AGENT OF CHAOS
I’m a skag chasing cars.
INTRODUCTION
I’ve always been a Moze main since the game’s release but as time went on and the game went through significant changes via DLC, patches and hotfixes, it was Fl4k who eventually became my secondary character in terms of gameplay and the one I would look to when saving myself from boredom by not overplaying our favourite ex-Vladof soldier to death. I tried many different builds with all the action skills, but the one that I enjoyed the most and made me feel like I was playing as a true Beastmaster was with a build focusing on Gamma Burst, with shotguns of course. It was called ‘4GENT OF CH40S’ which is what this build is named after.
The reason I didn’t do a write-up on this in the Fl4k sub-forums in the past is because apart from the shotguns and few other bits on the surface, there was nothing truly unique about the build’s core compared to other Gamma Burst builds out there. But I’m writing this now for Moze because I had a few wild ideas that somehow meshed together based on one simple question: can Moze tackle and clear all content in the game WITHOUT her precious splash damage and splash skills? Well I’m here to tell you: yes she absolutely can! And furthermore, I did it in a way where the finished article bears some resemblance to my build for Fl4k.
Agent of Chaos is a miscellaneous Bottomless Mags + Shield of Retribution build that truly goes out of its way to upset the established order when it comes to the Moze meta. In this build, we are avoiding the Demolition Woman skill tree like the plague – not a single skill point is invested in the blue tree whatsoever. We are using Iron Cub for the pet factor who is equipped with dual Railguns + Capacitive Armature but there is nothing to boost fuel-efficiency. Baby Nukes is only an exception to the non-splash rule in the sense that our baby bear isn’t active long enough to even merit selecting the other available augment at tier 2 of the Bear Mother tree. Big Surplus is absolutely major when Moze is on her lonesome.
Because of our choice of shotguns in this build, Some for the Road is not really active in this IC build long enough to be worth the skill point. But Matched Set can actually play a part and is worth maxing out seeing as our weapons lean more towards one manufacturer in particular. Stoke the Embers plays a more vital role than usual in extracting more DPS from Big Surplus, and Rushin’ Offensive is a key factor of sustain in this build.
Taking a look at Shield of Retribution, everything looks standard except we’re fully investing in Thin Red Line on this occasion. In the absence of any meaningful splash damage, Moze needs all the practical sources of DPS she can get her hands on and that also entails going 1hp. Although it might make a few grumble to see the red capstone in a 1hp build, it’s still a possibility that you might go down despite your best efforts and thus with Tenacious Defense activating, you still get the bonus 30% gun damage for 30 seconds anyway.
When it comes to the anointments for our shotguns of choice, you can opt for the classic Consecutive Hits if you want. But do bear in mind that with the skill build we have here, it’s very much possible for Moze to be hovering between 200-300% bonus gun damage from the skills alone, and that’s not including the likely possibility of extending stacks of Phalanx Doctrine into the double digits either. That’s why like with my Fl4k build, I went for the Urad anointment instead. Normally, the Moze meta stipulates that Urad is not a great choice of anointment for her simply because it doesn’t account for splash damage in the formula. But on this rare occasion, there is no splash damage or anything to do with Short Fuse on the menu and so we’re able to get the most value from it in this particular build thanks to the chosen skills and the following gear.
GEAR
Bloodletter is the COM of the moment which should have been easy to tell seeing as we’re going for 1hp and abandoning any major form of splash damage. But we don’t need a Deathless artefact to help seal the deal. You can get +100% gun damage from the class mod alone if you can find a version of it with +3 Desperate Measures and +2 Thin Red Line, the latter skill in particular (when boosted to 5/3) being equal in value per point to the former for boosting gun damage based on missing health. Best passive bonus to have is definitely shotgun damage, followed by standard weapon damage. The last passive bonus would be better off being Hyperion weapon critical damage, but fire rate or magazine size also work.
Hyperion Company Man is the best relic provided you can land a great drop for it, otherwise The Pearl of Ineffable Knowledge is a reliable alternative. For main bonuses, look for damage, critical damage and either fire rate or magazine size. Passive bonuses should at least include magazine size and preferably elemental damage that is being used frequently.
Madcap is chosen largely because it can drop with up to x3 amp parts. If you want another solid defensive option with amp parts, the Beskar served well in the build’s level 65 iteration. The anointment of the shield truly does not matter in this build. You could go for extra cooldown rate per kill if you want to see IC more often for support, but it would also mean Big Surplus would have less uptime.
Lightspeed is chosen so that it can contribute to both Matched Set and Harmonious Havoc. With no investment in Demolition Woman, there’s no utility let alone sufficient DPS to be had other than boosting our guns with the 25% OGT anointment.
Reflux is renowned as a shotgun that makes the most sense with Fl4k because of their Megavore capstone. But a little-known fact is that Moze can also make it deal disgusting group damage as well. The corrosive tesla beams don’t just carry Urad damage; Big Surplus also rides the beams! When IC goes on cooldown and the tier 1 skill kicks in, the difference in DPS from the beams is astonishing. Throw in constant amp shots into the equation and Moze can tear through multiple badasses in mere seconds with this legendary shotgun!
Heart Breaker is a surprise addition to the level 72 version of this build. Because it’s a Moxxi shotgun with 20% life steal, every successful shot is essentially an amp shot regardless of Rushin’ Offensive and to accentuate that advantage, it also surpasses the Reflux in base damage, fire rate and can drop in any of the elements, making it a potentially much stronger Hyperion shotgun against singular targets.
FINAL NOTES
Since I posted this build about five months before updating it, the Urad anointment has been nerfed and Hemovorous the Invincible is part of end game content, just to make creating a non-meta build that handles all content a little more challenging. However since then, the level cap has increased, Hemovorous drops the Company Man, the Reflux got a 31.4% damage buff and in further testing, I discovered a hidden gem in the form of the Heart Breaker which people might have forgotten that back in December 2020, it got a 130% damage buff and its life steal quadrupled!
Normally, Moxxi’s Hyperion shotgun would be more effective in Fl4k’s hands for example, especially as they get the benefit of life steal which isn’t present in their skill trees. But in an amped Bloodletter build, it is so damn effective that it convinced me to ditch the Hellwalker! The weapon’s inherent life steal is fully recharging your shield with every shot, thus every shot that lands is amped. On top of that, it’s more ammo-efficient and can drop in any element. With Moxxi’s shotgun for heavy damage + sustain versus single targets, and caustic beams for group damage combined with Rushin’ Offensive, further testing proved to me that there was almost no point using any of the other Hyperion shotguns as far as this build is concerned.
Iron Cub burns through his little fuel tank very quickly. Nevertheless, he dishes out a metric ton of DPS and is great support when Big Surplus is on downtime. But when the little bear does go to sleep, that’s when Moze comes alive. Even with no splash damage or any Demolition Woman skills in the picture, introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. Moze is an agent of chaos. And you know the thing about chaos? It’s fair.