Do low-level gear work well on high-level enemies?

Borderlands 2 BL2 General Discussion
#1

Hi,

This is my very first playthrough - I just reached The Highlands - Outwash with Gaige on level 20.

Here’s the question: if I acquire the Pimpernel from DLC at current level (which would be lvl. 20, right?), does it work well later in game (e.g.: beating Warrior or going through TVHM)?

Thanks :slight_smile:

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#2

In short, no. It’ll probably be useful for the rest of Normal but after that it’ll be pretty useless. You can however get another one in TVHM

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#3

In normal mode a Pimpernel will probably last you around 10 levels. So at a stretch it will allow you to beat the NVHM warrior. In the early levels most gear will last around 5 levels and the really great stuff around 9-10 levels. Don’t bother with trying to maintain top gear in normal mode it’s a hassle and not really necessary, enjoy the pimp while it’s effective but ditch it when something better drops.

Due to the way Borderlands 2 scales a rule of thumb is that an item will double it’s damage every 6-7 levels. So a level 20 Pimpernel will do about half the damage of a lvl 26 Pimpernel.

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#4

@Prismatic @Kuolemanlaakso thanks for these helpful advice :grin:

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#5

Keep in mind that once you complete TVHM, everything scales to level 50, including quests you haven’t accepted yet, so you may want to wait until then to get one in TVHM, so it’s level 50. Don’t accept Don’t Copy That Floppy mission until you’ve finished TVHM story, if you do it will set it to the level you are when you accept it, but if you want it will be level 50, wait until you’ve beaten the Warrior in TVHM.

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#6

With this in mind, I strongly recommend that you don’t get caught up in the “I-only-wanna-play-with-top-gear”-mindset that we often see. NVHM, and especially your first playthrough, is when you discover things for the first time. Lots of items will drop, and I suggest you try them all out! You never know what you’re gonna like until you’ve actually tried it.

The Pimp is a beast, but it’s also quite OP both in NVHM and TVHM. A balanced setup is usually more fun.

Also… Welcome to the game! :smiley:

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#7

My one concern about a level 20 Pimpernel lasting through to the Warrior is that you’re going to run out of ammo long before you can take down the Warrior. That said, you might luck out and get something better between now and then (eg from Saturn or a red chest.) So if you want to take the Pimpernel for a spin now, go ahead. Note that if you’ve already accessed the map and quest giver for the Pimpernel, it’s already level-locked in NVHM; that being the case, definitely get it now or you’ll be disappointed later.

Most of the uniques can be used as they become available in Normal mode without worrying too much - it’s deciding what you want to have at level 50 at the end of TVHM that’s more important. There’s some stuff you might find helpful in the links in here:

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#8

Ye its gonna do ok, nothing spectacular tho.

No you would be better if you farmed yourself some new gear after beating warrior or just picking stuff in TVHM.

If i could suggest something, going for a pimpernel in NVHM is just a waste of time imho you will blast through Warrior quite easily (maybe just go for a Lady Fist but its not that important) TVHM is pretty easy too so i wouldnt bother either. Maybe when going to UVHM it will be a good idea anything before that is just unnecessary.

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#9

I have to disagree here. FIrst time I stepped into TVHM from Normal, I found it pretty tough going. Same goes for UVHM. First time into the new playthrough is quite tough, or was for me. Obviously at this point most of us can do it all blindfolded, but as a new player, I wouldn’t say it’s easy. I’m not saying this to be argumentative, just as a marker because I know how demoralising it can be to hear/read everyone saying something is easy, and then you struggle with it :slight_smile:

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#10

I’d say that the tripping points are (1) Highlands / Opportunity and (2) Saturn, mainly because of the way the mission scaling works in TVHM. Those are the easiest to come into either under-levelled or under-geared, and it can hurt - particularly if you were over-levelled in NVHM and didn’t really have a struggle with either mission.

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#11

I’d also add, as an honorable mention of sorts, Where Angels Fear to Tread, specifically pre-Bunker area, and also Sawtooth Cauldron, which in TVHM scales curiously higher than the area that follows it. You’ll face level 50 Gravediggers and Scavengers in that area in TVHM, not to mention the Goliath Blasters, Heavy Nomads and several Buzzards.

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#12

But save this kind of gear for your other characters.

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#13

I agree, maybe i used bad wording here what i meant is compared to UVHM and especially OP levels
normal and true are child’s play but that doesn’t mean you can not have any trouble going through them.

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#14

The guide saves me from quite a few mistakes and teaches me how to kill certain enemies effectively. Great job!

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#15

It’s almost impossible to run out of ammo during the Warrior fight, given that you get the regenerating chests that can spawn, and the weighted element of chests to give you what you need most.

#16

Well, yes and no. I mean, you can replenish, but if you didn’t notice how low you were getting and there’s a crystalisk sitting right on top of the nearest crates shooting explosive zits at you…

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#17

True enough :slight_smile:

#18

Torgue shotties will quickly make the poor crystalisk wish it had spawned somewhere else. Like a different map, or something.

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#19

Side note, but I always avoid killing Crystalisks when I can. I feel bad about killing them for some reason.

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#20

Morality on Pandora, what is this?

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