About the Avenger...

[AcapitalA]

So i'm planning on buying this game during the summer sale along with a friend, and i'm going for the GOTY edition. In the meanwhile i was looking at some weapons and i couldn't find an answer on Google. The question is: Is the Avenger good?

I really like the concept of a SMG that once thrown starts behaving similar to a Crossfire, and regenerates ammo albeit a bit slowly. Other SMGs still seem kind of fun to use, but i like this one the most. And if it's good, how good is it? Is it somewhat on par with the B!tch, Baby maker or the Florentine?

[Waste_of_skin]

This forum section doesn't seem to get that much traffic. You'll probably get a lot more responses if you post in the General section.

As for the Avenger, from what I've read, it's a good gun, but the main thing is probably how useful you find its reload features. Apparently the bullets it fires when you reload get the extra damage from amp shields, which could make it pretty effective, it if hits anything. :-) But I automatically reload guns whenever I get the chance, so I don't normally use Tediore guns (because I'll end up wasting a lot of ammo, and quite possibly hurting myself).

FWIW, if you haven't already seen it, here's the Wiki page for it, which includes a link to a post in the Gearbox forums where someone did a breakdown of how the Avenger works:

http://borderlands.wikia.com/wiki/Avenger_%28Borderlands_2%29

[AcapitalA]

I too reload weapons out of habit, and this gun doesn't explode in your face when you 'reload' it against a wall, so there's that. I think i'm going to use it as a general mobbing tool. Shoot a bullet, throw it in a mob and watch them suffer from elemental damage. Might not kill them but at least they are severely weakened. Thanks for answering through, seemed like a good place to post it without looking at the dates...

[Waste_of_skin]

FWIW, my favorite SMG is the Good Touch. That's the one that I usually have equipped. Or the Bad Touch if I'll be facing a lot of armored enemies. Those are generally my first choices, but I do use others at times. The accuracy and steadiness of the B!tch is great. You can just point and shoot, and use the bullets to aim (because it's so steady). And Plasma Casters (E-tech SMG's) are great if you're looking for elemental damage, with high splash damage. I like Maliwan (since elemental damage is their thing), but Hyperion is good too.

[AcapitalA]

I checked out the Good/Bad touches, and they seem like good weapons. The B!tch seems great in terms of critical hit damage and accuracy, but i think Metal Storm can take care of that. (at least if i can keep it active) I still feel like going for the Avenger, but i might change opinion when i get both weapons in the game. I don't think i'm going to need the E-tech SMG's because i feel like an elemental Badaboom is better for mobbing. That weapon seems too good to pass up on. What i really need an SMG for is mid-range combat against bigger enemies. Who knows i might use the B!tch after all, or the Sandhawk from what i've heard. Thanks for helping out.

[Waste_of_skin]

The Good/Bad Touch have very good elemental damage, and they heal you. Plasma Casters have even better elemental damage (but use extra ammo). In particular, I like using a corrosive Plasma Caster against loaders in UVHM. It just eats them up. The loaders with a metal "shield", like the one that transforms into a sort of bulldozer, still get hit with the splash damage.

A basic "problem" with the Avenger is that, being a pearl, it's just much harder to get than the others. It may be a long time before you even see one.

[AcapitalA]

That's true, maybe i'll just go with the B!tch or a plasma caster. After a bit of looking around the wiki i found out that plasma casters do bonus grenade damage, which makes it great for Axton. I think i'm going to get myself a Hyperion one, since they fly in a straight path while still doing large amounts of damage. Still not sure on what elemental effect, through.

[Waste_of_skin]

Of course you probably want different elements, depending on the enemy. Using the right element, like fire on "flesh" enemies, gives you extra damage, while using the wrong element, like fire on armored enemies, reduces your damage. No single element covers everything. If I had to go with one element, it might be fire, since I think there are more "flesh" enemies than armored. Or you could go with shock. Specific enemies may be resistant/immune to shock, but there is no large class of enemies (like "flesh" or armored) that is resistant to it.

Which brings us back to the Florentine that you mentioned earlier. That's apparently an E-tech, and it gives you shock and slag at the same time. If you want to go with shock, the Florentine might be the best choice, and it has a dedicated source (the Seraph vendor in Flamerock). The only hard part is getting the Seraph crystals that it takes to buy one.

[AcapitalA]

I checked out the Florentine, and compared to other casters that thing wrecks enemies. I do like an effect that isn't too situational, so i think the shock effect makes it even better. The slagging effect also allows it to be swapped out for even higher damage. The damage seems great, but i think i'll go with an Impetuous prefix since that boosts velocity and fire rate. The only thing that makes me question getting this weapon is the slag on it. I do plan on getting Double Up and The Anarchist so i could potentially do more damage with a standard shock plasma caster.