Borderlands 2 DLC scaling

Borderlands 2 BL2 General Discussion
#1

Can’t really find any information on this but how DLC scale?

  1. NVHM seems to be 15-30 and 17-35
  2. TVHM?
  3. UVHM?

Anyone help me out? Also, when should I run the DLC in NVHM? I usually treat NVHM as my “campaign” mode and any playthrough after that just a means to leveling to get to UVHM (Or PT 2.5 for borderlands) as endgame.

Thanks!

#2
  1. Will start at your level when you first travel to the starting location (even if you promptly travel away again without doing anything.) DLCs cap out at 50, although you can face enemies at higher levels (especially the Duke of Orc…)
  2. Will always be at your level with the exception that mission rewards will be at the level your were when you took the mission. So if you want a level 72 Sandhawk, do not complete “Crazy about you” until you are level 72 (completing it auto-accepts the “Oops” mission and locks your Sandhawk level).

Edit to add: I wouldn’t bother doing the DLC in NVHM if you are intending to go all the way up to UVHM. In TVHM, I usually do DLC2 (Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage) only so that I have access to the Beatdown Bar Brawl and Torgue tokens. I do all four DLCs and the additional headhunter packs during UVHM to get to level 72.

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#3

Thanks!

#4

In regards to holding off of sidequests…

  1. Should I do sidequests that reward unique loot in TVHM AFTER I beat the warrior so that all rewards are level 50 and will thus be most useful for UVHM?
  2. I guess it doesnt really matter in UVHM as I can just reset it (and still run Raid on digistruct peak right after resetting) or should I hold off until beating the warrior in UVHM as well?

In NVHM, I’m doing all quests and DLC as they appear for the story and enjoyment RPG factor. TVHM and UVHM will be more optimising gear and builds.

Thanks!

#5

I used this guide when I did the doc’s. Hope it helps!

EDIT: dlc’s NOT doc’s

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#6

Depends on the reward, really. I like to have Moxxi’s Heartbreaker & Rubi and the Flame of the Firehawk when I start the next mode, so I save those quests until after completing the story. Some of the others are helpful, but you can end up levelling up a bit too much if you do all of them after hitting level 50. That means that you will be e.g. level 52, fighting level 52-54 enemies, with level 50 gear - not the best scenario!

Everyone has their favourites, often because a particular shield or gun works with a specific character build and play-style. It’s worth checking out the resources in the relevant character forum to see what the recommended top gear is for different builds. For example, if you’re doing Sniper Zer0 you’ll want the Trespasser etc., but if you’re focussed more on melee going into UVHM you want a roid sheild.

One caveat about the linked Reddit: it is true that you can reset in UVHM, but that resets the whole game. So yes, you can get a Sandhawk at whatever level you like, but each time you do you’ll end up back in Liar’s Burg. That isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so you might want to think about how many times you want to repeat the story! You can get from 50-72 without a reset and without (much) grinding, so you’ll want to balance out rewards versus replay.

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#7

All I know about scaling is that my HH packs never scale past 35 in TVHM, even after triggering Playthrough 2.5 scaling. Makes keeping on level with the story a lot harder than in NVHM.

#8

They scale to your level when you fast travel to the starting location, but don’t scale up in TVHM - if you want max level, you have to avoid travelling to them until you’ve completed main story. They do, however, scale up with you in UVHM, which is really nice.

#9

Ok, so basically starting in TVHM I need to be more careful about what I do and don’t do? Or is this similar to Diablo 2 in that nothing really matters till UVHM (Hell mode) which is the true end game? Basically, I can enjoy myself and not worry about farming gear until UVHM (where I should skip side missions that have weapons/shields I want [FoTFH, Heartbreaker, etc.) if I don’t want to reset the whole UVHM PT.

Basically, NVHM and TVHM are just stepping stones to UVHM and none of it really matters till you begin UVHM which is the true endgame mode?

#10

Another thing… Since I am doing all sidequests/DLC in NVHM (just enjoying story) I’ll probably be mid-late 30’s by the time I start TVHM which means I’ll hit lvl 50 quick in TVHM, probably well before beating the warrior. This means that I may be level 52-55 by the time UVHM begins and I am basically Dark Souls screwed? Maybe I should skip DLC until UVHM so as not to overlevel?

edit:

Looks like the best strategy (and really only viable one) is to make sure that I enter UVHM at lvl 50 otherwise I may run into issues. I guess my new strategy will be to playthrough NVHM main quest, beat the warrior, enter TVHM and run through main quests while saving certain side quests, beat the warrior, then enter UVHM and do all DLC, etc as I please.

UVHM seems to be the true game in Borderlands 2. The first two exist to level your characters? haha

#11

if you just do main story starting at ~35, you should be pretty close to 50 at the end. Hitting UVHM at 51 or 52 isn’t so bad, provided you didn’t spend hours farming 50 different weapons at level 50! You’ll find that there are a couple of level “jumps”, one in particular at the end of “Train to Catch” heading into “Bright Lights Flying City”. You also won’t be getting anywhere near as much XP if you’re +5 levels at the start of TVHM, so the first few missions will be a breeze and then things will start to even out.

#12

Yeah, that’s basically the plan. Going to run through NVHM and TVHM main quests until I’m 50 then hit UVHM after getting the Rough Rider (or FoTFH plus heartbreaker and hellfire). Going to do all DLC, sidequests, main quests etc. in UVHM. Basically treat NVHM and TVHM as leveling modes before the true game begins at UVHM. Basically like Diablo 2 where Hell is the real game :stuck_out_tongue: