Pretty simple request. Just want to know what you guys consider to be the overall strongest end game builds for every single character here. I obsess over this crap in every game, and since I’m starting to get itch to go back to this game, wanted to know how to optimize even more than I already do. Thanks ahead of time.
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For Athena it would be this two builds who are very similar but the com choice does make a difference:
storm:
Most people say that Nisha is broken but I think that the combination of Unrelenting and Elemental Barage is the most broken thing in the Borderlands franchise (maybe except sal 
) . With the storm com it’s ridiculous. If you want to get the greatest amount of power out of Athena, this is the build I would recommend.
celestial:
The first build will allow you to reach higher DPS but I still prefer this one due to the overall benefit of using the celestial com- multiple bonuses to survival and damage output that make Athena not only incredibly deadly (through maelstrom) but also very hard to kill.
There isn’t any specific gear you should use to make this work, I would go through Athena’s top gear and choose to farm the weapons that I want and are considered good for elemental/DPS builds.
I know you wanted the most powerful builds but one of TPS best qualities is that there is much more variety in the builds you can create and use even at higher difficulties, so I’m going to share another build that isn’t the most powerful but I consider the most fun:
(this build supposed to have the Chronicler of Elpis com but it isn’t available on this site)
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Thanks for the suggestions! Yeah, I’m aware than anything works, but I’m really obsessed with getting the absolute most out of a character even if it is complete overkill.
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Athena : Melee. I just love Melee.
Nisha : High Rollin’ Crapshooter + Luck Cannon. Overpowered no-brainer.
Wilhelm : Laser Wilhelm and Explosive Wilhelm. Wilhelm can pretty much make everything work thanks to Laser Guided.
Fragtrap : the Cookie Cutter TorgueTrap, one of my favourites. This just tears through everything.
Aurelia : Deputy Aurelia and Sniper Aurelia by far, extremely powerful builds.
Jack : EVERYTHING.
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Athena and Nisha will likely be the consensus 1 and 2 (debate over who is #1) but I think Jack is right up there with them in terms of the OPness of some of his mechanics. It’s been awhile since I fired him up otherwise I’d offer up a build.
Athena can be OP in a lot of different ways. For sustained DPS, the prototypical Maelstrom build is the strongest ever. But for burst DPS you could easily run a Xiphos build with Dominator mod and crush mobs even faster than the time it takes to build Maelstrom stacks.
In the end I actually liked maximizing Athena’s tanking capabilities with focus on Defender mod. The impregnable wall as it were.
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Thanks for the responses! I’ll definitely be trying some of these out.
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- Athena - http://thepresequel.com/Athena/0555001005150350000000415515015050
- Developments, Storm com, etc…
- If you can find an enemy that can actually live long enough for this build to get to max power, it is thee strongest in the game. There simply aren’t guns with high enough critical damage for Nisha to swap to for her to compete.
- Nisha - http://thepresequel.com/Nisha/4101410140515050150050105501005151
- Luck Cannon, Crapshooter com, etc…
- This is thee Nisha build, with only slight alterations if you want to use automatic weapons for whatever reason. Gain enough distance for the LC to proc with it’s now heat seeking bullets, or make a Badaboom score critical hits, making her (for raids) a very close 3rd strongest.
- Jack - http://thepresequel.com/Jack/50500100000005550505115101500515005001
- Glitch Quad, Projection com, etc…
- Again there is no better Deputy build if you have the right (perfect) gear. Taking full advantage of glitch effects to rival even Athena. Surpassing her too… until she get 700 stacks.
- A slight alteration in build with a Laser Disker and Best Man com, and you’re covered everywhere the other build falls short. And it’s just as powerful.
- Claptrap - http://thepresequel.com/Claptrap/555115100515550515150110310000000000
- Flakker, Sapper com, etc…
- I prize not dying as Claptrap more than the meager rng DPS increase the right tree gives you. And the “new” and improved tps Flakker solves the game, period.
- Aurelia - http://thepresequel.com/Aurelia/5451015105015150515050112120050000000
- The Machine, Big Game Hunter com, etc…
- If you have the aim (and the enemy has a critical spot, big emphasis on that), this build is probably the strongest. Gaining +7692.3% critical damage from just one skill. But it takes forever to get there, and there are a “thousand ways to lose stacks”.
- Wilhelm - http://thepresequel.com/Wilhelm/550410010505105151500155501500001
- Laser Disker, Howitzer com, etc…
- Not the legitimate best build, but it’s the one I prefer. And this is Wilhelm, he is nothing without a Laser Disker, (and he does it worse than all the rest) end of story. Don’t get me wrong, you can play Wilhelm and even enjoy him. But in terms of this thread, he wouldn’t even be worth mentioning if the Laser Disker didn’t exist. And he’s really only “good” with it because of his skill ‘Laser Focus’.
- Links - Testaments to the power of these characters.
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You were the one I was hoping would answer this the most for me, as I think you’re the best TPS player out there. Thanks so much for the resources, will definitely come in handy very soon.
A question for clappy; besides the obvious Top Gear referral, what do you think would be the best shield for the most part for him? I’ve been using the naught a lot recently with him and he seems to really like it, especially with the shield subroutine helping its recharge rate. Would you say another shield would be better?
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I personally prefer the Haymaker or Reogenator. The latter has good synergy with Safety First, as taking shield damage improves the health regen, and you’re always regening shields 50% of the time.
- I usually run the build I posted for mobbing…
- Flakker
- Laser Disker
- Fridgia
- Hail
- Reogenator (I don’t have a Haymaker)
- Vladof Cryo
- Audacious Sapper
- 3DD1.E (He doesn’t need a damage Oz kit for mobbing, so I prefer more tank and it has good synergy with the Reo)
If I feel like messing around (or like using the Fragnum), I’ll use the Rerouter. If you didn’t know SF if glitched in that it gives your shields a 0.0 recharge delay like the Naught when the shield subroutine is up. And during the health one you basically always have half the bonus from living near the edge.
Tediore shields are good for SWAB builds. And I usually run without a shield during raid speed kills, as for whatever reason having no shields is the same as having depleted shields for LNtE.
And you’re always welcome to try speed runs out again. And @FailyFailracer has been showing up/getting close to some of my older runs, and I know he’s dying for the competition.
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Yeah, I pretty much am dying for it, right. 
Actually, have always thought that it is how SF supposed to work; someone’s got to read the descriptions of the skills.
And I hope you didn’t go easy on me here, as I’ve only beaten one of your records and got close to only one as well. 
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