[Guide] Top Gear for Axton

[Piemanlee (Goodbye friends and not friends, it's been a fun ride)]

WORK IN PROGRESS

Thanks To:
@That_guy42 for the banner.(removed until link is fixed)
@Sljm for the original idea for TG Threads (And writing the one we borrowed most of the info from )
@Hoyle4 for making the template and formatting the guide
@njp1589 for doing his best to populate the template with information pertaining to Axton.
@johnrr6, @afro_samurai, @triad_thunder, l_gabrielcruz(very sorry, had to remove your tag), @anon13808724, and @DeputyChuck for their Axton expertise
Massive shoutout to @Kurtdawg13 for his video showcases

Splash Damage Guide
Grenade Damage Guide

Note: The best Stock is almost always Dahl on Weapons that can have them, with Hyperion being the runner-up. For Shotguns, the Hyperion Stock is the best, except for Hyperion Shotguns, where it’s a tossup between Torgue and Hyperion, depending on preference.

Table of Contents

1. Weapons
   1.1 Pistols
   1.2 Shotguns
   1.3 Rocket Launchers
   1.4 Sniper Rifles
   1.5 Assault Rifles
   1.6 Submachine Guns

2. Items
   2.1 Grenade Mods
   2.2 Shields
   2.3 Class Mods
   2.4 Relics

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Pistols

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Unkempt Harold

Not only is this generally the most powerful Pistol in the game, it’s also one of the most powerful guns, period. Despite that, it’s also one of the easiest Legendaries to get since you can buy it from Torgue Vending Machines. Costs 3 Ammo for 1 pellet with 100% Splash Damage that spawns 6 additional pellets with 70% Splash Damage each. Costs twice as much Ammo for twice as many pellets if you get the Double Penetrating prefix, which is the most sought-after and the highest DPS. Thanks to his Grenade Damage buffs, Axton can make this weapon even more powerful. He can also speed up it’s sluggish Reload and Fire Rate.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Grip
  Double Penetrating Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Torgue Vending Machines in Torgue’s DLC
  Drops from Savage Lee in Three Horns - Divide

Gunerang    

Axton has great synergy with Tediore Weapons thanks to his Grenade Damage and Reload Speed buffs, so the Gunerang one is a natural choice. It has a unique reload behavior that can home in on enemies after being thrown, but it does take a little bit of practice. It also does more damage than your typical Tediore Weapon when thrown. It’s available in any element, but farming it is a bit of a pain.

• Best Parts:
  Tediore or Bandit Grip
  Super or Jam-Packed Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Rakkman in The Fridge

Hornet / Teapot  

The Hornet is a Dahl Pistol that only comes in Corrosive, and also features a 6+ round burst. Furthermore, the projectiles have Splash Damage that get boosted from Axton’s Grenade Damage skills. The Teapot is another Dahl Pistol with Splash Damage that features a large Corrosive DoT that can spread to multiple enemies. Both are absolutely lethal against armored enemies.

• Best Parts:
  Dahl Grip
  Neutralizing, Loaded, or React Prefix
• Obtaining
  Hornet: Drops from Knuckle Dragger in Windshear Waste, and Hyperius the Invincible in Washburne Refinery
  Teapot: Mission Reward from “You Are Cordially Invited: Tea Party”

Lady Fist      

This Hyperion gun has 800% Critical Damage Bonus, and it’s perfect for what it does. It may have low base Damage and no benefit from Axton’s Grenade Damage buffs, but the massive Critical Damage more than makes up for it, especially when coupled with The Bee.

• Best Parts:
  Hyperion or Bandit Grip
  Win-Win or Redundant Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Mission Reward from “Uncle Teddy”, when turned in to Una Baha

Honorable Mentions

Thunderball Fists
A Shock-only Maliwan Pistol with unique Splash Damage. When the bullets hit, after a short delay, pulsing Shock balls spawn and travel a short distance upwards It’s a strong shield-stripping weapon for Axton, but the secondary “orb” can put you into FFYL if you’re not careful.
Best Parts: Maliwan Grip, Potent Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from Captain Flynt in Southern Shelf and Sparky Flynt in Wam Bam Island

Grog Nozzle
One of the best utility guns in the game, provides Slag, Moxxi Healing, and a “drunk” effect that can make Weapons like the Harold even more ridiculous.
Best Parts: Maliwan Grip, Surfeit or Binary Prefix
Obtaining: Mission Item from “The Beard Makes the Man”

Little Evie
A Shock-only Maliwan Pistol that reduces your Action Skill Cooldown with each kill. Great for turret-heavy builds.
Best Parts: Maliwan Grip, Potent Prefix
Obtaining: Given by Lil’ Sis if unharmed after killing Mr. Bubbles in Magnys Lighthouse

Anarchist
Vladof Pistols with the Vladof barrel are called Anarchists. They’re a solid pick for flying or fast moving enemies that are difficult to hit with other pistols.
Best Parts: Vladof Grip, Vengeful Prefix
Obtaining: Butt Stallion/World Drop

Shotguns

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SWORDSPLOSION!!!

A Torgue Shotgun that, with the Casual prefix, shoot 3 swords. each of which explode and spawn 3 more exploding swords, for two Ammo per shot. In addition to benefiting from Axton’s Grenade Damage buffs, its slow Fire Rate and Reload are mitigated by Axton’s other skills. It has potential to be one of the most damaging Shotguns in the game.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Grip
  Casual Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Mission Reward from “The Sword and the Stoner”

Blockhead / Omen      

The Blockhead only comes in Fire, but it’s one of the best Fire Weapons in the game. It shoots 9 (11 with Gentle Prefix) “blocks” in a 3x3 square that can Crit and bounce off of walls. The Omen is what you get when the Blockhead and the Octo have a baby. The Omen shoots in a circular pattern with a central shot, and the whole pattern expands and contracts around that shot. A bit harder to use than the Blockhead, but this one comes in all Elements. Both use a single Ammo per shot and have a bonus 80% Splash Damage.

• Best Parts:
  Tediore or Bandit Grip
  Blockhead: Gentle Prefix
  Omen: New and Improved or Basic Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Blockhead: Drops from Badass Creepers in Caustic Caverns
  Omen: Drops from the Ancient Dragons of Destruction in The Winged Storm

Ravager

Explosive weapons are some of the best in the game, so it should come as no surprise that these basic Torgue Shotguns are Top Gear for Axton, since he can heavily buff their Damage and mitigate some of their weaknesses (Reload Speed and Fire Rate). They take some skill to line up properly with their slow Projectile Speed, but they’re insanely potent. Ravager costs 4 Ammo per shot.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Grip
  Casual Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Butt Stallion/World Drop/Torgue Machines

Video showcase by kurtdawg

Twister

Shoots a wide spread of shock balls that group up thinner into a tornado shape as they travel. The only elemental Jakobs comes with 40% Splash Damage. The Twister’s bullets move very slow and dissipate after a short distance, making it only good at very short ranges. At those ranges, however, its one of the highest DPS guns in the game.

• Best Parts:
  Jakobs Grip
  Rustlers Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Omnd-Omnd-Ohk in Hammerlock’s DLC

Honorable Mentions

Slowhand
A Hyperion Shotgun that comes in every Element but Explosive. It’s like a Splatgun, but it shoots straight and it’s also a Moxxi Weapon, healing you by ~2-3% of all Damage dealt while in-hand. Solid gun overall.
Best Parts: Hyperion Grip, Practicable Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from Badassasaurus Rex and Piston in Torgue Arena

Flakker
A Torgue Shotgun that’s not exactly what it appears to be. This is one of the best Weapons in the game, but the learning curve is so steep (steeper than Interfacer, if you can believe it), that it goes unnoticed. This learning curve, coupled with the fact that it doesn’t get boosted by Grenade Damage, is why it only gets an Honorable Mention. Make no mistake: it’s a monster in the right hands.
Best Parts: Torgue Grip, Casual Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from The Warrior in Hero’s Pass and Handsome Sorcerer in Dragon’s Keep, Torgue Machines

Interfacer / Conference Call / Butcher / Heart Breaker
The Butcher is a pearlescent Shotgun manufactured by Hyperion. It has a very low pellet count, a high Fire Rate, and gains Accuracy much more quickly than other Hyperion Shotguns. It has the unique ability to randomly replenish its Ammo, allowing for longer sustained fire, The Conference call tends to bleed Ammo fast and isn’t as good for mobbing as the Butcher, it is however much better against bosses. The Interfacer is the Raid Boss killer, the only problem is that it consumes 2 Ammo a shot so you will run out fast and doesn’t mob well at all. The Heart Breaker is an Incendiary-locked Moxxi Shotgun that comes with a Crit Bonus and heals you for 2% of all Damage dealt. It can tear through unshielded fleshy enemies.
Best Parts: Hyperion or Bandit Grip, Practicable Prefix
Obtaining:
Interfacer: Drops from Voracidous the Invincible in Candlerakk’s Crag
Conference Call: Drops from The Warrior in Hero’s Pass and Handsome Sorcerer in Dragon’s Keep
Butcher: Drops from OMGWTH in Digistruct Peak, Tubbies, and Legendary Loot Midgets
Heart Breaker: Mission Reward from “Safe and Sound”, when turned in to Moxxi

Video showcases by kurtdawg
Conference call https://youtu.be/KTXGNXL9GSk

Rocket Launchers

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Topneaa      

A Vladof E-Tech Rocket Launcher. Being Vladof, it "consumes reduced Ammo per shot,” meaning that every third shot will be free. Not only that, but they have very high Fire Rate for a Rocket Launcher. Using a Sham, you can avoid downing yourself while replenishing Rockets. Never stop shooting huge balls of purple glowy doom.

• Best Parts:
  Vladof Grip
  Vladof or Torgue Exhaust
  Vladof Sight
  Turbulent or Rugged Prefix
• Obtaining:
  World Drop

Norfleet      

The best Get-Out-Of-Fight-For-Your-Life tool ever made. You don’t even have to aim, just point in the general direction of red dots on your minimap and shoot. Shamfleeting is a popular cheese tactic for clearing mobs. It’s exactly what it sounds like: wear a Sham Shield and use a Norfleet; The Sham will absorb rockets and stop you from downing yourself most of the time while Norfleet Blows Up Everything!!! It should be noted that the Norfleet is an Ammo hog at 3 rockets per shot, but it’s worth it for a FFYL Weapon at the very least.

• Best Parts:
  Maliwan Grip
  Torgue or Bandit Exhaust
  Tediore or Vladof Sight
  Puissant Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Hyperius the Invincible in Washburne Refinery and Vermivorous the Invincible.

Badaboom      

This is the Shotgun of Rocket Launchers, costing 1 Ammo for a 6 rocket spread, and it generally has a large Magazine as well. Another good use for this Launcher is as a “Grenade Jump” substitute. Shoot the ground (with your Sham on, don’t get crazy) immediately after jumping to boost your momentum and reach places undreamed of by low-flying birds and Kriegs everywhere.

• Best Parts:
  Bandit Grip
  Torgue, Vladof, or Bandit Exhaust
  Tediore or Vladof Sight
  Big or Rappid Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from King Mong in Eridium Blight

Video showcase by kurtdawg

Creamer

While not the most damaging of Rocket Launchers, this cute little number is a Moxxi Weapon, meaning it heals you by a percentage of the Damage you deal. It’s a pretty decent FFYL tool, as well, because you can heal back the Damage you dealt to get your Second Wind. Shoots 1 Rocket that splits in two after a few meters for one Ammo.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Grip
  Torgue or Bandit Exhaust
  Tediore or Vladof Sight
  derp or Deep a Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Mission Reward from “Creature Slaughter: Round 5”

Honorable Mentions

Nukem
An excellent wide-area Torgue Rocket Launcher with enormous Damage. Perfect for FFYL, but difficult to wield due to the wide radius and slow, arcing delivery. It also has a small Magazine Size, ridiculously long Reloads, and a 2 Ammo expenditure per shot.
Best Parts: Torgue Grip, Torgue Exhaust, Tediore Sight, derp or Deep a Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from The Black Queen in The Dust, Torgue Machines

Tunguska
A Torgue Pearl that shoots in an arc for a little Damage before bouncing up for its massive base Damage. Ridiculously powerful, but shoot it too close and you will down yourself.
Best Parts: Torgue Grip, Torgue Exhaust, Tediore Sight, derp or Deep a Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from OMGWTH in Digistruct Peak, Tubbies, and Legendary Loot Midgets

Sniper Rifles

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Pimpernel      

The God of all Sniper Rifles. When the main bullet hits something, 5 “orbs” shoot off in a star shape from the impact in an arc. The trick is to hit with the orbs, since they can Crit. There’s a slight learning curve here, but basically you shoot everything in the crotch for great success. It has absolutely massive Damage potential once you learn to use it and the sweet-spots to get the most per shot.

• Best Parts:
  Maliwan Grip
  Barking or Banbury Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Mission Reward from “Don’t Copy That Floppy”

Lyuda      

This Vladof Sniper has pretty good Fire Rate, and for 1 Ammo you shoot a bullet that splits into 3 after a short distance. This is effectively a high-powered Assault Rifle that’s worth scoring Crits with. And on top of that, it has an amazing Critical Damage Bonus, so bosses and enemies with large Crit spots can really feel the hurt from this one.

• Best Parts:
  Vladof Grip
  Gromky, Skorry, or Razrez Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Gettle in The Dust

Honorable Mentions

Sloth
A blue unique Dahl Sniper that is one of the most powerful Snipers in the game. It shoots in a 3 round burst while you are scoped in, but the 3 projectiles do not follow the same line and have a slight spread to them, as well as slow Projectile Speed.
Best Parts: Dahl Grip, Pacifying Prefix
Obtaining: Mission Reward from “Rakkaholics Anonymous”

Longbow
The legendary Hyperion Sniper. It only comes in Incendiary and never spawns with a scope. It shoots a projectile that represents an arrow from Minecraft. It can take some time to get used to the arc of the “arrow” but after you do this thing is really good.
Best Parts: Hyperion Grip, Venture Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from Badass Creepers in Caustic Caverns

hawkeye
The Seraph Jakob’s sniper that comes with massively increased crit and lowered base damage. Axton’s skills mainly increased base damage and not critical hit damage, so the bonuses do a lot more for this gun.
Best Parts: Jakob’s grip, Hyperion stock, Skookum Prefix
Obtaining: Voracidous the invincible

Assault Rifles

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Ogre

This is a Legendary Torgue Spitter with the Vladof “Spinigun” barrel. Being Explosive, it’s pretty flexible and powerful. It also has a special ability that can speed up the Fire Rate, Reload Speed, and cause the projectiles to ricochet. It also has 100% Splash Damage which works well with Axton’s Grenade Damage boosts.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Grip
  Nasty or Slippery Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from King of Orcs in Murderlin’s Temple

Video showcase by kurtdawg

Kerblaster

The Legendary Torgue Grenade Launcher is great choice for Axton. It’s useful against enemies that normally reflect bullets, since its explosions won’t reflect. Each shot will explode, then spawn a small Grenade which will also explode after a short delay. Note that this extra Grenade is the only component that gets boosted by Axton’s Grenade Damage Buffs. Regardless, it’s quite potent if used properly.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Grip
  Slippery or Nasty Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Midge-Mong in Southern Shelf - Bay, Torgue Machines

Hail      

The Hail is a Moxxi weapon that fires bullets in an arc that split in two at the top of the arc. It also has +200% Critical Damage and 80% Splash Damage. It’s interesting to note that the Rabid Prefix doesn’t seem to affect the Accuracy of this gun due to its Grenadier reticle.

• Best Parts:
  Vladof Grip
  Rabid Prefix (Avoid Swift)
• Obtaining:
  Mission Reward from “Bandit Slaughter: Round 5”

Honorable Mentions

Lead Storm
This beauty of an Assault Rifle fires in an arc, which can take some getting used to, but the bullets split into three after a few meters. Once you get the hang of the trajectory, this gun is great.
Best Parts: Vladof Grip, Ferocious, Swift, or Severe Prefix (Avoid Rabid)
Obtaining: Seraph Vendor in Hunter’s Grotto

Bekah
A Jakobs Pearl that fires a single shot followed by a slow moving projectile which, after a set distance, splits into three and rapidly gains speed (with full Amp Damage mind you). If you can master the fire pattern, the Bekah is a highly accurate powerhouse.
Best Parts: Jakobs Grip, Boss Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from Tubbies

Kitten
The more user-friendly Moxxi Assault Rifle. It fires in a relatively wide smiley face pattern, which tightens depending on your Accuracy, so the Severe Prefix is probably best. While less powerful than a properly-used Hail, is still surprisingly good at putting out Damage for a Moxxi Weapon.
Best Parts: Vladof Grip, Severe Prefix
Obtaining: Mission Reward from “Everybody Wants to be Wanted”

Minigun
A Dahl AR with the Vladof “spinigun” barrel. Its 3-shot 9-bullet burst, coupled with its Stability and Accuracy, make it one of the better ADS weapons Axton has access to. It eats through Ammo, but it also gets a lot of bullets down range quickly and accurately.
Best Parts: Dahl Grip, Attack or Onslaught Prefix
Obtaining: Butt Stallion/World Drop

Submachine Guns

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Plasma Caster    

Hyperion and Tediore Plasma Casters have very high Damage per bullet, but consume 2 Ammo per shot. Hyperion’s reverse recoil gives it the most potential, but Tediore Reloads can be deadly with Axton. One of the best things about these weapons is the fact that Axton can spike the already high base Damage further with his Grenade Damage boosts.

• Best Parts:
  Hyperion/Tediore Grip (Match Manufacturer)
  Rightsizing/Hefty or Proactive/Brisk Prefix
• Obtaining:
  World Drop

Slagga

The Slagga has extremely high Slag Chance, with 24% on each bullet, and shoots three bullets for the cost of one. If you’re looking for a weapon for slagging that you won’t have to reload often, look no further.

• Best Parts:
  Bandit or Maliwan Grip
  Bulets Go Fasterifed Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Tector & Jimbo Hodunk in The Dust

Sandhawk      

Although it eats through Ammo and has no benefit from Grenade Damage, the Sandhawk still has incredible Damage potential with Axton. This is due in part to Axton’s proficiency with The Bee, which really takes this gun to the next level of power.

• Best Parts:
  Dahl Grip
  Flying Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Mission Reward from “Whoops”

Baby Maker      

Tediore weapon that behaves like a MIRV Grenade when thrown. Each of the child grenades has a chance to spawn another child grenade as well, so it has a ton of potential for Damage.

• Best Parts:
  Bandit or Tediore Grip
  Hefty or Refill Prefix
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Madame Von Bartlesby in Tundra Express

Honorable Mentions

Avenger
A tediore SMG that not only has a unique Reload, but also regenerates your SMG Ammo while you’re wielding it. Its Reload makes it behave a lot like a Rubberized Bouncing Betty Grenade, and it can cause a huge amount of Damage, that can also get boosted by Amp Damage. The Ammo Regen is a nice touch as well, especially since Tediore Reloads take a good chunk out of your Ammo.
Best Parts: Bandit or Tediore Grip, Hefty or Refill Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from OMGWTH in Digistruct Peak and Legendary Loot Midgets

Hellfire
Incendiary locked Maliwan SMG that comes with 50% Splash Damage. It basically serves as an Ammo-efficient Plasma Caster that only works on fleshy enemies.
Best Parts: Maliwan Grip, Consummate or Impetuous Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from Scorch in Frostburn Canyon and Digistruct Peak

The Bitch
Hyperion SMG sporting increased critical hit damage and a decent sized magazine. Comes in all elements and works great with Axton’s base damage increasing skills. If you can stay on the critical spot of enemies this will make quick work of them.
Best Parts: Hyperion or Bandit Grip, right sizing Prefix
Obtaining: Drops from the Bunker

Grenade Mods

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Fastball    

Legendary Tediore Grenade, got a huge buff during the Loot Hunt event. It now does more Damage than an Ahab (and comes in different Elements!), despite being a mere Grenade. It’s got a pretty small Radius though, so it’s only really effective on a single target. It can kill most non-bosses in a single throw if they’re Slagged. Fun, and effective. It’s also good for healing with a Moxxi Weapon, too, for reasons similar to Chain Lightning, though Fastball does require you to aim.

• Obtaining:
  Drops from Boll in Three Horns - Divide

Magic Missile

If you want a Slag Grenade to use for Mobbing, this is the one to use. It’s got an above-average (almost guaranteed) Slag Chance, it’s homing, and it regenerates your Grenade Ammo over time. The Damage isn’t terrible, either, so if you’re toting Moxxi Weapons, you can get an okay heal out of the impact

• Obtaining:
  Drops from Badass Wizards

Meteor Shower / Bonus Package

The best of the best in MIRV Grenades. Thanks to Axton’s Grenade Damage bonuses, these are incredibly potent.

• Obtaining
  Meteor Shower: Seraph Vendor in Badass Crater of Badassitude
  Bonus Package: Drops from Boom and Bewm in Southern Shelf, Torgue Machines

Quasar

This is the ultimate in Crowd Control Grenade technology. Singularity Grenades like this are already excellent for grouping mobs and stopping them from shooting at you for a brief moment, but the Quasar has an additional Tesla effect that runs from right after the Singularity pull until it explodes, which can be exploited for healing with Moxxi Weapons, and does a good job of stripping Shields to boot. This Grenade is amazing. If you can get one, DO IT. It will not disappoint you. If it does disappoint you, you’re doing something WRONG.

• Obtaining:
  Drops from Ultimate Badass Varkids

Honorable Mentions

Storm Front
Slightly outclassed for on-the-spot healing with Moxxi Weapons by the Chain Lightning, the Storm Front makes up for it by lasting a long time, ensuring you stay upright even in prolonged firefights.
Obtaining: Drops from Splinter Group in Bloodshot Stronghold

Chain Lightning
Great Shield stripper that’s also good for on-the-spot healing with Moxxi Weapons. It also regenerates Grenades. All good things. Not much else to say about this one.
Obtaining:Drops from Badass Sorcerers

Shields

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The Bee

What’s not to love? Axton is the best Shield user in the game, so he can keep it up almost indefinitely, serving as an incredibly potent DPS boost.

• Best Parts:
  Torgue Body
  Maliwan Battery
  Maliwan Capacitor (Incendiary or Corrosive Immunity)
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Hunter Hellquist in Arid Nexus - Boneyard and Treants in The Forest

Antagonist

This is a very tanky Shield. Works great because of how well Axton can keep it charged. It reflects bullets back at the enemies and Slags them. Bullets that are reflected do reduced Damage to you and bonus Damage to whoever they hit.

• Best Parts:
  Hyperion Body
  Hyperion Battery
  Hyperion Capacitor
• Obtaining:
  Seraph Vendor in Flamerock Refuge

Blockade

Like a Rough Rider that has a Shield Capacity instead of a Health bonus. It’s a decent Shield, certainly better than most “basic” Shields, definitely one of the better defensive Shields Axton has access too.

• Best Parts:
  Bandit Body
  Bandit Battery
  Bandit Capacitor
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Ancient Dragons of Destruction in The Winged Storm

Big Boom Blaster

This Torgue Booster Shield drops Rocket and Grenade Ammo boosters. This Shield is almost mandatory for heavy Grenade builds, and one of the better options for Rocket-based builds.

• Best Parts:
  Maliwan Body
  Maliwan Battery
  Maliwan Capacitor (Incendiary Immunity)
• Obtaining:
  Drops from Pyro Pete the Invicible in Pyro Pete’s Bar

Honorable Mentions

The Sham
This is a useful Shield for anyone thanks to its ridiculously high Bullet Absorb Chance, allowing you to not only avoid killing yourself with Rockets, but absorb Ammo at the same time. It’s also serves as a pretty awesome defensive Shield against gun-based enemies, as Axton can almost guarantee that it’ll always have some Capacity to absorb enemy bullets.
Best Parts: Maliwan Body/Battery, Hyperion Capacitor
Obtaining: Drops from BNK-3R in The Bunker

Evolution / Neogenator
These are your Adaptives, they give you a fairly hefty boost to your Max Health and also gives you Health Regeneration. Evolution has higher Capacity but longer Recharge Delay and lower Recharge Rate. Either one could be preferable in different conditions.
Best Parts: Maliwan Body/Battery, Hyperion Capacitor
Obtaining:
Evolution: Drops from Hyperius the Invincible in Washburne Refinery
Neogenator: Drops from Spycho in Frostburn Canyon

Class Mods

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Legendary Soldier

+47% Cooldown Rate / +37% Gun Damage / +25% Fire Rate
Sentry / Ready / Impact / Expertise / Healthy / Preparation

Boosts Cooldown Rate, Gun Damage and Fire Rate. Also comes with a +5 boost to six skills, most of which are pretty good. Definitely one of the best all-around COMs for Axton.

• Obtaining:
  World Drop

Legendary Engineer

+50% Cooldown Rate
Sentry / Able / Impact / Battlefront / Resourceful

Comes with a HUGE Boost to Cooldown Rate while also providing a +5 boost to five great skills. A great choice for heavily turret-based builds.

• Obtaining:
  Drops from Tubbies

Expert Grenadier

+47% Grenade Damage / 32% Explosive Damage Resistance
Grenadier / Impact / Steady

With its innate boost and +6 to Steady, this COM is chock full of Grenade Damage. You can either have Impact or Grenadier as the second skill depending on whether you plan on abusing Grenades or Splash Damage Weapons.

• Obtaining:
  World Drop

Ranger

Any Two of:
Chaotic: +35% Fire Rate
Evil: +54% Critical Damage
Good: +35% Reload Speed
Lawful: +35% Accuracy
Neutral: +54% Magazine Size
OR
True Neutral : +86% Magazine Size
Impact / Ranger / Grit

Because of its wide range of Stat Boosts, the Ranger is a great COM for both Bee builds and Tediore Reload builds alike. You’d probably want to get it with +6 Ranger and +5 Impact or +6 Impact and +5 Grit in either the True Neutral (Mag Size), Chaotic Evil (Fire Rate and Critical Damage) or Chaotic Neutral (Fire Rate and Reload Speed) variants, but almost any variant of this COM can be put to good use.

• Obtaining:
  World Drop in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC

Honorable Mentions

Expert Veteran
While it can be used for mobbing, this COM is primarily used as a raiding tool for Tediore Builds, as it provides a massive boost to Mag Size, Reload Speed and Grenade Damage with +6 Steady and +5 Pressure.
Obtaining: World Drop

Legendary Ranger
This is basically a Tactician and a Shock Trooper in one. Although it mostly boosts Kill Skills, it’s one of the better COMs for Bee abuse.
Obtaining: Drops from Tubbies

Legendary Pointman
This COM is primarily used in Health Gate abuse builds that combine Turtle Shields with flat Health Regen and Grit to basically face-tank enemies.
Obtaining: Drops from Tubbies

Relics

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Bone of the Ancients / Elemental Relics

Increases the Damage of a specific Element (other than Non-Elemental). These are a special multiplier, making them more powerful than Gun Damage in most cases. Elemental Relics can boost one of Fire, Corrosive, Shock, Slag, or Explosive Damage. Bone of the Ancients can only boost one of Fire, Corrosive, and Shock, but also boosts Cooldown Rate, which is especially useful for Axton and his turrets.

• Obtaining:
  Bone of the Ancients: Drops from Legendary Loot Midgets
  Elemental Relics: World Drop

Sheriff’s Badge

Increases Pistol Fire Rate, Pistol Damage, and Fight For Your Life bleed-out time. Probably one of the few Relics that can out DPS a Bone/Explosive Relic when used in a Pistol-centric build.

• Obtaining:
  Drops from The Sheriff of Lynchwood in Lynchwood

Honorable Mentions

Skin of the Ancients
This Relic can boost up to 4 stats: Elemental Resistances, Shield Recharge Rate, and Shield Capacity. Solid defensive Relic, especially when paired up with defensive Shields like the Blockade.
Obtaining: Drops from Legendary Loot Midgets

Blood of the Ancients / Stockpile Relics
Being concerned with increasing your Max Ammo Pool (NOT MAGAZINE SIZE), these are useful for weapons with either small Ammo Pools (Shotguns/Snipers) or high Ammo demands (Tediore Weapons). Blood of the Ancients increases Max Health and up to two Ammo Types other than Grenades, while Stockpile Relics can increase up to three Ammo Types, potentially including Grenades.
Obtaining:
Blood of the Ancients: Drops from Legendary Loot Midgets
Stockpile Relics: World Drop

Allegiance Relics
Allegiance Relics boost specific attributes of Weapons of a specific Manufacturer. Sometimes they’re useful in terms of utility, but not all of them boost Damage specifically.They’re not strictly as good as a Bone/Elemental or Deputy’s Badge, but some of them, like the Torgue and Tediore Allegiance Relics, provide some great utility and synergy that work extremely well with some of Axton’s best Weapons.
Obtaining: World Drop

[Gulfwulf (Cast Iron Chef (R.I.P.))]

Pie, you may want to rename this thread to New Top Gear for Axton or something similar so people know it’s a community Axton guide and not just yours.

[DeputyChuck (Sheriff)]

You asked me for my template and I forgot to send it. Luckily @njp1589 already had it.

Also, the template is really @Hoyle4’s work, not mine. I would be more comfortable if you edited your credits accordingly

You can probably just remove my mention altogether.

[Wingsday]

that’s exacty why it gets a slot.
A few other things:

• the Omen needs to be on here, it’s basicaly a poor man’s blockhead, but it comes in all elements.
• I’m not sure if the slow hand deserves a TG spot, it’s not a bad gun, but it dosen’t get grenade damage and unless I’m missing something it dosen’t have exceptional synergy with anything else in his skills
• SMGs needs the avenger, mabye the baby maker, plasma casters, and mabye the hellfire, I guess the sandhawk, tattler, or bitch could also be there but they arn’t quite on the same level.
• link this
• you have the twister listed as fire

That’s all for now, nicely done so far

[Piemanlee (Goodbye friends and not friends, it's been a fun ride)]

I’m not done yet and did I really not include the omen wow I’m being dumb today.
Thanks for the tips
Edit the blobs on the slow hand don’t get grenade boost but the splash does afaik.
Also splash damage guide by @chuck80 added

[Derch (Where's lucky?)]

As someone who has done top gear, you will make more mistakes no worries as long as you fix it.

Slowhand is pure splash and it does not get any grenade boosts.

[l_gabrielcruz (Spark Seeker)]

Iirc you can swap to the Little Evie while DPUH bullets are in mid air, maybe making it easy to get the CDR.

Also, maybe the Heartbreaker is worth mentioning as HM as the Slowhand is there too. Not that it can come close to the Omen/Blockhead , but it is still a good shotgun.

Also, there is the Maggie too.

[boombumr (Here comes the BOOOOM)]

Firstly, thank you for doing this. The top gear needed a formatting update badly.

Secondly, I would suggest that, so long as there is nothing that is 100% better than it that could take the slot, you leave the Slow Hand (at least in HM). Axton is probably the best character to use pure splash damage weapons with, and the Slow Hand is among the best in that group of weapons. Also, it’s one of those weapons that’s just great on everybody, especially in slag variants.

[Gulfwulf (Cast Iron Chef (R.I.P.))]

Don’t forget to remove this part:

Also, you have the Slowhand listed twice.

Listen to the man in purple, he knows what he’s talking about.

Don’t forget the Ogre and the Hail when you get to ARs because both are amazing. So is the Kerblaster.

[Hoyle4 (President of Jellybeans)]

I was poked a bunch, you have any issues or you figure it out?

If u need me I’ll be on the moon.

[Sljm (Really, really, ridiculously good-looking)]

Slow Hand is so good it’s both Top Gear and an Honorable Mention.

[JovaBrow]

My comments… a lot of this will appear to be nitpicking but, if so, so be it.

1. You use “it’s” in circumstances where “its” is what is gramatically proper. For example: [quote=“Piemanlee, post:1, topic:1127783”]

Thanks to his grenade buffs, Axton can make this weapon even more powerful. He can also speed up it’s sluggish reload, and even improve it’s rate of fire.
[/quote]

2. As is the case with the “Top Gear” topic that preceded this one, there is very little in explaining why the selected weapons would be considered top gear, and the majority of the effort instead goes towards describing how the weapon works and how it can be obtained. To my mind, that’s not good enough.

3. The Little Evie is NOT Top Gear for Axton. I have NEVER seen anyone use it, either at all or in a manner that is commensurate with its placement on a “Top Gear” list. The Gunerang should take the Little Evie’s place, whereas the Little Evie itself should be removed altogether.

4. I agree with @wingsday and her reasoning as to why the Slow Hand does not deserve a “Top Gear” spot for Axton. You have the Slow Hand as both a Top Gear choice and an honourable mention in any event. Further, and as was stated by @derch, the Slow Hand’s damage isn’t boosted by any of his skills.

5. The Flakker being one of the best weapons in Borderlands 2 is a dubious claim that has never been supported by evidence of any kind.

6. I question the Creamer’s placement as Top Gear. It’s an overrated rocket launcher, in my view. What do Salvador’s duel - wielding capabilities have anything to do with Axton? Additionally, as I’ve complained about above, all you have done here is to describe how the Creamer works and have not correlated that description to what makes the weapon one of the better options for a rocket launcher for Axton, specifically.

7. The Tunguska does not belong here.

It’s evident that these descriptions were just copypasted wholesale from other Top Gear topics, with no real consideration towards Axton and how he plays in Borderlands 2. It’s disappointing.

And before I’m told that I am taking this too seriously: if you’re going to undertake a project like this, do it correctly.

[Wingsday]

Just to address a few of your points:
3. Regarding the slowhand, you’re mostly right here, but the slow hand does get gun damage, so there’s that.
4. The flakker is undeliaby good, there’s plenty of other sources that could go here, both video and written, but I felt these 2 did a pretty decent job taken togather.
5. I agree about the creamer, I feel like ti’s mostly here for flakker swapping shenanigans, and I’m not sure that’s a good enough reason for it to be TG, an HM would be fine.
6. the tunguska is a perfectly fine launcher, it’s not the best in the world but it’s not bad, it suffers from the “all pearls are bad” syndrome.

As a side note, I think the pyrophobia should be concidered for at least an HM, becasuse the novas get grenade damage.

[DeputyChuck (Sheriff)]

It has.

You might not have seen any but it has

[Sljm (Really, really, ridiculously good-looking)]

No need to be a dick.

[DeputyChuck (Sheriff)]

I wouldn’t want to start something like that from scratch either if it was possible to do otherwise. It is in fact copy-pasted, mostly from the Salvador TG (with permission of course)

This is a work in progress, give it time. Better having a placeholder text than nothing at all.

[khimerakiller (Pandora's Industrial Engineer)]

It most definitely is TG. And I’m talking about legit play.

It suffers from “it kills you” syndrome, while costing 2 ammo for reduced damage over a large spread.

[Wingsday]

What is “legit play,” what do you mean by that? Beause if you mean using it as an FFYL launcher that gets you put at >critical health, yeah, that’s good, but not TG worthy, so are you then refering to BBB/Sham usage?

I guess I’ll give you the tunguska, honestly, I don’t have a terribly large amount of experience with it, but I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as you, and others, make it out to be.

[khimerakiller (Pandora's Industrial Engineer)]

^This, but really anything outside of Flakker swapping. Which IMO shouldn’t be considered when writing TGs. It is the second most powerful launcher in the game and it does it for only 1 ammo, and it comes with life steal.

[anon13808724]

@JovaBrow - Although you make a few good points and I agree with a lot of what you said, I feel you’re approaching this with the wrong attitude. This guide is a work in progress, it’s being constantly corrected based on input from the forum members and every weapon’s inclusion is up for debate. If you’re not satisfied with how this top gear list is turning out, politely make suggestions on how to improve it instead of just complaining about it and dismissing @Piemanlee’s work on it as a whole. Concerning it being “copy pasted wholesale” from other top gear topics, what’s the problem with that? In my mind, it’s a good thing to make all of the top gear guides on the forum similar to each other. He’s trying to improve the formatting on the original top gear thread for Axton, has reached out to other guide makers on the forum for help before starting this one and has gotten permission from them to use their work as a starting point.

Moving on to the specific points you made:

@wingsday

1. Agreed. There should be more focus on what makes these guns top gear for Axton, specifically. Otherwise, it could very easily turn into just a list of good guns in the game.

2. Agreed on both counts. It really makes no sense to have the Little Evie as top gear and the Gunerang as a honorable mention. If you wanna keep the Little Evie listed, at least invert their classification.

3. Agreed as well. The Slow Hand is a good weapon for a lot of characters, but there’s nothing that makes it top gear for Axton, specifically. I really fail see why this gun needs to be included even as a honorable mention. There’s nothing about Axton that makes this gun perform any better than it already does and I see no special reason to tell Axton players they should be using it.

4. Disagree completely. The Flakker is a beast of a weapon and performs particularly well in Axton’s hands, since he has skills and specific build styles that have great synergy with it and can improve its performance (like considerably increasing its reload speed, fire rate and base damage). Maybe it isn’t top gear simply because it’s difficult to use, but in my personal opinion, it should get at least a honorable mention. The reason people think the Flakker sucks is twofold: First, they pick it up, shoot it once, can’t kill anything with it and dismiss it once they see it doesn’t shoot like every other shotgun in the game. They never take the time to explore it. Second, early videos from YouTubers like Yoteslaya, Gothalion and MorningAfterKill saying that it sucks. They’re the ones who really started spreading this “the Flakker is the worst legendary in the game” nonsense and they were completely off base. The funniest thing to me is that if you watch those videos, you can see the Flakker actually performing very well and constantly making a case against what they’re saying about it. Yoteslaya starts the video using the Bee, then he removes it to show how it performs without it and kills a Bruiser in two shots. He then switches his rant to saying that the gun sucks because it apparently doesn’t get any amp damage from the Bee. It’s ridiculous. Once they’re done with their “the Flakker sucks donkey balls” rant, they all start coming around to it and saying that it has potential if you figure out the sweet spot and build your character around it. In the end you realize that the only thing that makes them think the Flakker sucks is that it has a sweet spot and you can’t use it at point blank. Seriously, the Flakker is awesome. It’s just harder to use than most shotguns. It isn’t a gun for all situations and it doesn’t fit everyone’s playstyle, but it’s great if you aim lower and shoot it from a certain distance, and it excels against big targets and crowds of enemies. I actually used it against Vermivorous and it did a pretty damn good job in bringing his health down very quickly. If the videos @Wingsday shared weren’t enough proof of the Flakker’s potential to you, here’s another one that most definitely shows that it DOES NOT suck, specially on Axton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRkvsEF_qvU

5. The Creamer is actually a very good rocket launcher for almost every character. The thing is, there isn’t a rocket launcher that’s top gear for Axton, specifically. With his rocket damage, reload speed and fire rate bonuses, Axton can make almost every single decent rocket launcher in the game perform even better. On the other hand, there isn’t a single rocket launcher that’s considerably better on Axton than it is on other characters. Personally, I’d have only the Topneaa, the Badaboom and the Creamer listed as top gear (with the Norfleet as a honorable mention just because it’s the Norfleet). But those would probably show up on any character’s top gear thread.

6. See above. I see no harm in listing both the Nukem and the Tunguska as honorable mentions (their shortcomings keep them from being top gear, in my opinion), but I wouldn’t mind if they were to be completely removed either.