What is it about the Bee / Sandhawk on Sirens?

Borderlands 2 Maya the Siren
#1

So many builds I read about always seem to use this combination. I just wondered what it is about the two items that works well on Maya.

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#2

The Sandhawk is one of the guns with unlisted extra pellets. As a result, each one gets the amp damage applied to it (instead of the amp damage being divided between the listed pellets.) So itā€™s actually a really powerful combo on any character.

What makes it particularly devastating on Maya is her Cat class mods (which boost SMGs) and Accelerate (which boosts damage and partially counters the slower projectile velocity of the Sandhawk). Since she can also slag and lock enemies in place with her action skill, it also makes it much easier to make every burst count.

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#3

Ah, okayā€¦makes sense now. I never use the Cat mod because Iā€™m always running something with a cooldown, which Iā€™m a big fan of.

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#4

Sure, but you can also get cooldown from Quicken, an appropriate relic, or a co-op partner. The Bee/Hawk/Cat combo is really useful for raid bosses who canā€™t be phaselocked, so it makes for a great raiding set up.

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#5

Funny cuz Iā€™m farming currently farming the Snowman. First few runs were painful. Had a little more success as I was getting better gear. Then just gave up and dig mules for Sandhawk and Beeā€¦!! :sweat_smile:

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#6

Another minor factor is that the Sandhawk is mostly unaffected by the Cat and L Catā€™s accuracy penalty. The Bitch can mostly overcome that too.

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#7

Also another thing that makes it the best on Maya although the combination works on just about any character is Mayaā€™s shield skills that make it very easy for her to keep her shield up. While I think generally Axton beats her in terms of shields, she is perhaps better with the Bee because of her crowd control. That way she can keep enemies off of her and not risk getting hit as much which allows the Bee to do its job. The combo kind of has a reputation of being ā€œnoobyā€ to some players but I think itā€™s fine. I mean hey, somethings gotta be done right when it works :grin:

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#8

Nothing come close to Maya when it come to mobbing. Now Iā€™m finding out what I already knew about her and bossesā€¦ not her forte!
Screw the Bee against the Snowman. Too much trouble avoiding getting hit. The Sandhawk is all she need paired with a strong shield! Will probably be a different story once I hit 72. Just canā€™t kill it fast enough right now.
Sandhawk + Bee => OP
Siren + Sandhawk => OP
Siren + BeeHawk? Draw your own conclusionā€¦

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#9

HOLY CRAP! I had that bee sitting in my vault thinking it was a Siren thing (it had been a while since I played). Popped it on Axton with a sapping sandhawk and I couldnā€™t believe the damage. Toss down a turret and while theyā€™re all hammering on it, I pop quick shots. I mean, I still have to be careful, but what a huge difference. Almost felt like I didnā€™t need slag. How long is a bee shield good before you should farm another? Mine has about 23000 protection.

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#10

Not so sureā€¦ Iā€™ve just been looking at the BL2 Time Trials leader chart for solo play (level 72 and OP8, with definite rules in play.) Hereā€™s the thread and a direct link. Sal is obviously the giant killer in the room, but Maya holds her own pretty well for several of them.

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#11

Thatā€™s part of the challenge! :smiley:

Sure she has to forgo Wreck and the like, and sure sheā€™s shackled to BeeHawking ( or Immolate cheese ) ; but as VH said, she can rip the Peak apart as fast as anyone and raid-bosses pretty damn quickly too.

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#12

My impression is that individual raid bosses (and the different iterations of the peak) may force you to play a specific character in a way youā€™d prefer not to, but that it is nonetheless still possible to do these things with any character.

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#13

I noticed a fire Infinity in my inventory, and just tried it with the Bee. Not sure about other enemy types, but this combination shreds Bullymongs even when they arenā€™t slagged.

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#14

Not doubting any of that.I didnā€™t say she couldnā€™t raid. But right now a simple Fire Sandhawk and a strong shield did the trick.
1st make it to 72. Then worry about bossesā€¦

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#15

I normally just camp by the elevator. Youā€™re like 90% safe there. The little snowmen and his frost breath can still get you

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#16

I know. Was Just trying to avoid doing that. Ended up using it way more than I wanted. Strangely enough my wife taught me about it. She barely played UVHMā€¦ Went back to Diablo and Minecraft.

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#17

I saw an interesting cheese for Axton on the snowman involving a turret, a Bee, a fire Sandhawk, and a Lady Fist. This involves nailing the big snowflake when he first pops up at the far end of the ice field. I am curious how close to doing that you could get with Maya.

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#18

did it involved the Phalanx Shield? Back on topic? lol -edit- oops, wrong thread! :laughing::laughing:
Something Iā€™ve learned on this thread that it can help pinning down foes.

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#19

No, but it did require maglock and careful aimingā€¦ Iā€™ll have to see if it can be emulated by Maya without the benefit of a turret to provide distraction (maybe a sacrificial co-op partner?!)

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#20

How many quests into Tiny Tinaā€™s DLC do you get access to The Treants and 2) does the bee have a better chance of dropping from these, or Hunter H?

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