Borderlands 2 initially featured four playable characters set in Pandora, but a later DLC added two more characters as Vault Hunters. Each character has unique and special abilities, and players are spoiled for choice in the sequel to Borderlands. This guide will rank Vault Hunters with an emphasis on their abilities, play style, and effectiveness in the early and late stages of the game. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
6. Axton
Right at the bottom of the list in the commando class is Axton. Despite an army background, Axton only offers a few different skills or abilities. Equipped with his iconic Sabre Turret, Axton’s generic character design could be more fun to play with than other vault Hunters.
Axton is useful in the late game. His Sabre Turret’s deployment allows him to fire in a 360° arc, which can be upgraded with many weapons and abilities. He also wields a tomahawk as his melee weapon. Skip this character for those looking for fun and excitement in their gameplay.
5. Krieg
One of the most fun and deranged characters to play with, Krieg resembles a living nightmare out of the Mad Max universe. Armed with a buzz axe, Krieg easily slashes and dismembers enemies, leaving blood puddles wherever he leaves.
Krieg excels at mobbing and swarming enemies but performs poorly against Raid Bosses. He’s undoubtedly the worst character to play with in the game’s later stages.
Due to childhood abuse and failed experiments, Krieg is a bloodthirsty and deranged character ideal for those with an appetite for gratuitous violence. Krieg has an insane melee damage bonus and easily outperforms other characters in terms of melee damage. He can also regain a better part of his health with melee kills.
4. Gaige
The next one is Gaige in the Mechromancer class. Paired with her robotic bodyguard, Deathtrap or DT, as it’s commonly known, she is a fun and exciting character to play with. Gaige’s combat abilities are limited without Deathtrap, which consists of stacking Anarchy Stacks to summon Deathtrap. Deathtrap stays on the battlefield for 60 seconds and has a cooldown period of 60 seconds.
Farming Anarchy Stacks can become a bit boring and monotonous. Defeating Bosses without Anarchy Stacks stacked up becomes very difficult as Gaige does minimal damage to enemies on her own. Playing with Gaige is fascinating but becomes tedious and repetitive after a short duration.
3. Maya
Breaking into the top three, Maya is a Siren class character, making her powerful and effective to play with. Maya’s primary ability is Phaselock. This skill allows her to suspend enemies in another dimension, locking them in stasis and allowing her to deal damage to them. This skill is particularly advantageous when dealing with groups of enemies.
Maya is an exceptional character in the early and late stages of the game with her multiple abilities such as Cloud Kill, Chain Reaction, and Ruin. Coupled with her support abilities, such as Restoration and Elated, she can regenerate her health and those playing alongside her.
Maya is an enjoyable character to play with, easing the game’s difficulty, and coupled with her extraordinary abilities; she’s one of the most coveted characters in the game.
2. Zer0
The second vault hunter on this list, Zer0, is an Assasssin class character with overpowered CRIT and melee damage capabilities. He has a long range of skills acquired from assassinating enemy targets. His nickname Zer0 is derived from the holographic “0” displayed on his head plate after dispatching an enemy. Zero wields an iconic sword for his devastating melee attacks.
Zero has multiple abilities, with his most powerful being the BOre skill. This skill allows Zer0 to snipe enemies and bullets to pierce through enemies. If the bullet hits another target after piercing one, it will give a massive damage bonus. You can use the Twister gun to maximize the damage from this unique skill.
Zer0 is a solid character and an exceptional Vault Hunter. It’s also possible to One-shot kill enemy bosses using the exceptional BOre skill. The only drawback is that Zer0 could be a better-performing character in the game’s early stages. His action skills are useless until the player levels him up and transforms Zer0 into one of the most powerful playable characters in the game.
1. Salvador
At the top of the list sits Salvador, a Gunzerker class character. His unique ability to wield two guns simultaneously makes him one of the deadliest characters in the game. With his large frame and steely demeanor, enemies wouldn’t like to get on his bad side. His other abilities of Gun Lust and Rampage increase his dual-wielding skills and amplify weapon capabilities.
The Brawn skill tree allows him to boost the damage he can take and dish out. He restores some of his health and constantly heals as long as Gunzerking is active. Combined with the Deputy build and healing with a Moxie gun in one hand makes all enemy bosses seem trivial and puny to him.
An overpowered and insanely strong character, Salvador should be the character of choice for amateurs and seasoned veterans. The only drawback regarding Salvador is that he’s heavily gear-dependent, and with appropriate and favourable gear, it’s easier to establish utter dominance on the battlefield.
That’s all from this guide. Thanks for reading this thoroughly. Adios!