Hello! I decided to post my build on gearbox’s forums for several reasons. First off, I beleive in forging my own path. I see far too many people get a game, select a toon, then spend hours looking up the absolute best build for damage or survivability based on the role they play. This leads to overwhelmingly stale gameplay and tendancies to lean towards popular builds instead of exploring what can be done simply by thinking outside the box. Or, in this case, the Gearbox. Not funny? Yeah, I hated that joke, too. I picked up Zane, and also immediately looked up builds. The reason for this was to steer clear of the popular go-to general consensus type propaganda… And moreso explore what the developers had to offer to free thinkers.
It’s important to note that I am a Xbox One player who is currently at level 50, with so many legendary weapons, and Equiptment Mods that if my zane ran out of toilette paper aboard the Sanc-3, well… He’d have a sparkly, golden-orange buttocks.
First and foremost, this is a Zane Build that does NOT use both of his action skill slots. Am I crazy? Hell yes I am. If you hate my specific brand of insanity, or are looking for a “maximum damage output” OP type of build… this build may not be for you.
Here are the skills I selected up to 50:
As you might can tell, This build focuses on killing enemies to regen grenades. Most the other skills are to keep digiclone active and provide small damage boosts.
Pocket Full Of Grenades and maxed out grenade SDU’s are a must. Fractal Frags is another very important skill. I also use Shadenfreude and Which One Is Real to maximize my survivability. If I manage to go down, Old-U can be used to right myself in the thick of the fray. Combining this with Adrenaline and Guardian Ranks spent in Action Skill Cooldown and along the Hunter tree until you adopt the Topped Off perk further maximizes your digiclone’s field time, allowing nigh 5-second ASC. (Action Skill Cooldown)
To begin outlining the gear I use in this build, lets understand “why” first…
To put it simply: “Enemy Is FroYo, Enemy No Go-Go.” If you have the ability to encase the battlefield in ice, then you no longer have to chase down or be shot at by all the enemies that the firefights that the newest installment brings to the table.
TL:DR- I use Cryo weapons. Yes, it’s essential to the build.
My Gear:
Grenade Mod: Recurring Hex (Cryo)
Amazing damage and homing capabilities. Freezes most enemies solid and has the potential to demolish even high-tier enemies on Normal through M1 when stacked. A must have. Not sure if the “Recurring MIRV Hex” is better, but I would assume so.
Class Mod: Shockerator
This class mod gives a bonus to Pocket Full Of Grenades, Duct Tape Mod, and Best Served Cold. It also gives you the Binary System augment for free, allowing the use of 3 aug’s on digiclone. If you can find one with Jakobs weapon damage % or cryo damage %, thats "frost"ing on the cake.
As for the Shield Mod, Eridian Artifact, and weapons… Feel free to experiment. I am currently doing the same. I will reccomend some weapons though:
I highly advise having 2 weapons in particular…
Firstly: Maggie
While not a cryo weapon, this Jakobs pistol is cheap on ammo, has a low mag size to trigger your grenade skills, and deals more damage than my ex-girlfriend did to my ego.
As a secondary: Infinity
Why on earth would you NOT want a weapon that deals death… Infinitely? Even better, this weapon comes in a cryo variation. If you spend guardian ranks on gun damage, this is a very viable option. Perfect for when you dont want to waste ammo clearing out pests like Jabbers. If you are angry that this sounds cool, but want to know an easier/better way to find the weapon in question… You’re a Vault Hunter. HUNT IT.
I also reccomend a leggy shock weapon. Cryo is weak against shields. Even if the enemy is more frozen than Elsa, they refuse to let it go. Shock weapons fix this. Try for Brainstormer or a shock AR.
Welp, this about wraps up my Cryomancer build. If the concept of running in, tossing grenades, never dying, and watching your clone pick off stragglers appeals to you… Try it out. I’d love to hear some feedback from those new and more experienced than I. The best part of this build is the fact that if the level cap increases, the damage and cryogenic carnage factors skyrocket. Leaving this viable well into lev 72+ in my opinion.
Stay crazy, fellow VH’s. And I will end this on a picture of my Zane and my Gamertag for XBox One.
