Calculation of melee and skill damage at OP levels

Borderlands 2 BL2 General Discussion
#1

(Apologies if this has already been answered long ago. I just wanted to check I have this right).

Does melee damage, and damage from skills like phaselock, Axton’s turret, etc - things normally tied to level - keep increasing to compensate for OP level enemies’ increasing damage resistance?

If yes, are there exceptions to scaling power?

And does this increase vary depending on which OP level you select? Rather than the one you’ve obtained? So if I go into OP1 after getting to OP8 will my melee damage be scaled to OP1 or will I overpower them?

#2

Yes. This includes ranked skills such as Cloud Kill and Helios. Axton’s Sabre Turrets and Gaige’s Deathtrap level up with you, so at OP8 they’ll be displayed as level 80 whereas the characters will always be displayed as level 72.

I’m not sure I fully understand this question?

Yes. Once again visible by sending out Axton’s Sabre Turret or Gaige’s Deathtrap, at OP1 they’ll be displayed as level 73. Melee damage and ranked skills follow the same rule, you wont have OP8 equivalent damage at OP0 just because you’ve unlocked OP8, the damage scales to the OP level you select.

Edit: If I recall correctly, way back when this didn’t used to happen, Sabre Turrets and Deathtrap would always be level 72 regardless of OP level and melee damage didn’t scale.

#3

Excellent! Thanks.

I was thinking of a skill like Recompense, which if I have it right is calculated entirely upon your (unchanging) health rather than via enemy resistance, so even wearing a Rough Rider you wouldn’t knock much off them.

Do the pets get a scaling health increase though?

#4

So what I’m getting from this thread is that OP8 Axton and Gaige builds should be allllll about the turret/DT

I mean the actual character gets what, 90% damage resistance trying to hurt level 80 mobs? DT/turrets completely bypass that since they stay ‘on level’… ?

#5

Hmm, from what I’ve seen turret damage may scale but it doesn’t scale very well, so you’re not going to kill a lot with it. The Axton’s I’ve seen use it mainly as a distraction / slag tool. I may be wrong though, I haven’t brought either to OP levels yet.

#6

Ah Recompense, I’ve never used it outside of OP0 so couldn’t comment on that one, but I think you are on the right track, there would probably be a few other skills in question. I wonder if you got knocked to healthgate, would the attacker receive back damage based on what they would have dealt, or how much damage you took? Hmm. Sal’s I’m the Juggernaut skill is great on OP8 too if you’re running a Brawn build, everyone says don’t use it and I’m like but have you used it…

This would be very hard to test, DT tends to get knocked down pretty quick without buffs but I can’t confirm either way without a visual, I’d assume so but couldn’t be sure.

55% against level 80 enemies, I believe. Still a lot though.

DT gets killed pretty quickly and unless he has a FoTF or Love Thumper he’s not going to do a lot of damage, DT’s base damage in general just isn’t that high and the melee attacks are slow. Axton’s turrets are pretty decent, with slag and rocket pods they can kill weaker enemies pretty quickly but they’re not worth relying on since they don’t move and don’t have a lot of health, they’re mostly for drawing aggro and applying slag.

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#7

My evidence is anecdotal, but when I was playing OP8 Hyperius an Axton joined who’d only cleared OP2. The floor was littered with dead turrets, which as far as I recall doesn’t happen (at least not so much) with a fully OP8 character. So I suspect it does.

#8

it may some, but at OP 8 I still only use them as a distraction and slag in most situations, also depends where you stick them as to how long they’ll last.

#9

Pets scale completely, damage and health and since they are level 80 on op8 they do not suffer damage resistance.

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#10

I should add some skills get better as your health doesn’t scale like restoration and lifetap.

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#11

I just realized this kind of makes Blood-Soaked Shields into one of those Life Tap-like skills that only gets better at OP levels. Unlike health, shield capacity keeps going up at OP levels, and BSS flat-out refills your shield on kill…

Althugh I guess that applies to any shield skill, Unstoppable Force or Ward or Willing… :disappointed_relieved:

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#12

They just stay the same. Why some of the health ones get better is because life steal with things like lifetap, you have level 72 health and level 80 guns. So the % of damage to health gets a lot better and easier to heal. Similar with restoration.

The shield skills you still need or want 5 points but those health skills get so good 1-2 points is enough and 5 points is just overkill.

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