Borderlands 2 is a much-loved fan-favorite game that provides a wide selection of 6 interesting characters. This is a game that you’ll take time to understand but once you do, you’ll get hooked to it. So, character selection is very important in a gaming set up like so. With the wrong character, you might have to restart the game because you chose a character you don’t like.
We can’t afford all the progress and time put into the game just to pick another character. So, we need to choose the right one out of the 4 basic launch and 2 DLC characters. This guide will help you choose the best characters in Borderlands 2 for both co-op and solo play.
Let’s get a brief understanding of the main abilities of the characters and then we’ll discuss which character is best for you.
Borderlands 2 Vault Hunter Characters
Axton
This is one of the most generic Borderlands best characters. He is a soldier class type of shooter character. And his weaponry mainly includes long-range and mid-range weapons. Also, he has a special ability that he can use to summon turrets.
Axton is amazing when it comes to fighting enemies in a small zone. But, he struggles to do so in a wide area. If you love playing Call of Duty and Battlefield, then this one will seem familiar to you. Moreover, this character is a good consideration if you are playing in solo mode.
Maya
Maya is a powerful character and the siren of the Vault Hunters group. She has a super cool ability that allows her to suspend anybody to a different dimension. Also, she can freeze her enemy and thus, ends up doing much more damage to the enemy.
The freezing process can further be upgraded as well. This capability of hers is known as Phaselock and turns out to be fairly useful while playing in both solo and co-op.
Zer0
Zer0 is a cool and secretive Borderlands 2 character. Since he always wears a mask, nobody knows what he really looks like. He is an assassin who charges money to go on missions and ended up with the Vault Hunters after he helped them find the Vault.
He has a special ability called Deception that allows him to portray a holographic decoy of his own. This will distract enemies and while the decoy has been deployed. He can also turn invisible to escape harm’s way. Moreover, his damage gets boosted and in turn, he can defeat stronger enemies.
Salvador
Salvador is one of the best characters to pick in Borderlands 2 since he has the Gunzerker ability. Moreover, he can use equip two weapons at the same time. While in Gunzerking, he can regain both his health and ammo and boost up his stats.
He is the only Vault Hunter of the game to be born and brought up in Pandora. The cooling downtime for the Gunzerker ability is 42 seconds and its duration lasts for 20 seconds. Keep in mind that this character is wanted for having committed several crimes such as cannibalism, theft, etc.
Gaige
Gaige is the very first character launched as DLC in Borderlands 2. The only method of availing her is to buy her or by using the GOTY edition. Her major ability is the Deathtrap where a robot appears and helps her in battles.
This ability lasts for only 60 seconds and takes yet another 60 seconds to cool down. On the other hand, its base time limit is the longest among all other Vault Hunters.
Krieg
Krieg is the 2nd character released by DLC for the Borderlands 2 game. You have to buy it or you can get it via GOTY edition. This character seems to be suffering from a personality disorder called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). He is often found arguing with his inner voice that was created due to his several past traumatic experiences.
The major ability of Krieg is Buzz Axe Rampage which makes you swing the buzz ax very quickly. Also, it deals huge damage to enemies. You can also hit someone at a distance by throwing the ax. Moreover, his melee damage is 500% more than all other Vault Hunters. And his movement speed is 33% more.
How to Choose The Best Character in Borderlands 2: For Both Solo and Co-Op Players
Borderlands 2 is one of the best games to play both in solo mode and with friends. If you want to play solo, then the best character to pick would be the ones with enhanced health and those that can deploy things.
The reason being that these abilities will allow the players to stay alive longer. The best character picks for solo players are Axton, Kreig, and Gaige. All these characters have very defensive playing styles and skill trees coupled with passive abilities.
If you are playing in co-op mode with friends, then you also need to consider how your abilities will help your squad. Also, you need to check that the character’s abilities don’t slacken your team. Take note of the playing style of your partner so that both of you can complement each other’s fighting abilities. The characters that work best when in a team are Maya, Zer0, and Salvador.
Maya can Phaselock her enemies for a while and in the meantime, her team can deal damage with them. On the other hand, Zero focuses on short-range combats and needs his teammates to support him to deal with efficient damage. Moreover, his duplicate can act as a distraction and help his team members to make killing moves.
Lastly, Salvador is a very powerful character that can equip two guns at a time to create massive havoc. But, increased damage can result in decreased health and shields. So, Salvador cannot survive without a team.
Final Words
Borderlands 2 is one of the best games in the Borderlands franchise. Also, it is a great game for beginner gamers. This game features a great storyline and a cool lineup of characters to choose from. So, you can explore around with different characters and uncover which playstyle suits you the best.
