People seem to put extremely much work into building classes

Borderlands 2 BL2 General Discussion
#1

Okay so I’ve played Borderlands a lot I’d say, at least compared to the average time I spend on a game, mainly building my Krieg class up to about lvl 60 maybe, but I’ve also tried almost all the other classes at least trough the main campaign and some DLC. I’m loving the game (both BL 2 and TPS), but the thing that I’m noticing on youtube specifically is that loads of people seem to play the game differently, putting hours and hours into building classes and getting the right equipment, weapons etc. Firstly this makes me kinda sad cause I feel that playing “normal” (without any full spec lv 72 classes) I’m not getting the full potential out of my classes and playthoughs. Secondly I wondering if such a way to play ruins the fun in the game a bit when it’s all about getting legendariy loot, cause that’s really never what it was about for me. And what fun is it really to play when you’ve fully leveled a character?? But of course there’s only so many times you can enjoy the story without getting tired so naturally people seek other form of motivation I guess.

Would really appreciate any replies/comments on this!

#2

To me it seems you are someone who enjoys the journey more than the destination. I had a PS3 friend who was the same way, the leveling being more fun than the endgame. He was also an excessive loot hoarder and loved to farm and keep everything he found. So you’re not alone in your feelings. However, from my perspective, I just find more enjoyment playing at max level with my max level gear and not having to worry about trying to always find an upgrade to my current gear.

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#3

I cannot speak for others, as I am just now going through UHVM, but here is what I found

On the xbox360, without any DLC, I still overlevelled NVHM, then with side quests, I capped to 50 way before the end of TVHM. I did the Scarlett DLC when it came out, and even started the Torgue DLC, but without gaining XP, just loot, it was “okay”.

I bought The Handsome Collection when it came out on the Xbox1, and recently started again and I have to say UHVM makes you feel like the game Borderlands was supposed to be, Pandora is a hellish world, and you have to be a badass to survive, and it can be quite a challenge.

So starting that has made me wonder what it will be like once I hit cap, so that has me thinking about the OP levels, something I thought I would never bother with 2 months ago, and now I am looking forward to it.

As for the loot, well when you consider Bordlands Gazillion guns promise, with ever more ridiculous abilities being added, the Legendaries etc just take the premise to the nth degree with stupid abilities, of course I want to have some of that action.

And of course, if you want to take on harder stuff, your build and equipment has to step it up a notch to, if you don’t want to respawn every 5 minutes, so in essence, it becomes a whole other game.

Of course, if you don’t want to do that, if that’s not what you enjoy, then you aren’t playing the game wrong, you are playing it how you like, and that’s the most important thing.

One thing I will say, I have tried to watch twitch broadcasts of people doing speed runs, or OP runs, and they have always been cheating in some way, I cannot for the life of me find a competent player on twitch who isn’t playing with a glitch of some sort.

The only thing I would like to see is, either cap TVHM at 50, so you don’t over level before UHVM (cap as in, don’t let you level to 51) or let the gear increase beyond 50 in TVHM. Otherwise, you have to be very careful on what level you end NVHM and start TVHM so you don’t accidentally get to high.

There is no real information on this except these forums, so I had no idea and it could potentially have really put me off UHVM if I had levelled Axton how I intended, my gear would have sucked if I started UHVM near to level 60 with level 50 gear.

#4

@ACNAero
Hmm yeah I suppose that’s a plain way of putting it. Always enjoy the thought of reaching another level and seeing my character build and becoming more and more epic. I allso have started farming legendaries (spesifically the Thingy in TPS) and grinding for legendaries, but that just makes me sad cause farming and just collecting awesome loot in itself doesn’t really give me much pleasure…
I have been thinking of trying to max my Krieg some day, but after putting 100++ hours into him I just don’t see the fun in it. Besides i’m so fed up with the main campaign at least I can’t bother… I merely play to try out the different classes, that’s mostly what I enjoy now…

I would though LOVE to see Borderlands 3 sometime, as this series has got to be one of my favourite!

#5

Same, really the only pleasure I get from farming anymore is in BL1. Getting that rare gun, that perfect part gun, and/or that good part Pearl is what I get pleasure from. But that more has to do with how complex the BL1 loot generation system is.

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#6

Hey I hope you play on ps3 if so add me

#7

No I’m not sadly.

#8

I want to start with, I love what you raise in your topic @vgj

I think the journey is a huge part of the game and its very important, at least to me, to take the journey in a “normal” way. Maya being my favorite, I leveled her up with found gear and no real farming until the caps stopped. At 61 I farmed a lot and of course to do the peak. But from 1-50 I just used what I found without farming, and then the same with 50-61, and I cheesed my way from 61 to 72 by shamfleeting petes bar (I know I know its terrible).

Now that I finished the journey, not once but many times I don’t want to do that anymore and now I enjoy endgame playing with all sorts of gear and loadouts.

I often warn people from power leveling unless they have done they journey a lot. Just the other day in my discord a member was asking about getting a zer0 power leveld to op8 and his person just got thier first character into UVHM and has not played it at all. @Wingsday and I really tried to talk this person out of it and encouraged them to take the journey to the end.

I think both the Journey and the End are great in different ways but you should experience both to get the most out of the game.

I also believe that the journey to the end shouldn’t just be done by re farming the DPUH every 5-10 levels. Play with all the guns and what drops so you learn the guns and learn the game. By only using the most powerful guns in the early levels can be a crutch and make the game overly easy so when you hit a challenge you are not prepared for it.

So don’t feel sad, take your time and play the game at your own pace. Endgame isn’t going anywhere, enjoy your journey at your own pace and your own way.

Yes and No, different people want different things and like to play the game different. The right way to play it is the way you want to play it, not the way others want to play it.

For me there is a ton of fun, skill points is what separates this game from other shooters even more so than gear so using all those skill points to change the combat loop is what makes it re-playable. Some like to endgame raid, some like the peak, some like to mob, so like co-op some like solo. There is a lot to do and it can be a lot of fun, but what is fun is up to you.

I am done with the story, I have seen it so many times but also like I said skill points. I find it really painful to go back and start a new character with 0 skill points for 5 levels and even at level 15 I only have 10 points and that is only 2 skills at 5/5. I don’t enjoy that anymore, I did the first few times because planning out that build and experiencing the skills for the first time was great. But I’ve done that and now I want to experience all the skills combined with all the gear and see what I can do with that.

But in the end, play the game how you like it. Youtube like this place can be a great resource, but it can also be a terrible resource if you feel you have to do what you see on there. Do it your way and screw what others think you should do.

13 Likes
#9

Derch is spot on, but I’ll come at it from a different angle. My first character was Zer0, and my motivation to keep leveling was get “one more skill point” and then another. I read all sorts of end-game guides about builds and I wanted to try them out. The new Legendary Sniper COM that was released in UVHM Pack #2 (the 72 upgrade) was a big driver as well. For me the best way to level was play the game. I have never power-leveled a point of XP in this game (except for multiple Dust runs looking for said Legendary Sniper COM).

When I got done with Zero and did most of things I wanted to do, and had all the gear I wanted, I started over with Maya and did the exact same thing. Chewed up more than a few levels in the Dust getting a Legendary Cat. One thing I noticed this time was that, unlike Derch, I like Normal mode. Or I should say, there was something there that I missed.

I like checking all that gear that drops and all the vendors. Checking stats, test firing weapons and using gear that wouldn’t make the cut in UVHM but is still fun. Getting to spend Golden Keys once in a while. I learn the character skills better this way, rather than power-leveling and not knowing how to spend 67 skill points. (If I get stuck, I know where to go). My Zer0 and Maya characters only pick up gear to sell it, and in a way that’s kind of a shame. Right now I have a Level 20 Axton and having a blast.

Another reason I like starting a new character is nostalgia. Man, starting a new character is the closest I can come to when I first picked up this game in the summer of 2013. Stumbling around, not knowing a damn thing (I didn’t play BL 1 until much later). Killing myself with my first Tediore reload, the music. Being a dumbass and grinding XP in a low-level area a few at a time to get another level before the next mission, etc.

I truly love this game and while the game difficulty at 72 is perfect for me right now, my best memories of it are from when it was brand new.

Enjoy the ride…however you choose to take it.

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#10

I think there are three main draws to the game: the hunt for the perfect piece of gear, the hunt for the perfect build, and the combat. People like the game for different ratios of these, and that’s fine. I, for example, would probably put my enjoyment of the game at 90% combat and 10% finding cool gear, but everyone’s different. I like playing with builds only insofar as they enhance and vary the combat (I don’t min-max, but nor do I use builds that will get me killed). Because I’m more focused on the combat, the end game is, so far, endlessly enjoyable. The different methods I use to keep the game fresh make for a long story, but suffice it to say that I can play with a unique combination of character, gear, build, and location/enemies for, months at a time (and I play every single day).

3 Likes
#11

I love the part of combat. That’s why my Krieg build was made for.

#12

I’m obsessive about things but I also like to explore while in a game, regardless of what kind of game it is. I rarely play shooters (if BL2 even qualifies as one- I know it has guns, but just having a lot of guns doesn’t make a game a shooter- Ratchet and Clank anyone?). I’ve got all the characters to OP8 and enjoyed every step of it. None of them have the build I started with- didn’t really try to look up any info for that until I hit the end of TVHM and went to take on Terramorphous (I used him as a test of how well I was prepared for UVHM). I loved looking forward to getting a new level but I also look forward to playing the game on its hardest setting- I’ve done all OP8 runs with everyone but Axton and Zero- Axton is still at Southern Shelf but Zero is about to go search for the Firehawk :sweat_smile: What this long winded missive is trying to say is that there are some folks who find enjoyment in only the most difficult challenges while others are perfectly content to only start new characters or never advance beyond level 61. As long as they’re happy with where they are and enjoying it, there’s nothing really to be sad for them about- they’re happy playing a great game the way they want- and there’s nothing wrong with that…

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#13

I really like putting alot of dedication in a single character.
No, I won’t be one to make guides, but I happily show people that you won’t have to follow the mold, even on OP8 (which my main is at).

Of the over 1000 hours spent on the game, nearly half of it is spend on the Mechromancer, she is that awesome in my book. And it is time well spend, after getting used to OP8 I honestly can’t really good back to non-UVHM playthroughs.
The story burned me out a few times though, and if it weren’t for the 2 characters I’m currently leveling I wouldn’t bother with it.

That said, I always find reasons to come back to this game. Burning out on the story or not, I find this the perfect game to be able to set my mind off of things, pick whichever character I want to play as at that point and mob or anything like that. Yes I am one of those people who like the gear min-maxed, but I won’t have trouble with gear tht isn’t as optimal.

That said, some might consider it being obsessive perhaps, but Gaige is one of the reasons why I keep coming back to BL2, she is one of my favorite characters in gaming, and I don’t feel ashamed for admitting this.

3 Likes
#14

First of all, (I’m new to this forum) how do you reply the way you do marking parts of the text and replying?

@Derch Yeah that’s always what it was about for me. Having a goal and always having a new level to stretch after, I suppose I just haven’t really tried the endgame-style so maybe I should! I suppose I don’t really see any goal with playing when you’re at top level, but of course I understand the fun in exploring which gear etc that works better with your build, but you’re basically doing that through the campaign all the way right? But I suppose it’s about finding the really good combinations.
Sadly I’ve mostly played solo. That’s fun but… Did one co-op campaign with my older brother who though didn’t really engage much in neither the story nor in his build so it wasn’t all that fun for me as I’m kinda fed up with the story and the world’s not that exiting any more.

#15

@Warhawg01 For me to the DLC’s really gives value when I’ve played the campaign probably 7-8 times. Though I haven’t explored into the OP-levels and that they provide fresh, carried content I can look forward to after each campaign! And yeah especially the nostalgia part I can relate to. I LOVE each time I start a new character, walking around in Liars Berg and knowing I’m about to start on a whole new and different character-build!
I suppose I just haven’t tried the endgame-playing yet, but as mentioned it’s just little motivating without any “goals”. Btw how do you get Golden Keys?

#16

Try a site called orcz.com- they might have any current Shift codes for Gold Keys…

#17

Highlight the text and the option to quote iwll show up. :).

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#18

I have only ever played Maya and Zer0 to level cap. Since I got into BL2 more than a year after my friends, both of these characters received some “powerlevelling” as in, my friends joined my TVHM games and helped me beat the stories quicker. By the time both of my characters were 72, I had a very decent understanding of their skill trees and skill interactions. My friends had some OP0 characters as well, so I achieved my OP levels legitimately with them (not power-levelled). I believe this part of the game is where Borderlands 2’s true power lies. OP8 playthroughs never get old, or repetitive, or tiring; there is always more to do, more situations or cluster-■■■■■ in which I can land myself. The dance of Maya as I twirl between two baddass loaders and a few psychos, phaselocking, slagging, healing off my own DoTs, jumping, and massacring my way to godhood. And then I turn around and realize my friend is just standing by, watching the destruction, his only comment being, “that was majestic as ■■■■” ah, the endgame of Borderlands is the where the true game begins.

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#19

This is a cool thread. I like how this brings out all different kinds of agenda’s and play styles. A think tank of sorts. For a borderlands geek like myself. I just enjoy reading everyones ideas and motivations to keep playing, or not. Good stuff. :smile:

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#20

[quote=“vgj, post:14, topic:1051502”]First of all, (I’m new to this forum) how do you reply the way you do marking parts of the text and replying?[/quote]Highlight the text you want, and a "quote reply box should appear as shown below. Clicking that should dump the text quoted appropriately into the reply box.

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