do that? I'm currently playing TVHM at level 44. Thanks

You could get the Orphan Maker, easy access in Pirate's Booty DLC from "Message in a Bottle" sidequest in The Oasis. Just pick it up and turn it in, hidden storeroom in town. Best prefix is "Rustler's" which doubles its damage.

If you wanted to save the quest for level 50, you might have to abuse the fact that you can make a backup of your character save BEFORE accepting the quest, then complete the quest and put the reward in Claptrap's account-wide stash. Then restore your backup and you still have the quest open with the reward in your stash.
Beware that this is actively cheating, and can also be used in a similar manner to obtain high-end gear in UVHM with proper rolls if you enable write-protection on the savegame just before turning it in (after getting one last savepoint or leaving the game). Then you can save/quit and re-select your character to infinitely farm the reward and put any decent results in the account stash.
You still have to put in endless hours into this farming process, and effectively it's the same like simply save/quitting to get an optimal item from the Torgue Vending Machines. So use this at your own advice and conscious.

[Star_Chasm]

Thanks again for all the help. I'm probably not going to use any exploits myself, but I'm not against farming bosses, provided I don't have to do it hundreds of times.

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

The only issue is that it's a quite long ride until level 72, and the main story only takes you to around 59-61 depending on how much you skip.

Just how long will I have to grind exactly?

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

Ideally you want to kill The Warrior at level 50, maybe kill him a few times for better gear to start in UVHM. You earn reduced EXP in TVHM once you reach level 50, but if you enter UVHM at level 51+ for whatever reason you will be greatly underpowered with the level 50 equipment.

Killing him multiple times won't give me tonnes of XP and accidentally overlevel me, though, will it?


Just had one last idea: I'd still really like to finish the DLC as soon as possible, just to get to know the game's story and without having to grind for hours just to do so (happy to once I know what's happening). Would it be possible to make a backup of my save once I beat the Warrior in TVHM at Level 50, then do all the DLC in TVHM (and get the achievements), THEN restore the old save and continue onto UVHM?

[CrUsHeR]

Originally posted by Star_Chasm:

Thanks again for all the help. I'm probably not going to use any exploits myself, but I'm not against farming bosses, provided I don't have to do it hundreds of times.

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

The only issue is that it's a quite long ride until level 72, and the main story only takes you to around 59-61 depending on how much you skip.

Just how long will I have to grind exactly?

Totally depends. Just finished leveling a Salvador, which is insanely OP and can clear the whole map often without gunzerking expiring once. Maya with that Ruin+Converge+Thoughtlock spec is also totally wrecking this place in no time.

Try out how fast you can clear and watch your exp bar while clearing out the skag camps (those with Rabid Skags obviously give big chunks) - then compare to for example the whole Tiny Tina DLC takes at least 3 hours to complete assuming you only do the main storyline and skip all the unecessary fights. Only gave me 2 levelups total, and you can easily spend several days in there with sidequests and having a hard time on certain mobs and bosses.

Originally posted by Star_Chasm:

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

Ideally you want to kill The Warrior at level 50, maybe kill him a few times for better gear to start in UVHM. You earn reduced EXP in TVHM once you reach level 50, but if you enter UVHM at level 51+ for whatever reason you will be greatly underpowered with the level 50 equipment.

Killing him multiple times won't give me tonnes of XP and accidentally overlevel me, though, will it?

Exp gains in TVHM are reduced by something like 75% (?) after you reach level 50, so if you'd had to kill The Warrior ~20 times for 1 levelup then you would now need 80 kills. You'd be already capped with 500 Eridium after around 25 kills max, and if he drops the Conference Call on the first kill you can easily farm him with that in no time. DPUH is also great for this. When he rises up from the lava, slag him (slag works but doesn't turn him purple) and shoot the top of his chest. He should lose something between 20-100% of his health in one clip and dive away before he can do anything bad to you.

But you certainly don't want to loiter longer than necessary, a few random epic/e-tech items and a good shield are enough for a smooth level 50 start in UVHM.

Originally posted by Star_Chasm:

Just had one last idea: I'd still really like to finish the DLC as soon as possible, just to get to know the game's story and without having to grind for hours just to do so (happy to once I know what's happening). Would it be possible to make a backup of my save once I beat the Warrior in TVHM at Level 50, then do all the DLC in TVHM (and get the achievements), THEN restore the old save and continue onto UVHM?

AFAIK you can deactivate the 2 Ultimate Vault Hunter DLCs in Steam, then you no longer gain exp beyond level 50 but keep all the character and account progress. Haven't tested this myself though.

[Star_Chasm]

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

Totally depends. Just finished leveling a Salvador, which is insanely OP and can clear the whole map often without gunzerking expiring once.
Try out how fast you can clear and watch your exp bar while clearing out the skag camps (those with Rabid Skags obviously give big chunks) - then compare to for example the whole Tiny Tina DLC takes at least 3 hours to complete assuming you only do the main storyline and skip all the unecessary fights. Only gave me 2 levelups total, and you can easily spend several days in there with sidequests and having a hard time on certain mobs and bosses.

Hmm, okay. I'll guess I'll see once I get there!

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

Exp gains in TVHM are reduced by something like 75% (?) after you reach level 50, so if you'd had to kill The Warrior ~20 times for 1 levelup then you would now need 80 kills. You'd be already capped with Eridium after around 25 kills max, and if he drops the Conference Call on the first kill you can easily farm him with that in no time. DPUH is also great for this.

But you certainly don't want to loiter longer than necessary, a few random epic/e-tech items and a good shield are enough for a smooth level 50 start in UVHM.

Cool. I'll look out for Conference Call. What's DPUH? And are there any other recommended weapons (especially for a Siren)? I tend to use a lot of elemental SMGs.

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

AFAIK you can deactivate the 2 Ultimate Vault Hunter DLCs in Steam, then you no longer gain exp beyond level 50 but keep all the character and account progress. Haven't tested this myself though.

That sounds like the best of both worlds! But I wouldn't want to risk corrupting my save or something. Can anyone else confirm that this works?

[CrUsHeR]

DPUH = Double Penetrating Unkempt Harold. Any Harold is fine, the DP version just shoots exactly twice as many bullets for twice the ammo cost and thus, being an explosive weapon, is the either best in slot or at least the best fallback weapon for any class when everything else fails.
Best to get this from the Torgue Vending Machines after farming the tokens in normal mode.

The thing with deactivating the DLCs was discussed recently here on the forum, sounded like it works and is legit.

Guns for the Siren, frankly anything seems to work ;) If you have this Ruin+Thoughtlock spec you probably want to get a Bee shield since nobody ever attacks you, with everyone just being mindcontrolled and slagged and knocked all over the place from the Sub-Sequence and Converge chains.

This link has a "top gear" list among other useful info: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/the-community-maya-guide-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know/115951

[Star_Chasm]

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

DPUH = Double Penetrating Unkempt Harold. Any Harold is fine, the DP version just shoots exactly twice as many bullets for twice the ammo cost and thus, being an explosive weapon, is the either best in slot or at least the best fallback weapon for any class when everything else fails.
Best to get this from the Torgue Vending Machines after farming the tokens in normal mode.

That. Sounds. Awesome!

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

The thing with deactivating the DLCs was discussed recently here on the forum, sounded like it works and is legit.

Well, I guess I'll give it a try. I'd just like to do UVHM at my own leisure, rather than be irritated that I'm grinding to get to a level required to finally beat the DLC and get the best equipment. It's the kind of thing that won't be an issue when I play with a new character.

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

Guns for the Siren, frankly anything seems to work ;) If you have this Ruin+Thoughtlock spec you probably want to get a Bee shield since nobody ever attacks you, with everyone just being mindcontrolled and slagged and knocked all over the place from the Sub-Sequence and Converge chains.

This link has a "top gear" list among other useful info: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/the-community-maya-guide-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know/115951

I hadn't read much about the game - trying to suss it out for myself on my first playthrough. So far I've been mainly focussing on Cataclysm for elemental damage, which was doing fairly alright, but that sounds incredible! Will definitely give a re-spec a go at some point.

[Star_Chasm]

One last question:

If there's a side mission that I want to complete at level 50 get a better unique gun, say, is it okay to accept it and add it to my list of missions when I first encounter it and the level will scale later? Or do I have to leave it until level 50/I've beaten the Warrior to accept?

[CrUsHeR]

In TVHM the quests, zones and enemies actually have a fixed level like in normal, but after you beat The Warrior, everything should scale to your level. So you can get a level 50 version of the Flame of the Firehawk for example, if you didn't accept that quest at level ~37 after freeing Lilith. No matter which game mode, the quests stay locked forever at the level where you accepted them. Only exception are followup quests, which then also scale to your current level.


Everything in UVHM will constantly scale to your level (plus 0-2 levels randomly on all enemies so they sometimes drop items you can't use yet), including the quests which stay at the level where you accepted them. So it's actually not possible to rush too quick and meet enemies 3 or more levels above you, at least not before you unlock the Overpower Modes.

Another huge advantage in UVHM is that you can also reset the entire storyline of the basegame + DLC at once, so in particular the quest rewards early on are easily repeatable. Some areas like Sawtooth Canyon are pretty wicked in UVHM, you will need good tactics and items to not die like 50 times in a row in several spots there. Also the main questline is quite lengthy in general, so i guess most people try to avoid total resets and abuse the savegame backups instead.

[Star_Chasm]

Originally posted by CrUsHeR:

In TVHM the quests, zones and enemies actually have a fixed level like in normal, but after you beat The Warrior, everything should scale to your level. So you can get a level 50 version of the Flame of the Firehawk for example, if you didn't accept that quest at level ~37 after freeing Lilith. No matter which game mode, the quests stay locked forever at the level where you accepted them. Only exception are followup quests, which then also scale to your current level.

Gotcha. I'll hold off accepting pretty much anything I don't need right away. Might as well.