Just another Borderlands addict. Played all the classes, but prefer Lilith and Roland. Went straight from Borderlands to DLC3 since the Mad Moxxi DLC sounded like my idea of hell, and I wanted to get my hands on Pearlescent weapons. Well, I've found a few - but the ones I've found suck. Give me a Hellfire and a Defiler, an Anarchy and an Ogre, and I'm happy. Oh, and an Orion! And a Volcano. And a Pestilent Crux for up close and personal. And 2-shot mashers with good scopes are pretty damned nice, too - especially my Jakob's Unforgiven Masher.
When I get round to it I'll put up a gallery of my better weapon finds (mainly from The Armory since I've only recently managed to solo Crawmerax and so far the loot has been ordinary) [Edit: DONE]. I only play solo. I've played around a little bit with Willowtree and making constructs (not modded weapons, just trying to get the best legitimate stats possible for a particular weapon - no Shredder Shredders or Anarchy Serpens [Edit - oh all right, just one Anarchy Serpens]), but I've given it up; seems to me the whole point of Borderlands is making that big find. All weapons I've posted on this Wiki have been found by me, not constructed or duped.
Love this site - the information is incredible. I've made a few minor contributions, but nothing earth-shattering. I did do a bunch of runs of the Armory to see if killing Knoxx with Knoxx's Gold improved loot; the data suggests it does, but I haven't got any statistical analysis skills so I can't prove it - if anyone wants to analyse the data properly I can supply an Excel spreadsheet of the raw data. Contact me on my talk page.
In my real life (such as it is) I'm a children's musician doing shows in junior primary schools with instruments made out of junk; give me a piece of PVC pipe and I'll make you an orchestra: strings, woodwind, brass, percussion - the works. No, really! You haven't lived until you've played a sewerage pipe banjo, a garden-hose trumpet, or a bass drum made from a recycled 200 litre detergent barrel. And don't get me started on thongaphones (AKA slapaphones). My other hobbies are computer music (Propellerhead Reason and Record, mainly) and fishing from my Hobie Outback kayak.
I'm off to kill Crawmerax again - see you.
The hardcore "Farming? Hell, I'm a city boy!" Challenge
Fryguy42 came up with a great page on the forum Things to do in Pandora when you're dead, full of ideas for challenges when you are getting bored or overconfident. I came up with the idea of subverting the central idea of Borderlands: what if you tried to complete the game without doing any farming, or buying any weapons or items? You'd have to do the whole game using only weapons and items that you received as Mission rewards, or that were dropped by enemies, or were found in dumpsters and the like. That's right - no weapons or items from chests or vendors at all. Hmm - tricky.
Well, I've just completed playthrough 1 of BL and the Knoxx DLC playing as a Soldier (appropriately named Death Wish). And yes, I died a lot. Taking on the Eridian Promontory without a Shock Sniper (or any Shock weapon with a scope) was a very, very slow process - if you hit the Eridians often enough with a standard scoped Shottie they die, slightly before you die of old age. Taking out Lance in DLC3 with The Blister was even slower - it Procs less often then the Pope has sex.
I didn't find a single weapon in DLC3 that was better than the stuff I'd received as Mission rewards in BL - even the Ajax's Spear did less DPS than the MG I already had, and the Mission rewards were all for weapon types I had no Proficiency in. I only completed the DLC3 up to the first Armory Mission - I've no idea whether it's possible to take out Craw with this gear, but I shouldn't think so.
My final loadout gives you an idea of how tough this challenge was:
MG: Purple Lvl 28 AR390/V3 Glorious Havoc; Dam 117, Acc 82.4, RoF 12.1, Mag 72, no zoom
Corrosive Shotgun: Blue Lvl 19 The Blister; Dam 40 x9, Acc 56.7, RoF 0.9, Mag 6, Corrosive x1, 3.6x Zoom
Shotgun: Purple Lvl 19 SG10/V2 Painful Shotgun; Dam 46 x 7, Acc 66.5, RoF 1.9, Mag 5, 3.0x zoom
Combat Rifle: Blue Lvl 25 ARD Desert Stomper; Dam 149, Acc 91.7, RoF 15.0, Mag 12, 1.4x zoom
Most of these are weapons that I wouldn't have thought twice about before selling when playing the game normally. I didn't get a single decent sniper up until getting Kyros' Power, so I had no proficiency in Snipers - the ARD Desert Stomper took on that role instead. Nor did I find a single Corrosive revolver. The Painful Shotgun (I think it was a mission reward) was the most used, and most useful, weapon; with a Lvl 22 540 Commando Mod that gave +60% Shotgun Fire Rate and +3 Scattershot and +2 Defense the shottie was actually very capable.
But actually it wasn't the weapons that were what made it so tough; they were adequate if you were careful. The big problem was the lack of quality shields. Taking on Sledge with a shield that was around 100 was a nightmare, and when I started Knoxx I was still using a shield of around 330. One hit from a Lance and - boom! No shield! Fortunately I was able to pick up a slightly better shield before tackling Mr Shank - I only died once, but probably only because he did that weird thing where he gets stuck in a pillar so he held still while I pumped him full of shotgun rounds. I ended up with a shield that was dropped by Typhon, a Lvl 37 Impenetrable Tough Guy Capacity 779, Recharge 123, which made Knoxx himself doable.
So, was it fun? Yes, in a "why do I do these things to myself?" sort of way. For maximum self-inflicted Schadenfreude I opened the various Weapon Chests I found, looked at the weapons and shields I could have taken - and walked away. And, no, I didn't pick up anything in The Armory.
It could have been worse; the Scorpio Turret got a lot of use. Playing as some of the other classes would have been much more difficult.
Try this challenge yourself if you're feeling suicidal.
These are the weapons I actually use frequently - I've also got a collection of other weapons that I've kept because they are good of their kind but don't suit my playstyle. I'm what you might call a compulsive collector, so I Willowtreed my backpack to give me room to keep stuff that isn't actually of any use to me. I'll probably add a gallery of those in the fulness of time.
Weapons I use with my Level 61 Lilith build, Circe
My go-to weapon for most Lance; if it was Level 61 and had a better scope it would be perfect. **Now retired**
My new, better 2-shot Pestilent Defiler (a drop from Craw). Slightly more powerful, slightly better zoom, but unfortunately slightly less accurate: it's still an improvement on my previous one, which I've now passed to my Hunter build, Mort. **Added 19/07/10**
Wow - an almost perfect 2-shot Defiler! OK, it's a little less powerful than the Lvl 58 AX C, but with the better scope, and the better accuracy and lower recoil that comes from it having Barrel 5 it's a much better and more useable weapon. Apart from the scope (which is Scope 4) it's straight 5s in GearCalc, and could only be improved on by being Lvl 61. Barrel 4 would make it more powerful (like the AX C), but would decrease accuracy and increase recoil. A drop from Craw. **added 24/09/10**
I don't actually use this much, except as an ersatz sniper. Just wish it had the Masher accessory!
Finally I get an Unforgiven with the Masher accessory, and bugger! No zoom! Its RoF is very slow too. I'll just have to try it out on Craw and see if it is an improvement over my other Mashers, but I doubt if I can live with the iron sight. [Edit: I was right - no sight = no good]**Added 19/07/10** Now sold
Yes! A very nice 6-shot Unforgiven with the Masher accessory, which does 4937 damage on a full critical hit on Craw. 3 clean shots to take out his back when playing 2 players on LAN. Quite a good scope too. A drop from Craw. **Added 20/07/10**
Finally, a good 2-shot Masher Unforgiven with a scope. Does 6377 damage on a clean hit on Craw. RoF is low but it's still very, very nice. **added 23/07/10**
Magic on Bandits, and good for Crawmerax's front spots from the safe location. Faster RoF would be nice, as would Barrel 4 or 5. **now retired in favour of the AX 300 XX Savage Masher**
My new fave for Crawmerax. Pity the accuracy is so low, but it's definitely more effective than the RV300 ZZ Savage Masher I was using before because of the extra damage & higher RoF. I love Mashers - the spread makes up for my rotten aiming :) . I'm also now using it for the back spot on Craw instead of the Anarchy. **Added 15/07/10**
My best Lightning revolver. Works a treat on Lance probes and Chemical Troopers.
Quite a nice Hellfire - still looking for one with better accuracy and Very High Elemental Effect, but the good damage and high RoF makes this a very capable weapon.
Not a bad Anarchy, and you don't need a good scope with Anarchies. Mainly used for taking out Crawmerax's back spot or crit-locking Devastators & Knoxx, and it's deadly on Drifters. A great "spray and pray" weapon. It's only 37 x4 off the highest possible damage for an Anarchy (204 x4), and it's got the fastest possible RoF, which is essential in Anarchies. Chews through bullets, of course, but that's what you need in an Anarchy - they're all about DPS!
My best Lightning SMG, but I need a better one; damage is too low, accuracy sucks, only x3 Shock, and it's only High, not Very High. **Retired**
The better Lightning Stinger I was looking for. Better in every way, except its Stock 4, so more recoil than if it had Stock 5. Looted from the Armory. **Added 19/07/10**
A really useful weapon against Armored Craw Worms, especially if you need a second wind. Damage could be higher, but it still does the job.
Not a bad Draco, and an alternative to the Hellfire.
Only Level 48, so the damage is way down but still not bad on Devastators. I need a better one badly. **Now retired**
The better Ogre I was looking for. Can't wait to try it out on Knoxx and the Devastators. A drop from Craw. **Added 18/07/10**
An even better Ogre! Other than being "only" Level 60 it's perfect - straight 5s in Gearcalc and with the best sight. If it had Barrel 4 it would be more powerful but with worse recoil, or if it had Body 3 it would be x4 but less powerful, with a slower RoF and only very slightly better recoil. I'll take it! A drop from Craw. **added 21/07/10**
Good accuracy, damage & RoF, but only x3 Corrosive. My most used shottie.
Only let down by the middling accuracy and lower damage, but great up close. No scope - who cares in a shottie?
Great RoF & accuracy, and good for finishing off those pesky Lance Chemical Troopers.
You've got to be close, but the damage is insane!
A very nice Volcano. Very usable on anything fleshy and you can get consistent crits from way back with the good accuracy & scope.
I use this to take out Craw Maggots from the safe spot (and an earlier Orion got me through the Eridian Promontory no sweat). **now retired in favour of the PPZ470 Liquid Orion**
The better Orion I was looking for. Even though it's only Level 57 the fact it has Barrel 4 brings the damage up and makes it x4, not x3. Downside is greatly increased recoil, but you can't have everything. Shame it's not Material 3, as that would increase the damage further. **added 15/07/10**
Weapons I use with my Level 61 Roland build, Zevon
Just an amazing Draco, and lots of fun to use. With the good Sight 1 scope and excellent accuracy/recoil reduction it's damn near perfect. It's straight 5s on GearCalc - if it had barrel 4 (not 5) it would be more powerful (324 damage) but it would lose some accuracy & recoil reduction. Probably the best weapon from a technical perspective I've ever found.
This was my main MG until I found the Draco, and it's still a nice weapon with its higher RoF. Chews through ammo but kills quickly :)
A bit inaccurate, but it's murder up close. No scope, but doesn't really need one for the way I use it.
A good Ogre, though the RoF is low, and it doesn't have a scope. Very effective on Devastators and Knoxx. Strangely, I haven't been able to accurately recreate it on GearCalc - I must be doing something wrong.
My main weapon on most Lance. Quite a good 2-shot Defiler, though I'd like a better one with Barrel5 and Body 5 for accuracy and damage. Scope is OK, but not really good enough to use as an ersatz sniper.
A solid Unforgiven - wish it had the Masher accessory, and no scope unfortunately.
Quite a nice Lightning Justice; still looking for one with Very High effect or x4.
A fairly good Masher, though it's low on RoF. Still a very usable weapon.
A cracker of a Hellfire - good in every respect except accuracy. It's only 22 units off the maximum possible damage (Barrel 4 gives 233), but if it had Barrel 5 instead of the Barrel 2 its actually got, it would have the same damage (211) but 93.5 accuracy and much better recoil. Even so, it's still by far the best Hellfire I've found.
A really wonderful Anarchy - 204 x4 is the maximum possible damage, and 13.8 is the maximum possible RoF, and it's got the largest possible magazine. To my mind it's almost the perfect Anarchy; Barrel 1 would improve accuracy slightly to 31.7, but drop the damage to 179 x4 and that's a big difference for very little improvement in accuracy. Stock 5 would improve recoil, and that's the only change I'd make. Lovely, lovely gun!
Quite a nice Pestilent Stinger, though I don't use it much, preferring to go with my Defiler. Another one I've not been able to recreate on GearCalc - I can't get it to go above Vitriolic and still keep the same prefix and stats. Strange.
A nice-ish Hornet, though the damage is a bit low since it only has Body 2, not body 4, and barrel 5, not Barrel 4 (those two changes would bring it up to 319 damage and increase it to x3 Corrosive, and only slightly reduce accuracy and RoF; if it also had action 5 it would go 330 damage, 7.3 RoF, x3 Corrosive). Still, the sight is great, the accuracy is good, and it's an alternative to Defilers when RoF is more important than sheer grunt. A fun weapon.
A nice Torment with the big magazine and a reasonable scope (no cross-hairs, unfortunately). I don't use it much but it's quite good on Bandits.
A solid Maliwan Crux (wish they'd kept the Plague title). Good damage, accuracy and RoF, but only x3 and High Effect chance. I need a better one.
A nice Brute with good RoF and the big magazine. Does the job, though it could be a lot more powerful. Still looking.
More grunt than the Spiked Brute, but that low RoF limits its use. Again, still looking.
Really powerful Volcano, and it's accurate with a good scope. Only High Effect though, and the RoF is slow. It's still the one I turn to most, as my others are much less powerful.
The red text says it all, really. Makes things go BOOM very well indeed.
A nice Orion, though only x3 and with the basic scope. Looking for a better one.
Invaders are FUN! Sure, the damage is low but the RoF and burst fire is what makes the Invader a great gun. You can use it like a combat rifle, only with more grunt and accuracy, or hang back and get in half a dozen crits before the enemy knows you're there.
So far I've found 14 Cyan rarity weapons, but I'm not getting the ones I want. Even though Zevon is maxed out on Combat Rifle proficiency the Avengers just aren't that good to play with (though that may be something to do with my playstyle). I very rarely use Launchers so the Undertakers aren't much use to me either, although I must say that the RWL720 Steel Undertaker is a cracker of a Corrosive launcher and in the right hands it would be deadly. What I really want is a Serpens, a Bessie, an Aries, and a better Tsunami.
Just to see what I was missing I built myself maxed-out versions of those weapons and shields in GearCalc and Willowtree - and yes, they are all much better suited to my playstyle than the ones I've found so far. The Serpens in particular is a real monster of a gun - I want to find one so much! I deleted the ones I had built, since I basicly play Borderlands to collect weapons, and building them seems pointless to me and takes away all the fun of the game (YMMV, of course - if you like playing with constructed weapons that's up to you).
I now farm Craw using a LAN game on my PC with 3 dummy characters (3 Sirens) who sit at the bottom of the elevator while I solo Craw with another Siren. All four wear +2FRI Class Mods. I have to run it on minimum video settings, and the frame rate sucks but it's playable. The loot? Well, there's lots more of it (around 160 items & weapons in each run), but I'm still waiting for my Serpens. It's a slow process - I did 120 Craw runs for a total of 3 Cyan weapons!
Found by Zevon in the Armory
Found by Zevon in the Armory
Fond by Zevon in the Armory
Another Avenger, and a very ordinary one it is too. Found by Circe as a drop from Craw. **added 24/09/10**
Found by Zevon in the Armory.
Found by Zevon in a Crimson Lance chest in Road's End, just before the Armory.
A very nice Undertaker - shame I'm appalling with launchers. Even with maxed proficiency I just don't seem to do much damage with them - it must be a technique problem on my part. A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 20/08/10
Another Undertaker, curse my luck! A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 20/08/10
I can't see this getting much use. Damn it, I want a Serpens! Found by Circe as a drop from Crawmerax. **added 25/07/10**
Another Stalker, and it hasn't even got a zoom, worse luck! Found by Circe as a drop from Crawmerax. **added 7/08/10**
Yet another Stalker, and while the stats are good it's got the "slow as molasses on a winter's day" Cold accessory - you fire it and you feel like you could run after the bullets and catch them before they hit the target LOL. A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 22/08/10.
Shame it's got no zoom and it's only level 48, and that it's a thumper. Still, I'll take it! Found by Finis in the Armory 1/08/10
Well it's a little higher RoF than my thumper Tsunami, and its got a good scope and a big magazine; shame it's not an HX body. A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 20/08/10.
Quite a decent Jackal. I'll try it out to see if I can use it to take out the back spot on Craw. A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 20/08/10
3 Shields so far, all from Craw, and the two Omegas were found on the same day only 14 runs apart; it's been a good day - I got another Stalker only 10 runs later!
This was my first ever Pearlescent drop from Craw, and I'm still using it as my main shield. The relatively low recharge rate is more than made up for by its capacity when farming Craw as a Siren. Not the best choice when recharge rate is more important, but I've got other shields for those situations. Only Level 59, but still very nice.
Quite a reasonable Omega - the capacity isn't particularly high but the recharge rate is good and the Extreme Shock Resistance makes this a better shield than my other Omega in my opinion. A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 22/08/10
Good capacity, but only the lowest level of Shock Resistance. A drop from Craw. Found by Circe. Added 22/08/10
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