[DDD] Gaige's skills for you!

DISCLAIMER: I take no credit for this Guide. All credit for the contents of this Guide goes to Poka (@pokapoka ) I simply ported it over from the old forum. Poka’s original guide can be found on the old forum under [DDD] Gaige’s skills for you! . Special thanks goes to @Vycksta for getting in contact with Poka and Poka for giving his permission to have his Guide ported over to the new forum. / DISCLAIMER

This is meant to be a guide for new players to break down Gaige’s skills.
*this thread is a part of BlutFatal’s Dear Doctor Dumbass: A guide to min/maxing thread

As we all know, Gaige is a slightly different kind of “complicated” than the other playable characters. There’s no one way to play her, even at OP8. There’s like 4 main ways you can play/build her, then like 5 sub-ways you can play/build her based off of the 4 main ways.

The following abbreviations are commonly used for each of Gaige’s skill trees:

  • BFF - Best Friends Forever
  • LBT - Little Big Trouble
  • OC - Ordered Chaos

I mainly play an OC/BFF Gaige, but have dabbled in other builds as well, so am somewhat familiar with both the dark side and the light side of the Mech. Additional info, math, useful links, feedback are all welcomed… no, encouraged!

Terrible: These skills are a waste no matter what and should always be skipped.
Sub-par: These skills either are just bad or do not scale well. You might be able to make them work somewhat when combined with other skills, earlier playthroughs or augmenting with superior gear… or just filler points.
Average: Can help, not bad choices for going down trees.
Great: These skills are highly recommended.
Outstanding: Skills of this rating will be game changers that you base your build and play-style around.

Also, don’t forget to check out jianderson’s Top Gear for Gaige thread (original credit goes to Kalibur). Even though the gear is aimed towards OP8, they’ll work in any playthrough-mode and most are fairly easy to obtain.

[ DeathTrap ]

Gaige’s action skill. You summon DT, where he proceeds to take action depending on which skills you’ve invested into.
*if no DT-specific skills have been given points, he’ll either melee or shoot lightning at enemies… or possibly stare at a wall

Best Friends Forever

Gaige’s BFF tree focuses on DT supporting skills, a few DT buffs, some personal DPS augmentations and defense. Most are useful, but a few should be avoided. This tree also has DT’s most significant buff; Sharing is Caring (SiC).

Close Enough (CE):

Bullets that hit walls or other objects have a __% chance per level to ricochet toward a nearby enemy dealing 50% of it’s usual damage.
This skill is a somewhat of a necessity for almost every playstyle, especially at higher level playthroughs, or depending on your gun choices and stack count. Weapons with pre-existing ricochet properties will NOT receive the -50% penalty in damage. 1/10.0%, 5/50.0%
BFF/OC: Outstanding
WDT: Outstanding
DT: Average

*DISCLAIMER
However… regardless of its rating, this skill is situational. For example, it’s not a necessity in Normal/TVHM modes. However, 99% necessary if using the Fibber, especially with high stacks. Not necessary for some raids, absolutely necessary for others, etc. It’s a touchy skill. Some like it, other don’t.

Cooking Up Trouble (CuT):

While your gun’s magazine is full you regenerate __% of your maximum health per second per level.
One out of the three healing skills for Gaige. Not exactly necessary, but highly recommended, especially for raiding or early level playthroughs. Gaige’s other healing skills (Discord, With Claws) requires investing quite a few points into the OC tree. 1/0.4%; 5/2.0%; 11/4.4%.
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Great

Fancy Mathematics (FM):

Improves shield recharge delay by __% and shield recharge rate by __% per level based on how low your health is. The lower your health the greater the bonuses.
A generally recommended skill to pick up, although Gaige does have two other shield recharging skills. However, each have differing conditions under which they proc, and can be used in conjunction with each other. 1/-14.0% & 12.0%, 5/-70.0% & 60.0%
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Average

Buck Up (BU):

Deathtrap Ability. Deathtrap restores 100% shields of one ally.
Oh boy… ok. Not a bad skill for solo play, or even group play, BUT… there is a BUT! If you are A) spec’ed heavily into melee DT, B) spec’ed heavily into attack damage DT, C) would rather have him damaging enemies rather than healing shields, or D) in a group with classes and playstyles that prefer to have depleted shields… DO NOT GET BUCK UP!
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Terrible

The Better Half (BH):

When your magazine is half empty you gain a __% fire rate bonus per level.
A great way to increase DPS. Any Gaige focused on guns, with a mag size greater than 3, should pick this up! 1/12.0%, 5/60%, 11/132%.
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Average

Potent as a Pony (PaaP):

+% Maximum Health for you and +% Maximum Health for Deathtrap per level.
Unless you want to absolutely buff DT as much as you possibly can, do not get this. More health does NOT = better, in this game… unless Krieg. 1/4.0% & 2.0%, 5/20.0% & 10.0%
BFF/OC: Terrible
WDT: Sub-par
DT: Average

Upshot Robot (UR):

Kill Skill. While Deathtrap is active, if you or Deathtrap kill an enemy it increases Deathtrap’s duration by 5s and grants both of you a stackable +4% melee damage bonus. Bonuses are lost when Deathtrap goes away.
An exceptional skill for DT-focused builds, and even for other build types. More DT (whether for melee, just getting kills or as a distraction) is always a good thing!
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Outstanding

Unstoppable Force (UF):

Kill Skill. Killing an enemy grants you __% bonus movement speed per level and causes your shield to regenerate __% per second per level for a short while.
A generally good skill to have, though can collide with DoT and other sources of damage causing your shield to get “confused” at times. However, the speed increase is worth the annoying “shield breaking” syndrome, as it allows you to either close distances, or find cover fast. 1/7.0% & 0.8%, 5/35.0% & 4.0%, 10/70.0% & 8.0%
BFF/OC: Average
WDT: Average
DT: Average

Explosive Clap (EC):

Deathtrap Ability. Deathtrap causes an explosion in front of him, dealing explosive damage to all nearby enemies.
An ok-ish skill. If you want to invest somewhat in DT, without going the SiC/melee route, it scales somewhat well and can do decent damage to even OP8 enemies.
All playstyles: Average

Made of Sterner Stuff (MoSS):

You and Deathtrap gain % damage reduction per level against all damage types. Deathtrap gains +% bonus melee damage per level.
Unless A) you are planning to max this out at 10/5 or B) you want max out DT as much as possible, a 1~5% boost in damage reduction is not worth it. 1/1.0% & 3.0%, 5/5.0% & 15%, 11/11.0% & 33.0%
BFF/OC: Average
WDT: Average
DT: Average

HOWEVER, when maxed out via COM and used in conjunction with a Blockade, this can provide significant damage reduction.

20% Cooler:

Increases the cooldown rate of your action skill by __% each level.
As I’ve said with Upshot Robot, more DT and more frequent DT is never a bad thing, regardless of build. 1/6.0%, 5/30.0%
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Great

Sharing is Caring (SiC):

Capstone skill. Grants a copy of your shield to Deathtrap.
A must-have for melee DT builds, and a great investments for other builds as well. Useful with Blackholes, BBBs, FotFs, etc. However, terrible vs larger bosses and raids.
BFF/OC: Average
WDT: Great
DT: Outstanding

Little Big Trouble

Gaige’s LBT tree focuses on elemental damage and a few DT buffs.

More Pep:

Increases your chances of applying elemental Status Effects by __% per level; __% per level for Electrocute.
Contrary to common belief, this skill isn’t terrible. If you need a higher chance at slagging targets, or are focusing on DoTs, then it’s a decent skill. 1/2.0% & 4.0%, 5/10.0% & 20.0%
All playstyles: Average

Myelin:

Grants you __% Resistance to Shock Damage per level. Also increases your Shield Capacity by __% per level.
Again, not a terrible skill. Can be used to boost lower-cap shields, and possibly protect you (somewhat) against shock-heavy attacks. 1/6.0% & 3.0%, 5/30.0% & 15.0%
All playstyles: Average

Shock Storm (SS):

Kill Skill. Killing an enemy with a Critical Hit causes an Electric Storm, dealing Electrocute Damage to nearby enemies. Electrical Storms are also caused by Deathtrap whenever he kills an enemy.
No. Just, no. It’s terribad in any playthrough mode. One of those ranked skills that doesn’t even scale well in Normal.
All playstyles: Terrible

The Stare:

Deathtrap Ability. Deathtrap fires a laser beam and sweeps it across the battlefield, dealing Burn Damage and possibly Igniting enemies.
Another terrible skill, as well as being bugged.
All playstyles: Terrible

Strength of Five Gorillas (So5G):

Increases Melee Damage for you and Deathtrap by 3% per level.
One of the essential DT/melee skills. 1/+3.0%, 5/+15.0%, 11/+33.0%
BFF/OC: Sub-par
WDT: Sub-par
DT: Outstanding

Electrical Burn (EB):

When your Electrocute Status Effects deal damage to enemies, there is a __% chance per level they will burst into flames and take Burn Damage. The amount of Burn Damage is based on the Electrocute damage dealt.
Only good when using a DoT-focused build. However, with Moxxi weapons equipped, the ensuing DoTs can heal you for significant amounts. 1/4.0%, 5/20%
All playstyles: Sub-par

Shock and “AAAGGGGHHH!”:

Reloading your gun causes an Electrical Explosion, damaging nearby enemies.
As of the 10/29/2015 patch, this skill is now a very reliable source of Shock DoT especially for EB Builds. As with EB, the Moxxi-heal scenario can be of use. Additionally, a decent “emergency heal” while reloading.
All playstyles: Great

Evil Enchantress (EE):

Kill Skill. Killing an enemy increases the Damage that your Burn, Electrocute, and Corrode status effects deal by 6% per level for a short period of time.
As with EB, should only be used with heavy DoT/elemental builds. 1/6.0%, 5/30%
All playstyles: Sub-par

One Two Boom (12B):

Deathtrap Ability. Deathtrap shoots out an orb of energy at an enemy. If you shoot the orb it will explode, dealing massive Shock Damage to nearby enemies.
Another bugged skill. Do not waste points here.
All playstyles: Terrible

Wires Don’t Talk (WDT):

Increases all Shock and Electrocute Damage that you inflict by 3% per level.
This is like having a built-in elemental relic. Beautiful and multiplicative with Anarchy! 1/3.0%, 5/15.0%, 11/33.0%
BFF/OC: Outstanding
WDT: Outstanding
DT: Outstanding

Interspersed Outburst (IO):

Not shooting an enemy for a short time grants you a stack of Interspersed Outburst. The next time you shoot an enemy, all stacks of Interspersed Outburst are consumed and you deal Slag Damage. The more stacks are consumed, the greater the chance of slagging the target.
This one is tricky. Basically, gives you free slag, but can be conditional. Can slag Pete, Gee, Dragons and Vorac.
BFF/OC: Average
WDT: Great
DT: Average

Make it Sparkle (MiS):

Capstone skill. Shooting Deathtrap with an elemental weapon charges him with that element, causing his melee attacks to deal additional damage of that element.
A great skill to use in conjunction with melee-DT builds, as this adds x2 to his melee output. As with SiC, not so great on larger bosses and raids.
BFF/OC: Sub-par
WDT: Average
DT: Outstanding

Ordered Chaos

Gaige’s OC tree primarily focuses on buffing Gaige’s gun damage, with a few DT buffs and support skills sneaked in.

Smaller, Lighter, Faster (SLF):

Increases your reload speed by __% per level but decreases your magazine size by __% per level.
Honestly, no one ever needs this or exactly wants it, but it is a must-get to advance in the OC tree. 1/6.0% & 1.0%, 4/24.0% & 4.0%. Negatively impacts your ability to use the Infinity Pistol.
BFF/OC: N/A
WDT: Sub-par
DT: Sub-par

Anarchy:

Killing an enemy or fully emptying your gun’s magazine while in combat (or not) grants you a stack of Anarchy. For every stack of Anarchy you have, you gain bonus gun damage (+1.75%), but your accuracy is decreased (-1.75%). Prematurely reloading your guns removes all stacks of Anarchy. Anarchy stacks are quickly lost while in “Fight for Your Life.”
Take it. If you are running an OC/BFF build, take it. If you are running a WDT build, take it. If you are running a “I’m just going to let DT literally do EVERYTHING and stare at this wall” build… TAKE IT! It’s ONE point. Take it.
BFF/OC: Outstanding
WDT: Outstanding
DT: Outstanding

Preshrunk Cyberpunk:

Increases the maximum number of Anarchy stacks you can have by 50 per level.
When raiding at higher levels, doing weird challenges, doing gun-heavy DP runs, or farming bosses, you will need this. Yes, “need”. At certain points in the game (higher playthroughs), you will NEED this. Otherwise, Mr. Brickwall will be there to greet you.
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Average

Robot Rampage (RR):

Deathtrap Ability. Deathtrap lashes out with a flurry of attacks.
This is actually a great skill to have for DT-heavy builds. Unfortunately, it’s in the OC tree, away from all the other DT skills… why, GB?
BFF/OC: Sub-par
WDT: Average
DT: Great

Blood Soaked Shields (BSS):

Killing an enemy immediately restores __% of your shields per level, but you lose __% of your health per level.
A great skill, particularly for builds focusing on Gaige-DPS where she’s up in the front lines. 1/20.0% & 1.0%, 5/100.0% & 5.0%
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Average

Annoyed Android (AA):

Increases the movement speed of Deathtrap by __% per level.
Can be very useful for DT-melee builds, since DT can be a bit on the slow side. However, again… why the OC tree…
BFF/OC: Sub-par
WDT: Average
DT: Great

Discord:

Prematurely reloading activates Discord granting you +65% accuracy, +25% fire rate, and 3% per second health regeneration. You constantly lose Anarchy stacks while Discord is active. Discord can be shut off by prematurely reloading again.
The importance of this skill, especially for OC builds cannot be stressed enough. Even DT builds can use this for emergency healing, short bursts of high-DPS, etc. An essential skill for most Mechro-types. Also, Gaige’s second form of healing.
BFF/OC: Outstanding
WDT: Outstanding
DT: Great

Typecast Iconoclast:

Whenever you get a stack of Anarchy there is a __% chance per level you get an additional stack.
No explanation necessary. Only needed when going above 150 stacks; very useful late-game mobbing or building up raiding and coop stacks quickly. 1/6.0%, 5/30.0%, 10/60.0%
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Sub-par

Rational Anarchist (RA):

If you have 0 stacks of Anarchy, then the next time you would gain an Anarchy stack you instead gain 25.
As of the 10/29/2015 patch, this skill now allows for both Discord and DFA Loops by itself. Nifty for other Mechro types as well, though points might be better spent elsewhere.
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Great

Death From Above (DFA):

Shooting an enemy while in mid-air consumes stacks of Anarchy and causes a Digi-splosion, damaging nearby enemies.
Cool in theory, horrible in application. Seriously, do not get this. It just looks cool, that’s all… oh, and it wastes stacks.
All playstyles: Sub-par

The Nth Degree (Nth):

Every __th bullet that hits an enemy will ricochet toward another nearby enemy.
A great way to increase your overall DPS, when fighting multiple targets. Even useful for raids, since most have minions of some sort.
BFF/OC: Great
WDT: Great
DT: Sub-par

With Claws:

Melee Override Skill. While you have a stack of Anarchy, melee to digistruct claws and swipe twice at an enemy, dealing damage based on the number of Anarchy stacks you currently have (+0.6% per stack) and restoring health. The lower your health the more health you gain. This attack consumes an Anarchy stack.
99% necessary if you’re using a melee-oriented Gaige. Looses some effectiveness compared with other melee-oriented classes at higher OP levels, but not impossible to accomplish. Also, Gaige’s third form of healing.
BFF/OC: Average
WDT: Sub-par
DT: Average

~ Extra Stuff ~

[ Leveling Up ]

BFF/OC [Normal Mode] - by Poka

[ Weapon-specific Guides ]

The Pimpernel - by Poka

[ Digistruct Peak Guides ]

Hybrid Build for DP - by Yeldarb

[ DeathTrap Builds for OP8 ]

For People Loving DeathTrap - by Neff

[ Raiding Guide ]

Visual Raiding Guide per Mode - by a lot of Mechros

And that’s it, for now. I’m taking a break, dammit!

Also, inb4 “Well, what does WDT mean? It could be any of 4 ways of playing a shock Gaige. blahblahblahblah…” I KNOW! I’m not going to list every single playstyle sub-set and rank them individually.


6 Likes

Well, I guess Shock Storm needs an update.

3 Likes

Probably. Since I am by no means a Gaige expert, I will rely on more experienced Gaige players to reach a general consensus on what should be changed based upon the 10/29/2015 patch. Please let me know and I will adjust accordingly. :blush:


Forum ID: Poisd2Strike
GT: Poisd2Strike
Trades: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/poisd2strikes-humble-shop/367700
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1 Like

Cool stuff, glad to see this being ported over/updated

2 Likes

Nicely done; that disclaimer is easy to spot, too, which can only be considered a good thing. With the changes to some of Gaige’s skills happening only a few days ago, the fact that this can be updated to reflect that is awesome.

I sincerely appreciate you doing this, and you’re welcome. It was no trouble at all.

1 Like

Decided to bump this for newer forum members or newer Gaige players. Apologies but haven’t felt well enough to make any skill rating changes reflecting the 10/29/2015 patch as of yet. If someone could take my right arm and replace it with a realistic, lifelike, robotic arm, that would be great. :blush:


Forum ID: Poisd2Strike
GT: Poisd2Strike
Trades: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/poisd2strikes-humble-shop/367700
Gun Prefixes | Gun Parts | Max Stats
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1 Like

Not much that needs to be changed.

Shock and Argh is now great as it’s a reliable source of powerful shock DoT for EB builds.

SS is still garbage, radius is too small.

IO is average… It could be moved to great, but average is still a fine rating.

Rational Anarchist should be great: it allows dischord and DFA loops all by itself.

DFA is now at least sub-par. Could be average too.

2 Likes

Totally agree with you. Both DFA and IO should be average as they need something else to support them.
Rational Anarchist is great due to Discord loop alone, not to mention DFA loop now.

SaA is great, Tesla DoT is no joke.

If they fix SS range it can be great, but only if.

1 Like

Based upon changes in the 10/29/2015 patch and input from @Chuck80 and @l_gabrielcruz, the following changes have been made to the OP:

  1. Shock and “AAAGGGGHHH!” changed from Sub-par to Great

  2. Interspersed Outburst (IO) no change as skill was at least Average already

  3. Rational Anarchist (RA) changed from Average to Great

  4. Death From Above (DFA) changed from Terrible to Sub-par

If anyone has any recommendations for wording regarding the explanation of these changes, please let me know. If possible, I try to maintain Poka’s original wording. However, if a skill goes from Sub-par to Great not altering the wording at least somewhat might not be realistic. Also, I apologize that this has taken longer to update than I had hoped. Let’s just say that being able to replace my right arm with an artificial arm, right about now, would be much appreciated. Perhaps Gaige could assist. :blush:


Forum ID: Poisd2Strike
GT: Poisd2Strike
Trades: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/poisd2strikes-humble-shop/367700
Gun Prefixes | Gun Parts | Max Stats
Maya OP8 | Banshee RR / NRR | Binder | Cat | Nurse | Siren | Trickster B / M

3 Likes

Does Sharing is Caring proc all types of shield special effects? I’m especially interested in the Antagonist’s special effect.

1 Like

Should do - it’s a full copy of the shield for DT. Note that any special effects for DT’s shield (whatever it is) are triggered by DT’s health/shield state/damage, not Gaige’s.

2 Likes

Awesome, in that case I won’t carry a slag weapon. Thanks.

1 Like

From what I understand after consulting Top Gear for Gaige!, almost all shield properties transfer to Deathtrap with BSS. One exception seems to be the Bee shield. Apparently, the AMP damage boost conferred to Gaige does not also apply to Deathtrap. I assume this is due to Deathtrap’s attacks being strictly melee-based. However, any elemental resistance would transfer to Deathtrap.


Forum ID: Poisd2Strike
GT: Poisd2Strike
Trades: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/poisd2strikes-humble-shop/367700
Gun Prefixes | Gun Parts | Max Stats
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1 Like

Very belated response to this, which I apologise for, but since I’m using Shock Storm on my Jakobs allegiance, I do feel like weighting in a bit.

Yes, I do agree it needs more range, but how it is currently it is not bad, Bandits, wildlife and everything who work in packs still gett the damage from it.

2 Likes

Yeah, I get your point. :slight_smile: The question is not if it’s useful. The question is “Is this more useful than some other skill where I could put those 5 points ?”

The answer remains no, even after the buff.

1 Like

Oh ok. Fair enough.

2 Likes

This is crazy helpful! Just picked up Gaige on Friday so needed some help with whats what. A very different style is needed. I kept forgetting about the Anarchy Stacks and reloading… Now I have discord, so at least the loss is minmized :smile:

1 Like

WDT is getting a boost:

1 Like

Took my level 72 Gaige through Caustic Caverns last night, but found it a bit hard to determine any difference since it’s been a while since I last played her. It would be interesting if someone can run a comparison with one of the earlier videos.

She still screams way too much though…

1 Like

If someone can either test Wires Don’t Talk (post-hotfix) or can positively confirm the change, just to verify that Electrocute damage is now being appropriately applied, I will update the OP accordingly to reflect the change.


Forum ID: Poisd2Strike
GT: Poisd2Strike
Trades: http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/poisd2strikes-humble-shop/367700
Gun Prefixes | Gun Parts | Max Stats
Maya OP8 | Banshee RR / NRR | Binder | Cat | Nurse | Siren | Trickster B / M

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