Getting killed by mobs more than by bosses

Borderlands 2 Gaige the Mechromancer
#1

Hi,

Just got into TVHM last night on level 36.

During the final fights in NVHM, I found mobs more dangerous than those (mini) bosses: Saturn died after one rocket shot. Bunker lasted a bit longer but rocket spamming worked fairly well. And the Warrior just keep swimming in lava without causing real damage.

(Well I still died in Vault of Warrior once because I didn’t run fast enough when lava rised)

But I constantly got killed by various loaders in Frystone and Hero Pass - the shield is suddenly depleted and then I was in FFYL :roll_eyes: I have no idea what happened…

Here’s my build so far (mostly following Cykotr0n’s The Shocking B!tch): http://bl2skills.com/mechromancer.html#512050100000050000000000411050100000

Any suggestions?

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#2

Getting killed by mobs is generally down to one of two things. Either you lack the defensive skills to sustain yourself or you’re not killing things fast enough. The ebb and flow of mobbing is very different to bosses and sustaining your dps is essential.

http://bl2skills.com/mechromancer.html#530050150000000000000000411050100000

That’s what I’d recommend, you’re sacrificing a bit of shield capacity. In return you’re getting movement speed and shield regeneration after kills plus a bit more health regen from Cooking up trouble. Unstoppable force allows you to build momentum and reach guys quicker. I’d also begin looking out for Jakobs shotguns, they hold the best synergy with anarchy and unstoppable force and should allow for better consistency in mobbing.

All that said I am a total novice with Gaige so take this with a pinch of salt.

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#3

There’s nothing obviously wrong with either build. I did things a bit differently (less BFF, in favor of either Typecast Iconoclast for faster stacking or going into LBT for Shock and AAAGGGGHHH!!!, I forget which order I did those), but it doesn’t matter that much. Close Enough isn’t really needed until late in TVHM. It’s OK to have it now, but you could also shuffle those points elsewhere. You definitely don’t need that Preshrunk Cyberpunk point; 150 stacks is way more than enough for anything you’re doing before UVHM.

The problem you describe sounds more like a gear issue. Are you using a particularly outdated shield? Gaige loves big :turtle: shields with Blood Soaked Shields. If you don’t have one handy, the usual generic advice of the best adaptive or absorb (map dependent, obviously) you have works too.

:+1: to this, they’re fantastic stacking guns. :slight_smile: Ravagers or Hulks work well too. I tend to shift to longer (which for Gaige means “medium”) range once she has most of her stacks, to help make sure she doesn’t drop and lose them. I think the Gwen’s Head is level 37 in TVHM, and that’s a nice gun for her in that role. Anything that’s still decently accurate at 150 stacks will work though.

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#4

As long as you have Blood-Soaked Shields the recharge delay and -rate on your shield don’t matter, so if you’re looking for survivability I would be going for a turtle shield, as mentioned above. Since you need to kill enemies to immediately restore your shields, it’s a good idea to spec into Typecast Iconoclast so you get stacks more quickly. Unstoppable Force gives you a nice movement speed bonus to close the gaps between you and your enemies quicker and that becomes increasingly important the more stacks you accumulate. My skill build would look something like this.

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#5

Apart from Turtle shields, you might also wanna consider a Nova shield when using BSS. It’s a great combo for mobbing up close and personal. Especially if you wield a Moxxi gun at the same time.

BSS is a dangerous skill from time to time. If you get a multi kill, while you’re also taking heavy damage, your shield and health will go down simultaneously. My guess is that’s what happened to you in Hero’s pass. One way to counter this is to toss a transfusion grenade right before the shirt hits the fan.

@LexAnarchy’s build looks very much like something I would use myself. I’d also go for a Prodigy COM, Patient or Superior.

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#6

Turtle shield works great! Problem for nova shield is it blows barrels unexpectedly.

Currently I rely on CUT + Discord + Hail (lvl. 25 Slag version) + a transfusion grenade mode for healing. Discord consumes anarchy too fast, Hail is under level, and grenade seems a liitle bit slow?

Died 4 times in TVHM Frostburn Canyon (because Firehawk stole my FFYL kill & I lost all anarchy!). Enemies are all lvl. 38 while I’m at 37, though.

#7

Stick with the shield that YOU like! That’s usually the best way to go.

But… :rofl: Even though YOU seem to like your Hail a whole lot, I think it’s time to move on. Pretty much any gun you find, at this stage, will be much better.

Transfusion grenades should be used preemptively. Don’t wait until you only have a sliver of health left. Toss it out when you start taking damage. That way the trails will come in when you actually need them.

Yep! We’ve all been there, and we’ve all raged! I could ramble on about this, but let’s not!

In my early days of BL 2, I always dreaded the final area in Frostburn Canyon. Then I started using AoE grenades. I simply stand right at the top of the stairs, and toss out grenades for as long as the enemies keep dropping in. It’s beautiful! As long as you keep an eye out for the enemies that come from down below, you should be OK. Use Deathtrap to draw aggro from the BA psychos that drop in last.

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