Overview
Hey everybody! Uncle Sickø here, with the fifth guide in my Borderlands 2 character series.Sally, King of Gunzer, is the meanest mother hubbard on Pandora. He can tear through any raid boss with a couple pistols, stand as the king of duelists, and practically ignore any enemy that doesn’t have Super Ultimate Badass or The Invincible in it’s name.This guide is made to help every Gunzerker out there, whether you’re new to dual- wielding, or a UVHM pro looking to spice it up a little. This is an open- ended build that allows for a few tweaks to work with any setup you may prefer. Also, in case you don’t want to waste your time farming for the perfect gear, I’ll also show you alternate, easier to find, gear to substitute with. Do you like Truxican standoffs? Do you like not wasting time?Read on…
The Build-
Brawn is the backbone of this build. We’ll be using large shields that get propped up by its defensive support. Rampage gets several points to help keep us ‘zerking, but not so long that it’ll end in that annoying lull between combat, making you go into the next gunfight while it’s still recharging. Gun Lust gets some love too, since it’s where most of our damage bonuses come from.
I have everything set up like this because it works best for me, and I’ll explain why, but I’m not gonna send the Gestapo after you if you personalize it. Have some fun with it and feel free to respond with any questions, concerns, or tips you may have.
Brawn-
The lowest level gets a point in Hard to Kill. Since the prescribed mod here is Legendary Titan, it’ll get another 5, increasing your life by almost 25% for just one point. Five more points go into Incite. Since I tend to use Turtle shields with this build, the extra speed boost helps make it more usable.
The second level gets 10 points, five into I’m the Juggernaut, because that be some sick damage reduction with a Titan mod. Five more go into Asbestos. While this is a debatable choice, I prefer it because it lets your absurdly large shield stay that way by shrugging off electricity, and more importantly, if it’s down, it lets you survive fire damage that would normally roast you on the spot.
Out of Bubblegum comes into its own when your shields are down, because you’ll be getting movement speed boosts from several places, meaning your accuracy will suffer. A fire rate boost compensates, in addition to letting you cover your own escape, should such a thing become necessary. Fistful of Hurt gets a point because it’s nice to have a way to get Badasses off your grill for a moment while you reload.
Bus That Can’t Slow Down feels like it was put there specifically for the sake of turtle shields, so we will abuse that privilege.
We then skip ahead to Come at Me Bro. While its health regen won’t matter to our shields, that 8 seconds of high- end damage reduction sure does, especially in tandem with I’m the Juggernaut and the natural damage reduction from Gunzerking.
Ain’t Got Time to Bleed goes unused because by the time it becomes necessary, it’s already too late. Same theory applies for Sexual Tyrannosaurus. Just Got Real is nice in theory, but even if it was relevant with our shields up, it’s damage buff is too low to merit ditching 5 points.
Rampage-
Rampage has a lot of utility value for ‘zerkers, but despite being level 72, we still have to cherry pick the essentials. The first of which is Filled to the Brim. With five points, you can have faith that even those Torgue shotguns will have 10 shots, meaning we’ll get to abuse those Money Shots.
in the next teir, we give five points to Last Longer. This lets us gunzerk for the entirety of most firefights, in addition to letting us take advantage of Come at Me Bro’s full eight seconds, even after we’ve been ‘zerking for a while.
One level up gives us five points in I’m Ready Already, which is a practically essential tool, since the Gunzerking cool down is entirely too long. We also take Steady as She Goes, because it makes our bullets hit more, and give us a chance to give all our guns the Hyperion “reverse recoil” ability.
Our last point goes into Double Your Fun. This makes all you grenades twice as effective, which is great in pretty much every situation.
We gloss over the efficiency boosters; inconceivable and 5 Shots or 6. While they are handy, especially with the Butcher and stacking up Money Shot damage, we just don’t have the points to spare on abilities that are essentially gambles. We avoid All in the Reflexes because, while it’s nice in theory, it’s boosts aren’t big enough to merit ditching 5 points. Yippee Ki Yay is also a neat ability, but whenever I used it, I found myself still ‘zerking long after the battle had ended, and sticking me with cool down when i was picking the next fight. The upper two abilities aren’t included because they aren’t worth ditching 5 or more points in lower abilities just to unlock.
Gun Lust-
The lowest tree get 5 points for Locked and Loaded, because it’s fire rate boost (At 10 with L. Titan) begins looping, keeping you constantly boosted, as long as you’re firing.
I’m Your Huckleberry, in addition to being an awesome phrase, give pistols a decent boost, which combines well with our fire rate bonuses.
The third tier gets a whopping 11 points. Five go into Divergent likeness, so dual pistols get an additional boost, or having a shotgun with Rubi means more accuracy, a damage boost via additional pellet contact, and constant healing for those special occasions when you’re speeding around without a shield. Auto- Load is one of those abilities that I don’t think about until I don’t have it. Having to switch weapons and then reload breaks the Truxican’s pacing, occasionally sending him into FFYL in the process. Naturally we give five points to Money Shot because a 400% bonus mixed in with your high fire rate is always devastating.
Our last point goes into Down not Out, because it’s a total pain for your ‘zerk cool down to reset even when you’re in FFYL for a half second. It also doubles your damage output, making it easier to revive yourself.
We ignore Quick Draw because it’s bonuses are too weak to ditch 5 points into. All I Need is One is avoided because a 40% damage increase for your first bullet is laughable, compared to Money Shot’s 400% increase for your last. Lay Waste is a cool ability, but we just can’t spare the points to get to it, and even if we did, raising our fire rate any more can cause us to waste ammo as we’re tracking a target. Keep It Piping Hot and No Kill Like Overkill are cool, but they don’t see enough proper use to merit restructuring the entire build for.
The Weapons-
If you’ve read my guides, you probably know my three favorite things in the whole wide world of Pandora are; Slag, Moxxi’s guns, and Explosives. This is displayed here in spades, and it works like a charm.
__________Set One__________
Carnage- Especially in the casual prefix, this shotgun is a holy terror at midrange, taking advantage of various bonuses, including a very necessary accuracy bonus from Steady As She Goes , to rein in its rockets and prevent their impressive AoE from denting your shield. Its a shotgun that pretends to be a rocket launcher, and there is nothing about this statement that isn’t awesome.
Ravager- Not much to say, about this one. It’s a Torgue shotgun that deals high damage, usable AoE, and it works to pepper targets that Carnage may have only gotten a glancing blow on.
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__________Set Two__________
Unkempt Harold- If you have the 650 tokens it takes to get a Harold, take a little extra time and get a Double Penetrating version. It chews through ammo, but your ‘zerker ammo regen will offset this. Its damage is absolutely murderous with I’m Your Huckleberry and Divergent Likeness, especially in groups of slagged enemies. It’s a pistol that pretends to be a shotgun, and there is nothing about this statement that isn’t awesome.
Rubi (Slag)- If you’re shield is down, suddenly this will be your best friend. Constant full healing from Moxxi’s vampire and Harold’s stupidly high damage will keep you alive while your shields recoup, especially if you use Come At Me to offset incoming damage. Since your life will be so low, Grog Nozzle’s 65% healing will be moot, and Rubi’s 12% will fully heal you anyway, so it’s better to have the extra damage while you’re scooting around.
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Generally, when shields are up, use set one to spam damage, and when shields go down, Harold and Rubi keep you alive. These may not sound like enough to keep you alive when your red bar is nerfed from the Turtle shield’ side-effect, we usually use Fable Tortoise, meaning you will have speed bonuses from three different sources. You’ll be moving at Mach II, and easily be able to bob and weave, while constantly slagging enemies and using Harold to flatten the whole battlefield into a glorified parking lot.
The Gear-
Shield-
Fabled Tortoise- This shield is everything our little Truxican could ask for. It’s a wall when he’s shielded and an indie car when he’s not. “But Uncle Sickø” you ask, “Why would you ever want a shield that reduces your life?” And I asked the same question, until I looked at the numbers. Let’s compare the Fabled Tortoise to one of the highest non- Turtle shields in the game, the Antagonist. With no mods or perks, my Antagonist gives me 937,928 shield, with 661,704 hit points. The Fabled Tortoise gives me a shield capacity of 2,746,090, with 194,541 hit points. For about two- thirds of your life, it effectively triples the nearest non- Turtle competitor, while providing a built in escape plan. Oh, and it stacks with all your defenses and counter- measures, making you nigh- invulnerable in all but the most intense situations.
Class Mod-
Legendary Titan- This mod trades the damage capability of other mods for enough defenses to keep us in combat for the long haul. “But Uncle Sickø” you ask,” Why chooses the one mod that reduces your shield capacity?” And that is an excellent question. While normally losing about 80,000 shield would be unforgivable, our Turtle’s capacity is a shade over 2,600,000 even with it, and all its Perk bonuses support our little Terminator, not to mention an instant 30% damage bonus.
Grenade Mod-
Chain Lightning- This mod has gotten me out of more trouble than most other items in this game, even combined. It kills shields, gives full health with a Moxxi weapon out, and practically never runs dry. I considered using something a little huskier for this build, such as the Meteor Shower, but by the time grenades became important, my shields were down, and Shower killed me faster than the enemies did.
Relic-
Skin of the Ancients (Shield capacity+ Fire/Shock/Explos Resist) – This elevates you well into the redundant stages with your shield, but if you don’t die, you’re free to wreak havoc with your high damage weapons. I chose Skin over Blood of the Ancients because ammo regenerates and health isn’t as important here as it usually is. I also avoided the Badges, Sheriff’s and Deputy’s, because we switch between shotguns and pistols so often that they became tedious. Explosive Elemental Relics worked great as a damage buff, but Skin seemed to be more effective overall, counteracting Titan’s shield reduction and supporting Asbestos. That said, because it’s nearly impossible to get a Skin of the Ancients drop that is this specific, so consider Protection Relics to help cover the loss.
Alternate Guns-
__________Set One__________
Ravager- Any Torgue shotgun you come across will probably work, but Ravager will never disappoint. Plenty of reloads to keep it’s firing speed up, and high damage and AoE to compensate for its reduced bullet speed and large spread. Even with all the special guns in my collection, Ravager is still my go-to when nothing else gets the job done.
SMG/ Vladof Pistol- try sticking high damage, high fire rate weapons, preferably with Slag to empower your Ravager. Avoid semi- automatic and burst- fire guns, because you’ll be constantly clicking the trigger, instead of just being able to hold it down and perforate an enemy. Also consider another shotgun here for a damage bonus from Divergent Likeness.
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__________Set Two__________
Assault Rifles with minigun barrels- Your other set covers Close range, now you want something that specializes in midrange, but maintains high fire rates and damage outputs. Miniguns do this with style, especially if you can keep it under control with Steady As She Goes and Divergent Likeness.
A Moxxi weapon- Not necessarily Rubi or Grog Nozzle, just something to keep you healed up while your shield is on the fritz. If you need something quickly, just go to Moxxi’s bar and tip her until she gives you one of her SMGs. They will only heal you at a rate of 2.5%, but it’s still better than nothing.
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Granted these items are generally a step down from the recommended guns, but they’re much easier to get, and will serve you admirably.
Alternate Gear-
Shield-
Turtle Shields- These won’t be essential until later in the game when you’ve built up your trees more, but the same theory applies, that they’re bulky and can soak up damage while you cave in bandit skulls. That said, early on, the shield to health trade won’t be worth it, so just go with whatever is available to you until you feel comfortable switching over.
Class Mod-
Titan Class Mod- Same theory applies as the one with the turtle. Early on, the shield reduction to benefit trade won’t be worth it, so stick with whatever mods you feel most comfortable with. I find that Monk, Tank and Hoarder mods work wonders.
Grenade Mod-
Singularity and AoE grenades work well with this build, to either bunch them up for Ravager to eat, or send out damage for you to heal with your Moxxi weapon. That said, as you level you’ll come across all sorts of grenades, so it’s in your best interest to experiment.
Relic-
Protection mods may be your best bet, but you’ll get a feel for what you want as you level and find different ones. Also consider Elemental relics and the badges to amplify your damage output.
How it looks at 61-
It was suggested to me to add this section, and since some folks still don’t have the level 72 dlc, I thought it was a pretty solid idea.
While this a younger version of the build, it still holds to the same formula. High powered weapons, Turtle shield, Titan class mod. Since these are closer to guidelines than rules, feel free to finess some points to increase damage or increase ‘zerker time, or build to support a different mod.
The hit- and- run abilities of this build are still present, if you have a Fabled Tortoise. If you don’t, you won’t be as able to evade incoming fire as effectively when your shields go down, but you’ll still have Bus That Can’t Slow Down and Incite to back you up. Essentially run in, hammer away with Torgue weapons, buffed by Divergent Likeness and your Titan mod until your shield breaks, then run to your nearest cover, let it restore to a comfortable amount. If enemes insist on bugging you while you’re recharging, discourage them with a grenade or two, preferably with Rubi out to heal you, just in case.
At 61, I recommend two Torgue shotguns in your first slots, preferably purple rarity Ravagers, but really, whatever shotguns you have will do basically the same thing. You’ll wanna run in, Pop ‘zerker for the speed boost, and you’ll probably have the Incite boost as well. Using your shield as a mobile barracade, get up in their grill, empty out your shotguns, then assess the situation. “Run and recoup”, or “stand there and reload” are the likely solutions. Remember to circle around your target to make it more difficult for them to land hits, especially since their melees are slow, easy to avoid and lock them down for a second. Lather, rinse, repeat.
For your second two weapon slots, I recommend a midranged option. Rubi is a given, since it’s pretty easy to get and will save your life. I’ve had the best luck with slag variants. With it you may want a Torgue pistol for the obvious damage boosts or an spinny gun to combine it’s DPS with the accuracy bonus.
Shield- Best Turtle shields you come across. They’ll trade a little life for a lot of shield, which does more good for you in UVHM anyway.
Class mod- Titan. Excellent defense boosts, free damage increase, and unnoticed shield loss, due to the sheer magnitude of Turtle capacity. If you need a defense boost instead of the offensive power in Titan, check out Tank mods. They’re nearly the same thing, but they trade the damage boost for increased shield performance and an Asbestos buff, which will help you survive fire DoT in a pinch.
Relic- Explosive elemental or Resistance, situation depending. Fire resistance will be your close friend, since anything stronger than a wet matchstick can toast you pretty quick if your shields are down, due to the lowered health.
Grenade- Highest damage you find. Hopefully with Singularity or MIRV to increase damage against mobs.
I didn’t go into as much detail here, since other info can be found within the rest of the guide, but this should get you started, at least. Good luck out there, you handsome truxican devils.
Questions & Answers-
How does this build fare against bosses?
It does well. Dropped Terramorphous like a sack of potatoes. The main problem it has is Pyro Pete’s Fire+ Corrode DoT. If unmanaged, it crushes the substantial shield, and then burns off what little life you have.
What Head is that?
It’s Marshall Mustache, a rare drop from the Warrior. The Skin is Wise, the reward for the I Like My Monsters Rare mission.
I’d like those items, but I don’t have time to farm them. Would you mind duplicating them for me?
Not anymore, due to annoyingly high demand. Sorry.
Why Fabled Tortoise instead of Hoplite?
Hoplite’s shield gets an instant 20% bonus above what’s listed on the card, just because you’re wearing it, making it larger than the Tortoise, but it will eventually break, and it doesn’t come with the “get out of jail free card” that the Tortoise has, meaning you won’t be able to dodge or escape as well, significantly lowering your survivability. If you have another friend using a Hoplite, it may be worth using, so feel free to give it a try.
Do you have any other guides?
Yes I do, ta very much for asking. A link to them is in the notes.
Should I get an overleveled Fabled Tortoise once I beat digistruct peak a few times?
No, the health reduction balancing is currently broken and reduces your health to zero, meaning that you will go into FFYL the moment you take damage. Don’t waste your time until they patch it.
Why do you use Auto Load and Money Shot? Wouldn’t Auto Load prevent your switched- to weapons from getting the Money Shot?
Yes and No. When shield is up you won’t need to switch much, but when you’re zipping around, you don’t have time to reload, so you’ll unload, Money Shot, kill, switch weps, lather, rinse, and repeat for desired texture.
You mention “zipping around” and a “get out of jail free card”. How does that work with a Turtle shield?
Well, naturally you’re slower with the Fabled Tortoise, but we get speed bonuses from Incite and Bus That Can’t Slow Down, so that is usually compensated for. If your shield goes down, you get a third boost from the Tortoise its self, giving you a few seconds with low health, high resistance, and a speed boost comparable to Fleet/ Banshee/ Rough Rider Maya. Not only does this give you the speed to get away, but you can also use it to strafe around enemies so fast that they’ll usually miss you. Paired with DP Harold and Rubi, woe be too they who do manage to hit you and extend the time your shield is down.
Notes-
Feel free to post any questions, tips, or comments below.
Edits-
9/12/2013
– Guide posted
– Various spelling, grammar, and continuity corrections
9/19/2013
– Added level 61 build
– Made it 20% cooler
9/20/2013
– Various spelling, grammar, and continuity corrections
Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoy this build as much as I do.
If you’d like, check out my other guides here: [link]