How good and how far can Melee Brick take me?

Borderlands Brick the Berserker
#1

I feel like having a lot of fun and Borderlands is always there when I’m bored lol. I feel like doing a playthrough and trying out Brick. I played him before, but at the time I was under the impression that his melee skills weren’t all that good late in the game (much so he’s unable to hit flying targets)

But this isn’t going to be a serious playthrough, maybe I will play on higher difficulties once I unlock them… but right now I just wanna punch somethings lol… or blow them up.

How good can Melee Brick be and how far will it take me before I have to switch to Explosive Brick.

#2

It’s effective enough until you hit the Crimson Lance. There are times when you’ll take a knee, which Die Hard is good for, but you’ll need guns for some things. Turrets, Eridians flying off-map, Craw.

Hot tip, your melee actually doesn’t account for vertical height. If there was a Rakk flying 100 feet above your head exactly and you melee’d, you’d smack it. Works the same in BL2.

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#3

I wish they boosted brick`s melee damage cause it sucked and removed prize fighter skill which was useless but remaster just came out and brick is still the same weak brick he always was for melee build. Just look how awesome krieg is in BL2

#4

Brick took me easily trough the first playthrough as a melee build. When I change in rage mode he just shreds everything. Currently lvl 40 and so far no problems with melee Brick in plathrough 2 either.

1 Like
#5

There is already a boost but not a direct one. The new legendary repeater sucker punch privides +500% melee damage, and if you swap to that weapon after activating your action skill (practically just press F and swap in almost the same time), your punch will be affected by that effect and make you deal an average damage of 10K under proper build, and the same happens to the hyperion reaper. Maybe this is a glitch but I do have a great fun playing with it.

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#6

Yeah, so you have to use a glitch to make melee Brick stronger and it shouldn`t be like that. There is a guy on youtube who shares his borderlands game saves with all characters with max 69 level and with all the best guns and class mods in the game. I tried brick as melee and he hits like a wet noodle but as a master blaster he is unstoppable, with shotguns he is the strongest dps in game. I also noticed that actions skills in BL1 are not that useful like in BL2. You can completely ignore them just like with brick blaster spec you dont need melee at all

#7

Melee build sucks even more in TPS, after the roid damage bonus was nerfed to 1/7 of the original I can barely make it to UVHM using melee Athena, and she’s already the most melee focused character in the game. At lease we still have a way to make melee Brick enjoyable without editing.

#8

I have killed everything but Craw and MINAC with Melee brick. I even wrote a guide and have several, albeit old videos on youtube about it. He’s definitely not weak, maybe in a coop setting sure, but solo? He’s awesome

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#9

I saw your videos, I play pretty much the same way but I keep trying and always go back to master blaster. Brick seems so weak if you compare him to Krieg. So many things I `d like here to be changed like better health regen with bloodsport or better dash or just using a weapon like bad ass hammer instead of fists. His fists without any artifacts should be stronger, more base damage. But gearbox learned from that and gave us melee god KRIEG so no more whining :smiley:

#10

You’ll always be disappointed if you compare characters. Just like when you try and play melee krieg like melee zer0 like so many people seem to do. Find a way that works for you. Some people don’t like melee brick and prefer to faceroll everything with blast master.

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#11

Aright guys, here ya go. I used to be in your shoes, until one Spunky117 showed up on the official boards way back when and showed everyone how it’s done. This is my evolution of his build.
—I feel I should note right here that All of this is done withOUT using that silly, OP bug, and that using it is absolutely not essential in any way whatsoever. Unlike Krieg, Zer0, and Mordy, Brick’s melee build is actually NOT about one-shotting everything. It’s about crowd control, DOT, and movement, which gives it an interesting, unique feel. Learn to fight smart and you won’t need that silly bug at all.
The only thing that bug will do is prevent you from properly learning how to play melee Brick, because it makes it easier to play foolishly and win. Furthermore, you’ll still benefit from learning proper tactics and technique even if you do insist on using it.

Build: Everything in the melee tree, except Prize Fighter. 3 points in SLaB.
Everything in the Tank tree except Unbreakable and Die Hard.
Rapid Reload, Endowed, and Liquidate.
Skirmisher with +4 to Short Fuse.

I’m sure you all know the basics for the build, Skirmisher with +4 in Short Fuse for that 6 second cooldown, etc., don’t bother with Unbreakable since it doesn’t work while berserking…

BUT, at max level you’ll have enough points to put 5 into Liquidate, as well. Why? Well, ya see, Liquidate procs during the initial startup animation for berserk, which means you’ve already cooled down 90% of your 'zerk before the current one even starts. How?

Get a good, easy to use, reliable source of explosions - my favorite is the ZPR Angry Crux.
S&S is fast (fire-rate, equip and operation, and reload), and has very good tech and mag size benefits. It’s also a dedicated explosive legendary, so it doesn’t suffer a base damage penalty for being elemental, and because it’s S&S, it procs on pretty-much every shot. The Crux is easy to just spam at the nearest target for a couple shots before you reactivate 'zerk, in order to cool down your next 'zerk. This can be a life saver against tough badasses that show up near the end of a berserk, or against elemental enemies that are resistant to your current element.
–This is another reason not to use the Sucker Punch bug: you’ll have to switch back to the Crux to get your cooldown boost, then re-execute the bug, which will waste time and defeat the purpose of having a low cooldown in the first place. Brick’s survivability in melee depends on his damage resist, health regen, and movement in Berserk, so you want to spend as much time in it as possible. There’s a lot of awkward key-presses to execute this strat while also trying to use the bug, and you’ll waste time fumbling with keys instead of just getting back into 'zerk, which will probably get you killed if you ever have a fight that lasts longer than 1 berserk (or have to switch elements for whatever reason.)

Other weapons I tend to use at endgame are a Cobra, Undertaker, and a Plague / Liquid Orion. Get a 60% Muscleman with a balance between capacity and recharge so you can out maneuver enemies and get your shield back in a reasonable amount of time, but not have it break too fast. You get bonuses for having your shield down, but it’s always good to just have extra hitpoints.

Then, the important thing is to learn that Brick isn’t just an idiot with big arms. There are plenty of bruisers on Pandora, some even bigger than Brick, but the reason Brick stays alive and the others die left and right is because Brick knows how to fight smart.

Don’t just rush in blindly and hope everyone lets you punch them, and don’t just stand there and let them damage you. Learn enemy behavior and tells, know how to fight each enemy type you go up against - there are tricks and tactics for each, some subtle, some not so much. For instance, with psychos, it’s just a matter of learning their animations to avoid their massive damage, as well as knowing you have to focus them down lest they go suicidal. It’s also worth noting that burning psychos won’t go suicidal, and that while they’re immune to fire DOT, they still take fire damage, so you don’t have to switch elements against them.

For, say, Bonehead, take the walkway up around the front of the arena, pick off a few of his buddies, and then hit him with a corrosive dot (betties work well) and then drop down and charge him. Constantly circle to try and stay around behind him, and focus down with jabs. He’ll occasionally knock you back with his melee, and he loves to run around, so use audio cues and the compass / minimap to stay on him.
Chaz is similar to Bonehead, and can be one of the toughest fights to do without going down, but the same general idea applies: throw in grenades and rockets to thin his adds (as well as luring the adds you can out of the main room and down the stairs where you can divide and conquer) debuff him with corrosive, then stay on him and do your best to outmaneuver him.
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Daze: Bash is useful for a wide variety of builds, but you need to think of melee Brick as an elemental build. Keep the whole room dazed and dotted, use Sting Like a Bee to dash between enemies and keep everyone suppressed and dotting. Use the uppercut to dash, and the jabs to focus down a target. Use lesser enemies to get kill skills and increased healing and keep the tougher guys suppressed, and always remember to match elements. Remember: “Great is the weapon that cuts on its own.”
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Bullet kickback: Some enemies will have SMGs and other high-fire-rate weapons that easily hit Brick’s giant hitbox and can keep you in place. Using cover to draw targets out and ambush them is very useful against overwhelming firepower. Else, you don’t suffer kickback while in the air, so duck back to make the target stop shooting, then jump out to clear as much ground as possible without being staggered. If nothing else, you still have guns, but by and large if you play smart you can close the distance without putting yourself in a situation where you’ll be too worried about it. Play smart and you can clear any zone in the game without going down as Skirmisher.
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Crits: SLaB will always try to snap your view to the target’s center mass, but you can overcome it enough to land crits on enemies, and it is absolutely worth it for the spike damage it can do, even on just a jab.
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Movement: This is covered a bit in the Daze section, but in addition to slowing enemy fire-rate, Daze allows you to stay out of the target’s line of sight, reducing the shots the enemy can even take at you. Constantly circle your enemy, make them keep turning to face you (which will be slowed by Daze) and you’ll mitigate how much damage even comes your way. If you do run out of berserk while out-maneuvering an enemy, the Crux will get you right back in before the enemy can come un-dazed and round on you.
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Badass Corrosive Spiderants: For Spiderants in general you want Explosive for the spike damage on their crit spots. Corrosive Spiderants are particularly nasty because of their super-fast nova they love doing. BUT, there’s a catch: they won’t use the nova if they can’t see you. So, how the heck do you get around behind them long enough to hit them without them stomping you?
You know that attack they do where they launch a bunch of spines? That’s your ticket in. Hang back and wait for it, then rush in as soon as it starts and get behind them as fast as possible. They’ll have to go through the entire animation before they can start to turn. Then, once behind them, use Daze and your movement speed to stay behind them as they try to turn around. Eventually they’ll round on you enough to nova. Let it knock you back and repeat the process.
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Moe and Marley: Focus down Moe with corrosive, and try to separate him from Marley. It’s useful to keep in mind that, at least in GOTY Enhanced, Moe’s nova won’t hit you if you jump. Once Moe is down, switch to fire and dash in on Marley with an uppercut, then immediately retreat. Marley will nova the moment you’re in range, so you’ll need to escape again ASAP. Having Marley down hill from you is helpful here. Repeat the dash in, retreat process until he burns to death. Else just shoot him in the mouth with a Cobra…
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Non-dedicated melee builds:
Bash is Still awesome for gun builds, and can allow Berserk to be used when your kill-skills are down and you’ve got a tough enemy singled out. The same ideas apply; stay behind the target with daze and movement speed, dot them down, etc. Even on a gun build, well-played Berserk is stronger than a gun build when you’re point-blank against a tough enemy with no kill-skills up. You won’t be able to tear up a whole room like you can on a full melee build, but assuming it’s useless just because you’re using guns is shortsighted. It can save your life. Even smacking an enemy once or twice with the pipe to proc Bash can do a lot to reduce incoming damage and let you hold out until you can get your kill-skills up again.

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#12

If you wanna play smart use guns like snipers but this is BERSERKER you rush into the crowd with fury and maniacal laughter and one-two shot everything. That is how I see it. What is the bug you mentioned btw? the one with using melee bufs from guns while berserking? how to do it :grin:

#13

So, I feel I need to clarify a few things. You actually DO rush into the crowd with fury and maniacal laughter and one-two most everything, especially if you match elements and go for crits. But Brick is not an easy character to play - he’s either very gear dependent and requires a lot of work for his power in blaster builds, or his melee builds are easier to gear but arguably harder to play. He’s always been that kind of character - there’s a reason Marcus doesn’t make fun of Brick during the intro sequence - and why he is playing “Himself” when everyone else has a “role.” He’s just a no nonsense badass that expects his player to be able to keep up with his demands. d:
I would be curious to hear what you find engaging about the playstyle you proposed, because it sounds like basically doing Krieg again. Don’t get me wrong, Krieg is fun, but he’s a different character, and by and large his style is pretty mindless until OP levels once you get StV and RtB. You wouldn’t say that Zer0 and Mordy should play the same, or Lilith and Maya, right? Open your mind to new playstyles and new kinds of characters. If you go into any game expecting the game to be what you think it’s supposed to be, instead of letting the game tell you what it is, you’re going to be perennially frustrated because the devs can’t read your mind.

But, to clarify; a melee build does Not have to rely on one-shotting to be “viable.” In a way it annoys me that every other melee build in the series functions on that idea, because it seems to have created this mindset that if you’re not invincible and insta-winning, then it doesn’t work, and that idea is just so hamstringing to what melee builds can be.

Brick’s melee style adds a lot of texture and variety to the pool of melee builds. You’re not just simply one-shotting one guy and watching the whole room explode; you’re pummeling the stuffing out of the entire room at once. It’s like a bar room brawl, except you’re the one in control of all of it, dashing and weaving around every enemy, out-thinking them while you pummel their faces in. It’s a predatory kind of mindset that is perfect for Brick. He’s not a totally insane, suicidal maniac who’s totally lost his mind like Krieg. He still has survival instincts and a working, rational mind, as hyper-aggressive as he is, and it’s the combination of his berzerker rage and cunning instinct that make him so dangerous. That they managed to depict that distinction so well in his gameplay is actually impressive, when it comes down to it.

There’s a certain satisfaction in swinging Krieg’s buzzaxe and cleaving an enemy in half with one swing; then watching him explode in pretty colors, but there’s a whole other kind of satisfaction in just spending a moment or two pummeling the tar out of a badass, out maneuvering him, out-thinking him, out pummeling him every step of the way.

And no, I’m not going to tell you how to do the bug, because it will actually Hinder your ability to understand how to play Brick. You’ll do more damage, but you’ll short yourself the required tactical understanding and you’ll die, frustrated, anyway. Bottom line is: Brick is not an easy character. He was designed to not be an easy character. Some players enjoy difficult characters because the skill and effort required makes it satisfying. OP 0 melee Krieg is that way. d:

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#14

You can do melee Brick all the way into endgame. There are only a handful of encounters where melee won’t do (btw, you CAN hit flying enemies with Brick’s melee, just gotta get under em, then aim up; Sting Like A Bee helps tons with this), but you have guns to fall back on for those. Literally 95%+ of the game can be done melee only with Brick with zero issues.

#15

Thank you so much for the info!