Borderlands 2: Vault Hunter’s Tips- Part 1

Ahoy there Vault hunters, we sure hope you’re enjoying your adventures in the ravaged wastes of Pandora as much as we are.  By now you’ve probably heard, Borderlands 2 is massive hit, and with good reason.  While the game is fun alone, Borderlands 2 really gets interesting when you have a well balanced party itching for action.   Long ago, in an age lost to time, I was an avid MMO player, and even ran my own guild for longer than I care to admit.  On top of giving me a very flat bottom (from all the sitting that transpired), guild leadership taught me to be infinitely patient when dealing with folks in multiplayer games.   After playing through Borderlands 2 with a number of friends this week, some game changing tips popped into my gun porn filled noggin.

Put the “I” in team… wait that’s not right:  Borderlands 2 is a game that is just begging for gamers to be team players.  Talk to your party and find out what sort of character they’re playing and respec your character to better fit the group dynamic.  Having a character that can buff or heal in some capacity will work wonders for your team’s surviveability.  The good news is that respec costs are typically pretty low and don’t punish the players for trying out something new.  Believe it or not the Tank/ DPS/ CC/ Healer roles found in most MMOs still work here, except with guns.  Make sure you’re still having fun though!

Hands off my epix!:  Was it World of Warcraft that we have to blame for epic envy?  Who knows.  What we do know is that item collection has become very important to modern game players.  Always remember that it’s just fake stuff and don’t ever let a virtual item get you agitated at another player!    With loot always set to FFA (free for all), there is no way to stop folks in your party from “yoinking” all of your sweet epics.  Just let it go!  The only weapons that matter in the slightest are high level weapons that will be kept for months or years to come.  Also, have you SEEN how many items are in this game?

Jabber Jaw! : I pity the player that plays alone.  Talk to your friends about what adventures they’d like to go on and keep the channels of communication open at all times.  If you’re running off to look for loot or glory, let your team know!  There is nothing more tragic than getting blown in half by gunfire while trying to pick up your buddy the Gunzerker for the 100th time.  Okay, there are a few things more tragic… I’m just being super dramatic.

” I’ve got you “

Group Loot: While certain items are not shared between party members (guns, shields, mods, etc), most things are.  This means that cash, ammo, and Eridium (sp?) (PURPLE MONEEEEEEYYY!) , are totally shared.  When exiting a cleared dungeon, players often travel in a large group in order to head to the next instanced area together.  Forget that!  Have one player head for the exit while the rest split up and scavenge the crates and boxes in search of that sweet sweet purple money.  This is one of the rare times when “I think we should all split up” actually works quite well.  Remember when one party member exits a zone the rest will follow.

So there you have it.  Part one of our random ravings about the glory that is Borderlands 2.  Check back next week for more intel from the trenches.