Melee zer0 feedback

Borderlands 2 Zer0 the Assassin
#1

I have a few questions about melee zero
-Is still viable the Law+Order combo up to op8?
-Which is the best bladed weapon + shield combo out there?
-How should apply slag?

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#2
  1. No idea, but if your build is good, you should be fine.
  2. Rapier + Hide of Terra (for the most part)
  3. At OP8, the Grog. Seriously though, for most trash enemies, it doesn’t matter if they’re slagged.

Edit: Oh yeah, just remembered. I don’t really use it too often, but people like to use a slag Pimp as well.

#3

I can’t comment on Law & Order since I don’t use it personally, but the strongest weapon / shield combo for melee is probably a Rapier and a Hide of Terramorphous. A Slagga is good for slag but if you get a bladed Grog Nozzle you can attack, heal (without a specialized shield) and slag enemies.

#4

Yes, Law and Order is still a viable combo at OP8. But I mean viable, not optimal. I absolutely love the Law, for shooting or stabbing, and I use it all the time up to Level 72 because of its excellent handling. Each melee strike should heal you to full with roid active. If roid is not active, it may take more than one strike to get over health-gate, depending on the circumstances. The Law’s accuracy shooting from the hip is very tight, and it does respectable gun damage on crits. It’s fun to rapid-fire the Law into a bandit’s face, to get him down to Killing Bl0w range.

One obvious problem using Law and Order as a primary source of healing is that you can’t life-steal from a distance. And it can be fairly easy to get knocked down while trying to close the gap, or when Decepti0n is cooling down. Another problem with this combo, especially at OP8, is that the Rapier offers much stronger hitting power.

At OP8, I favor the Grog/Tesla/Rapier/Hide quartet. It gives you (1) the strongest lifesteal from the Grog and grenade, (2) additional Moxxi healing from the Hide of Terramorphous’s novas and spikes, (3) freedom of movement because the Tesla heals fast and for a long duration, (4) the ability to do effective melee without using Decepti0n if necessary, and (5) huge spike damage hitting from Decepti0n with the Rapier.

So that’s obviously four items for your melee set instead of two, but the performance is worth giving up a gun slot if you’re committed to melee. My mantra: “Movement is life”. Zer0 should always be jumping, sprinting, or dodging, when he’s not in Decepti0n or shooting from behind cover. Throwing a Tesla with Rubi/Grog in hand allows you to heal constantly while moving from one enemy to the next, or finding a good position on the field, or reviving a downed teammate under heavy fire.

The Grog/Tesla pair lets you play Zer0 “brawler style”, beating the ■■■■ out of a whole group without even using Decepti0n if need be. The Rapier/Hide pair gives you the strongest strikes coming out of Decepti0n and therefore longer MMF chains. Speaking of long MMF chains at OP8…

If you don’t like using the Rubi or Grog Nozzle to slag, or if you want something that’s very fast-paced and unconventional, @bew_'s Naked Ninja setup is cool as f*ck: Slag Slowhand, Love Thumper, and a Fastball to get OP8 badasses down into Killing Bl0w range.

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#5

Text wall, b*tches! :smiling_imp:

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#6

Slag transfusion, slag bouncing Betties or MM are good grenade based ways to slag, since grenades can be used w/o breaking Deception…

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#7

well, I agree with everything @stupid_red_x wrote; don’t know about the longest MMF chains with a Hide, though: since you have to strip your shield constantly, doesn’t that shorten the time you have execute?
I personally live with a Thumper and slag with a Pimpernel, most of the time, but I only shoot at enemies I’m sure won’t die if not slagged or, if I have cover, shoot almost everyone so I don’t have to throw kunais at each target (that takes a lot of deception time too).

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#8

Chain Lightning takes care of all my health and shield-stripping needs.

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#9

Yes, you are correct. When I wrote that using the Rapier/Hide yields “longer MMF chains”, I meant longer chains than you’d get using just the Law/Order or just the Bladed Grog/Hide. I was rambling.

Rapier/Love Thumper is definitely the best combo for long chains. If there’s anyone here who hasn’t checked 'em out yet, go watch bew_'s Zer0 videos. Very aggressive, skillful player who favors Thumper-style melee.

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