The game has a progression similar to Diablo if you've ever played that. You play through the story initially in Normal mode (levels 1-30). Completing that unlocks True Vault Hunter Mode or TVHM (levels 30-50). Enemy and dropped gear levels are increased appropriately. Then once you complete the story again in TVHM, it unlocks Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode or UVHM (levels 50-80). The enemies there are locked to always be 2 levels above you no matter your level. Gear is also drastically better. For most enemies, you have to apply slag effect to them before trying to deal damage or you just waste ammo. You can also reset UVHM at any time and play through it again to pick different quest rewards or whatever. Well, it doesn't end there. You can also play the Digistruct Peak challenge to go into Overpower levels. If you see someone say OP5 or OP8 or whatever, that's how many times they completed Digistruct peak. You don't gain any skill points for OP levels, but the enemies and gear do increase (drastically) in power. You can switch between Normal/TVHM/UVHM/OP on the character load screen. The story progression of each mode is tracked separately, but you keep your same gear/level regardless of mode. You might not actually be able to do OP levels now without the Command Lilith DLC.
I started with Zero because I wanted to snipe things. Eventually I discovered that a lot of encounters in the game spawn in waves or proximity that do not give you much opportunity to snipe at a distance. So I next tried Salvador and frankly hated playing him in Normal mode. He doesn't have enough skill points to really lean into Gunzerking until partway through TVHM. Then I played Gaige. She was a lot of fun to play due to Anarchy and Blood Soaked Shields up until close to the end of TVHM. Then I hit a wall with her. I circled back to Salvador and used mostly the Brawn tree until I hit a wall. By then I had enough points to transition into a passable gunzerking build based on this. Salvador did turn out enjoyable but the choice was as much about utility as anything -- he can take on the vast majority of endgame content solo. He does get old considering I used the same weapons throughout most of UVHM (Unkempt Harold + Grog Nozzle). But I switched it up by using the Deputy build for a while.
One thing to note about the game is that it is as much dependent on gear as it is on character builds (to a lesser degree with Krieg). You can have the best build but still die constantly if your gear is under-leveled. Gear lasts for many levels in Normal mode, but in TVHM sometimes a gun 5 levels behind just won't cut it anymore. And in UVHM as few as 2 or 3 levels can make or break you. When you hit a wall, it's probably time to hunt for better gear. I ended up using Golden Keys a bit to fill in the gaps in Normal and TVHM. Also, tipping Moxxi can get you a new fire-based SMG at any time (level of weapon is tied to storyline progress -- will be the same level as Markus's "practice dummy"). I had to use these tactics since Normal/TVHM do not scale enemies to your level. So you can't really farm bosses for higher level items... i.e. Normal mode Knuckle Dragger will always be level 2 or 3 and drop a level 1-4 Hornet, regardless of your character level.
Golden Keys
You have to sign up for a Shift account (can do that in game or on Gearbox website). Then you can apply codes to your account which give you Golden Keys. Each key lets you open the golden chest in Sanctuary once. Every time you open it, you get 2-4 random purple items the same level as your character. On PC, you can basically get unlimited golden keys by backing up your profile.bin found in your save game folder, using as many keys as you want, then restoring your old profile.bin.
Also not all gear variations are good. Most all non-unique ARs are terrible. For snipes, I found the Droog or other high fire rate variants to be the most adaptable between distance and close range. Other weapon variants have their place with different character builds. For example, Gaige benefits a lot from low round count weapons (Jakobs pistols/shotguns) to build up anarchy stacks. And other chars have bonuses for specific weapons like Maya and SMGs. So you just have to make sure to play to your strengths, but also have fun trying different things. It is very cheap to respec your character, so experiment!
I also like a lot of VinylicPuma's videos on BL2 for explanations. Like this one.
This is quite possibly the most awesome reply I've ever gotten on the internets. I signed up for a Shift account and it looks like I just missed some BL2 keys. I can grab the Pre-Sequel keys though.
Glad to help. :) There should be plenty of still-active BL2 codes at the link. I only made it part of the way through the list before I maxed out Golden Keys (255 is cap). I used the gearbox website to apply them as it was easier to copy/paste into than the game itself. Have fun!
OMG yes. I just linked my Xbox Live account and now they're not failing anymore. I think I'm hovering right around the limit so I'll stop copy/pasting. :) When is best to actually use them?
I would save them until you start to hit a wall. For me, that meant dying a lot and getting frustrated. That might be earlier or later for different characters and playstyles and luck of the drops. None of what you get from golden chests will be best in slot (compared to unique/legendary) so it is not a big deal to vendor it. You'll probably have to use several keys at a time before you get something useful. The cap of 255 keys was enough for me to get several chars through Normal and TVHM.
In UVHM, current level gear always drops, so it gets more into having the right prep: a slag method (Slagga or Magic Missiles from Normal were what I used primarily) and the right elements for enemies you face. But you might find odd gear gaps where you still want to use the golden keys.
If nothing else, you can always farm Savage Lee for an Unkempt Harold to get you by. (When you want one for keepsies, probably better to reload until the Torgue DLC vendor has a Double Penetrating prefix. And spend Torgue tokens to buy one. You can farm tokens in Normal mode but spend them in UVHM lol.)
Oh yes, and if you run out of golden keys, you can also try the slot machines to get gear, although it is much slower going. They only provide gear at the level of Sanctuary (same level as training dummy), and it is random (mostly low) quality. If you are short of cash for slot machines, you can tip Moxxi the lower amount until you get Good Touch and just vendor it. Then reload and do it again until you have all the money you want. :) Edit Actually, that might only work in higher modes, where the tip amount is still small, but the weapon sells for a lot.
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The game has a progression similar to Diablo if you've ever played that. You play through the story initially in Normal mode (levels 1-30). Completing that unlocks True Vault Hunter Mode or TVHM (levels 30-50). Enemy and dropped gear levels are increased appropriately. Then once you complete the story again in TVHM, it unlocks Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode or UVHM (levels 50-80). The enemies there are locked to always be 2 levels above you no matter your level. Gear is also drastically better. For most enemies, you have to apply slag effect to them before trying to deal damage or you just waste ammo. You can also reset UVHM at any time and play through it again to pick different quest rewards or whatever. Well, it doesn't end there. You can also play the Digistruct Peak challenge to go into Overpower levels. If you see someone say OP5 or OP8 or whatever, that's how many times they completed Digistruct peak. You don't gain any skill points for OP levels, but the enemies and gear do increase (drastically) in power. You can switch between Normal/TVHM/UVHM/OP on the character load screen. The story progression of each mode is tracked separately, but you keep your same gear/level regardless of mode. You might not actually be able to do OP levels now without the Command Lilith DLC.
I started with Zero because I wanted to snipe things. Eventually I discovered that a lot of encounters in the game spawn in waves or proximity that do not give you much opportunity to snipe at a distance. So I next tried Salvador and frankly hated playing him in Normal mode. He doesn't have enough skill points to really lean into Gunzerking until partway through TVHM. Then I played Gaige. She was a lot of fun to play due to Anarchy and Blood Soaked Shields up until close to the end of TVHM. Then I hit a wall with her. I circled back to Salvador and used mostly the Brawn tree until I hit a wall. By then I had enough points to transition into a passable gunzerking build based on this. Salvador did turn out enjoyable but the choice was as much about utility as anything -- he can take on the vast majority of endgame content solo. He does get old considering I used the same weapons throughout most of UVHM (Unkempt Harold + Grog Nozzle). But I switched it up by using the Deputy build for a while.
One thing to note about the game is that it is as much dependent on gear as it is on character builds (to a lesser degree with Krieg). You can have the best build but still die constantly if your gear is under-leveled. Gear lasts for many levels in Normal mode, but in TVHM sometimes a gun 5 levels behind just won't cut it anymore. And in UVHM as few as 2 or 3 levels can make or break you. When you hit a wall, it's probably time to hunt for better gear. I ended up using Golden Keys a bit to fill in the gaps in Normal and TVHM. Also, tipping Moxxi can get you a new fire-based SMG at any time (level of weapon is tied to storyline progress -- will be the same level as Markus's "practice dummy"). I had to use these tactics since Normal/TVHM do not scale enemies to your level. So you can't really farm bosses for higher level items... i.e. Normal mode Knuckle Dragger will always be level 2 or 3 and drop a level 1-4 Hornet, regardless of your character level.
Also not all gear variations are good. Most all non-unique ARs are terrible. For snipes, I found the Droog or other high fire rate variants to be the most adaptable between distance and close range. Other weapon variants have their place with different character builds. For example, Gaige benefits a lot from low round count weapons (Jakobs pistols/shotguns) to build up anarchy stacks. And other chars have bonuses for specific weapons like Maya and SMGs. So you just have to make sure to play to your strengths, but also have fun trying different things. It is very cheap to respec your character, so experiment!
I also like a lot of VinylicPuma's videos on BL2 for explanations. Like this one.
This is quite possibly the most awesome reply I've ever gotten on the internets. I signed up for a Shift account and it looks like I just missed some BL2 keys. I can grab the Pre-Sequel keys though.
Glad to help. :) There should be plenty of still-active BL2 codes at the link. I only made it part of the way through the list before I maxed out Golden Keys (255 is cap). I used the gearbox website to apply them as it was easier to copy/paste into than the game itself. Have fun!
OMG yes. I just linked my Xbox Live account and now they're not failing anymore. I think I'm hovering right around the limit so I'll stop copy/pasting. :) When is best to actually use them?
I would save them until you start to hit a wall. For me, that meant dying a lot and getting frustrated. That might be earlier or later for different characters and playstyles and luck of the drops. None of what you get from golden chests will be best in slot (compared to unique/legendary) so it is not a big deal to vendor it. You'll probably have to use several keys at a time before you get something useful. The cap of 255 keys was enough for me to get several chars through Normal and TVHM.
In UVHM, current level gear always drops, so it gets more into having the right prep: a slag method (Slagga or Magic Missiles from Normal were what I used primarily) and the right elements for enemies you face. But you might find odd gear gaps where you still want to use the golden keys.
If nothing else, you can always farm Savage Lee for an Unkempt Harold to get you by. (When you want one for keepsies, probably better to reload until the Torgue DLC vendor has a Double Penetrating prefix. And spend Torgue tokens to buy one. You can farm tokens in Normal mode but spend them in UVHM lol.)
Oh yes, and if you run out of golden keys, you can also try the slot machines to get gear, although it is much slower going. They only provide gear at the level of Sanctuary (same level as training dummy), and it is random (mostly low) quality. If you are short of cash for slot machines, you can tip Moxxi the lower amount until you get Good Touch and just vendor it. Then reload and do it again until you have all the money you want. :) Edit Actually, that might only work in higher modes, where the tip amount is still small, but the weapon sells for a lot.