Pyro Pete the Invincible is ridiculous

Borderlands 2 Salvador the Gunzerker
#1

I find myself at the end of my rope with this game after trying to fight Pete at level 61 (me) 63 (him).
I’ve read posts, watched videos, farmed better current level gear, planned, done the work and what it seems like I should do. But the deck appears stacked against me.

I can get him on the ledge and knock off his helmet with the Trespasser, but reducing his shield is a slow grind which I have never gotten much further than 1/2 way after 10 minutes of work with a 60 Bee, 60 DP Harold, Rubi, 55 Shock Badaboom, 61 shock Plasma Caster, 60 Fastball, various coms and relics. This sucks but is acceptable, after all, he is Pyro Pete " the Invincible".

It took me awhile to understand why his elemental effects did not end, I guess I’m a little slow. I didn’t realize that when people say “rinse and repeat” they meant it literally. So, I started using the valves (#1) and rinsing off his elemental effects when my health got low. Great, but little did I know that the level of the spiderants would rapidly increase until they were so far above me (lvl 72) that I’d spend all my time killing them and have little left over for Pete. This Sucks!

While it may seem odd, Sal has been a bit of a challange for me and at times and I felt like I was running Krieg again. Constantly gunzerking seemed to resolve most of that, but keeping him alive still seems harder than expected.

It was bad enough that after much planning and work I could not kill Hyperious with Axton. Not being able to do Pete may be it for me. I just don’t see the point of spending sooooo many hours to prepare for one boss fight only to be frustrated and disappointed.

Venting feels good at least :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

5 Likes
#2

With Sal I pimp-duuurp Pete. Empty duurp in main hand and slag pimp in off hand. Also use true neutral rogue COM for +5 MS and mag size. Bee sheild helps too.

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#3

I had a similar experience with Sal in this fight. In the 60s I was Unkempt Nozzling my way through the game, and couldn’t wax Pete no matter how hard I tried. In my head I’m screaming “I thought he was rhe easy raid!!!”. I do farm him now with Sal and the aforementioned Pimperdurp cheese. A deputy build and the Pimperdurp do the trick quite quickly and I bet dual wielding a Flakker/Nuke Em combo could do it too. There are guys here that do it fair (looking at you @nat_zero_six. As the resident raid guru he has the best resources and always shares). I’d say that it’s probably a matter of planning and practice, but I’m also incredibly unqualified in this area. Best of luck dude. I wish you all the success I didn’t have.

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#4

I assume you’re after the doofus at your current level to get seraph crystals? Honestly, I’m not sure I’d want to take that fight on at level 61 simply because more levels = more skill points = better build.

I went through the same frustration as well, until I discovered a few things: cheese spots are perfectly legitimate for cheesey bosses; and there’s a very good reason so many folks use a shock Sandhawk for this fight - I’ve tried all sorts of shock weaponry, but honestly nothing eats through that shield better than a shock Sandhawk (add a Bee shield for good measure).

The absolute fastest I’ve ever done that fight was a co-op run with me as Maya and the other player as Axton - the combination of the two being boosted by a kill and phaselock off one set of spiderants was truly awe inspiring.

I’m not sure what build would suit you best specifically for Sal versus Pete but, at your level, I’d suggest either the Pimp-Durp approach or go Deputy Sal (since you don’t need the full 72 points to be reasonably effective) and maybe partner up if you can.

That said, there may be other choices that would improve your odds a bit, so we’ll see what the Sal experts have to say. Can you post your current build?

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#5

Cheese is fine for simply getting the job done : getting crystals. But I highly recommend getting the fight down first.

For starters, no one has mentioned the scaffolding : I presume you know you can hang out by the scaffolding and just keep running around it? That way when he novas, as long as you’ve broken line-of-sight the nova won’t stick to you. Staying by the scaffolding allows you to watch his patterns with relative safety - important because they become fairly predictable.

Secondly, Sal has a fantastic DPS boost in Lay Waste and No Kill Like Overkill.
Let’s say you’re using a Harold - go with a build like this :

http://bl2skills.com/gunzerker.html#505000551515045010505005000000000

Then intentionally open the spiderant valve and kill one (only one if you can - this is why I chose not to spec Double Your Fun) with a Fastball. Overkill damage will boost your Harold considerably. Shoot him for 10 seconds or so then Fastball another spiderant. Repeat until they’re all gone.

Relic would be explosive or Sheriff’s Badge.
COM could be Berseker for Lay Waste / Renegade for Huckleberry / Monk for Money Shot / or Raider for Money Shot. I’d probably go with a Raider (purple or blue) for starters.

I should probably get @DeputyChuck to vet the above though - as this is all theoretical on my part.

7 Likes
#6

Before i kill pete legit, i tried to learn his attacks and the timing on when he will do his nova so i can hide there are i think two reliable way to hide behind the scaffolds, i circle the map so when he is about to do the nova (looks like pete having a seizure) i just position myself behind it to block the nova.

Hang in there you will get it, if you are using krieg, just bloodsplode him. :hugs:

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#7

This right here… But using Sal, don’t be ashamed to pimpdurp him, you don’t get extra crystals or drops for killing him differently :smiley:

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#8

Raid bosses were meant to be taken on as a team, not solo. Doing so is not impossible, but don’t get frustrated if you are having trouble.

A few pointers

  • Try to tackle him when you get to level 72 instead. The extra skill points would help and Pete doesn’t get any of those to compensate.

  • If your goal is to get crystals and/or loot, rather than the accomplishments of killing a raid solo, then I suggest pimp/RL as well. It’s really fast and convenient.

  • Consider another build entirely. Harold/Grog is great for mobbing, but it’s not a great choice for raids. Consider a deputy build, dual interfacers or something else with over the top DPS.

  • Pete doesn’t deal that much damage per se, it’s the DOT and CONSTANT small amount of damage that will get you. So, consider sinking a few points in Brawn. Not only will you have a way to fight DOTs while on cooldown, but Bus allows you to move around his attacks and reach safe spots for his nova more easily.

8 Likes
#9

Well, after decompressing for a day, I started taking a look to see if there was anything else I could do to increase my chance of suceeding at this. I didn’t mean to abandon the thread, I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to even know where to start.

Today, after re-reading all your posts, Thank You, I decided to start by taking another look at my skills. My prior build(s) had been loosely based on @DeputyChuck DeputySal builds. I had speced into a few other things such as Quick Draw and Divergent Likeness to boost damage, and others including Hard to Kill, Asbestos and Ain’t Got Time to Bleed for survivability. After revisiting a number of DeputyChuck Sal Guides as well as the @Sljm Sal Build Guild.
This is what I came up with today. New Level 62 Build

I was getting near 62 so I went to The Forest and farmed up a couple new Bees which got me there.
Unfortunately no Alkaline or Inflammable this time.

The PimpDurp option would be nice, I’m certainly not opposed to cheese when it makes sense. As I wrote above, I get Pete to jump up on the ledge so he gets stuck up there. The problem I have with the PimpDurp is that I’ve been holding off on doing the Scarlet DLC with Sal until he dings 72. I need to get several items from it, Pimpernel, Sandhawk and Orphan Maker. If I can get good ones at 72, I’ll likely do it at lower level with the next class I bring up.

I’ve probably called Pete out over 30 times recently and have become quite familiar with his actions, noises, etc. I can frequently avoid his elemental attacks by using the scaffolding and columns.
Eventually I get some splash from it and then it’s only a matter of time before I have to rinse.

This design where the spiderants increase to such a high level after only a few uses of the valve is sick. Analogous to the red dragon at the beginning of the TTAoDK DLC and the Lvl 129 Treant if you wander into The Old Glenn too soon. It just seemed to kill any hope I had of beating Pete.

Bottom line is, I have to accept that I may not be able to beat Pete until 72 when I’ll be better equipped and can at least PimpDurp him.

In the mean time, I’ll try out the new build, equip my Monk COM w/+6 money shot, and see what happens. After all, I have stayed alive for around 10 minutes and reduced his shield half way on a number of tries. :sweat_smile:

6 Likes
#10

In the case of this combo, the pimp’s level is irrelevant as the damage comes from the launcher. As long as it’s slag, it will work. You could even jump back in TVHM and get a level 50 one pretty quickly. (Try to get a maliwan grip for the mag size, but the accessory, scope and stock are irrelevant)

6 Likes
#11

You could use a Nukem, you can get those from Torgue machines more reliably than Durps in my experience. Parts and stuff don’t matter all that much, just get a derp Nukem if possible, ideally with matching grip. I used Nukems to get through the Peak in certain spots, such as Dukino’s Mom, Saturn, and OMGWTH.

3 Likes
#12

Ta-Da

Pete%20down%20solo
Pete down solo.jpg1920×1080 761 KB

Pete Down and Out

I used the same DP, Rubi, Shock Plasma Caster, Trespasser, plus a Duurp and Fastballs. I could not tell if the new build or new Bee was making it better. I mainly stayed more patient and took my time.
Once I got him on ledge I stayed crouched and kept the column between us. After each elemental release I’d whittle away at him until he signaled another release was coming. Had to use the valve and rinse twice.
Took 32 minutes. Could be a new record, at least for me as my longest fight. Got 13 crystals and a Slag O-Negative grenade for my efforts. It sure felt great to succeed!
Thanks again to all for your input.

6 Likes
#13

That’s really nice to know. Thanks, I’ll do it today and try out PimpDuurping Pete this time.

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#14

Nicely done :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like
#15

One thing I’ve found is that one of the shields Pete drops (the Big Boom Blaster iirc) can be useful with those DoTs, at least on level 72 Axton - I’ve taken the DoT from the nova by being in the wrong place, then basically outlasting it by grabbing the shield boosters as they fly out. I am specced into Axton’s shield skills, which may be helping as well; still, fun to stand there watching your shield go up and down while Pete rages impotently wherever he happens to be trapped! He has to be trapped though - that corrosive DoT lasts a very long time…

3 Likes
#16

Congrats. :beers: I’ve never once beaten him (or any raid) even close to fair. You da man.

About the Pimperdurp, avoid Maliwan parts on your Durp. I know some of them increase rocket speed (but not specifically which ones, mine is all Torgue with a Bandit sight I think), and that changes how effective the combo is on smaller enemies.

Catching the boosters it drops replenishes your rockets (I think. I use it for nades with AxTNT), so that may be counterproductive for smothering Pete in cheese. Just a thought.

4 Likes
#17

Congrats!
Slag-O. Neat!

PimpDurp is certainly the fastest way to go but as you progress in the story. You could look for good Bee companions. (Beside the Sand Hawk.) Lady Fist could be an option as Pete can easily be crit, if you’re patient. No need to crawl. I never do. With a little practice you’ll almost never be hit by the elemental nova.
I’m sure sure you’ll break it down to less then 32 minutes. :wink: He does have a lot of health though.

2 Likes
#18

I think you want Torgue grip, Bandit exhaust, Vladof sight? Is that right?

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#19

I think the slowest possible rocket speed is Torgue exhaust, I tried for as much Torgue as possible on every launcher I tried this with. I think that as big a mag as possible is also the goodest for this. The guys that did the deep dive on this one are @Jefe and @Kurtdawg13, I believe. Gentlemen?

4 Likes
#20

Deep prefix.
Torgue grip of course.
Bandit exhaust will add a couple extra rockets when combined with skills/COM. I’m not sure the Torgue exhaust affects rocket speed.
Sight is irrelevant as it doesn’t affect the Pimp - unless there’s something hidden I don’t know about.
Neutral Monk with 5/5 in F2tB should get that configuration up to 12. Add a Torgue relic for even more mag (although I use an explosive).

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